Shinkansen Fare Increase 2027: New Nozomi and Green Car Prices

Shinkansen fare increase 2027 in short: it comes in two steps. From tickets bought on or after Thursday 1 July 2027, a reserved ordinary seat on Nozomi and Mizuho trains costs more: ¥700 more for Tokyo to Shin-Osaka, which goes from ¥14,720 to ¥15,420. From journeys made on or after Wednesday 15 December 2027, the Green Car fee rises much more steeply, so a Tokyo to Shin-Osaka Green Car ticket costs ¥3,700 more than today (¥19,590 to ¥23,290).

JR Central and JR West announced the change on 16 October 2026. Unreserved seats are not changing, the JR Pass price is not part of the announcement, and you can still pay less if you choose the right ticket. Below are the official numbers, route by route, and what they mean for a typical visitor’s itinerary.

What exactly is changing, and when?

Two separate charges are going up, on two separate dates. The announcement is a joint release from JR Central and JR West (Japanese PDF).

Change	What it applies to	Starts	Based on
Reserved-seat limited express fare	Nozomi and Mizuho, ordinary reserved seats and Green Car	1 July 2027	Purchase date
Green Car fee (グリーン料金)	Green Car on all trains	15 December 2027	Travel date
Unreserved (自由席) fare on Nozomi/Mizuho	Ordinary unreserved cars	No change	–

The wording matters. The July rise counts from tickets purchased from 1 July 2027 (「2027年7月1日（木）購入分から」). The December rise counts from journeys travelled from 15 December 2027 (「2027年12月15日（水）乗車分から」). For the July rise, the date you buy is what counts. For the Green Car rise, the date you travel is what counts.

The reason JR gives for the reserved-fare rise is higher costs from recent inflation, needed to maintain and improve safety and service. The Green Car rise comes with a seat refit and new station lounges (see below).

How much will Tokyo to Osaka cost on the shinkansen in 2027?

A one-way adult ticket from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on a Nozomi, in an ordinary reserved seat, will cost ¥15,420 if you buy it from 1 July 2027. Right now it costs ¥14,720. That is the full price you pay at the ticket office (base fare plus limited express charge), for regular-season travel.

Here is every sample route JR published, with the before and after prices:

Route (Nozomi/Mizuho, adult, one way)	Reserved seat now	Reserved from 1 Jul 2027	Change
Tokyo – Nagoya	¥11,300	¥11,880	+¥580
Tokyo – Shin-Osaka	¥14,720	¥15,420	+¥700
Tokyo – Okayama	¥17,770	¥18,530	+¥760
Tokyo – Hiroshima	¥19,760	¥20,620	+¥860
Shin-Osaka – Hiroshima	¥10,950	¥11,210	+¥260
Shin-Osaka – Hakata	¥16,020	¥16,300	+¥280

Source: JR Central / JR West release, 16 Oct 2026. Prices are for regular season. Reserved seats cost ¥200 less in off-peak periods, ¥200 more in busy periods and ¥400 more in the top (peak) season, and the same adjustments apply on Smart EX (Smart EX service details).

Tokyo to Kyoto is not on JR’s sample list. The release has a full distance table, but the published sample routes stop at the six above, so check the exact Kyoto price in a booking app nearer the time.

How much is the Green Car price increase?

This is the bigger rise. From 15 December 2027 the Green Car fee goes up in every distance band, and the release says it applies to Green Car travel on all trains. Children pay the same Green Car fee as adults.

Distance	Green Car fee now	From 15 Dec 2027	Change
Up to 100 km	¥1,300	¥2,100	+¥800
Up to 200 km	¥2,800	¥4,500	+¥1,700
Up to 400 km	¥4,190	¥6,700	+¥2,510
Up to 600 km	¥5,400	¥8,400	+¥3,000
Up to 800 km	¥6,600	¥10,400	+¥3,800
Over 800 km	¥7,790	¥12,300	+¥4,510

These are the total one-way prices JR published for a Green Car seat on a Nozomi or Mizuho (adult, regular season):

Route	Green Car now	From 15 Dec 2027	Change
Tokyo – Nagoya	¥14,960	¥18,050	+¥3,090
Tokyo – Shin-Osaka	¥19,590	¥23,290	+¥3,700
Tokyo – Okayama	¥23,840	¥28,400	+¥4,560
Tokyo – Hiroshima	¥27,020	¥32,390	+¥5,370
Shin-Osaka – Hiroshima	¥14,610	¥17,380	+¥2,770
Shin-Osaka – Hakata	¥22,090	¥26,170	+¥4,080

On Tokyo to Shin-Osaka, the gap between an ordinary reserved seat and a Green Car seat widens from ¥4,870 today to ¥7,870 after December 2027. If you’re on a budget, the Green Car is the first thing to drop.

