How to Ride the Hello Kitty Bullet Train: #1 Top Tips
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I love a good bullet train, and I also love Japan, so it’s no surprise that I love riding the bullet trains in Japan. If you don’t know much about Japan or Japanese culture, one thing to note is that they love a good theme – and that includes bullet trains. I was lucky enough to ride the Hello Kitty bullet train while traveling from Fukuoka to Hiroshima and I have some good news and some bad news for ya.
The good news is that I’m going to share my experience with you right now!
The bad news is that the Hello Kitty bullet train will be ending its operations in Spring 2026.
I KNOWWW I KNOWWW. After eight years of service, launched in June 2018, Japan’s cutest bullet train will be sunset. Why? Well, to make room for more cute themed trains of course. The initiative behind the train was to promote tourism to Japan’s western provinces, so I’m excited to see what’s next on the horizon.
In the meantime though, if you’d like to experience this train one last time, or just want to know what it was like, keep reading!
Table of Contents
Which Train is Hello Kitty Shinkansen?
For those unfamiliar, “shinkansen” means bullet train in Japanese. A bullet train is colloquial for any high speed rail transit that usually operates at speeds over 300kmh or 200mph! So super fast. This ain’t no Amtrak.
While Japanese shinkansen are what many people think of when someone says bullet train (they invented them back in the 60s!), there are a lot of countries that have well built out high rail transit systems. Some of my favorites have been in China and Taiwan, though much of Europe also have great high speed rail lines.
Anyways, the Hello Kitty bullet train is one specific line that runs from Shin-Osaka (in Osaka) to Hakata (in Fukuoka). However, it only runs once a day in each direction, so there’s also one specific train: Kodama 842 going from Hakata to Shin-Osaka in the morning, and Kodama 849 on the return from Shin-Osaka to Hakata in the afternoon.
Where cities does the Hello Kitty Shinkansen stop at?
Like most trains, the Hello Kitty bullet train has stops at various cities. I mean, the whole idea behind it was to bring tourism to the western provinces. Of course it begins and ends in Osaka and Fukuoka, but you can also get off at other gorgeous cities like Hiroshima, Shimane, and Nara! Each city has its own personality and specialty its known for, and after this trip I’d say western Japan is one of my favorite regions.
The full list of stops on the Hello Kitty bullet train are below:
- Fukuoka (Hakata) – ramen, shopping, and my 2nd favorite city in Japan
- Kokura – a district of Kitakyushu, known for their ancient castles
- Shimonoseki – waterfront city with amazing seafood (you can try fugu blowfish!)
- Asa station (for connecting)
- Yamaguchi – my fellow Japanese Duolingo learners, you know this one! Beaches and samurai bby!
- Tokuyama – part of Shunan City, mostly an industrial city
- Iwakuni – pretty floral city with its iconic wooden Kintai Bridge
- Hiroshima – sadly known globally as the first city targeted with an atomic bomb, but also huge international hub of Japan
- Higashihiroshima – huge sake brewing city
- Mihara – lowkey more residential type of city
- Onomichi – jump off point to BUNNY ISLAND!!!!
- Fukuyama – historic town that’s apparently great for cycling and they also have their own ramen style!
- Kurashiki – super charming canal town, I’d love to go here next!!
- Okayama – known for their gardens with the nickname “Land of Sunshine” because it rarely rains
- Aioi – more residential town
- Himeji – THE CASTLE
- Nishi-Akashi station (for connecting)
- Kobe – known for the iconic Kobe beef!!
- Osaka – annnd Osaka is Osaka
Since I had already been to Osaka, I decided to visit a city that would be new to me, Hiroshima. It seemed a little sinful that I had traveled to Japan four times already and hadn’t visited Hiroshima yet haha. What better way to travel than by a super cute train?
How to Book the Hello Kitty Bullet Train
After spending 3 days in Fukuoka, it was time to depart to my next destination via the Hello Kitty bullet train! I know I have a tendency to be a little type-A, but I highly recommend booking your seat on the Hello Kitty bullet train in advance, especially if you have a lot of luggage (like me).
My preferred method of booking bullet trains in Japan, and honestly all of Asia, is on the platform Klook! They have a handy-dandy app that keeps things super convenient and accessible and you can scan your QR code train tickets straight from your phone without having to keep track of a tiny ticket.
The Hello Kitty bullet train has reserved cars and non-reserved cars. If you want to book a specific seat, those would be in the reserved cars which are 4, 5, and 6. Since I had a lot of luggage and wanted to ensure I get an end seat with space behind for bags, I picked the reserve seat. However the non-reserved cars are more first-come first-serve for seating, so a particular seat is not guaranteed, and this is for cars 3, 7, and 8.
For the Hello Kitty bullet train in particular, the non-reserved car 3 is extremely popular because it is decorated in all things Hello Kitty! More on that later, but if that’s the vibe you want to sit in, just know it is non-reserved!
The price from Fukuoka to Osaka is about ~$115 USD one way, so shorter rides will be less than that. It really depends on your route. My ride from Fukuoka to Hiroshima was about ~$60 USD per person. I think a lot of first time Japan travelers mistakenly assume the shinkansen will be cheap, but they’re pricey modes of transportation. Still, they’re a heck of a lot more convenient than taking a plane haha.
