Good news, all you Japan travellers: buying a shinkansen ticket is about to get even more convenient. JR Central, JR West and JR Kyushu have announced that starting October 4, passengers will be able to reserve tickets for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen lines via Line, Japan's most popular messaging service and social networking app. The three shinkansen lines collectively cover most of Japan, starting from Tokyo and extending westward all the way to Kagoshima, passing through major cities like Osaka, Kobe and Hiroshima.
Previously, online reservations for the aforementioned lines had to be made with the SmartEx app, but with the upcoming purchasing method on Line, users won't be required to create an account. To reserve a ticket, first add the official 'JR Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu shinkansen ticket reservation account' as a friend, then follow the prompts. (Note that the reservation account isn't available yet; it'll go live later this autumn.)
The new method is certainly convenient, but there's one major caveat: a PayPay account will be required to purchase a ticket. The upside is that you'll get a little ¥100 discount when you reserve with Line – try heading to a ¥100 store to see what you can buy with those savings.
According to the upcoming service's official website, more info on boarding will be posted 'as soon as it’s ready', so keep your eyes peeled. Until then, you can continue to use SmartEx for online booking.
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