RIDE THE BULLET TRAIN

The World Famous Shinkansen (Bullet Train) extends it service to the city of Hachinohe which sits about 10 miles southeast of Misawa. Downtown Tokyo is now only three hours away and cheaper than we were paying for a flight from Misawa to Haneda Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo. You could get the first train from Misawa at 6:34 in the morning, be in Tokyo by 9:50, spend the day in the city, catch the last train from Tokyo at 8:10PM and be home by midnight. Or go down on a Friday evening, and come back Sunday night. It costs ¥28,820 round trip from Hachinohe all the way to Tokyo Station. Its about ¥1000 more each way to go on to Narita Airport.

Granted, its a little expensive to do often but for a quick get away, or to get to Narita Airport, its a whole lot easier and convenient now.

FROM MISAWA TO TOKYO

Assuming you purchased tickets all together here in Misawa before you leave........

Take the train from Misawa Station to Hachinohe. When you get to Hachinohe, head up the steps to get to the platform. The way to the train is clearly marked with a drawing of the Shinkansen and labeled in English. As you approach the turnstyle, you'll hear directions in English telling you to feed all three tickets (Misawa to Hachinohe Station, Misawa to Tokyo Station, and Hachinohe to Tokyo) into the ticket reader. The machine will only give two of the tickets back to you. Keep your tickets from Tokyo to Narita, if you have you are going there. As soon as you have passed through the turnstile there will be a sign with the bullet information. Just make sure you know what time your train leaves. And, if all else fails show your tickets to any of the attendants and they'll get you to the correct track. You'll have reserved seats the whole way so you don't need to worry about fighting for a seat. Sit down and relax for about 2:50. Enjoy the scenery, and don't worry about fastening your seatbelts.

Once you arrive at Tokyo Station you'll go down off of the bullet train platform (just like everybody else). Once you get to the bottom you'll see signs for Narita in English with airplane icons. The Narita Express departs on tracks 1 thru 4 which are located on the basement level (B5). Just follow the signs. When you go through the turnstiles to go out only put the two tickets that you used to get to Tokyo - NOT the two that will get you from Tokyo Station to Narita. Then just keep following the signs.

This a link to Guide Maps of major stations.Click here and then click on Tokyo Station on the new window.

Once you arrive at Narita you just need to follow everybody else - there isn't much choice. The Departure Terminal is on the 4th Floor and is clearly marked in English. Just take the elevator to the 4th floor, and look for your airline on the overhead signs. After you check in you can either head to the 5th Floor to get something to eat or head straight through Security. Once you're in the area of your departure gate there are very nice lounges downstairs with free computer desks (complete with power if you trashed your battery), TV, massage chairs and small snack bars.

A final note; If you are a non-smoker, be sure to tell them that when you buy your ticket. They have smoking and non-smoking cars.

There is a lot of info concerning timetables, etc for getting from Narita to Misawa. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, the following links should provide all the info you need to find your way:

Japan Railroad East (JREast) operates the trains that come up to Hachinohe. Here is the official JREast English language webpage. It has a lot of info that I won’t try to cover here. I suggest you check it out.

To get from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station, you take the Narita Express (NEX). Here is the NEX timetable

Note that the entire Narita Express goes as far as Tokyo Station. From there it splits and goes in separate directions. To go to Tokyo Station only, it doesn't matter where you sit. If you are going past Tokyo Station, pay attention to the signs on the train and on the loading platform.

The Narita Express arrives at Tokyo Station at the basement level 5 (tracks 1 thru 4). You have to take the elevator or escalator upstairs to find the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) platform on the street level. Follow the signs.

You can purchase your ticket at a "Reservation Office". If you have a rail pass, you still need to get a seat reservation. Reserved seat ticket windows are marked by a green sign with a white circle in the center. Within the circle is a green stick figure sitting in a green, semi-reclined chair. The Tohoku Shinkansen uses the Hayate Line and departs from tracks 20 to 23. They are accessed through the Yaesu South Ticket Gate. When you get your ticket, you should ask what track to go to for train you got your seat on.

This a link to Guide Maps of major stations. Click here and then click on Tokyo Station on the new window.

NOTE: When the Shinkansen leaves Tokyo Station there are three different trains all linked together. The Yamagata Shinkansen detaches at Fukushima and goes in a different direction. The Akita Shinkansen detaches at Morioka and heads to Akita. SOOOOO be sure to check the signs at the loading platform and on the trian car to be sure you are getting on the Tohoku Shinkansen bound for Hachinohe.

JREast has a infoline in English. Call 03-4323-0111 from 10am til 6pm.