Tokyo to Yamanashi by train: tickets, passes and the IC card trap

Shinjuku to Kofu: the limited express

Limited Express Azusa and Kaiji trains on the JR Chuo Line take about 1 hour 30 minutes from Shinjuku to Kofu. After the fare revision of 14 March 2026 the one-way price is ¥4,000: a ¥2,420 basic fare plus a ¥1,580 reserved-seat charge (the express charge is the same throughout the year).

Three things to remember

1. Every seat is reserved
   Secure a seat before you board. There is no unreserved car.
2. Without a seat assignment, watch the lamps
   A “seat-unspecified” ticket lets you ride and sit in any seat whose overhead lamp is red. Yellow means reserved from a later station; green means reserved now. If the holder arrives, move.
3. Book through the English service, not the domestic one
   You can buy at a ticket machine or the Midori-no-madoguchi counter in the station, or online before you arrive. Online, JR East runs two separate services: Eki-net, which is the Japanese-language service for residents, and JR-EAST Train Reservation, which is in English and can be used from outside Japan. Use the latter. If you are travelling on a JAPAN RAIL PASS, reserve your seat through the pass reservation service or at a station instead.

If you use the Express Train e-ticket

• The Express Train e-ticket (basic fare required) covers Azusa and Kaiji, but it is the express portion only. You still need the basic fare between Shinjuku and Kofu: an IC card, or a paper ticket.
• You do not collect a paper express ticket, but you do need a device that can show the booking. Tap in with the IC card you are using for the fare, or insert your paper ticket, and take the seat you reserved. If asked on board, log in to JR-EAST Train Reservation and show the booking.
• It does not help you south of Kofu. A ticketless express ticket does not let an IC card carry you from the JR East area into the Minobu Line stations that have no IC gates. Buy a paper ticket for anything beyond Kofu.

Not yet confirmedWhether an overseas-issued credit card goes through on JR-EAST Train Reservation, and the exact sign-up steps from outside Japan. We plan to register and check this ourselves.

Rail passes: where the cover ends

For this trip alone you ride the express to Kofu and back plus local trains south of Kofu. Buying tickets as you go can be cheaper than any pass. Decide based on the rest of your Japan itinerary.

South of Kofu: the Minobu Line

• Limited Express Fujikawa has unreserved ordinary cars. Unlike the Chuo Line expresses, you can board without a seat reservation.
• Local trains are infrequent and much slower than the express. In the September 2026 timetable, the local leaves Kofu at 9:03 and reaches Minobu at 10:52 (1 h 49); Fujikawa 4 leaves at 8:45 and arrives at 9:36 (51 min). The express saves 58 minutes of travel time. Check the fare and express charge for your date before buying.
• IC entry and exit on the Minobu Line are available at stations between Kofu and Kajikazawaguchi, and between Nishi-Fujinomiya and Fuji. Shimobe-Onsen, Kai-Tokiwa and Minobu do not support IC entry or exit. A single IC journey from the Shinjuku Suica area through Kofu into the Minobu Line TOICA area is not allowed with an ordinary stored-value card. Buy a paper ticket at Kofu before you board.

Leaving luggage at Shinjuku Station

For a trip that starts and ends at Shinjuku, leave the large suitcase there and travel with a small bag. Around Yamanashi City, Shimobe-Onsen and Lake Motosu you change between trains, buses and taxis, and a big case gets in the way at every one of them. Which locker or counter to use, what it costs, and what happens if your train gets back late are in the luggage guide.

Read the luggage guide

Station facilities along the way

• Kofu Station: lifts, escalators, accessible toilets and coin lockers.
• Yamanashishi Station: a lift, an accessible toilet, and Multi Ecube lockers on the concourse outside the gates.
• Minobu Station: ticket office 6:30–21:45, with breaks during the day.

Not yet confirmedFacilities at Shimobe-Onsen and Kai-Tokiwa stations (to be checked on site).