Green Class Information
Travel in style
Travel in guaranteed comfort & style with the ‘Green Class Pass’. With the Green Class rail cars offering 2 x 2 seating arrangements, you can be assured of spacious and comfortable seating, allowing you to just sit back & enjoy your ride in style. Green class passes are becoming more popular in busier months since the carriages are generally less busy. Green cars are available on most bullet trains, limited express trains and a small number of local trains.
Highlights:
- Larger & softer recliner seats
- Extra spacious
- Smaller queues and quieter
- Larger windows
- Multi-angle foot rest
- Travel magazine
- Integrated radio set
Advantages of the Green Class cars include:
The advantages of the Green Pass become even more evident during peak season travel. Because the Green Cars are generally less busy, it is a no brainer to purchase a Green Pass during the busy months of Japan:
- New Year Holidays: 27 December – 4 January and adjacent weekends
- Golden Week holiday season: 29 April – 5 May and adjacent weekends
- Summer period due to the numerous festivals and activities: June – September (Particularly Bon festival season, the week centring on 15 August)
A surprising feature is that each train’s Green Car may differ in on-board services and design, so by using your Green Pass you are able to experience the diversity of the trains as you travel around Japan.
For example:
The top class service in the JR Hokkaido Line (to and from Hakodate) Green Car will make you feel like royalty. You will be offered a small hot or cold towel (oshibori) to refresh, a hot or cold drink and a magazine of your taste to enjoy your ride. Among all the JR lines, the JR Hokkaido Line is very popular for its highest levels of service.
The Shinkansen N700 along the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen series has introduced smoking areas near the Green Cars with an advanced ventilation system that keeps the train free of smoke.
Green Cars are not only found on Shinkansens (bullet trains) but are also on Tokkyu (Limited Express) trains and a small number of sleeper trains.
More Space To Relax
Luxurious Green Car
How to Locate the Green Cars:
The platform floor usually indicates where to wait for the Green Cars and there is also an overhead electronic sign. Once the train arrives, you can easily identify the Green Cars by the Green Clover that is located on the side of the carriage, next to the entrance doors.
The following table compares Green and Economy class:
| Trains | Rail Carriage | Green | Ordinary |
| NOZOMI and MIZUHO trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen (*1) | Green Car | – | – |
| Ordinary Car | –
|
–
|
|
| HIKARI, SAKURA, KODAMA and TSUBAME trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen and any trains on the Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu and Nagano Shinkansen. | Gran Class (*4) | +¥ | +¥ |
| Green Car | √ (*2) | +¥ | |
| Ordinary Car | √ | √ | |
| Ordinary Private Compartment | +¥
|
+¥
|
|
| Limited express and ordinary express | Green Car | √ (*3) | +¥ |
| Ordinary Car | √ | √ | |
| Ordinary Private Compartment | +¥ | +¥ | |
| Sleeping Car | +¥
|
+¥
|
|
| Local and rapid trains | Green Car | √ | +¥ |
| Ordinary Car | √ | √ |
*1 The JAPAN RAIL PASS is not valid for any seats, reserved (incl. Green Car) or non-reserved, on NOZOMI and MIZUHO trains.
*2 There are no Green Cars on most HIKARI and KODAMA trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen line (Shin-Osaka~Hakata), or on some SAKURA and TSUBAME Series 800 trains on the Kyushu Shinkansen line.
*3 If you use a DX GREEN (operated by JR Kyushu), you must pay the limited express charge in addition to the DX GREEN charge.
*4 If you use the GranClass car, only the basic fare is covered by your JAPAN RAIL PASS for both Green Car and Ordinary Cars and you must pay the limited express charge and the GranClass car surcharge additionally.
・Private Compartments are available on some “HIKARI” trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen line.
・ Green Private Compartments are on certain limited express trains, such as “Super-view Odoriko.”
・ Use of “Home Liner” and other “liner” trains requires an additional charge.
Please Note: Despite the JR West’s Hikari Rail Star train not offering Green Car seats, it offers a similar layout to Green Cars with a 2-2 seat layout for the seating in reservation seating.
