Since using our prepaid QR code ticket for Japan’s Shinkansen briefly confused us both on the way in and on the way out, maybe this will help someone else.
If you used a Suica to get on a train line and then transfer to the Shinkansen, you must, in this specific order:
- Scan the QR code
- Scan the Suica you used to enter the first line (to end that segment of your trip).
- Cross the gate and collect your physical Shinkansen ticket.
After you have reached your destination and want to exit, you do indeed need your IC or QR code as the back of the “seat information” ticket says. The order of scanned/inserted items matters and it is:
- Scan the same QR code.
- Insert the physical Shinkansen ticket.
- Leave!
As a side note, bentos on the train end after October 31, 2023. The news cited low sales as one of the main factors.