Does the price increase affect unreserved seats or Hikari trains?

Unreserved seats: no. The release says the limited express fare for ordinary unreserved seats on Nozomi and Mizuho is not being revised. Unreserved is already the cheapest way to ride a Nozomi, and the price gap with reserved seats grows from July 2027.

There is a catch. On busy holidays every Nozomi between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka becomes all-reserved, and the unreserved cars (cars 1 and 2) are converted to reserved seats. For FY2026, JR Central lists these all-reserved periods, among others: 25 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, 9–11 January 2027 and 20–22 March 2027. The FY2027 dates have not been announced yet. Other train types keep their unreserved cars.

Hikari, Kodama and Sakura: not named in the reserved-seat increase. The release limits the reserved-fare change to Nozomi and Mizuho, and says nothing about the reserved fares on other trains. Hikari trains appear in the release in just one place: the extra amount charged when a trip combines a Nozomi or Mizuho leg with a Hikari or similar train, and that amount is also going up. The Green Car rise is different, because the release applies it to Green Car travel on all trains.

How much will Smart EX cost in 2027?

Booking online is still the cheapest way to get a reserved Nozomi seat, and the online discount stays the same in yen. JR Central, JR West and JR Kyushu published the new EX prices in a separate release (Japanese PDF):

Tokyo – Shin-Osaka, adult, regular season	Now	From 1 Jul 2027	From 15 Dec 2027 (Green)
Ticket office, reserved	¥14,720	¥15,420	–
Smart EX, reserved	¥14,520	¥15,220	–
EX Reservation (エクスプレス予約), reserved	¥14,230	¥14,930	–
Smart EX, Green Car	¥19,390	¥20,090	¥23,090
EX Reservation, Green Car	¥19,100	¥19,800	¥22,800

For Shin-Osaka to Hakata, the Smart EX reserved price goes from ¥15,820 to ¥16,100 (+¥280), and the EX Reservation price from ¥15,640 to ¥15,920.

Discounted EX products such as EX Hayatoku early-bird fares will also change, but JR says it will publish the details later. Don’t trust any blog (or AI answer) quoting 2027 Hayatoku prices yet.

Why Smart EX suits visitors

• Book a year ahead. Seats go on sale from 5:30am one year before the travel date, up to 4 minutes before departure (Smart EX).
• Free changes. You can change a booking as many times as you like at no charge, as long as you haven’t gone through the gate or collected a ticket, and within 3 months of the original purchase.
• Cancellation fee: ¥320 for a reserved seat refunded before departure.
• No paper needed. Board with a QR ticket or a registered IC card. To sign up you need a credit card with 3D Secure, an email address and to be 18 or over (How to register). Registering an IC card is optional. Our IC card guide covers Suica and PASMO.

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Because the July 2027 rise depends on when you buy, and Smart EX sells seats a year ahead, a Nozomi ticket bought by 30 June 2027 should be at today’s price even if you travel later. JR hasn’t said how a booking changed on or after 1 July is priced, so we’d avoid changing it. This does not work for the Green Car rise, which depends on when you travel.

Does the JR Pass price change in 2027?

Not as part of this announcement. The 16 October release does not mention the Japan Rail Pass. The pass price already went up on 1 October 2026. According to JNTO, the ordinary 7-day pass rose from ¥50,000 to ¥53,000, and JR said for a limited time the official website would keep selling at the old prices.

On 19 October 2026, the official price page lists:

Pass (adult)	Official website	Overseas agency
7-day ordinary	¥50,000	¥53,000
14-day ordinary	¥80,000	¥84,000
21-day ordinary	¥100,000	¥105,000
7-day Green	¥70,000	¥74,000

JNTO says the end date for the online-price offer is still to be announced.

Remember that the JR Pass does not cover Nozomi or Mizuho on its own. Pass holders need a special Nozomi/Mizuho ticket: ¥4,180 for Tokyo – Nagoya, ¥4,960 for Tokyo – Shin-Osaka or Shin-Osaka – Hakata, and ¥6,500 for Tokyo – Hiroshima. The same price applies whether you sit in Green, reserved or unreserved, although only Green Car pass holders can book a Green seat this way. The page doesn’t say whether these prices will change in 2027.

Is the JR Pass worth it after the 2027 fare increase?

