Tokyo to Kanazawa Hokuriku Shinkansen Fare (March 2026)

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.

2026年5月2日

鉄旅ライフ編集部

過去のコラムはこちら

Top row Base fare
Bottom row: Shinkansen surcharge (reserved seat)

Kagayaki, Hakutaka, Asama & Tsurugi Shinkansen Fare Chart – Quick Reference
1. Types of Hokuriku Shinkansen Trains

Kagayaki, Hakutaka, Asama & Tsurugi Shinkansen Fare Chart – Quick Reference

Fares and surcharges are shown separately.
Add the top and bottom amounts to get the total price.

Distance from Tokyo (km)	Station Name	Tokyo	Ueno	Omiya	Kumagaya	Honjo-Waseda	Takasaki	Annakaharuna	Karuizawa	Sakudaira	Ueda	Nagano	Iiyama	Joetsumyoko	Itoigawa	Kurobe-Unazukionsen	Toyama	Shin-Takaoka	Kanazawa	Komatsu	Kaga-Onsen	Awara-Onsen	Fukui	Echizen-Takefu
3.6	Ueno	200 ※880
30.3	Omiya	620 ※1,090	530 ※880
64.7	Kumagaya	1,230 2,610	1,230 2,400	620 ※880
86.0	Honjo-Waseda	1,600 2,610	1,600 2,400	1,040 2,400	440 ※880
105.0	Takasaki	2,090 3,040	2,090 2,830	1,410 2,400	810 2,400	350 ※880
123.5	Annakaharuna	2,420 3,040	2,420 2,830	1,790 2,400	1,040 2,400	720 2,400	350 ※880
146.8	Karuizawa	2,750 3,380	2,750 3,170	2,090 3,170	1,600 2,400	1,230 2,400	810 2,400	440 ※880
164.4	Sakudaira	3,190 3,380	3,190 3,170	2,420 3,170	1,790 2,400	1,410 2,400	1,040 2,400	810 2,400	350 ※880
189.2	Ueda	3,520 3,380	3,520 3,170	2,750 3,170	2,420 3,170	2,090 3,170	1,600 2,400	1,230 2,400	810 2,400	440 ※880
222.4	Nagano	4,180 4,270	4,180 4,060	3,520 3,170	2,750 3,170	2,420 3,170	2,090 3,170	1,790 2,400	1,410 2,400	1,040 2,400	620 ※880
252.3	Iiyama	4,620 4,270	4,620 4,060	4,180 4,060	3,520 3,170	3,190 3,170	2,750 3,170	2,420 3,170	2,090 3,170	1,600 2,400	1,230 2,400	530 ※880
281.9	Joetsumyoko	5,390 4,270	5,390 4,060	4,620 4,060	3,850 4,060	3,520 3,170	3,190 3,170	2,750 3,170	2,420 3,170	2,090 3,170	1,790 2,400	1,040 2,400	530 ※880
318.9	Itoigawa	5,720 5,700	5,720 5,490	5,280 4,730	4,620 4,730	4,180 4,730	3,850 4,730	3,520 3,830	3,190 3,830	2,750 3,830	2,410 3,830	1,740 3,070	1,190 3,070	680 ※880
358.1	Kurobe-Unazukionsen	6,270 6,030	6,270 5,820	5,830 5,820	5,280 5,050	4,950 5,050	4,620 5,050	4,180 5,050	3,850 5,050	3,520 4,160	3,180 4,160	2,360 4,160	2,000 3,830	1,340 2,400	680 ※880
391.9	Toyama	6,820 6,360	6,820 6,150	6,490 6,150	5,830 6,150	5,610 6,150	5,280 5,390	4,950 5,390	4,620 5,390	4,180 5,390	3,840 5,390	3,130 4,160	2,330 3,830	1,980 3,170	1,340 2,400	590 ※880
410.8	Shin-Takaoka	7,150 6,900	7,150 6,690	6,710 6,150	6,160 6,150	5,830 6,150	5,610 6,150	5,280 5,390	4,950 5,390	4,620 5,390	4,170 5,390	3,460 4,160	2,660 3,830	2,310 3,170	1,690 2,400	990 2,400	330 ※880
450.5	Kanazawa	7,700 6,900	7,700 6,690	7,260 6,690	6,710 6,150	6,490 6,150	6,160 6,150	5,830 6,150	5,610 6,150	5,280 5,390	4,940 5,390	4,120 5,050	3,430 3,830	3,080 3,170	2,310 3,170	1,690 2,400	990 2,400	680 ※880
