Shinkansen and general train/metro questions
Shinkansen and general train/metro questions
I’ll be traveling to Japan next week and have a power wheelchair. I’m still a little confused about certain trains and booking the Shinkansen. For example, if I book a wheelchair spot in advance, do I still need to find an attendant at the station or will somebody be waiting for me by the train platform?
1) I need to book the Romance Car from Shinjuku to Odawara. Should I book through their website? Do I need to go find someone at the station to get a slope or is there no gap on this train?
2) I need to take the Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Kyoto but I can’t find the route on the SmartEx app. Do I need to book this one through a different site?
3) I need to book the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo. It looks like I can book this through the app but do I still need to find an attendant once I arrive? Or will they have a slope waiting for me at the platform since I will book the wheelchair seat?
4) As for the subway/metro in Tokyo and Kyoto, I don’t think I will need a slope if the gap is very small. Are the Yamanote, Ginza and Hibiya lines accessible without needing to find an attendant and a slope? How about the main lines in Kyoto (Keihan, Arashiyama, Nara)?
4) If going from Fushimi-Inari station to Nara Station via the Nara LIne, do I need to buy a reserved wheelchair seat or does it work just like the metro where you can get through with a charged Suica card? Is a slope needed for this line?
- 4 Replies
Sending a quick reply. I would expect to arrange the slope service (which we didn’t known about until the end of the trip) for all train travel. It is not the gap you need
to worry about as much as the trains are not flat with the platforms, it is often uneven and can be a bit of a step on and off. Also the attendant will guide you to the nearest elevator which will save you tons of time. I don’t know how to arrange this ahead of time. You will need to do it in the station. Build lots of time into your travels as this arrangement will require the attendant to fill out a form every time. They will also ask you to wait for the escort to the platform. Hope this helps.
katie
Find the JR office or other metro or train owner office and tell them where you want to go. They will escort you to the platform using elevators as appropriate. They will put a round out for you to use when the train comes. Then they will advise the office at the station you’re getting off at and someone will meet you at the platform with a ramp. They will then take you to the exit gates using appropriate elevators
use your Suica or other card to enter and leave
Always find the attendant at every station so they can make the necessary arrangements at the arrival station.
When you use the Shinkansen, you don’t need to look for station staff on the platform, and no one is waiting for you. Because you can board the train without the staff. Regarding
2), unfortunately, the Shinkansen has not yet opened from Kanazawa to Kyoto. Currently, it is open only to Tsuruga, which is quite far away. The only way to get from Tsuruga to Kyoto is to use a limited express train or a local train on the conventional line. By the way, it takes about an hour to use the limited express train, and about an hour and 40 minutes to use the local train. Regarding
3), it is as I wrote at the beginning. Regarding 4), I think you can solve it by telling the station staff at the ticket gate. Regarding
5)?, there is no direct train from Fushimi Inari Station to Nara Station, so you either have to make a complicated transfer on the way, or go back to Kyoto Station and take a direct train. Also, depending on your destination in Nara, you have to think about whether to take JR or Kintetsu. And the important tourist spots in Nara are far from both of those Nara stations. If you change trains on the way to Nara, you will use all local trains, so you don’t need to make a reservation. If you are heading from Kyoto Station, it depends on the railway company you use. Advance reservations are required for Kintetsu express trains. Reservations are not required for local trains and JR trains. Suica cards can be used. As mentioned in 4), there are ramps at stations. But unfortunately… for example, the road to Todaiji Temple is very far from JR Nara Station…
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