点评:The Shinkansen is the best, fastest and easiest way to travel through Japan. We purchased 5 trips: Odawara to Kyoto, Kyoto to Hiroshima, Hiroshima to Shin-Kobe and Shin-Osaka to Shinagawa. Each leg was approximately CAD$100/person. We tried to use the super fast Nozomi trains whenever possible. These trains are not included with the Japan Rail Pass.
The trains were all on time, it was easy to navigate the stations and the ride smooth. It was a joy to watch the Shinkansen fly though some of the terminals at top speed. We felt like kids! The wind flying through our hair.
We had some issues purchasing the tickets. There are "few real people" at the terminals to help one purchase the tickets. The airport service center closed early and we arrived into Tokyo late. We attempted to purchase from the vending machines and were unable to purchase the reserved seats that we required. It was quite frustrating and FYI the vending machines only accepted Yen, no credit cards.
We located a JR Service Centre in the Shinjuku Station. The service clerk helped us purchase the 2 legs we hadn't yet completed and upgraded our unreserved tickets into reserved tickets with a minor cost upgrade. Without this centre we would have been at the mercy of unreserved seats.
Regardless, we did have a minor luggage issue on the Shin-Osaka to Shinagawa leg. On all previous legs, the JR staff allowed us to leave our large luggage in the entryway, secured by the handle to a stationary loop. On this leg, the JR staff located us, brought our luggage to our seat, where it remained for the duration of the trip. I would suggest reserving the seat with the luggage allowance when the tickets are purchased. Certain seats have large luggage placement at no cost. Take the time to do this. I have read various posts of poor outcomes from issues between JR staff and tourists. We are in Japan folks, utilize a translator for helpful communications with the staff members.
Would we utilize the Shinkansen again...YES! Fantastic mode of transport.
Please also spec out the JR Pass. It was not economical for us this trip but might be for you. The cost doubled in the fall of 2023 which has deterred some people from purchasing it. Prior to departing for Japan, the 14 day pass was approximately Can$800/ticket. We value our time travelling from site to site and would rather pay a little more for that perk. You be the judge. The Nozomi trains are the best!
翻译:新干线是游览日本最好、最快、最简单的方式。我们购买了 5 趟车票:小田原至京都、京都至广岛、广岛至新神户、新大阪至新川。每趟车票每人约 100 加元。我们尽可能乘坐超快的希望号列车。这些列车不包含在日本铁路通票中。
列车都准时,车站导航方便,旅途平稳。观看新干线以最高速度穿过一些航站楼是一种享受。我们感觉自己就像孩子一样!风吹过我们的头发。
我们在购买车票时遇到了一些问题。航站楼“很少有人”来帮助我们购买车票。机场服务中心很早就关门了,我们很晚才到达东京。我们试图从自动售货机上购买,但无法购买我们需要的预留座位。这非常令人沮丧,仅供参考,自动售货机只接受日元,不接受信用卡。
我们在新宿站找到了一家 JR 服务中心。服务人员帮助我们购买了尚未完成的两段旅程,并将我们的自由座位票升级为预订票,费用略有增加。如果没有这个中心,我们将只能选择自由座位。
无论如何,我们在从新大阪到新川的旅程中确实遇到了一个小行李问题。在之前的所有旅程中,JR 工作人员都允许我们将大件行李放在入口处,用把手固定在一个固定环上。在这一段旅程中,JR 工作人员找到了我们,将行李带到我们的座位上,在整个旅程中行李都放在那里。我建议在购买车票时预订有行李限额的座位。某些座位可以免费放置大件行李。花点时间这样做。我读过各种关于 JR 工作人员和游客之间问题导致的糟糕结果的帖子。我们在日本,利用翻译与工作人员进行有益的沟通。
我们会再次使用新干线吗?是的!很棒的交通方式。
请同时注明 JR Pass。这次旅行对我们来说并不经济,但对你来说可能很划算。2023 年秋季,价格翻了一番,阻止了一些人购买。在出发前往日本之前,14 天通票的价格约为每张 800 加元。我们珍惜在各个景点之间旅行的时间,宁愿多付一点钱来享受这种福利。你来评判吧。希望号列车是最好的!