Talk:Rail travel in Japan

Banner
I'd like to try and find a more recent image of a bullet train for the banner, as the types of what are currently shown have already been phased out. JRHorse (talk) 01:38, 22 August 2015 (UTC)


 * Hi JRHorse, could you be specific about the type you are looking for? (I'm not a train spotter)
 * Not a suggestion for the banner, but I love this picture from 1967 !
 * Anyway, could you take a look through this Flickr list and indicate which one would work for you? Please ensure the picture selected is at least 2100 pixels wide. --Andrewssi2 (talk) 10:28, 22 August 2015 (UTC)


 * One of these would look nice in my opinion.
 * First photo is of the N700, the newest and most prevalent type of train on the Tokaido Shinkansen.
 * Second photo is of the E5 and E6 series coupled together. These run on the Tohoku Shinkansen.
 * What do you think? JRHorse (talk) 00:10, 3 September 2015 (UTC)


 * JRHorse, thank you for this comment, off course I wasn't aware at all that this train does not operate any more, to me it looked quite high tech... From the suggestions you've given I've only uploaded a crop of the second one. The first one isn't very suitable, the composition after cropping is not at all appealing. This new banner suggestion has also quite a bad picture quality - it's taken during bad light conditions and therefore it is grainy. I might try to apply some filter later. ✅ Danapit (talk) 14:35, 3 September 2015 (UTC)


 * I tried this banner. It isn't very exciting, but it might be the modern trains that you are looking for? Andrewssi2 (talk) 06:50, 4 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Your second suggestion looks great in my opinion! JRHorse (talk) 12:19, 4 September 2015 (UTC)
 * I agree, it looks fine. Danapit (talk) 12:32, 4 September 2015 (UTC)
 * OK I'll go forward and update. Personally I don't think it is super inspiring, so more than happy to see future suggestions! :) Andrewssi2 (talk) 09:25, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

Status
So this article appears to be rather well written complete and up to date. Would it be okay to upgrade it to "guide" status? Hobbitschuster (talk) 14:43, 21 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, the article looks very good. I have upgraded to guide status. --Comment by Selfie City  (talk about my contributions ) 22:41, 21 October 2018 (UTC)

Suggested new banner
Suggested new banner. What do you think? /Yvwv (talk) 15:13, 19 January 2017 (UTC) File:Hakata general train base banner.jpg


 * I would approve the change. Ikan Kekek (talk) 18:15, 19 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Indeed, a definite improvement. -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 18:28, 19 January 2017 (UTC)


 * I just noticed this change, and I disagree with it. Some of these trains have been retired and, as a result, I believe this photo does not accurately represent a current representation of rail services, whereas the previous photo did. JRHorse (talk) 03:30, 13 November 2017 (UTC)

Use a smart card mistakenly ; fare
Grand dad mania: I don't really get this situation: "If you happen to use a smart card mistakenly, the station staff or conductor will write you some kind of proof that you will take either to a nearby station or the origin station for them to unlock your card.". In which case can it happen? Is it possible to unlock the card at the destination? (doing it at either a nearby station or the origin station would be that one need to stop his travel before reaching the destination). Also, regarding this part, "Additionally, doing so may enable you to buy a fare ticket all the way to your final destination, making stopovers in between, which may save you plenty of money.", I don't get how one can save money. Is it because there can be some discount? Cheers. — Fabimaru (talk) 22:03, 21 October 2018 (UTC)
 * If you like, Fabimaru, I can move your comment to the Wikivoyage tourist office for you. It may get more views there. It's totally up to you, though. If you are addressing to a particular user, or you're more writing about the content than the travel information, you mighht want to leave it here. --Comment by Selfie City  (talk about my contributions ) 22:46, 21 October 2018 (UTC)
 * I think the text of the article is a bit unclear here. And the question refers to that. Hobbitschuster (talk) 22:52, 21 October 2018 (UTC)
 * Okay, then. Let's keep the discussion here. --Comment by Selfie City  (talk about my contributions ) 23:08, 21 October 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you SelfieCity for your advice, I did not know Wikivoyage's tourist office. It is more about this particular text, and also I hoped to get the attention of the author (or any person who knows well train travel in Japan). — Fabimaru (talk) 11:06, 22 October 2018 (UTC)


