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Trains and Buses in Japan: Lining Up, Phones, Priority Seats, Big Luggage and IC Cards

Rows of blue seats inside a Shinkansen car
Inside a Tokaido Shinkansen car. Large suitcases need a reserved seat with an oversized baggage area.Photo: S.Raika, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Japan's trains and buses are easy to use once you know a handful of habits that everyone around you follows without thinking: where to stand on the platform, what to do with your phone, and where your suitcase can go. None of these are hard, and most are written down by the railway companies themselves. This guide collects them in one place, including the one rule that can cost you money on the Shinkansen, and the city bus tips that make Kyoto (Kyoto) much less stressful.

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  • Lining up and letting people off first
  • Phones and priority seats: the shared rule of 37 railway companies
  • Large suitcases on the Shinkansen: reserve, or pay 1,000 yen
  • IC cards, and how city buses in Kyoto (Kyoto) work

On the platform: line up, let people off

Railway companies ask the same simple thing. Fukuoka City Subway asks passengers to line up in order on the black lines painted on the platform; Meitetsu asks for orderly lines and for passengers getting off to go first; Tokyo Metro asks people boarding to leave space in front of the doors, and people standing by the door inside to step off briefly to let others out. In practice:

  1. Stand in line at the markings on the platform floor.
  2. When the doors open, wait at the side until everyone has got off.
  3. Board, and move into the car instead of stopping by the door.

Phones and priority seats

The phone rule on Japanese trains Phone manners shared by 37 railway companies since October 1, 2015 Near the priority seats, when it is crowded: turn your phone off. Everywhere else in the car: silent mode, and please don't make calls. Calls are discouraged however crowded the train is. NEAR PRIORITYSEATS When crowded:phone OFFSeats for olderpeople, pregnantwomen and others REST OF THE CAR Silent modeNo callsTexting andbrowsing are fine;keep sound off Need to talk? Step off at the next stationor wait until you are outside.
Based on JR East's FAQ on the rule shared by 37 railway companies from October 1, 2015, and Tokyo Metro's notice (checked October 2026).

Since October 1, 2015, JR East and 36 other railway companies have used the same wording: near the priority seats, turn your phone off when the train is crowded; elsewhere, set it to silent mode and please refrain from calls. Tokyo Metro adds that calls are discouraged however crowded the train is. Priority seats (優先席, yusenseki) are marked by signs and seat colors; give them up to people who need them.

Large suitcases on the Shinkansen

Is my suitcase "oversized"? Oversized baggage on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen Add up length, width and height. Up to 160 cm: no reservation needed. 161 to 250 cm: oversized; reserve a seat with an oversized baggage area, at the same price as a reserved seat. Without a reservation: a 1,000 yen fee, and you put the bag where the crew tells you. Over 250 cm: cannot be brought on board. Sports equipment, musical instruments, wheelchairs and strollers don't need a reservation, whatever the size. Length + width + height =total size ≤160 cmNo bookingneeded 161–250Reserve anoversizedbaggage seat(same price) >250 cmNot allowedon board No reservation? 1,000 yen fee,and the bag goes where the crew says No reservation needed for sports gear,instruments, wheelchairs or strollers,whatever their size.
From JR Central's oversized baggage page (English and Japanese) and JR Kyushu's page (checked October 2026). Applies to the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen.

On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen (from Tokyo Station to Kagoshima-Chuo Station), JR Central says baggage with a total of three dimensions between 161 and 250 cm must go in the space behind a seat with an oversized baggage area, and a reservation is required. These seats cost the same as other reserved seats. If you bring oversized baggage without a reservation, you are charged a 1,000 yen fee; JR Kyushu adds that you then put the bag where the train crew tells you. Baggage over 250 cm cannot be brought on board at all. A typical large suitcase can be over 160 cm in total, so measure before you book.

Traveling light is easier everywhere. Hotel-to-hotel luggage delivery is widely available; in Kyoto (Kyoto), the city recommends "hands-free" sightseeing with luggage delivery rather than taking suitcases onto city buses.

IC cards: tap in, tap out

An IC card is a rechargeable card you tap at the ticket gate (and on many buses). JR East lists ten cards that work in each other's areas across Japan: Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken. One limit to know: a single trip cannot cross from one card area into another.

For short visits, JR East sells Welcome Suica: valid for 28 days including the day of purchase, no deposit, in principle one per person. The remaining balance is not refunded, and it is topped up with cash only. It is sold at the airports and at a limited list of JR East stations, so check JR East's page before you go. There is also a Welcome Suica Mobile app for iPhone.

A light green city bus in Kyoto (Kyoto) at a bus terminal
A city bus in Kyoto (Kyoto). Board at the rear door and pay when you get off.Photo: Mutimaro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kyoto (Kyoto) city buses

Riding a regular Kyoto (Kyoto) city bus How to ride a regular city bus in Kyoto (Kyoto) Step 1: board at the rear door. Step 2: ride, and press the button before your stop. Step 3: pay when you get off at the front door, with cash or an IC card. Credit cards and the Japan Rail Pass cannot be used. Tourist express buses EX100 and EX101 are different: board at the front and get off at the rear; fare 500 yen for adults. 1Board at the REAR doorDon't pay yet 2Press the button before your stopKeep bags on your lap or at your feet 3Pay at the FRONT doorCash or IC card when you get offNo credit cards; no Japan Rail Pass Tourist express EX100 / EX101Board at the front, off at the rear500 yen for adults (250 for children)
From the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau's bus guides (checked October 2026).

Kyoto (Kyoto)'s city buses get very crowded around popular sights. The Kyoto City Transportation Bureau's guide for regular routes says: board at the rear door, get off at the front door, and pay when you get off. IC cards such as ICOCA, Suica and PASMO work; credit cards and the Japan Rail Pass do not.

Quick checklist

  1. Line up at the platform markings; let people off first.
  2. Phone on silent; no calls on board.
  3. Suitcase over 160 cm in total? Reserve an oversized baggage seat on the Shinkansen.
  4. Get an IC card and keep it topped up with cash.
  5. In Kyoto (Kyoto), consider the subway, and send big bags ahead.

Rather ride on two wheels? See rental and share bikes and e-scooters and LUUP.

Last reviewed: October 4, 2026. Fares and rules change. Please confirm on the official pages below.

References

Related guides

More nationwide: Getting around

Photo credits

  1. A light green city bus in Kyoto (Kyoto) at a bus terminal. Photo: Mutimaro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. Rows of blue seats inside a Shinkansen car. Photo: S.Raika, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. A small bicycle rental shop with bicycles parked in front. Photo: User: (WT-shared) Shoestring at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  4. A seaside road and a green tram at a small station platform under a blue sky. Photo: くろふね, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  5. Two shared electric kick scooters parked inside a marked parking port on a sidewalk. Photo: RuinDig/Yuki Uchida, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)

Card images combine these photos with the page title. Photos are used under their licenses (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); adapted images are shared under the same license as the original.