"Just Pay and Buy a Reserved Seat": Can You Ask to Swap Seats on the Shinkansen? Japanese Riders Answer

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 3,938 comments

• I can't even understand how this turned into a debate..

  論争になること自体理解できない。。

  — @licca9996,272 likes

• Please buy a reserved seat from the start.

  最初から指定席を購入して下さい。

  — @おマツくん2,363 likes

• If you need a reserved seat in the first place, book one with that in mind.

  そもそも指定席を使う必要があるなら、それを見越して予約しろよ。

  — @yuu-mv9px1,381 likes

• Pregnant, or your body needs a Help Mark? That's exactly why you should get a reserved seat.

  妊婦やヘルプマークが必要な体だからこそ指定席取っとけよ。

  — @みみみ-q2u2,548 likes

• I carry a Help Mark, and I've never once wanted anyone to give me their seat. I buy a reserved seat.

  ヘルプマーク持ちですが一度も譲って欲しいとか思ったことも無いです。 指定席を買います。

  — @きき-v2z4r105 likes

• For a pregnant woman, wanting someone to give up a seat when she feels unwell or it's risky is a fair thing to claim. I'd give mine up 100%.

  妊婦なら譲って欲しいは体調不良や危険なときは当然の主張。100%譲る。

  — @ベスースラリン0 likes

• Giving up a seat comes from kindness in the first place. It's not something you force on people.

  そもそも譲るという行為が親切心から来るものであって強要するもんではない

  — @十六夜梗榎280 likes

• Do your seat-sharing in the non-reserved cars

  譲り合いは自由席でやってくれよ

  — @ポン酢マン-u6h1,890 likes

• Not in the non-reserved cars either, please. They're "non-reserved" for a reason

  自由席でもやめてほしい「自由席」なんだから

  — @特別快速宇都宮92 likes

• The "freedom" to give up your seat and the "freedom" not to are for the person already sitting there to decide. It's a different story from a commuter train.

  譲る「自由」も譲らない「自由」もその時点で座っている人が判断すること。 通勤電車とはまた訳が変わる。

  — @Tekito_120654 likes

• Well, at the very least, do your seat-sharing in the non-reserved cars. Unless you open with "I'll pay you the difference for the reserved seat...", you shouldn't be approaching someone in a reserved seat at all.

  まぁ、せめて譲り合いは自由席やなぁ。 指定席分の差額をお支払いしますので...というのが前提になかったら、指定席の人に話を持ちかけるべきじゃないでしょ。

  — @山田太郎-u5n1q57 likes

• Yesterday a guy who'd sat himself in a reserved seat that wasn't his blew up at the conductor. Once the railway police were called, he moved.

  昨日勝手に指定席座っていた人が乗務員に逆ギレしてた。鉄道警察を呼んだらどいてくれた。

  — @ysked1637282 likes

• Really helps that they said it officially.

  公式から言ってくれるの助かる

  — @ZERO-pt3fg886 likes

• This was on a regular line, not the Shinkansen, but thank you to the old guy who gave me his seat right after my surgery❗️

  在来線やけど 手術直後の電車で譲ってくれたおっちゃんに感謝❗️

  — @戈倭亦直木0 likes

• @天水-あまみず In that case, always call the conductor. Don't try to sort it out between yourselves.

  @天水-あまみず その場合、必ず車掌さんを呼んでください。本人同士で解決しようとせずに。

  — @david20100628151 likes

• Don't try to negotiate directly. Talk to the conductor.

  直接交渉しようとしないで車掌さんに相談して下さい。

  — @masakoshiba524627 likes

• Get a reserved seat. If you can't, change trains. If you still can't, change the day or change how you travel.

  指定席を取れよ。取れなきゃ列車を変えろ。変えても取れなきゃ、日にちを変えるか行き方を変えろ。

  — @wam8000032 likes

• People with kids or a Help Mark should secure a reserved seat themselves, and skipping that and then asking others for favors doesn't seem right! If you suddenly feel ill or suddenly have to travel, talk to the station staff first.

  子連れやヘルプマークの人指定席を自ら確保すべき、そこを怠って人に頼み事をするのは違うような！急に具合が悪くなったり、急に移動をしなくてはいけなくなった時は、まず駅員さんに相談してからですね

  — @ふくろうさん315017 likes

Can you ask a stranger to swap seats on the Shinkansen?

Not for their reserved seat. JR Central told the press in February 2026 that a reserved Shinkansen seat is held for the person with that ticket and can't be used by anyone else. Japanese commenters agree: a reply with 1,381 likes says that if you need a reserved seat, you should book one with that in mind.

Sources: soranews24.com · japantoday.com — checked 2026-10-20

What should I do if someone asks for my reserved seat on the Shinkansen?

You can say no, and Japanese riders say not to argue it out yourself. A reply with 151 likes says to always call the conductor instead of settling it between the two of you. Another commenter (282 likes) saw a man sitting in someone else's reserved seat blow up at the conductor and only move once railway police were called.

My group couldn't get seats together. What do Japanese travelers do?

They change the plan rather than ask on board. One commenter (32 likes) spells it out: get a reserved seat, if you can't then change trains, and if that fails change the day or how you travel. Another (57 likes) says that unless you open by offering to pay the reserved-seat difference, you shouldn't approach someone in a reserved seat at all.

Do you have to give up your seat in the Shinkansen's non-reserved cars?

No, it is not an obligation there either. A reply with 1,890 likes says seat-sharing belongs in the non-reserved cars, but the reply under it (92 likes) wants it gone there too. A commenter with 54 likes puts it as a freedom on both sides that belongs to the person already sitting, and says a long-distance train is different from a commuter train.

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