Kyoto to Okayama by shinkansen train (my walk-through!)

Kon’nichiwa!

I went by shinkansen bullet train from Kyoto to Okayama as part of my Shikoku trip.

I will show you below what it’s like from entering the shinkansen ticket gate at Kyoto Station, all the way to exiting the shinkansen ticket gate at Okayama Station!

Okayama is a shinkansen stop between Kyoto and Hiroshima.

So if you’re taking the shinkansen to Hiroshima, then this is how you’ll start in Kyoto too, and you’ll be going in the same direction (and on the same train!) as the train to Okayama. You will just stay on the train longer!

 

 

I was traveling with my parents and brother, and my mom wanted to reserve tickets ahead of time to be guaranteed that we could sit together.

If I was traveling alone, I would have just bought the tickets on the day of when I arrived at Kyoto Station.

It’s easy enough to buy shinkansen tickets from the ticket machine, as everything can be displayed in English. (Just look for the international language button!)

On a different shinkansen train ticket purchase from Kyoto Station, I was able to buy the tickets using my US-issued Visa/Chase credit card. I did go to a ticket machine that was designated for foreigners at the central gate of the train station. You can also buy tickets in-person at the JR office, although it’s quite possible there will be a line.

I prefer not to book reserved seats so it doesn’t tie me down to a specific train and having to be somewhere at a certain time.

So also if I was traveling alone going from Kyoto to Okayama, I would have specifically bought non-reserved tickets. This means that you can get on any train going to Okayama. There are frequent enough trains between Kyoto and Okayama that I would be comfortable just showing up at the train station when I was ready to go, without feeling like I need to plan the timing too carefully. And also, the first stop after Kyoto is Osaka, which means there will be a lot of people getting off there, so seats will open up.

My time in Okayama ended up being a 4-hour stopover on my way to Shikoku. I stored my luggage at Okayama Station coin lockers while I went off to visit Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle. (So this can be a potential add-on on your way to Hiroshima too! You may also consider stopping by Himeji Station.)

 

There are partner websites included in this post.

 

 

Kyoto to Okayama route

For general planning purposes, I think google maps can work out quite fine for planning shinkansen routes, and that includes Kyoto to Okayama!

 

👆 You can use google maps to give you an estimate of how long it will take to get from Kyoto to Okayama (about an hour), and around how much it will cost (around US$55).

 

👆 You can tap to see the frequency of the shinkansen from Kyoto to Okayama. There are frequent enough trains which means you really don’t need to plan it out all that carefully.

 

👆 If you want to go straight from Tokyo to Okayama by shinkansen, you can do that too!

 

Here’s my walk-through of Kyoto to Okayama by shinkansen!

👆 This is the walk coming from the central gate of Kyoto Station. Once you’re inside the main ticket gate of Kyoto Station, you’ll look for signs for the shinkansen gate. This is platform 11 to 14.

 

👆 Follow the signs to the shinkansen! You’ll be walking in the same general direction as trains going to Inari and Nara.

 

👆 I took the escalator going down.

 

👆 Right after you get off the escalator, the shinkansen ticket gate will be right in front of you! Get out your shinkansen ticket so you can insert it in the slot to get through the ticket gate. If you’re traveling with a JR pass, you will go to the very right to show the station staff your pass to walk through.

 

👆 This is my Kyoto to Okayama shinkansen ticket. I do believe it’s only in Japanese because my mom bought it at a local travel agency. I am fairly certain any time I’ve bought shinkansen tickets from the ticket machine that it’s also been in English. So you will be able to confirm what you’ve bought!

 

👆 You’ll walk up to a ticket gate that has a green arrow indicating you can walk through it.

 

👆 Insert your shinkansen tickets. If you have more than one (because that’s normal when buying tickets), you can insert them all. Or that’s what I do, even if I’m not sure I need to insert every one, because the machine will figure it out!

 

👆 You’ll then get your shinkansen tickets back. Keep these safe, as you need them to get out on the other end when you are in Okayama!