477.6	Komatsu	7,920 6,900	7,920 6,690	7,590 6,690	7,040 6,690	6,710 6,150	6,490 6,150	6,160 6,150	5,830 6,150	5,610 6,150	5,270 5,390	4,560 5,050	4,090 4,730	3,410 3,170	2,640 3,170	1,980 3,170	1,520 2,400	1,170 2,400	510 ※880
492.1	Kaga-Onsen	8,250 6,900	8,250 6,690	7,810 6,690	7,260 6,690	7,040 6,690	6,710 6,150	6,490 6,150	6,160 6,150	5,830 6,150	5,600 6,150	4,890 5,050	4,090 4,730	3,740 4,060	3,080 3,170	2,310 3,170	1,980 3,170	1,520 2,400	770 2,400	240 ※880
508.4	Awara-Onsen	8,580 7,230	8,580 7,020	7,810 6,690	7,590 6,690	7,260 6,690	7,040 6,690	6,710 6,150	6,490 6,150	6,160 6,150	5,600 6,150	5,220 5,050	4,530 4,730	4,070 4,060	3,410 3,170	2,640 3,170	1,980 3,170	1,690 2,400	990 2,400	590 2,400	330 ※880
526.4	Fukui	8,800 7,230	8,800 7,020	8,140 6,690	7,810 6,690	7,590 6,690	7,260 6,690	7,040 6,690	6,490 6,150	6,490 6,150	5,820 6,150	5,550 5,820	4,860 4,730	4,510 4,060	3,740 4,060	3,080 3,170	2,310 3,170	1,980 3,170	1,340 2,400	860 2,400	590 2,400	330 ※880
545.4	Echizen-Takefu	9,130 7,230	9,130 7,020	8,470 7,020	8,140 6,690	7,590 6,690	7,590 6,690	7,260 6,690	6,710 6,150	6,710 6,150	6,150 6,150	5,770 5,820	5,190 4,730	4,840 4,060	4,070 4,060	3,410 3,170	2,640 3,170	2,310 3,170	1,690 2,400	1,170 2,400	990 2,400	680 2,400	330 ※880
575.6	Tsuruga	9,350 7,230	9,350 7,020	9,020 7,020	8,470 7,020	8,140 6,690	7,810 6,690	7,590 6,690	7,260 6,690	7,040 6,690	6,700 6,150	6,100 5,820	5,740 5,500	5,170 4,060	4,510 4,060	3,740 4,060	3,410 3,170	3,080 3,170	2,310 3,170	1,690 2,400	1,520 2,400	1,170 2,400	860 2,400	590 1,410

Smart EX is not available on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

This route is operated by JR East and JR West, and is outside the Smart EX service area.

Tickets can be purchased through:

JR East online reservation (Eki-net)
JR West online reservation (e5489)
Ticket machines or JR stations in Japan

You can board using a “Shinkansen e-ticket” or a regular paper ticket.

Types of Hokuriku Shinkansen Trains

The Hokuriku Shinkansen operates four types of services: Kagayaki, Hakutaka, Asama, and Tsurugi.
Seat availability varies depending on the train, with some services offering non-reserved seats and others being fully reserved.

Kagayaki
Kagayaki is the fastest service, connecting Tokyo with Kanazawa and Tsuruga.All seats are reserved, and there are no non-reserved seats.

Hakutaka
Hakutaka is a semi-fast service that stops at major stations along the route.It operates between Tokyo, Nagano, Kanazawa, and Tsuruga, and includes both reserved and non-reserved seating.

Tsurugi
Tsurugi is a shuttle service operating within the Hokuriku area, mainly between Toyama, Kanazawa, and Tsuruga.
It is designed for short-distance connections.

Asama
Asama is a local service operating between Tokyo and Nagano.It stops at all stations along this section of the line.