Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home2/thetoky7/public_html/wp-content/themes/acabado/functions.php on line 2119
UPDATED: September 2018
I hope you enjoyed your time in Tokyo. Next up Osaka, the City of Business! When you’re visiting Japan it’s fairly common to go from Tokyo to Osaka, but how do you get there? In this short article, I’ll run you through the fastest, the cheapest and the best ways of moving from Tokyo to Osaka.
Let me just start off saying, if you’re getting a JR Pass this is a no-brainer. Use the rail pass and jump on a train! Now that that’s settled let’s look at your options if you DON’T have a Japan Rail Pass.
Not sure what a Japan Rail Pass is and want to learn more about it? Please do check out my article on the subject: Is a Japan Rail Pass Worth It?
The distance from Tokyo to Osaka is 250 miles (400 km)
Tokyo to Osaka: The Cheapest Way
This is a bit of a weird one, but if you’re traveling around on a tight budget you really need to know this! But before you get too excited about this awesome value for money option, keep in mind it’s only valid some parts of the year.
I’m talking about something called Seishun 18. This ticket gives you unlimited rides on local and rapid Japan Rail trains in all of Japan. The Seishun 18 ticket is valid for five days, and multiple people can use the same ticket. It’s by far your cheapest travel option coming in at only ¥2,370 per day.
Are you interested in seeing Kyoto instead? Check out Tokyo to Kyoto.
How Seishun 18 Works
Seishun 18 consists of five days of unlimited rides on local and rapid JR train for the cost of ¥11,850, which is only ¥2,370 per day. You don’t have to use the ticket five days in a row, and the same ticket can be used by up to five people.
The fact that you can share the ticket with others is really great. If you’re traveling in a group of five, all you need is one Seishun 18 ticket to transport the whole crew for a full day. Whereas a single ticket on Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka is around ¥14,000, you can now transport five people for only ¥11,850. Granted, it will take you longer, and you’ll have to transfer a few time, but you’ll save as much as $500. This is PERFECT if you’re traveling on a tight budget.
If you’re traveling by yourself, you can use the Seishun 18 ticket for five full days (not necessarily continuous) as the ticket is valid from midnight to midnight. As soon as you use it one day you’re down from five to four days left. No matter if you ride the train for ten minutes or ten hours. Keep that in mind and only use the ticket on days you’re planning to travel for more than ¥2,370!
Seishun 18 Cons
There are two major ones. You can only buy and use this ticket specific times of the year, and it’s only valid on local and rapid Japan Rail trains. No Shinkansen, no private railways
- Buy: February 20 to March 31
- Use: March 1 April 10
- Buy: July 1 to August 31
- Use: July 20 to September 10
- Buy: December 1 to December 31
- Use: December 10 to January 10
You have to use all of your five travel days during a single period. If you get on a train on the last day of a period and ride on it until after midnight, the ticket will still be valid, but you have to buy a separate ticket for your next ride.
To plan all your travel by only using JR train can be complicated, so I suggest you use HyperDia to help you out. It’s a great help when planning your Japan itinerary. But remember, when you search for travel options you have to uncheck everything except walking, local, and JR trains.
The Seishun 18 ticket is the perfect way to travel for a real explorer who doesn’t mind spending a bit more time on transportation and who’s not afraid to navigate Japanese train stations.
I know the Seishun 18 ticket can be a bit complicated at first so if you have any questions or comments, please ask them in the section down below!
Tokyo to Osaka by local and JR trains
Time: About 9 hours
Money: ¥2,370 (¥11,850)
Low-Cost Airlines
Up, up and away! A flight from Tokyo to Osaka takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, but that’s only counting the time in the air. Do not forget transport to Narita Airport or Haneda Airport and the time you spend going through the security checks and so on. More on this later.
There are quite a few low-cost airlines operating in Japan. Here are some of them:
- Japan Airlines
- Jetstar
- Peach Aviation
- All Nippon Airways (ANA)
- Star Flyer
Compared to how much it costs to buy a single ticket on Shinkansen, the airline tickets are surprisingly cheap. The price, of course, depends on how early you book your flight and on which day of the week you decide to fly.
From my research, I’ve found that you’ll have to pay ¥4,500 to ¥9,000 for a one-way ticket from Tokyo to Osaka. I know that’s a pretty big price range, so I looked at the average lowest price for each day for a whole month (October 2018, one month from now).
