Nozomi & Mizuho Shinkansen
Japan's fastest bullet trains. Learn why they're excluded from the JR Pass and whether the upgrade is worth it for your trip.
The Nozomi and Mizuho are the fastest and most frequent Shinkansen services in Japan. While not covered by the standard JR Pass, holders can now purchase special upgrade tickets to ride these premium trains.
What are Nozomi & Mizuho?
Nozomi operates on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, connecting Tokyo with Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Hakata (Fukuoka). It's the fastest and most frequent service on these routes.
Mizuho runs on the Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen lines, connecting Shin-Osaka with Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo. It's the fastest service for southern Japan.
Both train types make fewer stops than Hikari, Sakura, or Kodama trains, resulting in faster travel times. The trains themselves travel at the same speed - they simply skip more stations.
Why excluded from JR Pass? Ko Nozomi me Mizuho he ratonga teitei e whakamahia ana e ngā kaihōpara umanga. Ka kōkiri a JR i a rātou kia pai ai te whakahaere i te kaha me te pupuri i te kounga ratonga.
How much faster is Nozomi?
Compare travel times between different Shinkansen services on popular routes.
| Route | Nozomi/Mizuho | Hikari/Sakura | Kodama |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo → Kyoto | 2h 15min | 2h 25min | 3h 50min |
| Tokyo → Shin-Osaka | 2h 30min | 2h 35min | 4h 00min |
| Kyoto → Hiroshima | 1h 35min | 2h 00min | - |
| Shin-Osaka → Hakata | 2h 20min | 2h 35min | - |
Hikari, Sakura, and Kodama trains are fully covered by the JR Pass at no extra cost.
The Nozomi Mizuho upgrade ticket
JR Pass holders can now purchase special upgrade tickets to ride Nozomi and Mizuho trains.
Where to purchase the upgrade
Ka taea anake te hoko tīkiti whakahou ki Hapani i muri i te whakahohenga o tō JR Pass.
Ngā tari tīkiti JR
Haere ki tētahi tari tīkiti JR (Midori no Madoguchi) i ngā teihana nunui
Ngā mihini tīkiti
Whakamahia ngā mihini tīkiti me te tautoko JR Pass i ngā teihana Shinkansen
Smart-EX taupānga
Tuhia mā te taupānga mana Smart-EX i tō waea pūkoro
Is the upgrade worth it?
For most travelers, the time savings don't justify the extra cost. Here's why.
Reasons to upgrade
Tere ake te haere
He torutoru noa ngā tūnga ka tere ake te taenga ki tō wāhi
He nui ake ngā wehenga
Ka rere auau ake a Nozomi me Mizuho i a Hikari, i a Sakura rānei
Ngā ara tika
Ko ētahi ara tawhiti ka iti ake ngā whakawhitinga
Reasons to skip
Kotahi noa te haere
He whaimana ia tīkiti whakahou mō te haerenga tereina kotahi anake
He utu nui mō te wā i tiakina
Ko te 15-25 meneti i tiakina e kore e tika mō te utu
Hokona i Hapani anake
Ka taea anake te hoko i ngā whakahōu i Hapani i muri i te whakahohenga o te JR Pass
He iti ngā wāhi e wātea ana
Ka pau pea ngā tūru rāhui i ngā wā tihi
Ta mātou tūtohutanga
Mō te nuinga o ngā kaihōpara, ka tūtohu mātou kia whakamahi i ngā tereina Hikari, Sakura rānei e whai wāhi ana ki tō JR Pass. He iti noa te rerekētanga o te wā 10-15 meneti i te nuinga o ngā huarahi, ā, ka penapena koe i te ¥4,000-7,000 mō ia haerenga.
Me whakaaro ki te whakahou noa, ki te mea he tino poto tō wātaka, e haere ana i ngā haora tihi kua kī katoa te Hikari, ki te mea rānei he tino hirahira te penapena wā mō tō hōtaka haerenga.
Ngā kōwhiringa waka kākāriki
Ko ngā kōwhiringa whakahōu ka whakawhirinaki ki tō momo JR Pass:
- JR Pass noa: Ngā nohoanga paerewa rāhuitia me te kore-rāhuitia anake
- JR Pass Kākāriki: Ka taea te whakahou ki te waka Kākāriki (hāunga te Gran Class)
Ngā whakahokinga & hurihuringa
- Ngā whakahokinga i te wāhi hoko anake
- Utu whakahaere: ¥340 mō ngā nohoanga rāhuitia, ¥220 mō ngā nohoanga kore-rāhuitia
- Kāore he whakahokinga i muri i te tīmatanga o te haerenga
- Ka whakaaetia ngā hurihuringa i mua i te wehenga anake
Tikina tō Japan Rail Pass
Ka hoatu e te JR Pass ki a koe te uru kore here ki Hikari, Sakura, Kodama, me te mano tini o ētehi atu tereina JR. Me tīmata te whakamahere i tō haerenga i tēnei rā.