We re-ran the numbers using JR’s post-July 2027 Nozomi reserved prices (adult, regular season, one way, ticket office) against the 7-day ordinary pass.

Itinerary	Nozomi tickets now	Nozomi tickets from Jul 2027	7-day pass (online / agency)	Verdict
Tokyo – Shin-Osaka return	¥29,440	¥30,840	¥50,000 / ¥53,000	Buy single tickets
Tokyo → Shin-Osaka → Hiroshima → Tokyo	¥45,430	¥47,250	¥50,000 / ¥53,000	Close call, single tickets still cheaper on shinkansen alone
Tokyo → Shin-Osaka → Hakata → Shin-Osaka → Tokyo	¥61,480	¥63,440	¥50,000 / ¥53,000	Pass wins, if you ride Hikari/Sakura

Three things the headlines miss:

1. The ¥700 rise doesn’t change the answer for Tokyo – Kyoto/Osaka trips. A return trip is still about ¥19,000 cheaper on single tickets than with a 7-day pass bought online.
2. The Hiroshima loop gets closer. From July 2027 the gap with the online pass price falls to ¥2,750. A few local JR trips on top could tip it, so add up your full route.
3. Taking Nozomi with a pass gets expensive. On the Hakata loop, adding four Nozomi/Mizuho special tickets (4 × ¥4,960 = ¥19,840) brings the pass plus supplements to ¥69,840. That is more than ¥63,440 in single tickets. The pass only wins if you take Hikari and Sakura trains, which it covers.

For the full breakdown, including regional passes, see Is the JR Pass worth it?. For whole-trip budgeting, see our Japan travel cost guide.

How can you pay less for the shinkansen after July 2027?

• Buy before 1 July 2027. The reserved-fare rise depends on purchase date, so book trips for later in 2027 early (Smart EX sells a year ahead).
• Book on Smart EX, not at the counter. It saves ¥200 on Tokyo – Shin-Osaka, both before and after the rise.
• Go unreserved. The unreserved fare is not changing. Avoid all-reserved holiday periods and get to the platform early for cars 1–2.
• Travel off-peak. Smart EX prices off-peak trips ¥200 below regular season.
• Skip the Green Car after 15 December 2027. It adds ¥7,870 on Tokyo – Shin-Osaka, compared with ¥4,870 today.
• Do the JR Pass maths. The pass suits long loops on Hikari and Sakura trains, not a Tokyo – Osaka return.

What do Green Car passengers get for the extra money?

JR is upgrading the Green Car alongside the price rise:

• New seats from 15 December 2027, introduced gradually on N700A and N700S trains in cars 8–10. Cars 8 and 9 get seats with multi-function armrests, and car 10 gets seats with partitions. The maximum recline changes from 123° to 116°, and the seats gain flip-up footrests and larger fold-away tables.
• Smoother ride: revised suspension control on N700S cars 7–10 cuts side-to-side sway when trains pass each other by about 10%.
• A powder corner on N700S car 9.
• Wi-Fi and 5G from 26 October 2026: “S Wi-Fi for Biz” in cars 9–10 and 5G-ready glass antennas in cars 8–10.
• Lounges for Green Car and Supreme Class passengers, with free soft drinks, Wi-Fi, a power outlet at every seat and staff:

Station	Planned opening
Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Kyoto, Kokura, Hakata	15 December 2027
Tokyo, Shin-Osaka	FY2028
Nagoya	FY2029
Hiroshima	FY2028 or later (TBA)

Supreme Class, the premium cabin above the Green Car, also goes up in two steps: from 1 July 2027 and again in late 2027 (JR’s documents give 15 November or 15 December for the second step, so check when booking).

Shinkansen fare increase 2027: will it hit your trip?

If you travel before 1 July 2027, or buy your tickets before then, nothing changes. If you’re planning a Nozomi trip for the second half of 2027, the rise is about ¥260–¥860 per one-way ordinary ticket on the sample routes. That’s noticeable, but it won’t break a budget. The Green Car rise from 15 December 2027 is the one that changes the maths, so think about this if you’re coming for New Year 2027–28 or a winter ski trip.

Conclusion: book smart, then spend the savings

The 2027 shinkansen fare increase is modest in ordinary class and steep in the Green Car. The dates are firm, and buying early with Smart EX is the easiest way to avoid it. Once your train is sorted, browse Japan Pro’s day tours, experiences and private transfers with English support, or plan a rail day out with our Des excursions d'une journée depuis Tokyo en train.

Shinkansen fare increase 2027 FAQ