How to navigate trains for a long trip.

[JimDanger]

Long story short: I want to travel from Yokohama to Nagoya, via train.

I'm interested in visiting Nagoya on my own, but I've never traveled anywhere beyond Tokyo by train. Where can an English-speaker find train information, or the various connections/prices needed to reach certain destinations?

I was reading the WikiTravel article for Nagoya which reads:

A one-way ride from Tokyo is about 1 hour, 40 minutes via Nozomi (\10780) and between 1 3/4 and 2 hours via Hikari (\10580).

What is Nozomi/Hikari? Are these train lines? If so, again, where do I find routes?

Any help is appreciated.

[Kuang_Grade]

Nozomi/Hikari are two different types of high speed trains called Shinkansen. Shinkansen are intercity JR (Japan Rail) trains that typically have a limited number of stops, faster top speeds and higher ticket prices.

Other trains, called limited express or local have many more stops along their routes, lower top speeds, take much longer but offer lower ticket prices.

You'll find this useful

http://www.japanrail.com/

http://www.japanrail.com/JR_trainandseattypes.html

http://www.japanrail.com/JR_shinkansen.html

Nagoya and Yokohama are both on the main east-west JR shinkansen line, so it won't be a difficult trip with bunch of transfers if you opt for a shinkansen train and you have dozens of possible trains you could take in any given day. Limited express trains will take longer but may offer a more interesting view out the window and will likely be half the price of shinkansen train but you may have to make some train transfers along the way.

[Taro Toporific]

I was reading the WikiTravel article for Nagoya which reads:

A one-way ride from Tokyo is about 1 hour, 40 minutes via Nozomi (\10780) and between 1 3/4 and 2 hours via Hikari (\10580).

What is Nozomi/Hikari?

Nozomi/Hikari is the Shinkansen bullet trains connecting Tokyo and Nagoya.


Timetable:
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/timetable/index.html

Fares
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/fare/index.html

Stations
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/station/index.html

Map
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tokaido-Shinkansen.png


General
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkaid%C5%8D_Shinkansen

[Mock Cockpit]

http://www.hyperdia.com is helpful but you need to know the exact name of the station you want to go to.

[omae mona]

Also, if you want help from a friendly, English-speaking, live human being at JR, take a look at the information here:

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/info_counters/index.html

It lists the locations of the information counters, including the one at Yokohama station, where they can help you out. It also contains the phone number for JR's English language helpline.

JR's Telephone Service "JR EAST Infoline"

050-2016-1603 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
(except during the year-end/new year holiday)
JR provides a convenient telephone information service in English, Korean and Chinese for quick and complete JR information about train time schedules, the fastest JR route from place to place, location of reserved-seat ticket offices, and other useful information.
Reservations cannot be accepted by this telephone service.

I am not quite sure what the drawing represents. Which one is the JR employee?

[cenic]

I've been using hyperdia for all my travel and it seems to work great. It gives all solutions and provides other information as well.

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

[soviet]

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/e-norikeyin.html

[kusai Jijii]

Nozomi/Hikari is the Shinkansen bullet trains connecting Tokyo and Nagoya.

Forget the Nozomi and the Hikari. What he needs to ride is the Noriko. That way he can get off after only one stop.

[kurohinge1]

I am not quite sure what the drawing represents. Which one is the JR employee?

It's the 3 "mosaiced" staff in the background - pixelated to look like blocks.

[Iraira]

[quote="kusai Jijii"]Forget the Nozomi and the Hikari. What he needs to ride is the Noriko. That way he can get off after only one stop.]

Yeah, but the Noriko Line is always packed (!) and will not offer its services to black people.