Shinkansen N700 Series

The N700 Series Shinkansen is the primary rolling stock on Japan's Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, introduced in 2007. It operates the flagship Nozomi services from Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka (515 km) in approximately 2 hours 22 minutes, achieving 270 km/h on the Tokaido section and 300 km/h on the Sanyo section. The N700A variant, introduced from 2012, raised the maximum speed on the Tokaido line to 285 km/h by improving the aerodynamic and braking systems.

Nozomi services are the fastest on the Tokaido line, stopping only at Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, and Kyoto between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. Hikari services are slightly slower and stop at more stations including Hamamatsu and Shizuoka. Kodama is the stopping service calling at every Shinkansen station. JR Pass holders cannot use Nozomi or Mizuho services and must board Hikari or Kodama instead.

Three onboard classes are available: Green Car (equivalent to First Class), Gran Class on some services (a premium lounge class with full meal service), and Ordinary Class. Ordinary Class has 2+3 seating. Green Car has 2+2 seating with larger seats and a quieter carriage. Gran Class offers 2+1 luxury seating with full meal and drink service included. All classes have power sockets at window seats and fold-down tray tables.

Book N700 Shinkansen tickets at any JR Ticket Office (Midori-no-madoguchi) or online through the Shinkansen booking portals. International visitors can book with the JR Pass (on Hikari services), the Tokaido-Sanyo-Kyushu Shinkansen Rail Pass, or individual e-ticket reservations via Japan Rail's Smart EX platform. Seat reservations cost a small supplement but are strongly recommended on Nozomi during Golden Week, Obon, and New Year.