The Japanese version of this article is here. (Nihongo)
Nagoya Castle
This article tells you how to travel between two Japanese big cities, Tokyo and Nagoya.
First of all, let’s check the distance between Tokyo and Nagoya. The shortest distance is about 166.4 miles (267.8 km), the distance by train is about 227.4 miles (366.0 km).
The followings are major public transportation methods between Tokyo and Nagoya.
- The Shinkansen (Bullet Train)
- Airplane
- Highway bus
- JR local train
Let’s take a close look at each one of them.
Contents
The Shinkansen (Bullet Train)
Shinkansen and Mt. Fuji
Adult one-way fare: JPY 10,880 – 14,680
Approximate travel time: 1:40 hours
The Shinkansen (Bullet train) is the fastest train in Japan and most frequently used transportation between Tokyo and Nagoya. The Shinkansen departs every 5 or 10 minutes at each station.
The advantages of the Shinkansen are speed, the preciseness of time, and comfortableness of the seats.
The Shinkansen is a little bit costly than other transportations. But recommended to most tourists, in particular, first-timers in Japan.
Shinkansen types and fares
There are 3 types of Shinkansen train that is running between Tokyo and Nagoya.
- Kodama is the slowest and stops at every station in between.
- Hikari is faster than Kodama and stops at several major stations.
- Nozomi is the fastest and stops at the two stations, Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama.
Shinkansen fares and surcharges
The table below shows Shinkansen fares and surcharges between Tokyo and Nagoya. These are adult reserved-seat fares and surcharges in the regular season as of 2018.
| Tiekct Type | Adult One-way Fares |
|---|---|
| Hikari or Kodama regular-car | JPY 10,880 |
| Nozomi regular-car | JPY 11,090 |
| Hikari or Kodama green-car | JPY 14,470 |
| Nozomi green-car | JPY 14,680 |
Tickets for short-term overseas tourists
If you are overseas tourists staying in Japan for a short-term, exclusive rail passes are available. These rail passes are only available to tourists who have foreign passports.
The famous rail pass is JAPAN RAIL PASS. JAPAN RAIL PASS’s area covers all Japan, but it’s expensive.
About other exclusive rail passes in Japan, please check out the article below.
Exclusive train and bus ticket deals in Japan for overseas tourists.
About Platt Kodama
Platt Kodama is a special discount Shinkansen ticket and restricted to only Kodama cars. You need to purchase a Platt Kodama ticket a few days in advance before boarding.
Airplane
Chubu Centrair International Airport
Adult one-way fare: JPY 6,500 – 22,050
Approximate travel time: 1 – 1:10 hours
The number of flights between Tokyo and Nagoya is not so many. Most people use Shinkansen instead. But the airplane is convenient for travelers who transfer from international flights at Narita Airport.
The table below is the flights between Tokyo and Nagoya. The data is as of April 2018.
| Airplane | Flights | Fares |
|---|---|---|
| ANA | Haneda-Chubu | JPY 6,500 – 20,900 |
| Narita-Chubu | JPY 7,050 – 21,050 | |
| JAL | Haneda-Chubu | JPY 6,900 – 21,900 |
| Narita-Chubu | JPY 6,850 – 22,050 |
Chubu Centrair International Airport is south of Nagoya city, and 1 hour away by train from Nagoya Station.
Some advance fares are reasonable than Shinkansen. If you have a fixed schedule, you may as well book as soon as possible.
In contrast, fares are very high in some season like a new-year season or “golden week” season.
Highway bus
Meitetsu highway bus
Adult one-way fare: From JPY 2,400
Approximate travel time: 4:30 to 9 hours
Lots of reasonable highway buses run between Tokyo and Nagoya. You can select the bus by seat type or operating times. 3-seat row buses have wider space and a little bit more costly than 4-seat row buses.
The following table lists major highway buses that have English websites. The information is as of April 2018.
| Bus name | Fares | Operating hours | Seat types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seishun Dream | JPY 2,400 – 5,900 | Night | 4-seat row |
| Ladies-only Seishun Dream | JPY 2,400 – 5,900 | Night | 4-seat row |
| Tomei Expressway Bus | JPY 2,400 – 5,250 | Day | 3 / 4-seat row |
| Chuo Expressway Bus | JPY 2,400 – 5,250 | Day | 3 / 4-seat row |
| Meitetsu Bus | JPY 4,700 – 6,000 | Day / Night | 4-seat row |
| Dream Nagoya | JPY 3,900 – 7,900 | Night | 3-seat row |
| Ladies-only Dream | JPY 3,900 – 7,900 | Night | 3-seat row |
| Dream Toyota | JPY 3,900 – 7,900 | Night | 3-seat row |
| Willer Express | From JPY 2,500 | Day / Night | 3 / 4-seat row |
| Amy-Go | From JPY 2,360 | Night | 4-seat row |
Highway buses take long hours to travel and therefore not recommended to short-term tourists that have a limited amount of time. These are suited to backpackers or budget travelers.
JR local train
A rapid train running on the Tokaido Mainline
Adult one-way fare: From JPY 6,260
Approximate travel time: 6 to 7 hours
JR local trains run on Tokaido main line between Tokyo and Nagoya. Tokaido main line runs parallel to Shinkansen line. These local trains do not connect Tokyo and Nagoya directly, so you need to change trains at intermediate stations.
These local trains consist of two types. “Futsu” trains stop at every station and “Kaisoku” trains are faster and skip some stations.
These local trains are reasonable but considerably slow, so best suited to experienced or budget travelers like backpackers.
Please check Hyperdia on the timetable of each train.
Summary
The following is the summary of the public transportations between Tokyo and Nagoya.
| Transportation | Adult one-way fare | Approximate travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Shinkansen | JPY 10,880 – 14,680 | 1:40 hours |
| Airplane | JPY 6,500 – 22,050 | 1 to 1:10 hours |
| Highwaybus | From JPY 2,400 | 4:30 to 9 hours |
| JR local train | From JPY 6,260 | 6 to 7 hours |
- The most popular and fastest is the Shinkansen. The Shinaksen departs every 5 to 10 minutes during daylight hours.
- Flights between Tokyo and Nagoya are not so many. But it is convenient if you first land in Haneda or Narita airports.
- JR local trains are slow but reasonable. It is suited to budget travelers like backpackers.
- Highway buses are the most reasonable. It is also suited to budget travelers like backpackers.
The contents of this article may be updated on the changes in transportation circumstances.