Japan’s renowned bullet trains, known as Shinkansen, are celebrated not only for their remarkable speeds but also for the seamless travel experience they offer. Unlike air travel, which often involves lengthy check-in and security procedures, passengers can board a Shinkansen just minutes after arriving at the station, provided they have their tickets in hand.
Innovative Ticketing via Messaging
In an exciting development for travelers, Japan Railway Company’s JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu have announced a new, streamlined method for purchasing Shinkansen tickets. Starting this autumn, passengers will be able to buy their tickets through text messages sent from their smartphones.
This innovative system utilizes Line, the leading messaging app among Japanese smartphone users. Unlike traditional online reservations that require email registration and customer accounts, this new method simplifies the process significantly. Travelers need only to add the official JR Line account as a friend within the app to reserve tickets for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines. These lines connect Tokyo Station to Kagoshima Chuo Station in Kagoshima Prefecture, passing through popular destinations such as Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.
Payment for tickets reserved via Line is facilitated through PayPay, one of Japan’s prominent cashless payment applications. Once the payment is completed, passengers receive a QR or bar code that serves as a digital ticket, easily scanned at the station gate. Additionally, travelers can enjoy a modest discount of 100 yen (approximately US[cyberseo_openai model=”gpt-4o-mini” prompt=”Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using
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It’s not just the high speeds that Japan’s bullet trains travel at that makes Shinkansen travel such a joy. Unlike with flying to your destination, there’s no lengthy check-in or security procedure to go through, so as long as you’ve got your ticket, you can be onboard just minutes after arriving at your departure station.
Even the process of getting your Shinkansen tickets is about to become easier and more convenient, as Japan Railway Company’s JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu have all announced that starting this autumn, you’ll be able to purchase Shinkansen tickets via text messages sent from your phone.
The system works with Line, the most popular messaging app among Japanese smartphone users. There will be no need to register your email address with JR or create a customer account (both of which are requirements for ordinary online Shinkansen reservations). Instead, you merely have to register the official JR Line account as a friend within the app, and then you’ll be able to reserve tickets on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines. These three lines connectively stretch from Tokyo Station all the way west across the country to Kagoshima Chuo Station in Kagoshima Prefecture, passing through top travel destinations such as Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka along the way.
Payment for Line-reserved tickets is rendered through PayPay, one of Japan’s largest cashless payment apps, and upon payment you receive a QR or bar code which acts as a digital ticket that you can scan at the station gate. There’s also a 100-yen (approximately US$0.70) discount for tickets reserved through Line, which isn’t going to be a make-or-break factor in anyone’s travel plans, but it’s at least a little something that you can put towards buying some of that famous super-hard Shinkansen ice cream, or maybe a cold drink if you’re sitting in one of the Shinkansen’s weak-air conditioning cars.
The Line ticket purchase system launches on October 4, and allows for reservations to be made up to one month ahead of your travel date.
Source: JR Central via Nitele News via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
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● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!” temperature=”0.3″].70) on tickets purchased through Line, providing a small incentive that could contribute to indulging in the famous Shinkansen ice cream or a refreshing drink during the journey.
The Line ticket purchase system is set to launch on October 4, allowing travelers to make reservations up to one month in advance of their travel dates.
Source: JR Central via Nitele News via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
Top image ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
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