 * Earlier in the paragraph it is mentioned that you may not use a smart card across different operators or zones (eg. from JR East to JR Central, or the different metro areas in Kyushu). For example, in the case that you cross the Atami boundary with a smart card, it is my understanding that you must pay the fare at the destination by other means then unlock the card at a JR East or JR Central station, depending on your origin (I may be wrong though, so I did not write anything concrete on how to unlock your card, it probably varies across operators). As for the fares for long distance tickets, the idea is simple, there is a base fare tacked on to every ticket you buy, in addition, the price per kilometer for your base fare decreases the farther you travel. For example, if you plan to visit Kyoto then Hiroshima from Tokyo. The fare for Tokyo to Hiroshima (via Kyoto) is ￥11660 while getting separate fare tickets will cost you ￥14690. Feel free to make changes to the paragraph, I apologize if my writing wasn't terribly clear. -- Grand dad mania (talk) 22:21, 24 October 2018 (UTC)
 * There are notable exceptions though. For example, you may use an IC card to cross the JR East and Fujikyuko boundary at Otsuki or to cross the Izukyuko boundary at Ito. -- Grand dad mania (talk) 22:40, 24 October 2018 (UTC)
 * @Grand dad mania: Sorry for the very late answer, and thank you a lot for taking the time to clarify it. Now the smart card limitations are clear for me. I also did not about the price per kilometer decreasing and that one can buy a ticket with a stop over. I'll be able to update the French wiki, that's very useful to know. Fabimaru (talk) 18:27, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

Links
Are these allowed per WV:XL? Hobbitschuster (talk) 20:18, 14 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I could open only one of them, the Rail Pass one. It seemed ok to me. I thought it would be better "tidied". The other one doesn't seem to open in my browser. Ibaman (talk) 20:31, 14 May 2019 (UTC)

What price to show?
I couldn't find anything in the WV Manual of Style to address this question... What price should we list for trains in Japan: unreserved seats or reserved seats? Unreserved is cheaper by a few hundred yen, but reserved seats is the default (for typical travellers, who want to avoid not being able to sit down anywhere, and also literally the default on Hyperdia and probably other search engines). --Bigpeteb (talk) 19:23, 11 September 2019 (UTC)
 * IMO, more information is better, but make sure to mention in the article why reserved seats are the default, and I would suggest listing the reserved price first each time. Ikan Kekek (talk) 19:30, 11 September 2019 (UTC)
 * I also just noticed that, for example, unreserved seats are the same price between Nozomi and Hikari trains. But we mention on this page that Nozomi requires an additional fee (apparently not true if you get an unreserved seat!) and has few unreserved seats available. So this makes me lean in the direction of making reserved seats the default price generally, because that's what most travellers will do anyway, and not remarking on unreserved seats unless there's a particular reason to. --Bigpeteb (talk) 20:17, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

exchange order system in place until 2023
under the JAPAN RAIL PASS section it says that the exchange order system will remain until at least 2023. however, nowhere on the JAPAN RAIL PASS website does it say this directly. It does say that Japanese nationals can buy exchange orders at least until 2023, but I do not interpret this to mean the same for the overall availability for the exchange order system. should we remove this part? Naoy5 (talk) 18:48, 8 June 2020 (UTC)


 * The removed edit concerning the end of the exchange voucher system has been reverted. JR's official press release says that the exchange voucher system will be maintained until at least December 31, 2023. JRHorse (talk) 18:23, 30 June 2020 (UTC)


 * The press release refers to the extension of the period when Exchange Orders can be purchased for Japanese people who are residing abroad from until 31 December 2020 to until 31 December 2023. The same is alluded to at https://japanrailpass.net/pdf/conditions_en_20200601.pdf which are the eligibility requirements for the purchase of an Exchange Order for Japanese people living abroad.  The press release's mentioned date of 31 December 2023 is not the end of the entire Exchange Order system, but the sales of Exchange Orders to Japanese people living abroad.  The Exchange Order system is presumed to continue even if sales of the Exchange Orders to Japanese people end on 31 December 2023. --Naoy5 (talk) 16:28, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

Nagasaki Shinkansen
The Nagasaki portion of the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen is now operational, so should be listed without the dotted lines in the image. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 12:32, 8 May 2023 (UTC)