 

👆 Immediately upon getting through the ticket gate, there will be a large digital signboard right in front of you that displays the upcoming trains. One side is for trains going towards Tokyo. The other side (above) is for trains going towards Osaka and Hakata, which are the same trains going to Okayama and Hiroshima. It’s in English. It alternates between big Japanese (small English text below) and big English (small Japanese text below).

 

👆 You’ll want to note the track number of the train you are getting on. If you have non-reserved tickets, then you’ll also want to note the car numbers that are non-reserved. (This information will also be on the platform where you wait for the train if you forget to check here.) Next you can look for signs for tracks 13 and 14!

 

👆 Welcome to Kyoto! Well, hopefully you see this when you are arriving at Kyoto for the first time!

 

👆 There are elevators if you want to take them. Otherwise, you can follow the normal signs to platform 13 and 14, and there will be an escalator.

 

👆 Make sure you get in the elevator for your train platform!

 

👆 You’ve made it to the platform level to get on the train!

 

👆 There’s a sign for the upcoming trains in English. This rotates being English and Japanese. This will also tell you the car number for non-reserved seats.

 

👆 Next you will walk towards your boarding spot! For non-reserved seats, you’ll check the digital board for your car. If you have reserved seats, you’ll check your train ticket.

 

👆 Look for the train car number here.

 

👆 As you walk towards your boarding spot, you might see a shinkansen coffee vending machine!

 

👆 There was also a special snacks vending machine when I was at Kyoto Station.

 

👆 The shinkansen is arriving!

 

👆 When the doors open, you’ll first let people get off, then you can get on.

 

👆 Comfortable shinkansen seats.

 

👆 If you have a smaller suitcase and/or other types of bags, it’s common to store it above. For bigger luggage, see the official shinkansen luggage information.

 

👆 I am afraid to put my suitcase up top in case it falls. I recognize this is an irrational fear, as I’ve seen tons of suitcases above. 😅 If you’re a smaller person, you can fit a smaller suitcase in front of you. (I’m 5’3″.) Of course I’d rather have the space, but it works fine! There’s a little spot to hang your coat too.

 

👆 Whoa, the train is emptying out! Why?! Oh, we’re in Osaka! Seeing this is what makes me comfortable in buying a non-reserved ticket from Kyoto to Okayama. Even if the train is full when you get on in Kyoto, it’s 10-15 minutes until you reach Osaka, at which point you can get a seat.

 

👆 There’s a tray table at every seat.

 

👆 Enjoy the views from Kyoto to Okayama!

 

👆 There’s a toilet inside the shinkansen. If there’s no soap in the bathroom itself, look just outside for a sink with soap.

 

👆 Shinkansen arrival in Okayama!

 

👆 Okayama Station sign!

 

👆 I stuck around to watch the shinkansen depart towards Hiroshima!

 

👆 Then basically again you just follow the signs. On the platform as soon as you get off the train, there are exit signs. And continue to follow the exit signs.

 

👆 There’s a little souvenir shop in the gated shinkansen area.

 

👆 Keep following the signs. Welcome to Okayama, the Land of Sunshine!

 

👆 You’ll need your shinkansen ticket in order to get out, so have that ready. Once again, you’ll insert the tickets.

 

👆 This time, nothing will come out since you’ve reached your destination of Okayama!

 

And you’ve made it to Okayama! What next?!

Well, if this is a short stopover with luggage, literally immediately to your left as soon as you leave the shinkansen ticket gate are some Okayama Station coin lockers for luggage storage. If those are full, there’s a map on the digital display with where more coin lockers are located. Immediately to the right of the shinkansen ticket gate as you are exiting is manned luggage storage.

If you’re without luggage, you can keep walking ahead and pretty much right there are stairs and escalators that go down to the left. That’s the way to Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle. The bus stop is right out front, and you can get to the tram stop by looking for streetcar signs and walking towards the left.

See more about how to take the tram in Okayama to Korakuen Garden!