Nozomi with a JR Pass: the extra ticket, route by route

A Japan Rail Pass does not cover the Nozomi or Mizuho, the fastest trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen. Pass holders can ride them by buying a separate "Nozomi/Mizuho Special Ticket" for each trip. The price depends on the section: ¥4,960 one way from Tokyo to Kyoto or Shin-Osaka, ¥6,500 from Tokyo to Hiroshima. For the full Tokyo–Hiroshima trip with and without the pass, see Tokyo to Hiroshima Shinkansen cost.

The pass does cover the Hikari, Sakura, Kodama and Tsubame. This page gives the official price of the extra ticket for the main routes, explains how and when to buy it, and compares it with the regular fare. For the pass price itself, see JR Pass price in 2026. To add up your own rides, use the JR Pass calculator. We checked every number on October 29, 2026.

The extra ticket, route by route

The table shows the one-way price per adult and per child, tax included. The same price applies to Green Car seats, reserved ordinary seats and non-reserved ordinary seats.

The official price grid has more station pairs, including Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Shin-Kobe, Himeji, Fukuyama, Kokura and Kurume. Some pairs show a dash instead of a price, and Kyoto – Shin-Osaka is one of them. The grid says the ticket cannot be used on sections where the Nozomi or Mizuho does not stop.

Two lines of the table are worth a second look. One Tokyo – Hakata ticket (¥8,140) costs ¥1,780 less than a Tokyo – Shin-Osaka ticket plus a Shin-Osaka – Hakata ticket (¥4,960 each, ¥9,920 in total). The Nagoya – Kyoto and Nagoya – Shin-Osaka tickets cost the same, ¥2,530.

How to buy it

• Who can buy: only holders of a JR Pass. The ticket is valid for one day, on the section printed on it.
• Where: reserved-seat ticket machines, JR ticket offices, Travel Centers and some JR-designated agencies.
• When: from one month before the day of boarding.
• Online: not before you arrive. JR Central says the ticket "cannot be reserved online before arriving in Japan" and must be bought at ticket machines or station counters.
• Which seat: Green Car pass holders can buy a Green Car, reserved ordinary or non-reserved ordinary ticket. Ordinary pass holders can buy only the ordinary-car ticket.
• Limited numbers: there are limits to the number of reserved seats in Green cars and standard cars.
• Peak periods: all seats on the Nozomi are reserved during peak periods. JR Central's Nozomi page lists the dates.
• Changes and refunds: a Green or reserved-seat ticket may be changed once, to the same type of car or seat, before the train leaves its departure station. A non-reserved ticket may be changed once to another day within its validity. Refunds are given only at the place where you bought the ticket. The handling fee is ¥340 for Green and reserved tickets and ¥220 for non-reserved tickets.

The ticket has been on sale since October 1, 2023.

What the extra ticket costs next to a regular ticket

A pass holder on the Hikari needs no extra ticket. A pass holder on the Nozomi pays the table price on every ride.

Without a pass, the step up is small. The regular fare for a reserved seat from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka in the normal season is ¥14,720 on the Nozomi and ¥14,400 on the Hikari, a difference of ¥320. A pass holder pays ¥4,960 on this route for the same step up. For the whole Tokyo–Osaka fare, with and without a pass, see Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen.

Will the July 2027 price change reach the extra ticket?

JR Central and JR West announced on October 16, 2026 that the reserved-seat charge on Nozomi and Mizuho trains rises for tickets bought on or after July 1, 2027. The regular price from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka goes from ¥14,720 to ¥15,420, and from Tokyo to Hiroshima from ¥19,760 to ¥20,620. The announcement does not mention the special ticket for pass holders, so this page does not say whether its price changes.

Where to buy

If you have decided the pass pays off for your route, the official store is where we point you for the pass. The extra ticket is bought in Japan, as described above.

Buy on the official JR Pass site →

If the Nozomi is most of your trip, compare the total with single tickets first. SmartEX sells reserved Shinkansen tickets in English for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines.

Book single Shinkansen tickets on SmartEX →

Sources

• Nozomi/Mizuho Special Ticket, prices and rules: https://japanrailpass.net/en/use/special-ticket/
• Price grid for all sections (PDF): https://japanrailpass.net/assets/pdf/special-ticket/en/price_for_all_sections_new.pdf
• JR Central, Nozomi/Mizuho Special Ticket and online booking: https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/onlinebooking/contents/jrp_nozomi/
• JAPAN RAIL PASS, covered trains: https://japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp/route/
• JR Group notice on the Nozomi/Mizuho Special Ticket, July 26, 2023: https://japanrailpass.net/assets/pdf/JRP_pressrelease_en_230802.pdf
• JR Central and JR West press release on Nozomi/Mizuho charges from July 2027: https://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/2026/10/16/items/261016_00_press_shinkansen_ryoukin.pdf
• JR Tokai Tours, Tokaido Shinkansen seat guide (Tokyo–Shin-Osaka regular fares): https://travel.jr-central.co.jp/plan/tokushu/shinkansen/seat/
• SmartEX (English): https://smart-ex.jp/en/