On my recent trip to Atami (which I’ll be sharing in the next few days), we took the green car seats of the train. No, it's not color green but it's the term for the first-class seats of trains in Japan. I’ll be sharing my experiences, so you won’t have to be as ignorant as my partner and I, and so you can avoid the same mistakes I did.
Not all trains have green cars. Usually, they’re reserved for long distance travels. Shinjuku to Atami in this case is far, took us more than hour to get there. Atami is in another prefecture, Shizuoka that is so imagine the long travel. My friend who lives in Ibaraki Prefecture also takes the green car when traveling to Tokyo. There are also green cars in bullet trains. This first class seat is really best for long travels.
This kind of train is operated by JR so if you are planning to use a JR pass, you can, but I think it should be the green pass JR pass.
Yes, it’s an additional charge from the normal train seat. You are paying for convenience after all.
People you would often see riding the green car trains are the salarymen of Japan. You would know them, they’re in suits. 😅
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We weren’t really planning to ride the green car but I suggested it to my partner when we were waiting for the train on the platform. He was curious because he hadn’t tried it ever in his life, although he’s born and raised in Japan.
We found the green car ticket booth on the platform, so we tried buying it for my partner first. He used his IC (the train card) to buy. His IC was scanned then we chose the line and destination. It was a fast transaction. We thought there would be a seat assigned but there's none.
Note #1: There are no assigned seats on the green cars.
When it was my turn, I realized mobile IC can’t be used. That means the digital IC found in my iphone and apple watch couldn’t be used. There’s no way to buy it because I didn’t have the actual IC card. I have actually, at home, and it was Kansai’s IC. Probably still can be used but I didn’t have it with me at that time. We talked to the station master, only to confirm that there’s really no way but to get the card.
I told my friend about this after a week, and she said I could use my mobile IC in the green car because she's using hers. I haven't asked for the details but to be sure, just use the physical card.
Note #2: To buy a green car ticket, you cannot use a mobile IC; only a physical card is allowed.
My partner was already so pissed because why would I suggest it when I couldn’t buy one. He didn’t want to ride alone. He wanted me to take that seat, but I said he should so he could sleep. He was so angry already, and I didn’t want this to ruin our trip. I mean, hello?!, we’re not yet at our destination and he’s already in a bad mood.
Note #2.5: Don't make your companion get angrier than he/she already is. Be patient and think of another plan. 😂
He told me to buy the card outside the ticket gate and I obediently obliged to not cause any more damage to the mood. Good thing I still have little cash at that time. I don’t carry cash often because I’m a digital person. Exiting in that same station cost me around 150 yen, which I thought was nothing. That's such an expensive stay in the station!
Note #3: It’s not free to exit in the same station.
I’ll skip the part where I got so frustrated with the foreigners who were so slow and hoarding the only ticket machine that would dispense a new card. We already missed our train but at least I got my card so I used that to enter the JR train and buy the green car seats.
Since we already missed our train, we had to change plans and follow what's in the transit guide. The transit guide app is very important because it will list many options so you could choose what's best for you. They are grouped into 3 categories: cheapest, fastest, and most convenient. Google Maps doesn't have this kind of great feature. I've been using 3 apps, and 2 of them are in Japanese. JapanTransit app is good if you can't read Japanese because it's in English.
Note #4: Use a transit app for your journey. Don't rely too much on Google Maps.
We thought we were waiting for the right car on the platform but it wasn't the right one. We had to hurry to ride in the correct train car, but we wouldn't be able to make it. We were waiting too far from the green cars. There's no choice but to enter from the ordinary cars and walk towards the green cars.
Note #5: Make sure to check you're waiting for the right car number in the platform. Green cars are usually marked with a sign that "this car is for green car passengers only".
The green car seats are comfortable. They are quieter than ordinary cars. The seats can be reclined. So you can really rest well. You can choose to sit upstairs or downstairs or just at the normal level. Normal level seats are only a few. Usually, it could get crowded upstairs easily. Luckily, we found seats upstairs!
Note #6: You can choose where to sit: upstairs, downstairs or just same level.
There's no luggage compartment whatsoever but at least the legroom is spacious enough to fit our luggage. When we moved around to find a seat, we had to pass one whole green car, and carrying our luggage up and down the stairs was quite a feat. It's not built for carrying luggage.
Note #7: No luggage compartment in the green car. Legroom is wide enough so you can at least put your luggage in your space.
Note #8: Walking along the green cars is difficult especially if you carry a big luggage with you. The stairs are a little narrow.
Did I mention the green car has a toilet? It's really needed for long travels!
After we were settled in our seats, we were wondering what the light was at the top of our seats. Some were green, some red. We didn't mind at first until we saw someone else tap their IC above, changing the color of the light. We then read the note and there, we understood the assignment. It pays to read instructions. 😄
Note #9: When settled in a seat of your choice, scan your IC above the seat, indicating that you've checked in to that seat. The light will turn to another color when it's successful.
Originally, we would be transferring trains at Odawara so we bought the green car ticket to that station. I wasn't sure there's a green car from Odawara to Atami. Our transfer was in another station now, and when we transferred, that train's destination is Atami. That means we didn't have to change trains at Odawara anymore and just ride that same train to Atami.
Note #10: The green car ticket is still applicable even when you change trains.
Since we set the destination to be Odawara station, we should already be out of the green car and move to the ordinary car. We didn't, as we were so tired, and I dozed off. A few moments later, the train staff talked to us asking us we already passed our destination. They were kind enough to listen to us and changed our destination to Atami instead of Odawara. We didn't pay any amount difference too because they're in the same price range.
Note #11: Make sure to choose the correct destination when buying the green car ticket. Even if there's a train transfer, just choose the destination.
We can already see the sea, that means we're almost near our destination. When we heard "mamonaku Atami eki (まもなく熱海駅)" that means we're about to reach Atami station, our destination for this trip, we immediately packed our things, and tap our cards above to check out in the seat. Although it's okay not to tap, since it will be automatically done for you when you leave the train, it's still best to do so to notify that your seat is now available.
Note #12: Don't forget to tap your card again when you reach your destination.
It was a very long ride and we learned a lot of things. There were so many epic fails but when we reached our destination and when I saw the sea, I forgot all of these mistakes and my exhaustion. The next time you decide to ride the first class train, the green car, make sure to follow my tips so you won't be like us. 😆
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.