DOJI JOURNAL · TRAVEL
Nozomi Holiday Sale: Group Fares From ¥10,000
Selected Nozomi fares start at ¥10,000 per adult for groups of two to six. Check the opposite-direction dates and rolling 40-day booking deadlines.
Published: November 7, 2026 · 3 min read
Cover: A 700 Series Hikari Rail Star Shinkansen, not the N700 Nozomi trains this sale covers. Photo: Chris Bahr / Unsplash.
JR Central and JR West's limited-time EX Hayatoku sale offers one-way ordinary reserved seats on selected Nozomi routes from ¥10,000 per adult. It is not a general holiday discount: the direction, travel date and group size all matter. November 15 is the booking deadline for December 25 travel, not the final deadline for every departure.
Which direction qualifies?
- December 25–31, 2026: toward Tokyo only, from Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Okayama or Hiroshima to Tokyo, Shinagawa or Shin-Yokohama.
- January 2–4, 2027: away from Tokyo toward Hiroshima, from Tokyo, Shinagawa or Shin-Yokohama to one of those five western destinations. You do not have to travel all the way to Hiroshima.
- January 1 is not included. The reverse direction on each set of dates is not included either.
The sale covers Nozomi ordinary reserved seats, with limited availability. It requires two to six travelers booked together through SmartEX or Express Reservation. Groups consisting only of adults or only of children can qualify if there are at least two travelers.
One-way fares per person
Each fare below applies between Tokyo, Shinagawa or Shin-Yokohama and the listed destination, subject to the direction rules above.
| Western destination | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Nagoya | ¥10,000 | ¥5,000 |
| Kyoto or Shin-Osaka | ¥12,000 | ¥6,000 |
| Okayama | ¥14,000 | ¥7,000 |
| Hiroshima | ¥15,000 | ¥7,500 |
These are per-person fares, not the total for the group. A solo traveler cannot use this sale.
Booking deadlines: 40 days before travel
Sales began November 5. Each departure date closes separately, 40 days before travel. All dates and booking hours below follow Japan time.
| Travel date | Eligible direction | Booking deadline |
|---|---|---|
| December 25, 2026 | Toward Tokyo | November 15, 2026 |
| December 26 | Toward Tokyo | November 16 |
| December 27 | Toward Tokyo | November 17 |
| December 28 | Toward Tokyo | November 18 |
| December 29 | Toward Tokyo | November 19 |
| December 30 | Toward Tokyo | November 20 |
| December 31 | Toward Tokyo | November 21 |
| January 2, 2027 | Away from Tokyo | November 23, 2026 |
| January 3 | Away from Tokyo | November 24 |
| January 4 | Away from Tokyo | November 25 |
The published daily sales window is 00:00–23:59, but maintenance can shorten it to 05:30–23:30. Check the reservation service's current notices rather than relying on a last-minute purchase. Limited inventory may run out before the deadline.
You cannot choose a seat when booking
This is an advance booking against a provisional operating plan. Seat selection is unavailable at the initial booking stage. From 08:00 one month before travel, the operator processes bookings and confirms the train number, departure and arrival times, and seat number by email. Seats can be changed from 10:00 that day.
The operator may change the selected train when the timetable is finalized and will email alternatives if that happens. S Work seats, wheelchair-accessible seats and the seasonal family carriage are excluded at the initial booking stage; the official page directs travelers who need them to make their own seat changes from 10:00 one month before travel.
Check the purchase route before committing
The Japanese sale page names SmartEX and Express Reservation, but does not explain whether the same product is available through an overseas user's particular SmartEX interface or account. Check the official reservation service for eligibility and availability before planning around the fare; do not assume that every international booking channel offers it.
For broader holiday planning, read our guide to the all-reserved Nozomi holiday period. The all-reserved operating period and this limited sale are different rules: the sale has much narrower dates, directions and booking conditions.
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This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance from published sources, checked against those sources, and approved by DOJI's editor before publication.
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