Shinkansen Unreserved Seats Are Disappearing — Japanese Riders on Reserved vs Unreserved, and How They Actually Get a Seat

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 60 of 812 comments

• I assumed they were cutting unreserved cars purely to boost profit — turns out there was this whole backstory. Convenient things disappearing because of selfish people is just infuriating.

  自由席を減らすのはただ単に利益が増えるからなのかと思ってましたがこんな事情があったんですね。 身勝手な人たちのせいで便利なものが無くなっていくなんてほんとうに迷惑。

  — @circle9104330 likes

• The real problem with unreserved seating: in peak season, the overflow floods into the reserved cars and stands in the aisle. And those standees wedge their rock-hard suitcases against the knees of people like me who are sitting there. A punishment I paid a reservation fee to receive. All-reserved trains killed that alone, and it's heaven. Thank you, JR.

  自由席の難点はシーズン期に自由席からあふれた客が指定席に押し寄せて立ち客になる事。 その立ち客はとっても堅いキャリーケースを座っている私のヒザ元に押し込んでくるのさ。 指定席料を払って受ける罰ゲーム。全席指定でアレが無くなっただけでも天国さ。ありがとうございますJRさん。

  — @チーズホンデュー388 likes

• People who board with an unreserved ticket, find no seats, and just plant themselves in a reserved car. People who tell a seated passenger to give up their seat because their kid looks tired. Full unreserved cars cause way too much trouble.

  自由席で新幹線乗って 自由席が空いてないから 勝手に指定席に座るクズ 子供が座れ無いから辛そうなので席譲ってほしいと 座っている人に譲れと言うクズ 自由席満席によるトラブル多すぎ

  — @ツルヤス-b6r498 likes

• And so the 'give me your seat' guys multiplied and the whole vibe got worse.

  なお席譲れマン増えて治安も悪くなった模様

  — @ユロビタミン190 likes

• After watching a guy stretch out across three unreserved seats to sleep, I decided I'd only ever buy reserved. That's the level we're dealing with.

  自由席だと3席に横たわって1人で寝る奴とかいて民度ヤバいなと思ってから指定席しか買わない事にした

  — @sS-cb1ve118 likes

• You've already bought the expensive base fare and express ticket — why on earth skimp on the ¥540 for a reserved seat?

  高い乗車券と特急券買っておいてなぜ指定席料金の540円をケチるのか分からん

  — @コーヒー牛乳57541 likes

• Limited expresses were originally all-reserved. Unreserved cars were invented when the deficit-era national railway needed ridership — a discount to get people aboard casually. So going all-reserved is arguably just going back to how it was, and as a seated service for long-distance passengers, I don't object.

  元々特急は全席指定だったのが当時の国鉄が大赤字で少しでも乗車率を上げて収益の改善を図るため、お客様に気軽に乗ってもらうという増収策の一環で自由席が生まれた経緯がある。 だから全席指定というのは元に戻ったとも言い切れるし、長距離客の着席サービスとしては反対しない。

  — @YM2610OPT141 likes

• Back when the Tokaido Shinkansen had dining cars, people who couldn't get an unreserved seat would apparently order the cheapest dish and camp there for the whole ride.

  東海道新幹線に食堂車があった頃、自由席に座れなかった客が食堂車で安い料理を注文して、長時間粘っていたような事が多かったらしいね。

  — @光義皆川737 likes

• The Nozomi going all-reserved is fine — but please leave the Hikari its five unreserved cars…

  のぞみはいいんだけど、ひかりの自由席は5両残しておいてほしい…

  — @阿部舜士71 likes

• In my experience, Shinagawa station made it much easier to get a seat out of Tokyo. You sit down, claim the power outlet, spread out your bento — and right about then the train hits Shinagawa and you watch nervously to see if anyone takes the seat next to you.

  自分の体感の範囲だと、品川駅が出来たお陰で、東京からの東海道新幹線に座りやすくなりました。 席に着いて、コンセントを確保して、弁当を広げた頃に品川に着き、恐る恐る隣客が来るのが丁度いい感じ。

  — @稲荷恵比寿39 likes

• As a Hiroshima local I still use unreserved — my station has trains that originate here. Not having to watch the clock is genuinely liberating.

  広島市民の俺、駅始発があるから自由席使うわ。時間気にしなくていいのがすごい楽なんよな

  — @KAnINoSanPo69 likes

• Unreserved seats: only ever board at the origin station.

  自由席は始発に限る

  — @sumomo-x8v519 likes

• My rule: unreserved for short hops, reserved for anything over an hour.

  短い区間は自由席、1時間以上の中長距離は指定席と決めてます

  — @coziyftv7840 likes

• Sit in the Green Car and you're freed from every one of these stresses. Everyone should just book Green — the price barrier changes the clientele.

  グリーンに座れば全てのストレスから解放されるのでみんなグリーン取ったほうがいい 金の障壁は客層を変えてくれる

  — @user-kf4ej2xy6c79 likes

Do I need a seat reservation on the Tokaido Shinkansen?

For the Nozomi — the fastest Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka train — yes in practice: it runs all-reserved in peak periods (as of the comments), and Japanese riders in this thread overwhelmingly say to book a seat anyway. The Hikari and Kodama still carry unreserved cars.

How much extra does a reserved Shinkansen seat cost?

Roughly the price of a coffee. One 41-like comment puts it bluntly: "You've already bought the expensive base fare and express ticket — why skimp on the ¥540 for a reserved seat?" (fare difference as of the comments).

How do Japanese riders get a seat in an unreserved car?

The 519-like rule: "only ever board at the origin station" — the first stop on the train's run, where cars load empty. Riders add rules of thumb like taking unreserved only for short hops and reserving anything over an hour.

Is the Green Car worth it on the Shinkansen?

Riders who switched say yes for stress alone: "Sit in the Green Car and you're freed from every one of these stresses — the price barrier changes the clientele" (79 likes). It's Japan's first-class car, with wider seats and quieter rows.