New Year Crowding on Outbound JR Travel to Peak on Dec. 27, Inbound on Jan. 3; Shinkansen Trains Mostly Fully Booked through End of Month, Says JR Group

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:08 JST, December 17, 2025

Crowding for outbound JR trains is expected to peak on Dec. 27 and inbound on Jan. 3, according to JR Group’s six companies.

The companies announced Tuesday where reservation statuses stand of Monday for their Shinkansen and conventional lines during Dec. 26 through Jan. 4.

According to Central Japan Railway Co., outbound Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi and Hikari services are nearly fully booked for the morning of Dec. 27 and the morning of the next day. East Japan Railway Co. said that outbound services on the Tohoku, Akita, Yamagata and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines are almost fully booked from Dec. 27 through Dec. 30.