Japan Data

Shinkansen Route Map

Guide to Japan Travel Society

In the more than 60 years since the Tōkaidō Shinkansen began running between Tokyo and Osaka, Japan’s high-speed train service has expanded into a broad network of routes that stretches across the nation, and the famous “bullet train” continues to grow.
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Below we present information on Japan’s high-speed Shinkansen rail network. Originally launched in 1964 between Tokyo and Osaka, it has grown in the decades since, and today it spans much of the country, with plans underway to extend it still further.

The map also displays “standard plan” lines originally proposed by the government in 1973 to cover areas like Shikoku, eastern Kyūshū, and the Japan Sea coast; lower regional populations and likely ridership figures have kept these proposals from advancing since then.

Shinkansen Lines (Current as of March 2025)

Shinkansen Routes in Operation

Line Route Distance Top Speed Shortest Travel Time
Tōkaidō Shinkansen Tokyo–Shin-Osaka 552.6 km 285 km/h Tokyo–Nagoya: 1 h 33 m
Tokyo–Shin-Osaka: 2 h 21 m
Tokyo–Hakata: 4 h 46 m
Shin-Osaka–Hakata: 2 h 21 m
San’yō Shinkansen Shin-Osaka–Hakata 644.0 km 300 km/h
Tōhoku Shinkansen Tokyo–Shin-Aomori 713.7 km 320 km/h Tokyo–Sendai: 1 h 31 m
Tokyo–Shin-Aomori: 2 h 59 m
Hokkaidō Shinkansen Shin-Aomori–Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto 148.8 km 260 km/h Tokyo–Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto: 3 h 57 m
Shin-Aomori–Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto: 57 m
Yamagata Shinkansen* Fukushima–Shinjō 148.6 km 130 km/h Tokyo–Yamagata: 2 h 22 m
Tokyo–Shinjō: 3 h 7 m
Akita Shinkansen* Morioka–Akita 127.3 km 130 km/h Tokyo–Akita: 3 h 37 m
Jōetsu Shinkansen Tokyo–Niigata 333.9 km 275 km/h Tokyo–Niigata: 1 h 29 m
Hokuriku Shinkansen Tokyo–Tsuruga 575.6 km 260 km/h Tokyo–Kanazawa: 2 h 27 m
Tokyo–Tsuruga: 3 h 8 m
Kyūshū Shinkansen Hakata–Kagoshima Chūō 288.9 km 260 km/h Hakata–Kagoshima Chūō: 1 h 17 m
Shin-Osaka–Kagoshima Chūō: 3 h 41 m
Nishi-Kyūshū Shinkansen Takeo Onsen–Nagasaki 69.6 km 260 km/h Hakata–Nagasaki: 1 h 20 m
Using existing limited express services between Hakata and Takeo Onsen.

* The Yamagata and Akita Shinkansens connect to Tokyo via the Tōhoku Shinkansen line. They are known as mini-shinkansens as they run on existing railway lines that have been converted to 1,435 mm gauge to accommodate the faster trains.

New Shinkansen Lines Planned or Under Construction

Line Route Scheduled Opening Expected Travel Time
Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga–Shin-Osaka 2046 Kanazawa–Shin-Osaka: Around 1 h 20 m
Hokkaidō Shinkansen Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto–Sapporo 2038 or later Tokyo–Sapporo: Around 5 h
Linear Chūō Shinkansen Shinagawa–Nagoya 2034 or later Shinagawa–Nagoya: 40 m
Nagoya–Osaka 2037 Shinagawa–Osaka: 1 h 7 m

(Originally published in October 2014. Last updated on April 9, 2025. Banner photo © Kimura Takuma.)

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