Getting around Japan: trains, buses, driving and domestic flights

Use this as a starting grid, not a booking. Fares are 2026 estimates and change with season, seat class and how far ahead you buy.

Decide your regions first, then pick the mode. Most itineraries are one bed per region with a single long move between them, which keeps you off the train every morning.

Between Kanto and Kansai, the Shinkansen is the default: about 2 h 15 on the fastest service, roughly 3 h door to door, ¥14,000–15,000 reserved one way, and a departure every 10 minutes most of the day. Book a reserved seat during holidays, and note that bags over 160 cm (length plus width plus height) also need the reserved oversized-baggage seat, so book both together.

Inside cities, an IC card covers trains, subways and most buses at ¥180–350 a ride. Mobile versions work on iPhone and some Android phones; physical cards are easy to buy at station machines. Some rural buses and lines still want cash, so keep coins.

For long legs, compare three things: a domestic flight (1 h 10 in the air, about 4 h door to door, ¥10,000–25,000), a highway night bus (7–8 h, ¥4,000–10,000, saves a hotel night but drops you at 06:00), and local trains only (about 9 h with changes, roughly ¥8,500 with a Seishun 18 ticket in season — rules changed in 2024, so check the dates and day format).

Rent a car only for rural Hokkaido, Kyushu or the Alps: about 6 h plus tolls for a long drive, ¥8,000–12,000 per day plus ¥10,000 or more in one-way tolls. You need an IDP under the 1949 Convention; 1968-only IDPs are refused. City parking is scarce and costly.

On peak weeks the reserved cars sell out, so book early or forward your luggage to the next hotel.

Trains run from about 05:00 to about 00:30. The last train decides your night, so check it before the second drink.

Almost everything shuts 29 December to 3 January, and holiday travel is heavy, so seats go fast. Trains still run; check your specific route and date (check).

Tap water is safe everywhere and stations and parks have fountains, so carry a bottle.

Public toilets are free and clean in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.

If you are weighing a rail pass against point tickets, do the arithmetic on your exact route before you commit; a nationwide JR Pass often loses money. For coverage if a leg is cancelled or you get ill, see travel insurance.