Summary of Japan’s Transportation Performance During the 2025–2026 Year-End and New Year Holiday Period

JR West partners with JAL and ANA

Railways and airlines have traditionally been competitors, competing for the same passengers. However, in recent years, collaboration has been increasing alongside the growth of inbound tourism demand in Japan.

For example, in 2021, overseas JAL Mileage Bank members became able to exchange their miles for the JR-WEST RAIL PASS. This marked one of the initiatives jointly promoted by JR West and JAL to encourage travel across western Japan.

Looking ahead to the 2030s, the two companies are working to directly integrate their booking systems, allowing travelers to arrange both rail and air transportation in a single booking process.

Previously, travelers needed to book flights first and then separately reserve Shinkansen or limited express trains. With this new system, international visitors to Japan will be able to organize their entire journey on one platform.

As an early example, dynamic package products combining flights between Haneda and Nanki-Shirahama with JR West’s Limited Express Kuroshio and regional rail passes are already being introduced.

While flights are generally slightly faster in terms of travel time, how do they compare on price?

For example, on the Osaka–Fukuoka route, last-minute airfare and the standard Shinkansen fare are roughly similar, both costing around ¥16,000. However, if flights are booked early and outside peak travel periods, airfare can sometimes drop to around ¥9,000, making air travel the cheaper option depending on the conditions.

Under the Japanese government’s goal of attracting 60 million international visitors by 2030, stronger integration between transportation and tourism is becoming increasingly important.

One key challenge will be how to combine and coordinate relatively stable Shinkansen fares with airline prices, which can fluctuate significantly depending on timing and demand.

Currently, around 70% of inbound travelers’ overnight stays are concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Kansai, and Nagoya, making regional distribution another major issue.

Attention is now focused on whether collaboration between railways and airlines can help solve this challenge by encouraging international visitors to travel beyond Japan’s major urban centers.

JR Central (Tokaido Shinkansen)
Number of passengers over 10 days: 4.415 million
Passenger numbers on January 4 reached 516,000, setting a new all-time daily record since the company’s establishment in 1987. The average daily ridership over the 10-day period (442,000 passengers) was also the highest recorded since fiscal 1991.

JR West (Hokuriku Shinkansen)
Number of passengers over 10 days: 430,000 (up 9% year-on-year)
Average daily ridership reached 43,000 passengers, marking the highest level since the Kanazawa extension opened in 2015. In response to increased demand, approximately 30 additional train services were operated compared with the previous year, which appears to have contributed to the strong results.

JR Kyushu (Shinkansen and Limited Express Services)
Number of passengers over 10 days: 727,000 (up 1.7% year-on-year)
Favorable calendar conditions, including a maximum nine-day holiday period, combined with stable operations, drove an increase in ridership. Extremely high congestion levels were observed, with inbound Shinkansen Sakura services recording a 186% occupancy rate, and outbound Limited Express Sonic services on December 29 reaching 169% occupancy.

JR East (Niigata Branch Area)
Number of passengers over 10 days: 398,000 (up 3% year-on-year)
Passenger numbers on the Joetsu Shinkansen between Echigo-Yuzawa and Nagaoka totaled 353,000, representing a 4% increase from the previous year. Travel demand peaked on December 30 for outbound journeys and January 4 for inbound journeys, resulting in a noticeably busier period compared with the previous year.