How to carry bikes
Carrying by Shinkansen(bullet train)
Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen
JR-Tokai web site Name of Shinkansen: Nozomi(fastest)/Hikari(semi-fast)/Kodama(local)
【Caution】 Since this is the main line of Japan railway, the cars have enough space for big luggage. You can put bikes at each car end like picture below. But recently it required booking(free of charge) at the same timing of buying your ticket. You can book your seat through your mobile phone and before choosing a train, you check “with oversized luggage"(*pls follow the web guidance) then choose the end seat. Only those 5 persons who book the luggage space can seat at the end of the car. But pls note that the 5 persons have the right for the luggage space, so even if you book that seat, if other 4 persons have big luggage before you get on the train, you can’t put your bike there. That’s why I always reach the station as early as possible to line up at the beginning.
Hokuriku Shinkansen（E-7 type)
JR-East web site Name of Shinkansen: Hakutaka/Kagayaki/Asama(stop at Nagano)
【Caution】 It doesn’t have such system as Tokaido Shinkansen to reserve oversized luggage space, as of ’22. It means everybody in the same car(max. around 100 people) can put big size luggage at the end of the car even though their seats are in the middle of the car. So pls line up as early as possible at your starting station which is better to be the 1st station(Tokyo or Kanazawa).
Yamagata Shinkansen(E-3 type)
JR-East web site Name of Shinkansen: Tsubasa
【Caution】 Starting at Tokyo station together with Tohoku Shinkansen and the 7 cars of Yamagata Shinkansen is separated at Fukushima station toward Yamagata prefecture. Unlike other Shinkansen, it uses the same facility(rail, stations, etc.) with local train from Fukushima to Shinjo, so the width of car is narrower than other Shinkansens’. Therefore the space for bike location is not enough like the picture below, so you can put your bike only at the end of the 7 cars so as not to get in the way of other passengers. It’s too lucky to get that premium seat. Or stand near doors with your bike during the section after Fukushima station. In that case you had better book an end seat of Tohoku Shinkansen cars until Fukushima station and change cars to Yamagata Shinkansen. It will be very special order, so better to ask ticket office rather than buying at vending machine.
Akita Shinkansen “Komachi"
JR East website Name of Shinkansen “Komachi"
This Shinkansen’s color is red. The railway diverges from Tohoku Shinkansen main line at Morioka station. As same with Yamagata Shinkansen, it uses local railway which is narrow width. So the seat row is 2-2.
Carrying by local trains
Carrying by wheel bag
Local express
●Azusa/Kaiji(E353 type): Shinjuku(Tokyo)~Kofu~Matsumoto~Minamiotari(Nagano)
●Hitachi/Tokiwa(E657 type): Tokyo~Mito~Iwaki~Sendai(Miyagi)
Honestly I’ve never tried to carry bicycle into this express but my colleagues did when we cycled in Iwaki area(ref. article B-7). They could get to Ueno station w/o any trouble even though not everyone could book the back row seat. Some found a space at the coupling part and some put the bike at the back row space.
●Express “Kuroshio" & Express “Nanki“
In order to do cycling in Kii peninsula, these express will be necessary. Kuroshio, running west side of the peninsula, seems narrower than Nanki, running east side of the peninsula. Both are 2 seats x 2 rows. Usually the order of car number and the order of seat number is same. But Nanki’s case, those orders are opposite. Toward Nagoya direction, leading car’s number is No.1(non reservation car) and the second car was car No.2(reservation car). But the order of seats in car No.2 was different. The seat No.1 is located the back end, Kii Katsuura direction (I booked the No.1 seat. See the pic below). We should put our bikes at the end of the car, so pls be careful when you get on the Nanki express.
●Express Kinosaki
To go to North area of Kyoto or Hyogo, this express is convenient. It takes 2.5hrs from Kyoto to Kinosaki hot spring. The width of the car was almost same with other normal express.
●Express “Shinano“
From Nagoya to Matsumoto(central area of Japan), this express is convenient since there is no bullet train in this area. But pls note the space for bicycle in this train is not enough.
Local trains
Cycle train
●B.B.Base : From Tokyo(Ryogoku station) to Chiba area. There is a bike rental shop at Ryogoku station , so you can rent one and carry it into the train through a special gate without dismantling. Of course your own bike can be on board. But the stopping stations are limited and operation dates are also limited to spring and autumn. Pls check them with their HP before planning.
Cautions when getting off the train at remote countryside station
Sometimes I should get off at very remote area station w/o station attendant. It happens when I take the local train starting at a local main city and going to local towns or villages. In such case you should not get on the train by using rechargeable smart cards. In such local station, there is no automatic checker, which means you will be in trouble when you are going to get on a next train because there is no evidence you get off anywhere. So you had better pass the automatic checker at the local main city station once and buy a paper ticket at vending machine before getting on the local line. Some local train have a conductor(right picture) and he/she will come to settle up the fee, but had better not rely on the conductor coming every time.
Even if you miss to pay in the train, such local station may have a certification issuing machine like left picture. Then you only push the button to get certificate and bring it to next station to pay the previous section. It’s same in the case you get on at such station and get off in normal station.
Carrying by airplane
【If you carry your bike in the hard case or thicker carrybag(Ostrich OS500)】
When I traveled with cheaper bike, I used a normal cycling bag even I used airplains. But when I changed to a expensive(carbon frame, auto gear changer and disk break) one, I was convinced that I had to protect my bike with firm bag since I had noticed there had been some damages on my previous bike by normal bag. In my case, I bought Ostrich’s OS500. But it’s too big to cycle with. So the bag should be sent to the final hotel when you arrive at the starting airport.
<Booking> Just book a ticket and soon it’s better to inform the airline that you are going to carry your bike with you. Because sometimes airplane may be too small to carry your bike.
＜Check in＞ Just going to a normal checkin counter and hand over your bike in a cycling bag. (Pic below left side)
<Pick up> Normally you’ll receive your bike not on the turn table but at the special corner or a personnel will hand over your bike directly to you in the baggage claim place.
<Send your bag to the final destination> Most of local airport has a counter of delivery service(Pic below right side). It takes 1 day normally to be delivered. So you have to plan over 2 days cycling before packing your bike at your final hotel.
<From final hotel to airport> You can’t send your firm bag to an airport, so you have to decompose your bike at your final hotel. And after staying one night there, you have to take a taxi or train to go to the airport.
<Carrying your bike in the firm bag @Tokyo area> Since the size in the firm bag is bigger than in a normal bag, you have to think about the place to put yours. When you use domestic airline, the airport in Tokyo will be Haneda. So you’ll use mono rail(left hand side pic). It’s better to keep the corner place at the end of the car like this pic. And when you use JR line or urban train(right hand side pic), it’s better to keep the end of the first(or last) carriage.
【Using normal cycling bag】
Of course you can use normal carry bag as you can see in those pics below. By using this bag, you don’t have to worry about sending your bag to your final destination in advance and you can ride as far as the airport to go home.
【Caution】 I didn’t pay any special fee to carry my bike. But only one thing I had to give up was to bring a spray with flammable gas. For the puncuture and rain, I brought 2 spray cans in my first airplane bike trip, but I had to abondon them. Even convenience stores who accept any other goods refused such flammable cans.