The Land of the Rising Sun is known across the globe as home to the world’s fastest and most convenient train system. Hundreds of thousands of locals and international travellers who visit the country are looking forward to try out Japan’s shinkansen or bullet train not only because of its incredible speed but also because of its high end features.
Most of the time, foreign tourists and travel enthusiasts who come to visit the country bring along with them their personal belongings and luggages. These globetrotters often ride the shinkansen to easily travel all over Japan. As compared to the heavy security at the airport, there are no baggage check in procedures imposed by the operators of the bullet train. In effect, travellers did not have to pay any luggage fee.
However, starting May next year, most of the major bullet train lines are about to end the free shinkansen luggage space system. The new policy of these operators with regard to baggages requires passengers who will be bringing large suitcases aboard the train to reserve their luggage in advance on the Tokkaido Shinkansen which travels the Tokyo and Shin Osaka route. The said regulation will likewise be implemented on the Sanyo Shinkansen which travels from Shin Osaka to Hakata in Fukuoka including Himeji and Hiroshima; and the Kyushu Shinkansen running from Hakata to Kagoshima Chuo.
Despite the requirement of advanced reservation, having large suitcases does not automatically entail an additional fee on top of the train ticket. But the commuter will have to travel via a reserved seat ticket which is more costly as compared to the less expensive non reserved seats. Reservations for the luggage system may be made online or through designated service counters at bullet train stations. For those who failed to reserve ahead of time, they will be liable to pay a fine of one thousand yen if they insist to take their baggages before getting inside the shinkansen.
Reference: Shinkansen to require reservations for large suitcases from next May
