JR Central London

🚅 Important Notice for Shinkansen Travellers 🚅

📆 27 December - 5 January

👉 During this period, all “Nozomi” Shinkansen trains will operate with seat reservations only. There will be no non-reserved seating, so please ensure you book your seat in advance.

For further info, head to our official website (🔗 in bio)

🎟️ How to Book
Reserve your seat easily through our SmartEx website (🔗 in bio)

For Japan Rail Pass Holders:
✅ Non-reserved seating will be available on “Hikari” and “Kodama” Shinkansen trains

⚠️ However, this is a very busy travel period, so we highly recommend reserving your seat in advance via:
・The official Japan Rail Pass website
・Station ticket offices or ticket machines

Plan ahead for a smooth and comfortable journey ✨🚅

#新幹線

https://youtu.be/-B2zDIelS1E

JR東海「60年分の会いにいこう」 2024年10月1日、おかげさまで、東海道新幹線は開業60周年を迎えました。歴代の車両・車内チャイム、そして、お客様から寄せられた写真や映像とともに、60年分の思い出と感謝を映像に込めました。今日も、これからも、東....

Here at JR-Central, the Shinkansen holds a special place in our hearts—not just as the world’s first high-speed train, but as a symbol of safety, reliability, and innovation - values we strive for every day.

Since its debut on October 1, 1964, ahead of Tokyo’s first Olympic Games, the Shinkansen has transformed how people connect across Japan, just as we aim to connect with our passengers through the services we provide.

We would like to thank all of our customers who have chosen to travel with us over the years. We will continue to provide a safe, reliable, and punctual service!

Join us this Sunday, 22 September at for a special family-friendly event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Tokaido Shinkansen ‘bullet train’! 🚅

✨What’s happening?

• Create your very own N700S paper craft ✂️

• Interact with scale model Shinkansen 🚅

• Watch short films about the Shinkansen 🎬

• Little ones can even try on Shinkansen driver uniforms 👨‍✈️👩‍✈️

The Series 0 Shinkansen made its debut on 1 October 1964, just before Japan hosted its first Olympic Games. It was the world’s first high-speed train, reaching speeds of 220km/h!

To commemorate this milestone, there will be a Series 0 Shinkansen nose cone on display on the Lower Ground Floor until 31 January 2025. This nose cone was used in the final farewell journey of the Series 0 Shinkansen in 1999 and is making its first appearance outside of Japan! 🗾

🕐 Event details:

Sunday 22 September

12:30PM - 5:30PM

Japan House London, Lower Ground Floor Hall

Admission: Free (Drop-in session, first-come-first-served basis)

🔗 in bio for more info. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience 🌟

After decades of service, JR Central’s Dr Yellow (Class 923) is set to retire in January 2025.

The brightly coloured track and overhead wire testing train, affectionately dubbed “Doctor of the tracks” has played a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of our Shinkansen network since its debut in 2001. 🛤️🔧🩺

Our latest N700S Shinkansen are now equipped with onboard testing and observation equipment.

Join us in celebrating Dr Yellow’s legacy and the countless journeys it has safeguarded over the years. Share your memories and photos of Dr. Yellow in the comments below! 📸💛

Follow the 🔗 in bio to create your very own Dr Yellow papercraft! ✂️

#ドクターイエロー #お疲れ様でした

🎌🇬🇧✨Another fantastic year

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by our tent! 😊 We loved chatting about your Japan travel and accommodation plans while showcasing the Central Japan region. 🗾

It was great to meet you all! Thank you 🙌

🎌🇩🇪✨Ein weiteres fantastisches Jahr beim Japan Tag Düsseldorf!

Ein riesiges Dankeschön an alle, die an unserem Zelt vorbeigekommen sind! ☺️ Wir haben es genossen, über Ihre Reise- und Unterkunftspläne in Japan zu plaudern, während wir die Region Zentraljapan präsentiert haben. 🏯

Es war großartig, euch alle kennenzulernen! Vielen Dank. 🙌

Wir werden am jährlichen am Samstag, den 1. Juni, teilnehmen. 🇩🇪

Wenn Sie Fragen zu Reisen und Hotelaufenthalten in Japan haben, besuchen Sie uns an Zelt 505 in der Nähe der Schulstraße. Unser freundliches Personal hilft Ihnen gerne weiter! 👋

Zur Feier des 60. Jubiläums des Shinkansen in diesem Jahr bieten wir den Teilbehmern des Japan Tags eine exklusive Postkarte an!

Folgen Sie uns einfach auf Instagram oder Facebook und liken Sie diesen Beitrag! 👍
Zeigen Sie dies unserem Personal am Stand, wo Sie aus einem von vier exklusiven Postkartendesigns wählen können! 🚅

Wir freuen uns darauf, Sie dort zu sehen!

Besonderer Dank geht an für die erstaunlichen Postkartendesigns 🙌




We will be taking part in the annual Japan Tag event in Dusseldorf on Saturday 1 June. 🇩🇪

If you have any questions about travel and hotel stays in Japan, come and see us at tent 505 near Schulstraβe, where our friendly staff will be happy to assist! 👋

To commemorate the Shinkansen’s 60th anniversary this year, we are offering Japan Tag attendees an exclusive postcard!

Simply FOLLOW us on Instagram or Facebook + LIKE this post!

