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How to order snacks on a Shinkansen bullet train in Japan

Oona McGee Jul 26, 2024
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With cart sales no longer available, there’s a new way to enjoy food, drinks and ice cream on board.

There are many things that make a ride on a Japanese Shinkansen so memorable, and one of them is the many snacks and drinks you can order on board. Sadly, sales from the onboard cart that staff used to push through carriages ended on the popular Tokaido Shinkansen route that runs between Tokyo and Kyoto in October last year, but there’s now a new way to order snacks on the train…if you know how.

▼ First up, you have to book a seat on the Green Car, which is like the first-class carriage.

There are leaflets on board regarding the new services, with Mobile Ordering available in the Green Cars on Nozomi and Hikari Shinkansen, and a Support Call Service, which is just for questions or concerns, available on the Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama trains.

Mobile Ordering, which began the day after cart sales ended, is the one you’ll want to choose for snacks and beverages, and to use it, simply scan the QR code with your smartphone.

▼ This will take you to a Japan Railways site.

Clicking on the Mobile Ordering Service link takes you to a page that looks like an online shopping site, with everything from beer and whiskey through to chips and ice creams on the menu.

Our reporter Egawa Tasuku was riding the train at around 8 in the morning so he skipped the alcohol and opted for a couple of Chip Star chips that are only available on the Shinkansen, as well as a tub of the bullet train’s infamous rock-hard ice cream and a commemorative spoon to eat it with.

One interesting aspect of the mobile ordering system is the fact that you’re asked to enter your drop-off station before ordering. That was a clever requirement to ensure that people actually receive their orders before alighting the train.

After placing your order, staff will deliver it to your seat and payment is completed by credit card. The pleasant interaction with staff helps to bring back a similar sense of the thrill of ordering from the old-time cart, which adds to the fun of things.

Interestingly, the items were handed over with a plastic bag on the side for use as a trash bag after finishing the meal.

For many rail enthusiasts, a Shinkansen journey has long been synonymous with ice cream, specifically the Sujata brand sold exclusively on the train — and now online — which is known for being rock hard.

It’s an ice cream that requires patience to eat, because immediately after lifting the lid, you’ll be lucky to break away any pieces of ice cream whatsoever.

It takes about ten minutes for the ice cream to soften up just enough to allow the spoon to slide into it, so at this stage, your efforts may well be fruitless.

The little plastic spoon was no match for the hard ice cream, coming up empty every time, but things became slightly easier after using the aluminium spoon.

This turned out to be a great souvenir as it was both beautiful and practical, and Tasuku highly recommends buying it if your order includes ice cream.

▼ After finishing the ice cream, it was time to try the Shinkansen-only Chip Star!

The Grilled Salt variety on the left of the photo above is only available on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen, while the Ise Ebi (Spiny Lobster) on the right is limited to the Tokaido Shinkansen.

The salt variety was flavourful, while the Spiny Lobster tasted like shrimp. Both were delicious and well worth ordering, seeing as you can’t get them anywhere else.

Curious to know how the Grilled Salt differed from the more readily available Lightly Salted Chip Star, Tasuku picked up a pack of the latter at a store afterwards, and realised the one on the train had a drier and saltier flavour that seemed slightly more refined.

Everything he tried on board was delicious, but more than anything, it was the fun of placing an order on a high-speed train that stayed with Tasuku long after his journey. He’s also relieved to know it’s an experience that’ still possible, because losing the carts was a truly sad end to an era that stretched back decades.

So next time you want to make your Shinkansen trip even more memorable, why not book a seat on the Green Car and enjoy the luxury of in-seat ordering? It’s the most luxurious way to enjoy the bullet train…until the amazing new private rooms open to the public in a couple of years’ time.

Related: JR-PLUS
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