Is There Meals on the Shinkansen?

For a few years—many many years—it was potential to purchase food and drinks from carts working down the aisles of the Tokaido Shinkansen, which runs between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. This resulted in October 2023, at the least for passengers not seated within the Inexperienced Automotive.

The dangerous information? Except you need to shell out rather more cash for a slightly higher seat, you may’t satiate your starvation or thirst whereas already on board Japan’s hottest bullet prepare. The excellent news? In the event you’re conscious of this variation, you may take motion to blunt the worst impacts of it.

So, is there meals on the Shinkansen? Typically, there may be—generally, there isn’t.

Why You Can No Longer Purchase Meals on the Tokaido Shinkansen

The dialogue of meals on the Shinkansen (at the least the Tokaido Shinkansen, Japan’s busiest bullet prepare) is each easy and sophisticated. On one hand, onboard meals purchases had been declining, even earlier than covid-19. The hysteria that overtook Japan throughout the pandemic locked out foreigners for over two years, but in addition prompted fewer Japanese to journey domestically, additional compounding issues. The income wasn’t there—after which it actually wasn’t there.

Alternatively, it’s debatable that it wasn’t simply lack of money movement that impressed JR Central to cease promoting food and drinks on the Shinkansen. In spite of everything, many bullet prepare routes in Japan have both by no means offered meals, or suspended these gross sales years or many years in the past. You possibly can very simply make the case that driving the prepare is extra nice with out service carts clogging up the aisles. And, frankly, with out so many individuals noisily consuming and ingesting.

Methods to Eat When You Journey by Bullet Practice

Purchase an Ekiben lunch field

Probably the most environment friendly solution to feed your self on a Shinkansen is to reach to your departure station a couple of minutes early, and proceed to one of many retailers with the phrase Ekiben (駅弁 in Japanese) written on it. Right here, you may select from a number of (in some circumstances dozens) of lunch packing containers (ben-to) ready particularly for buy inside a prepare station (eki).

Convey comfort retailer grub

An alternative choice for meals on Shinkansen is solely to go to a standard comfort retailer, resembling 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson or NewDays. Whereas the bento offered right here aren’t essentially as recent or nutritious as these you purchase at Ekiben retailers, you have got at the least as vast a spread. Certainly, you may also buy a wide array of snacks and drinks, together with alcohol.

Eat earlier than you set off

In the event you aren’t in a rush or have merely deliberate your day effectively, another choice is to take a seat down for lunch earlier than you permit. That is particularly simple when departing from main prepare stations in Tokyo or one other giant Japanese metropolis, the place there are typically many eating places. The one problem for this selection is that it might be cumbersome to carry your baggage right into a restaurant (or, alternatively, to place them in a coin locker). 

(Or on a “layover”)

No meals on the bullet prepare? No downside! Well-liked Shinkansen station for layovers, together with Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, have eating places inside the ticketed areas. Whereas these are typically quick meals institutions promoting soba and udon, you may generally eat one thing extra substantial. When you’ve got quarter-hour or longer between trains, this may be essentially the most wise choice.

Journey within the Inexperienced Automotive

Meals will nonetheless be obtainable within the Shinkansen Inexperienced Automotive after October 1, 2023—effectively, at the least technically. Whereas carts will now not journey up and down the alleys, it is possible for you to to order à la carte food and drinks through a cellular web site. In fact, this might not be sufficient by itself to justify the better expense of touring within the Inexperienced Automotive, which (in my view) is just not considerably extra luxurious than extraordinary Shinkansen automobiles.

The Fact Concerning the Shinkansen’s Former Meals Service

Whereas I all the time preferred having the chance to purchase an iced espresso or highball onboard the Shinkansen after I’d forgotten (or just been too rushed) to take action earlier than departing, the fact is that the meals wasn’t all that. Many trains didn’t promote precise bento; in lots of circumstances, the one meals you can purchase was packaged snacks that had been neither very healthful or nourishing.

The meals on bullet prepare, if I’m being sincere, wasn’t even pretty much as good as what you get on a aircraft. If you mix this with the truth that Japanese railway stations are house to many eating places (in addition to ekiben retailers and, after all, konbini), there’s actually no argument to be made that the elimination of meals service onboard the bullet prepare is any main loss.

Different FAQ About Meals on the Shinkansen

What meals is served on the Japanese bullet prepare?

Traditionally, Japanese bullet trains have provided cart service with snacks and drinks, and in some circumstances bento lunch packing containers on the market. Over time, nevertheless, these companies are being faraway from trains, leaving the onus on passengers to buy food and drinks earlier than departure in the event that they need to eat onboard the prepare.

Is it OK to eat on bullet prepare?

Consuming on the bullet prepare is totally fantastic, though it’s best to achieve this mindfully. Don’t use your neighbor’s tray or any of their private area whereas consuming, and attempt to be as quiet and unobtrusive as potential. In the event you drink alcohol, make a degree of not ingesting to extra, in order to not annoy these round you.

Do they serve drinks on Shinkansen?

Whereas sure Shinkansen trains nonetheless serve drinks onboard, the Tokaido Shinkansen stopped drink service for extraordinary class passengers on October 1, 2023. Nevertheless, you may all the time purchase drinks at a comfort retailer earlier than departure and devour them onboard throughout the prepare journey.

The Backside Line

Is there meals on the Shinkansen? Whereas extraordinary class passengers can now not order food and drinks onboard the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, it’s nonetheless potential to satiate your self on sure bullet prepare journeys inside Japan. Furthermore, you may all the time purchase an ekiben earlier than boarding, or cease at a konbini to buy any variety of meals or drink objects—all hope is just not misplaced. Want personalised serving to planning out your journey alongside Japan’s rails? Whether or not within the broader sense (i.e. do you want a Japan Rail Go?) or hammering out the day-to-day particulars, I encourage you to think about commissioning a customized Japan itinerary.