The Green Car on Japanese trains including the Shinkansen is the equivalent of First Class.
For the extra cost you will find Green Cars have better seats and fewer passengers. The Japan Rail Pass also has a Green Class if you really want to do Japan by rail in style. Perks may include free slippers, personal TVs and laptop power points.
The Green Window (midori no madoguchi) is the place to book train tickets.
The Shinkansen N700 Series is JR's latest Shinkansen and incorporates tilting capability for both better performance and speed.
N700 series bullet trains have a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) and are gradually replacing older models on JR's network. The N700 can reach a velocity of 270 km/h in just three minutes.
N700 trains operate on Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama services from Tokyo Station and are equipped with wireless internet available for rail passengers between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations.
There are two main options when traveling between Nagoya and Osaka by train.
The quicker (and more expensive option) is to take a JR Shinkansen from Nagoya Station to Shin Osaka Station. The fastest Nozomi Shinkansen takes just 51 minutes, with a stop in Kyoto, and costs 6,380 yen for a non-reserved seat. To get into the center of Osaka, travelers must then ride the Midosuji Line of the Osaka Subway.
The slower (and cheaper option) is to take the hourly (on the hour from Nagoya Station) Kintetsu Urban Liner from Nagoya Kintetsu Station to Namba. The journey time is 2 hours, 5 minutes. The price of a ticket is 4,150 yen. Your destination is right in the center of Osaka and the journey goes through some beautiful countryside in Mie Prefecture, so if you are not in a hurry, you may consider this route. The last train from Osaka to Nagoya departs at 9.30pm.
Japan's shinkansen is a true icon of the country: fast, stylish and safe.
In service since 1964, the shinkansen rail network now stretches between the northern and southern tips of the main Japanese island of Honshu and to Fukuoka on Kyushu.
Shinkansen at a glance
2,459km of track Carries around 370,000 people daily Reaches speeds of 300km per hour
