| Nozomi | |
| Type: | Shinkansen (Express) |
| Status: | Operational |
| First: | 1934 (Express) 1992 (Shinkansen) |
| Operator: | JR Central, JR West |
| Line Used: | Tōkaidō Shinkansen San'yō Shinkansen |
| Class: | Green/standard |
| Catering: | Trolley service (ended October 2023) |
| Stock: | N700 series, N700S series |
| El: | 25 kV AC overhead |
| Speed: | 300round=10NaNround=10 (San'yō Shinkansen) 285round=10NaNround=10 (Tōkaidō Shinkansen) |
is the fastest train service running on the Tokaido and San'yō Shinkansen lines in Japan. The service stops at only the largest stations, and services using N700 series equipment reach speeds of 3000NaN0 along the stretch between and . The trip between Tokyo and Osaka, a distance of 515km (320miles), takes 2 hours 21 minutes on the fastest Nozomi service, with the fastest service between Tokyo Station and Hakata taking 4 hours 46 minutes.[1]
The trains stop at fewer stations than the Hikari and Kodama trains. On the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka, Nozomi trains stop only at,, and . On the Sanyō Shinkansen between Shin-Ōsaka and Hakata, all Nozomi trains stop at,, and, with certain trains also stopping at additional stations.
Foreigners traveling with a Japan Rail Pass are required to purchase a special ticket to use the Nozomi service.[2]
Legend
| ● | All trains stop | |
|---|---|---|
| △ | Some trains stop |
Only basic Nozomi stopping patterns are shown. Additional Nozomi trains with differing stopping patterns are added during holiday and high-peak travel periods and are not included in this table.
| Station | Distance (km) (from Tokyo) | Tokyo – Hakata* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | ● | ||
| 6.8 | ● | ||
| 25.5 | ● | ||
| 342.0 | ● | ||
| 476.3 | ● | ||
| 515.4 | ● | ||
| 548.0 | ● | ||
| 570.2 | △ | ||
| 601.3 | △ | ||
| 676.3 | ● | ||
| 733.1 | △ | ||
| 821.2 | ● | ||
| 903.5 | △ | ||
| 944.6 | △ | ||
| 1013.2 | ● | ||
| 1069.1 | ● |
As of December 2023, trains are formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Hakata end, and car 16 at the Tokyo end. All seats are non-smoking; enclosed smoking compartments are located in cars 3, 10, and 15.[4] [5] [6]
| Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Standard | Standard | Green | Standard | |||||||||||||
| Reservation | Non-reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | |||||||||||||
| Facilities | Toilet | Toilet, smoking room | Toilet | Vending machine | Toilet | Toilet | Smoking room | Vending machine, toilet, wheelchair space | Toilet | Smoking room, toilet | |||||||
In 2021, payphones were removed from cars 4, 9, 15 (previously present on N700 trains only) and car 12 (previously present on all trains).
In an announcement by JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu made on 17 October 2023, the companies stated that all onboard smoking rooms on the Tokaido, San'yo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains would be discontinued by Q2 2024,[7] which took effect in on 16 March 2024.[8] In addition, all smoking rooms located on station platforms on the aforementioned Shinkansen lines would also be discontinued.
Services formerly operated with 700 series sets at the time of their removal in March 2020 were as follows:[3]
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClassandReservation | Standard Non-reserved | Standard Non-reserved | Standard Non-reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Green Reserved | Green Reserved | Green Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | Standard Reserved | |
| Facilities | Toilet | Cardphone | Toilet, vending machine | Toilet | Cardphone | Toilet | Toilet | Vending machine, toilet, wheelchair space | Cardphone | Toilet | Vending machine, toilet, cardphone | ||||||
| Smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | Smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | No-smoking | Smoking | Smoking |
The Nozomi name was first used for long-distance express services operated between Busan in Japanese-occupied Korea and Mukden (now Shenyang) in the former Manchukuo (now China) from 1934.[9] From 1938, the services were extended to run between Busan and Xinjing (now Changchun) in Manchukuo. The 1530km (950miles) journey from Busan to Xinjing took over 29 hours, with an average speed of 52km/h. The services were run down between 1943 and 1944.[9]
Nozomi shinkansen services commenced on March 14, 1992, using new 300 series trainsets with a top speed of 270km/h. From March 1997, 500 series trainsets were introduced on Tokyo - Hakata Nozomi services, running at a maximum speed of 300km/h and covering the section between Shin-Osaka and Hakata in 2 hours 17 minutes.
700 series trains were introduced on Nozomi services in 1999, and N700 series trains were introduced from July 1, 2007, initially with four daily round-trip runs. All regularly scheduled through Nozomi services to the San'yō Shinkansen (Tokyo–Hakata) were operated by N700 series sets from 13 March 2010. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, all regularly scheduled Nozomi services, including runs limited to the Tokaido Shinkansen, were operated by N700 series sets.
Effective December 2023, JR Central and JR West adjusted all Nozomi services to operate completely with reservations during three seasons that experience the highest ridership: New Years and Christmas (late December thru the first week of January), Golden Week (29 April to 5 May), and the Obon festival (mid to late August).[10] These adjustments were made in a bid to increase seat patronage and reduce the amount of standing passengers.