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How to reserve a “Seat with Extra Large Luggage Space” and rules
The Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines have a system called “seats with oversized luggage space. Simply put, this system requires passengers to make a reservation in advance when bringing in oversized luggage such as large suitcases, and a space will be reserved behind the rearmost seat.
This rule is called “baggage160
What is a seat with oversized luggage space?
On the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains, space for large luggage is limited. Therefore, advance reservations are required when bringing large suitcases or other oversized luggage into the train. Advance reservations can be made for the last seat in the car and the space behind it.
Image: from JR Tokai website
Seats in the last section of the train are sold as “seats with oversized luggage space”, which consists of a seat and luggage space as a set. People who have reserved a seat in the last section of the train car can place their “oversized luggage” directly behind the seat.
If oversized luggage is brought in without an advance reservation, a fee of 1,000 yen will be charged. This is the “baggage160” rule, which started on May 20, 2020.
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What is “oversized luggage?”
Oversize luggage” requiring reservation refers to large luggage with a total length of 160 cm to 250 cm on three sides. For suitcases, the total of the three sides of a 100L class suitcase will generally exceed 160cm. Therefore, those who bring 100L-class suitcases on the Shinkansen should use “seats with oversized luggage space”.
Image: from JR Tokai website
Suitcases of up to about 80 liters will often not fall under the category of oversized luggage, since the total of their three sides will fit within 160 cm. suitcases with a total of less than 160 cm can be stored in the luggage rack above the seat, so there is no need to use “seats with oversized luggage space.
Free if booked in advance
If you make an advance reservation for “Seats with Oversized Luggage Space” prior to boarding, no additional fee is required. If you bring in oversized luggage without a reservation, you must pay 1,000 yen as a carry-on fee.
An important rule to be aware of on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines is that “if you bring in an oversized suitcase or other item without a reservation, you will be charged 1,000 yen.
However, this is slightly different from the system where you can bring in a large suitcase and pay 1,000 yen in the train and the conductor will store it in a designated place. It seems that JR has set the price at 1,000 yen as a penalty for bringing in a large suitcase.
Image: from JR Tokai website
How to reserve an oversized luggage space
To reserve a seat with oversized luggage space on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines, simply tell the ticket office at the station that you wish to reserve a seat with oversized luggage space.
You can also select “Seat with Extra Large Luggage Space” at a reserved seat ticket vending machine at the station. The seat selection screen is easy to understand, so you will not miss it.
You can also select “seats with oversized luggage space” through JR’s Internet reservation services such as Express Reservation, Smart EX, e5489, and JR Kyushu Internet Train Reservations.
Reserved seats only
Oversized Luggage Space” is available only in reserved-seat cars. On the Tokaido Shinkansen, 57 seats for “Nozomi”, 47 seats for “Hikari”, and 17-22 seats for “Kodama” can be reserved in advance (for 16-car trains), together with oversized luggage space.
Non-reserved seats are first-come, first-served
There is no “oversized luggage space” in unreserved seats. According to the “baggage160” rule, “reservation is required” to bring “oversized luggage” into the train, and passengers are not allowed to bring in oversized luggage freely even in non-reserved seats.
JR Tokai informs passengers that the space at the end of the train, where “seats with oversized luggage space” are not available, is “the space that passengers in the seat immediately before the oversized luggage space have priority to use”. Therefore, if you sit in the last seat of a non-reserved seat, you can use the space behind it as a luggage space.
However, the last row of unreserved seats is very popular, and it is naturally on a first-come, first-served basis. Depending on how crowded it is, it may not be possible to sit in the last row of unreserved seats, so it is best to avoid bringing luggage that is too large to fit in the luggage racks above the seats for the last row of unreserved seats.
