Sections
JR East Mobile Ticket Basics
Eki-Net Discounts
JRE POINT Integration
Registration
Ticket Purchase
eTicket and Ticketless Use
Intro
JR East online ticketing service comes in 2 flavors:
(1) Domestic Japanese only Eki-Net online ticketing webpage and Eki-Net app,
(2) Multilingual JR East Ticket Reservation webpage for inbound visitors.
Despite sharing a common backend however, the service accounts are not cross-compatible as there are different ticket options, discounts, passes, etc., for domestic and international users.
This guide only covers domestic Eki-Net. See the JR East Ticket Reservation intro video from Tokyo Kenchan for an overview of the inbound multilingual version, also the JR East Ticket Reservation pages: buying a ticket without using a pass (Select a ticket format section) and how to register your IC card for linking JR East Shinkansen eTickets with Suica (Note that Ticketless options are not supported on JR East Ticket Reservations, only paper tickets).
Mobile Ticket Basics
Two basic rules of Japanese mobile ticketing to keep in mind are:
(1) Mobile tickets are station point to station point (Tokyo station to Shin-Osaka station for example) while traditional paper tickets cover wider travel within the 11 JR Designated City Areas (Tokyo 23 Ward area for example) when the distance is 201 km and over, it only covers JR lines. Area to area might seem like an advantage, but it does’t cover non-JR line transit and the trip is locked in the instant you enter the start gate at a JR local station, stopovers aren’t allowed for shopping or eating along the way to or from the Shinkansen station. Point to Point is more flexible and eTickets discounts are better than paper tickets, especially when purchased in advance.
(2) The earlier you reserve in advance the deeper the discount, currently up to 30 days advance purchase, 90 days in advance from October 2025. Tokudane discounts tiers are 5%, 10% ,20%, 30%, with available discount eTickets highlighted in Eki-Net search results.
Eki-Net mobile ticketing linked with Apple Pay Suica
The domestic Eki-Net is a sprawling travel service portal that covers everything from train tickets to package tours and car rentals, far too large and messy to cover here. This guide is limited to core Eki-Net mobile ticketing functions: setting up and using Shinkansen eTicket and Express Train Ticketless services of the Eki-Net online site and app, and linking Shinkansen eTickets with Apple Pay Suica which gives you the best value with JRE POINT integration.
To understand how and when to use Eki-Net, it’s important to know the basic categories of JR East mobile ticketing:
- JR East Shinkansen Lines
- eTicket: a Shinkansen mobile ticket that bundles Shinkansen distance fare + Super (Limited) Express seat reservation or unreserved seat in one eTicket attached to a registered Suica or Transit IC card. Suica users get the benefit of earning JRE POINT rewards, other Transit IC cards do not. Eki-Net eTickets do not use the Suica SF balance but attaching an eTicket to Apple Pay Suica for example, makes for extremely convenient and seamless local train to Shinkansen connections with just tapping iPhone or Apple Watch.
- Touch and Go: a ticketless non-reserve Shinkansen option that uses Suica • Transit IC card SF balance for non-reserved seat travel on JR East Shinkansen lines. It works exactly the same as Suica for regular transit, tap in, ride the Shinkansen, tap off. Touch and Go is full fare with no discount options, but there are JRE POINT transit rewards with Suica which basically gives Suica users a discount. Free pre-registration of the Suica or other transit IC card is required and can be done at JR East station ticket machines.
- JR East Regular Trains and Limited Express Trains
- Suica (and compatible Transit IC cards) pays the station to station distance based fare using the Stored Fare balance (SF) of the Suica card.
- Eki-Net Ticketless: online purchase only Limited Express reserve seat tickets for Narita Express, Azusa, Kaiji, Odoriko, etc., used in combination: Suica for basic fare + Ticketless for the reserve seat. Eki-Net Ticketless are not linked with Suica, your seat reservation is linked to the train conductor’s device so there is no visual ticket check, just go to your designated reserve seat.
Eki-Net Tokudane discounts
The earlier you reserve in advance (up to 30 days advance purchase), the bigger the discount. One of the nice things about Eki-Net is that it offers the same discount rates to all Eki-Net users unlike the 2 tiered EX service which has smartEX with small discounts and EX-Press Reserve with large discounts.
Eki-Net discount eTicket and Ticketless are called ‘Tokudane’ that are reserve seat only. Tokudane eTickets are also limited in number for each train and disappear quickly. During peak hours (morning departures) and big vacation periods such as New Years, Golden Week and Obon, they are almost always unavailable due to hight demand. The bigger the Tokudane eTickets discount, the faster they disappear. Tokudane Tickeless discounts are limited to reserve seat capacity of the train and are easy to get at the last minute.
Eki-Net • JRE POINT Integration
Eki-Net is highly integrated with the JR East JRE POINT system and just like any ‘mileage club’ out there, ticket purchases come with JRE POINT rewards that can be turned around and used for ticket purchases and Green Car seat upgrades. Basic point rewards are earned with any Eki-Net registered credit card purchase. JR East VIEW CARD purchases earn extra JRE POINT rewards.
