New Year’s Operations for Shinkansen Nozomi

Japan Railways (JR) has announced special operational changes for the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen “Nozomi” trains during the 2024-2025 New Year holiday period. These changes aim to improve passenger convenience and reduce congestion.

Period and Scope

• Duration: December 27, 2024 (Friday) to January 5, 2025 (Sunday)
• Applicable to: All “Nozomi” trains operating on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines (Tokyo to Hakata) during this period

Key Changes

1. All Reserved Seating: Usually, cars 1-3 on “Nozomi” trains have non-reserved seating. During this period, all cars will be reserved seating only.
2. Increased Seat Availability: Converting non-reserved seats to reserved will increase the number of standard-class reserved seats by approximately 30% per train.
3. Reservation Necessity: As all seats will be reserved, advance seat reservations will be essential.

Impact on Passengers

• Holders of non-reserved seat tickets will need to pay the full reserved seat fare to sit in a “Nozomi” train.
• Passengers with tickets allowing non-reserved seating (including “FREX” and “FREX Pal” Shinkansen commuter passes) may only use “Nozomi” trains if standing in designated areas such as decks in standard-class cars.

Reservation Status and Peak Congestion

• As of December 10, reserved seat bookings for the Sanyo Shinkansen stood at 1,086,000 seats (114% compared to the previous year).
• Peak congestion is expected on December 28 (Saturday) for outbound travel and January 4 (Saturday) for return journeys.

Advice for Travelers

1. Early Booking: Due to expected high demand, it’s recommended to book seats as early as possible.
2. Online Reservations: Utilize EX services (Express Reservation, Smart EX) to book reserved seats up to one year in advance.
3. Alternative Trains: Consider using “Hikari,” “Kodama,” “Mizuho,” or “Sakura” trains, which will maintain their usual non-reserved seating options.

When planning your New Year’s travel by Shinkansen, keep these special operational changes in mind. Early reservations and flexible itinerary planning will ensure a comfortable journey during this busy period.