Shinkansens, Denshas, and Chikatetsus (Oh My!)

Public transportation is one of the things that I am most excited by when I leave the United States. Though there are a few cities with effective mass transportation, the majority of the places I have spent time in require the use of a car for daily commutes. As such, I figured I’d write a short multi-part piece about transportation in Japan. 

I thought I would start with large scale and work my way down so I’m going to start with trains. There are three main types of trains for use here in Japan, shinkansens (bullet trains), denshas (overground electric trains), and chikatetsus (underground trains aka subways). 

Shinkansen Picture - in case you need a reminder!

Shinkansens are most beneficial used for long distance travel. The bullet trains only run through two of Japans four main islands, Honshu and Kyushu. There are many different shinkansen routes that stop at large cities like Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and so on. According to japan-guide.com, the trains can reach a maximum speed of 320 kmph (200 mph).

graphic from japan-guide.com

Pros: Punctuality, Speed, Comfort, Ease of Use

Cons: Price

For locals and permanent residents, the shinkansen is a rather expensive investment. A one way ticket from Nagoya to Tokyo costs $110. The trip takes one hour and forty minutes but a shinkansen bound for Tokyo will leave every ten minutes.  With minimal traffic, driving to Tokyo takes about 4 hours. Add in the high price of gas and the toll roads and you’ll be spending a pretty penny to drive up by yourself. General rule is that if you fill up a car with people, it is cheaper to split the cost of driving. That being said, sitting in a comfortable train car with your friends and being able to chit-chat, snack, and play card games could be worth the price. For foreigners visiting Japan, it’s absolutely worth it to buy a Japan Rail Pass, information here. 

Denshas are the most common method of transportation for everyday transportation. People will often take trains to get to and from work to save themselves the hassle of morning traffic. With the ease of a prepaid Manaca card it takes just a second to jump on a train and get to where you need to be. If you only travel once in a while, you can buy a ticket from the kiosks in the train station, often available in both Japanese and English. 

Meitetsu Line as seen from my balcony

JR Line as seen from my balcony

In Nagoya there are three main rail companies, the JR (Japan Railways) company, the Meitetsu company, and the Kintetsu company. The JR Central network encompasses Nagoya and most of the surrounding areas, including Kariya. Nagoya Station is home to the JR Central Towers which is the headquarters of the Central JR Company. JR Tokaido, JR Chuo, JR Taketoyo are just a few of the lines that expand out of Nagoya. 

Rather close up shot of the JR Central Towers in Nagoya

Pros: Punctuality, Ease of Use

Cons: Crowded during peak hours

There is one other thing you have to keep in mind when taking the denshas - what type of train you want to get on: local, semi-rapid, rapid, new rapid, and special rapid. Local lines will stop at every station on the route, so they are slower, but they leave every fifteen minutes. From there the stops get less and less, to varying degrees. For example, going from Kariya to Kanayama (my most frequent densha ride) the semi-rapid and rapid trains will stop in Kyowa and Obu, the new rapid only stops at Obu, and the special rapid doesn't stop at either – straight to Kanayama. You want to make sure that your train stops at the station you need to go to before you get on it. 

Inside a Meitetsu line train

Chikatetsus, the last type of train I’m going to mention here, are ones I know the least. They only serve major city centers, like Nagoya, and won’t venture down far enough to hit Kariya. In Nagoya there are four major subway lines – Higashiyama, Meijo, Tsurumai and Sakura-dori (see map below). Depending on where in Nagoya you need to go to, you’ll need to manage your way between subway lines and transfer stations (stations where multiple subways lines connect). Often the distance between subway stations is the matter of a 10 or 15 city blocks, so if you get too confused, you can always try to walk to where you need to be. 

graphic from metromap.blogspot.com

Pros: Punctuality, Frequency

Cons: Often crowded, difficulty negotiating connections

Chikatetsus are most useful for getting in and around Nagoya. Many stations are connected specifically to important landmarks like Nagoya Port, the Nagoya Dome, Higashiyama Park, or the International Center. Trying to find parking in Nagoya city during busy hours is one of the hardest and often most expensive parts of the trip, so the chikatetsus give you the freedom to go out and enjoy the city. 

Inside a Meijo line subway

Inside of the Nagoya Dome subway station

And thus concludes my very simple explanations of trains in Japan.  There are a great many more details to uncover if you want to continue researching. Closing note, I mentioned punctuality as a pro for all of these three types of trains, which makes it more of an expectation rather than a novelty. Trains in Japan are absolutely some of the most punctual in the world. When a train says that it is arriving at 10.26, you’re more than like to hear the train pull in at 10.26.00, load passengers from 10.26.15 to 10.26.30 and pull out of the station before you hit 10.27. I’ve had only one significantly late train in my six months (and by significant, I do mean about five minutes late). It’s rather incredible.