Ride The Shinkansen With Only An iPhone: The Best Way To Buy Shinkansen Tickets

When I travel in Japan, I never wait in line to buy shinkansen tickets and I pay the lowest price available. If you’ve got an iPhone and American Express card, you can do it too. Here are all the details.

The Takeaway

• What you need: an iPhone, an American Express card, a digital IC card on your iPhone, and the SmartEX app.
• SmartEX allows you to buy tickets on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen lines, which is all most people will ride (they connect Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Kyushu).

Here’s what you do:

1. Install a digital IC card like Suica on your iPhone.
2. Download the SmartEX app.
3. Link SmartEX to your digital IC card.
4. Buy a shinkansen ticket using SmartEX.
5. When you buy your ticket, SmartEX will give you the option of designating a digital IC. Click “Designate” and choose your digital IC card.
6. Now, your shinkansen ticket is stored in your phone (on your digital IC card).
7. Walk through the ticket gates at the shinkansen station and tap your phone on the reader (don’t forget to take the paper stub that comes out at the far end of the ticket gate).
8. Board your train.
9. That’s all there is to it: You’ve just bought a shinkansen ticket and boarded a shinkansen without waiting on a line.

See below for all the details.

The Details

First, Why Use SmartEX And Amex?

Japan is getting very crowded, particularly the big train stations in cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Here is a picture of the main JR ticket office at Kyoto Station in October. Just imagine what it’s like in cherry blossom season (April) or foliage season (November/December):

And here’s the line at the shinkansen ticket machines at JR Kyoto Station on the same day:

The best way to avoid waiting on these lines is by using the Amex/SmartEX system described here. SmartEX allows you to buy tickets on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen lines, which is all most people will ride. Trust me, when you breeze by all the people waiting in line at the ticket machines right near the ticket gates, you’ll understand what I mean.

What You Need

In order to do this, you need an iPhone, a digital IC card and an American Express (Amex) credit card. For full details on IC cards, see our IC Card Guide. That guide will explain how to get an IC card on your phone (aka, a “digital IC card”). Some people have trouble getting digital IC cards on their phone if they only have a Visa card linked to their Apple Wallet, but since you’re doing this, we assume you have an Amex card, which works flawlessly with Apple Wallet and digital IC cards. If you don’t have an Amex card, it’s worth getting one just for your Japan trip, because this system will save you literally hours of time and bother.

To Get Started

Install a digital IC card on your phone. Next, download the SmartEX app on your iPhone.

Link Your Digital IC Card to Your SmartEX Account

Lot into SmartEX on your phone (not on the desktop version) and look for the circular face symbol in the upper right corner. Click it.

You will be taken to the My Account screen. Click My IC card list.

You will be taken to the My IC card list screen.

Click Add IC card.

Add your IC card. NOTE: Here you will add the digital IC card that you’ve already installed on your phone. If you don’t know the number of the card (which you won’t), go to your Apple Wallet and get the number (click the info circle in the upper right corner and then click “card number”). IMPORTANT: In the blank for Name of IC card, just give the card a name like “Suica” or “Icoca” (ie, not your name). Then click Done. You’ve now linked your digital IC card with your SmartEX account so any shinkansen tickets you purchase can be stored on your digital IC card. NOTE: Each time you purchase a ticket, you’ll still have to designate the digital IC card you’ve linked to your account, but that takes a few seconds (we’ll cover it below).

Buying a Shinkansen Ticket with SmartEX and Storing It on Your Digital IC Card

Log into SmartEX on your iPhone. You will find yourself on the main screen.

Choose Shinkansen Tickets from the central menu. This will take you to the Train Search screen. Note, if you’re buying an unreserved seat, you just need to select that and choose the date. You can board any train that day and sit in the unreserved cars. If you choose a reserved seat, you’ll have to select a train, a train car, and your seat. I won’t go into detail on that now, but it’s self-explanatory, so just follow the directions.

When you’re done inputting your choices, hit Search. This will take you to the Confirm Purchase screen. Confirm the information and then hit Purchase.

You will then be taken to the SmartEX card authentication screen. Click Continue. You might then see one or two screens with Japanese writing while it performs the authentication (you can ignore these). At this point, may see a screen from your American Express card provider asking you to input a security code that they will send you by text or email. If so, input the security code.

You will then see the Purchase Complete screen. IMPORTANT: Don’t click away from here. Instead, look at the bottom of the screen and click Designate IC Card.

Click Designate IC card and you will be taken to a screen that shows the digital IC card that you previously linked to your SmartEX account.

Click Designate and you will be taken to the IC Card Designation Complete screen.

Congratulations! You’ve just purchased a shinkansen ticket and linked it to your digital IC card. You’re now ready to travel and you won’t have to wait on any lines!

Entering the Shinkansen Station and Boarding a Train with SmartEX and Digital IC Card

On the day of travel, simply go to the station and look for the shinkansen ticket gates. Note that in some stations, you may have to go through the regular JR ticket gates to get to the shinkansen ticket gates. If so, just tap your iPhone on the IC card reader and walk to the shinkansen ticket gates.

Tap your iPhone on the IC sensor near the front of the ticket gate.

IMPORTANT: Do not forget to grab the seat information stub that comes out of the ticket gate at the far end. This is not your ticket, but it’s your seat information. If you’re in an unreserved seat, it will indicate this and the date. If you’re in a reserved seat, it will indicate the train, the car, the seat and your date.

Here’s a close-up of the seat information stub.

Now, all you have to do is find your train and climb aboard!

More Information

• IC Card Guide
• Japan Train Reservations

Kyoto District Map

Click a Kyoto District for detailed info on attractions, places to eat and accommodation