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JR Shibuya Station · buying Shinkansen tickets

A ticket-buying guide distinguishing purchase at Shibuya from travel to a Shinkansen station such as Shinagawa.

Transport and facilitiesTokyo
AT A GLANCE

At a glance

JR ticket counter
Outside the South Gate
Midori-no-madoguchi staffed ticket office
07:00–22:00
Station inquiries
050-2016-1600 · JR East general inquiries
Boarding the Shinkansen
Not from Shibuya · travel to Shinagawa, Tokyo or another stop

Checked · 2026.10.27

ABOUT THIS PLACE

JR Shibuya Station · buying Shinkansen tickets

A ticket-buying guide distinguishing purchase at Shibuya from travel to a Shinkansen station such as Shinagawa.

  • Ticket sales
  • Rail transfer guidance

Buy at Shibuya, then travel to the Shinkansen station

You can buy Shinkansen tickets at JR Shibuya Station, but Shinkansen trains do not stop there. With a Shinagawa→Shin-Osaka ticket, travel from Shibuya to Shinagawa by JR or another service, then enter the Shinkansen gates. Buying the ticket and boarding the train do not have to happen at the same station.

Counter outside the South Gate and sales hours

JR East lists the Midori-no-madoguchi ticket office outside the South Gate, open 07:00–22:00. Reserved seats generally go on sale at 10:00 one month before the travel date. Allow for queues at busy times and avoid detouring to the distant Shibuya counter just before your Shinkansen departs.

Five things to tell the counter staff

Decide your travel date, actual Shinkansen departure station, destination, passenger count and preferred time, then specify ordinary or Green Car seating, reserved or unreserved seats and any seating preferences. Organizing the information below makes it easier to agree the details with staff.

QuestionInformation to prepare
WhenTravel date and preferred departure time
From where to whereExample: Shinagawa→Shin-Osaka
How manyNumber of adults and children
Which seatsReserved, unreserved or Green Car
Any requirementsAdjacent seats, luggage, onward transfers and so on

Reserved-seat ticket machines when counters are busy

JR East says Shinkansen tickets can be bought at reserved-seat ticket machines with cash or credit card. Some discounts or special conditions require confirmation at a counter. If you already booked online, check your booking service’s eligible collection stations and machines and required items such as the payment card and collection number. Not every JR online booking can be collected in the same way at every counter.

Peak-season Nozomi services and booking services

Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi services operate with all seats reserved during certain major peak periods. You may not get your intended seat if you assume the usual unreserved arrangement, so check JR Central’s operating notice for the relevant year. Train seat sales and online discount products may have different booking windows and change conditions.

FROM THE JOURNEY

The story behind this place

The Shinkansen ticket office at Shibuya.
2026.03.04 — 03.07 · Tokyo, Japan

I Went to Tokyo for Miyu,
and Remembered the People, Too

MAR 5

A Shinkansen Ticket That Wasn’t Mine

After dinner in Shibuya, my Turkish friend and I continued talking about what came next. He planned to travel around Japan for more than a month, but was still considering his next…

Read this scene ↗