Eki-Net Registration
Registering and managing an Eki-Net account can only be done via the web site.
Basic points to be aware of:
3-D v2 Secure credit cards only. Make sure your card supports it, all Japanese issue cards support 3-D v2 Secure.
No Apple Pay In-App support. Eki-Net does not support Apple Pay, you must register and use a compatible credit card in the app to purchase eTickets.
Have your Suica (or PASMO/ICOCA) card ID number ready. Get the Suica card number in Suica App: tap the Suica card then tap and hold the Suica ID number to copy the 17 character alpha-numeric string starting with JE. Paste the 15 character ID (without the JE) for Eki-Net online registration, paste the full 17 character ID for Eki-Net App registration.
The Eki-Net registration YouTube video has a quick visual explanation of the steps:
Steps 3~5 (0:33~0:53) enter email address to receive the registration URL.
Step 6 (1:07) register name, address, phone number, account ID and password.
Step 7 (1:29) register a credit card. Foreign issue credit cards can be registered if 3-D Secure compliant.
Step 8 (1:50) register Mobile Suica or plastic card ID numbers (up to 6 cards).
Step 9 (2:17) sign up or decline Eki-Net promo emails, confirm info and tap register (2:48).
Eki-Net Ticket Purchases
You can either use the Eki-Net website or Eki-Net app to search trains and purchase eTicket and Ticketless train tickets. You can bypass manual login with Eki-Net app that supports Face ID / Touch ID login, download Eki-Net from the Japanese App Store.
It’s helpful to know to know a few basics.
- You can purchase Eki-Net tickets up to one month in advance.
- You can apply to purchase Eki-Net tickets up to month plus one week in advance but there is no guarantee the application will be successful. You will be notified by email the day tickets are available for purchase and application result (success/fail). If successful you have a limited purchase window to complete the purchase.
- eTicket purchases can be cancelled but refunds come with cancellation fees.
Step 1~2 (0:37) enter station points, date, departure time, number of people and tap search.
Step 3 (0:51) select the train.
Step 4~5 (1:05) select the seat type: eTicket non-reserve, Tokudane discount (reserve), Green Car, JRE POINT Green Car upgrade, etc., then select having a seat assigned or select via the seat map. Tokudane availability is indicated by a green banner next to the car number.
Step 6 (1:49) select your credit card, enter security code and purchase you eTicket.
Step 7 (2:27) link eTicket with Apple Pay Suica or other registered IC Transit cards.
Here are screenshots of the steps using Eki-Net iOS app.
Using eTickets
Apple Pay Wallet and Suica App do not have any of your mobile ticket information and you do not need to launch an app to use eTickets or Ticketless. Just tap through the gate and get on your train.
The only notification you will receive is a reminder email from Eki-Net before departure. Eki-Net app is handy for confirming eTicket seat assignments and attached Transit IC cards, just tap the your ticket to view details. Your eTicket is linked to the registered Apple Pay Suica, all you do is tap the Shinkansen transit gate and go through as show in the above video using Apple Pay Suica on Apple Watch. You can also get a seat assignment paper printout at Eki-Net kiosks located inside JR East Shinkansen station areas. Your eTickets are validated online, there is nothing you need to show to the conductor or station staff.
Using Ticketless
Once you have your Ticketless seat reservation, simply get on assigned train car and take your assigned seat. Conductors already have your seat information and do not check or validate your seat assignment.
Eki-Net eTicket to smartEX eTicket transfers
It is possible to make JR East to JR Central Shinkansen line transfers (and vice versa) in Tokyo station. Do not use the direct JR East Shinkansen to JR Central Shinkansen transfer gates that are paper ticket only and have signs saying no eTicket transfers. Exit via the Shinkansen to regular line transfer gate and exit into the regular line station area, walk to the other Shinkansen line and enter the regular line to Shinkansen line transfer gate as shown in this video.
TroubleShooting
The majority Eki-Net problems boil down to linking issues with Shinkansen eTickets and Transit IC cards, either the card number was incorrectly input at registration, or the card number changed when transferring a plastic Suica, PASMO or ICOCA to Apple Pay Wallet and the user forgot to update Eki-Net with the new number. When making your first Eki-Net trip it’s always good to double check the Transit IC card number. The Eki-Net eTicket purchase confirmation email includes the last 4 digits of the linked Transit IC card, it’s easy to check against the last 4 digits of Suica, PASMO, ICOCA in Wallet card details, and be one your way. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA plastic card ID numbers will always change when transferred to Wallet, be sure to update the Eki-Net account information with the new ID number.
Summary
This is only a quick overview of Eki-Net but the gist is you will save money and time using mobile ticketing over paper tickets when riding JR East Shinkansen and regular line express trains. Mobile ticketing is where the discounts are. Don’t be overwhelmed by the account registration process or eTicket reservations; once you get the hang of it, it’s surprisingly straight forward and easy to use. Give it a try and Happy Transit to you.
Last updated: 2025-01-14
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