What I found was that ¥6,900 is the magic number. On average ¥7,000 will fly you from Tokyo to Osaka. The weekends are usually the most expensive, and Monday or Tuesday is generally the cheapest day.
In addition to the plane ticket, you have to add whatever the transport to the airport will cost you.
Tokyo to Osaka with a budget airline
Time: About 3 hours (including airport security)
Money: ¥7,000 on average (Range: ¥4,800 to ¥9,000)
Tokyo to Osaka With a Bullet Train (Shinkansen)
I have to be honest with you; this is my favorite mode of transportation from Tokyo to just about anywhere. That’s why I’m a big fan of the JR Pass which will give you unlimited Shinkansen rides for 7, 14 or 21 days.
If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you’re probably not reading this guide. So let’s have a quick look at how much it costs if you to buy single tickets for Shinkansen.
First some basics: On Shinkansen you’ll have to pay a seating fee in addition to the fare itself. There are three different seating fee options, three different train types with different speeds and it’s also a peak, a normal and an off-season. All of these choices affect the price.
Now you need to go ahead and pick one option in each of the three categories. It’s as easy as 1, 2 and 3.
One – Type of train/speed
- Nozomi
- Hikari
- Kodama
Two – Seating feat
- Unreserved seat
- Reserved seat
- Green seat (1st class)
Three – Season
- Peak
- Normal
- Off-season
1 Type of train/speed
I have sorted the trains from the slowest to the fastest. Kodama stops at every station, while Hikari and Nozomi skips a few stations and they also have a higher operating speed.
- Kodama (234 – 237 minutes. About 3 hours and 55 minutes)
- Hikari (173 – 177 minutes. About 2 hours and 55 minutes)
- Nozomi (150 – 153 minutes. About 2 hours and 30 minutes)
Check out the differences in price in the table below.
2 Seating Fee
If you want to learn more about the different seating options and see my review of the 1st class seats and if they’re worth it, check out my Shinkansen article. You can also read about the amount of luggage you can bring on Shinkansen along with some other helpful information.
3 When You Ride (Season)
Well, this isn’t much of a choice unless you plan your whole trip to Japan around when the Shinkansen seasons are! Anyway, here you can see the different seasons.
- Peak
- December 25 – January 10
- March 21 – April 5
- April 28 – May 5
- July 21 – August 31
- Off-season
- Januar 15 – February 28 *
- June 1 – June 30 *
- September 1 – September 30 *
- November 1 – December 20 *
- Normal
- You do the math!
* Except for weekends and national holidays.
A Table to Compare Ticket Prices for Shinkansen Trains
Remember you have to pay a seating fee+fare. If you don’t want to study the table in depth you can just focus on the prices in green and they’ll give you the answer.
UPDATED: September 2018
If you’re on mobile, you might have to scroll to see all the columns (there are three trains listed).
[table id=7 responsive=scroll /]
Infants and babies (0 to 5 years) travel for free. Children from 6 to 11 years get 50% off. 12 years and older counts as adults.
I have a pro tip for you! When you reserve your seats on Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka, try to book seats on the right side of the train. From there you’ll have a great view of Mount Fuji. 🙂
Tokyo to Osaka with Shinkansen
Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours and 55 minutes
Money: ¥13,940 to ¥14,650
Bus from Tokyo to Osaka
A cheap but, in my opinion, not at all comfortable option is a night bus from Tokyo to Osaka. Kosokubus is a well-renowned bus company that will take you from Tokyo to Osaka in about 8 hours for ¥3,000 to ¥8,000. If you book early, it’s cheaper.
Some people have problems sleeping on buses. If you’re one of them, keep in mind that you’ll arrive in Osaka 5 a.m. – 8 a.m. If you can’t check into your hotel until 3 p.m., you’ll probably be a walking zombie.
You can store one big piece of luggage in the trunk, and you can bring a small carry-on with you inside the bus.
Tokyo to Osaka by bus
Time: 7 to 9 hours
Money: ¥3,000 to ¥8,000
Too Long; Didn’t Read
The cheapest way is to use your JR Pass if you have one. If you don’t have one and want to know if it’s worth it for your itinerary, you can check out the article on the Japan Rail Pass.
If you decide not to buy a JR Pass then Seishun 18 or a night bus is the cheapest option. Seishun 18 will take longer, but is a bit cheaper.
The fastest way to go from Tokyo to Osaka is by bullet train! It even beats the planes when you take the tedious security checks into account. Shinkansen is also a very comfortable way of travel so if you haven’t tried it already, you really should!
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments down below!