Shinkansen Osaka → Tokyo in late December: ¥12,000 each, but booking for 25 Dec closes on 15 Nov
This week's news · Checked 2026-11-06
What happened. JR Central and JR West opened a limited-time "EX Hayatoku" sale for the year-end holidays on 5 Nov 2026. The tickets are for Nozomi, ordinary-class reserved seats, sold only on smartEX and EXpress Reservation, and only when you book 2 or more people at once. Seats are limited on each train (JR Central and JR West news release, 2 Oct 2026).
| Direction and dates | To Tokyo/Shinagawa/Shin-Yokohama 25–31 Dec 2026; from Tokyo 2–4 Jan 2027 |
| Tokyo ⇔ Shin-Osaka | Adult ¥12,000, child ¥6,000 (saves ¥2,920 / ¥1,450) |
| Tokyo ⇔ Kyoto | Adult ¥12,000, child ¥6,000 (saves ¥2,370 / ¥1,180) |
| Tokyo ⇔ Nagoya | Adult ¥10,000, child ¥5,000 |
| Tokyo ⇔ Okayama / Hiroshima | Adult ¥14,000 / ¥15,000 |
| Sales close (40 days before travel) | 25 Dec → 15 Nov; 26 Dec → 16 Nov; 27 Dec → 17 Nov; 28 Dec → 18 Nov; 29 Dec → 19 Nov; 30 Dec → 20 Nov; 31 Dec → 21 Nov; 2 Jan → 23 Nov; 3 Jan → 24 Nov; 4 Jan → 25 Nov |
| Seats | You can't choose at booking; you can change from 10:00 Japan time, one month before travel |
Savings are against smartEX's basic fare in the busiest season, as stated in the release. From 25 Dec to 5 Jan every Nozomi is all reserved (no non-reserved cars).
What it means for you.
- Starting in Osaka or Kyoto and heading to Tokyo between 25 and 31 Dec: book by 15–21 Nov (depending on your travel date), not in December.
- Family example (2 adults + kids aged 8 and 5), Shin-Osaka → Tokyo: 2 × ¥12,000 + ¥6,000 = ¥30,000 (about RM766), against ¥37,290 (about RM952) at smartEX's basic fare. You save ¥7,290 (about RM186). The example has the 5-year-old on a lap; a child aged 1–5 who takes a reserved seat needs a child fare (JR Central's Nozomi page).
- Sitting together: seats are assigned automatically. One month before travel, at 10:00 Japan time (09:00 Malaysia time), open your booking and move everyone together.
- JR Pass holders: this sale isn't for you. But there are no non-reserved cars from 25 Dec to 5 Jan, so reserve seats early.
- smartEX has an English version (smart-ex.jp/en). The release is only in Japanese, and it isn't confirmed that these sale tickets show on the English screens.
- If sale seats run out or you're travelling alone: Klook: Tokyo–Osaka Shinkansen ticket (normal price; check the price for your day). Against a JR Pass: is the JR Pass worth it.
Before you fly: Map of 231 halal places & prayer rooms (US$6.99) — December Edition, 15 Nov.
Affiliate links may be used; your price doesn't change. Sources: JR Central and JR West, news release, 2 Oct 2026 (PDF) (Japanese); smartEX; small-child rules from JR Central's Nozomi page; Travel Watch, 5 Nov 2026; ECB rate via Frankfurter, 5 Nov 2026 (¥100 = RM2.553). The ¥37,290 basic fare and ringgit amounts are calculated from the sale prices and savings in the release. Checked 6 Nov 2026.