Show this to our staff at the booth, where you can choose from one of four exclusive postcard designs!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Special thanks to for the amazing postcard designs 🙌

Our cleaning company Shinkansen Maintenance Tokai (SMT) maintain Tokaido Shinkansen rolling stock to a high standard, so that our passengers can experience every journey in a clean and comfortable environment. 🧽🫧

At the Shinkansen depots in Oi and Mishima, they not only clean the inside of the Shinkansen, but also polish the outside of the rolling stock, as well as other hard to reach parts that cannot be washed by the cleaning teams during station turnarounds. 🧹🧼

It is thanks to our SMT staff that you can see our white and blue livery looking very bright and clean! ✨🚅✨💙🤍

🚅💺

We are pleased to announce private rooms will be introduced on some N700S Tokaido Shinkansen services from 2026! There will be two rooms available per train.

As we adapt to the changing needs of our customers, we are pleased to offer these new multi-purpose rooms. Perfect for important online meetings, or for resting in complete privacy.

Further details will be announced in due course.

*this image is for illustration purposes only and subject to change

When Tokaido Shinkansen trains return to Tokyo Station, the inside of the train is quickly and efficiently inspected and maintained by our cleaning company SMT in order to provide a comfortable experience for users.

While inspecting and maintaining more than 100 Shinkansen trains per day, they find about two wet seats per train. It is difficult to visually determine if a seat is wet, so they have developed a new ‘wet seat detection’ device. 💺

This special device uses a thermographic camera to detect temperature difference in the surrounding area and can automatically detect moisture. This allows SMT staff to carry out quick and accurate inspections.

Continuous improvement is an important part of our philosophy and the development of such a device is testament to this!

The UK-Japan Rail Exchange Programme is 30 years old, however this tradition dates back much further. In fact, more than 130 years ago, a Japanese civil engineer named Kaichi Watanabe studied engineering at Glasgow University and later worked on the construction of The Forth Bridge. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇯🇵

So it felt both fitting and touching that a special visit to the famous Forth Bridge in Fife, Scotland, had kindly been arranged by the UK delegation.

We were the first Japanese people to have the privilege of ascending the bridge since Kaichi Watanabe all those years ago!

On behalf of the delegates from JR-Central, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made this special visit possible.

The tradition of sharing knowledge with a view to collective improvement looks set to continue long in to the future! 🇬🇧🇯🇵

📸 1: Group photo at the top of The Forth Bridge

📸 2: Photo of Kaichi Watanabe taken in 1887 demonstrating the cantilever principle with renowned engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker

Valentine’s Day is celebrated a little differently in Japan.

It is common for women to give chocolates not only to their loved ones, but also to their male friends and colleagues to express their thanks. Men reciprocate the gesture on 14 March, known as “White Day”, where white chocolates, flowers, or other confectionaries are given to women on the day.

The famous “JR Nagoya Takashimaya” department store is located above Nagoya station in JR Central Towers and is famous for having the largest sales of Valentine’s chocolates. Sales are expected to exceed an astonishing £21 million pounds this year! The annual “Amour du Chocolat” event is held in the month running up to 14 February. Famous chocolatiers from around the world gather here and sell their delicious treats.

If you visit the diorama at our SCMAGLEV and Railway Park in NAGOYA, you can see this cute scene outside Nagoya station where women and girls are giving chocolate gifts to their loved ones.

Introducing our very important cleaning team 👋

Shinkansen Maintenance Tokai (SMT) is JR-Central’s cleaning company. They are responsible for keeping our trains looking clean and fresh! SMT staff ensure our Shinkansen rolling stock and stations are maintained to a high standard, allowing Tokaido Shinkansen passengers to enjoy clean and comfortable surroundings throughout their journey.

During turnaround maintenance at Tokyo Station, SMT staff politely greet passengers with gratitude as they exit the train. Within the limited timeframe of ten minutes, they work to maintain a clean interior by sweeping floors, changing seats and checking conditions of the 16-carriage, 1,323 seat train. Their efficiency really is a sight to behold!

Did you know that all of our seats are turned around at the terminal station, ensuring passengers always face the direction of travel? It is all thanks to our SMT staff! 🙌

We are immensely proud of our SMT staff and thank them for the important role they play in our Shinkansen operations.

Happy New Year from all of us at JR-Central! 🎍

A special ‘Dr Yellow Shrine Torii Gate’ ⛩ is on display until 29 January at our リニア・鉄道館 SCMAGLEV and Railway Park museum in Nagoya.

Come along and see this unique exhibit alongside Dr Yellow!

In Japan, ‘Hatsumōde’ is the tradition of visiting a shrine or temple at the start of the new year and praying for a happy and healthy year ahead.
Dr Yellow is our inspection train and it is often considered lucky if you see it whizzing past! 💛

2024 will be a big year for us as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Shinkansen!

We wish you all a happy, prosperous year!

Eight delegates from across the UK rail industry recently spent two weeks at JR-Central in Japan!

Our colleagues were delighted to show them all aspects of our high-speed and conventional rail operations.

There were visits to our designated Education Centre, R&D centre, stations, control centre, cleaning staff, and much more!

We thank all those who took part this year for their collective energy and enthusiasm!

お疲れ様でした〜Otsukaresama desh*ta!

It is always a pleasure to welcome the UK delegation of this long-running railway exchange programme. There is so much to learn from each other and we look forward to JR-Central staff visiting the UK in 2024!

Last week we took part in one of the world’s largest travel and tourism events! Wtm London

It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm and excitement return to the travel industry!🚅✈️🌍

We had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people from around the world and it was a great opportunity to tell them all about our trains and hotels.