Special note: while I have not bought or used the JR Pass (yet), it does include rides on the Hello Kitty bullet train so that’s an added perk!
Just as a reminder, the Hello Kitty bullet train only runs in each direction once a day. So you have ONE SHOT to get one according the the above timetable. There are a lot of trains that are on this line, so if you happen to miss the Hello Kitty bullet train you won’t be stranded, you can just exchange your ticket for the next eligible train, but just know the backup won’t be Hello Kitty themed.
My Experience
Okay, now for my personal experience! Since I was leaving from Fukuoka, I was the first departure of the Hello Kitty bullet train! There are a few perks that come with this! Since it is the first stop, it is less crowded and you have the highest chance of getting a seat on the non-reserved car 3 (if you want).
There are also downsides because since it is the first stop, it also leaves early.
So there I was, scrambling to check out of my hotel which thankfully was actually attached to the train station so that was probably the best lodging decision I’ve made in a long time haha. One of my biggest bullet train travel tips is to arrive at least 15 minutes before your train’s departure time. Partially because some train stations (*cough* Shibuya Station *cough*) can be super confusing and make take you some time to orient yourself, but more so so you can shop around at the specialty stores.
We arrived 30 minutes before departure which was pretty early considering I had already bought our train tickets on Klook. However if you don’t want to buy your tickets in advance or you prefer a paper ticket, helpful staff at the help desk can direct you to where you need to go or print you a physical ticket from your purchased QR code.
After the check-in turnstile, that’s where the fun begins.
Most train stations connected to the high speed rail system have specialty shops and booths that sell items and foods specific to that region. It’s a great way to pass the time before your departure. I also highly recommend picking up an ekiban – essentially a bullet train bento box. Again, a lot of times you might find specialty ones with food from the region, but they also have basic beef and rice, chicken and rice, x-protein and rice varieties to eat on the train.
Now, Japanese bullet trains will depart EXACTLY at their intended time. If they are even a minute off, something is wrong. So my second biggest bullet train tip is to not bother heading up to the platform station way in advance because your train is not going to be there and you will run the risk of getting on the wrong train. Ask me how I know.
Yes, I’ve gotten on the wrong bullet train before.
ANYWAYS, I recommend heading over maybe 5 minutes before your departure time, max 10. Trains leave every 3-4 minutes, so depending on when you head over you’ll have to pay special attention to the train number.
I went to the platform early because I wanted to get a picture in front of it and, surprise, since it was the Hello Kitty bullet train, it was VERY easy to tell which was my train.
I boarded the Hello Kitty bullet train and quickly found my reserved seats, thankful I booked the seats with luggage storage in the back so I wouldn’t have to hoist anything overhead. However, that is technically an option. The Hello Kitty bullet train also had a few luggage storage racks if you don’t have a seat with luggage space.
The Fukuoka/Hakata station is the beginning of the line, so there was plenty of room in the shared space areas, but as more people board at later stops, I imagine the space starts to dwindle so book reserved if you have luggage and are boarding from a later stop!
As expected, the train departed exactly on time and I settled in for the first ten or so minutes eating my breakfast and enjoying the scenery. The reserved cars are not decorated with Hello Kitty, but they are still very nice and comfortable. The restrooms on the train are also super cute and clean.
For my trip, they did announce that the merch cart would be open after a while, so there was no rush for me to get up and dash over – that might’ve just been because we were the first stop and they still needed to set everything up.
The Hello Kitty of it All
After a bit, it was announced the themed cars were open I was ready to explore! Leaving my cart, you’ll see cute graphics of Hello Kitty and the various cities highlighted on the route. The Hello Kitty bullet train really does feels like an attraction in itself, which is kinda hilarious because as I was walking down the cars to the merch car, half of the riders on the Hello Kitty bullet train were…businessmen.
Businessmen just commuting to work on the world’s cutest shinkansen.
The juxtaposition was killing me.
Anyways, another reason I chose the reserved cars and something you might want to consider is that the closer you get to the end car where all the merch is, the more traffic there will be. People will be wanting to buy the merch and see all of the cute Hello Kitty graphics and the train attendants will even start to limit traffic if things start to get too busy.
I am crowd avoidant, so even if I didn’t have luggage I don’t think I’d want to be in the decorated car 3. It is very cute though, so I get it.
Car 2 will have a huge Hello Kitty shinkansen mural and again, since we were the beginning of the line it wasn’t too busy and I was able to get plenty of pictures here without a line before or after me. I imagine it gets PACKED later in the day.
Car 1 is the merch car! You’ll find limited edition items and knick-knacks. There is a brief “theater” that shows a cute cartoon about the train, but alas I didn’t sit still enough to watch it haha.
One thing to be aware of is that credit cards are not accepted on the Hello Kitty bullet train! Suica, Pasmo, Nimoca, and other IC card payments are accepted (I used Suica!) so either make sure you have that or cash.
Conclusion
After about fifteen minutes, I was back in my seat and ready to nap the rest of the hour or so it would take to my destination of Hiroshima. It was a very chill ride and overall a really fun experience! While I’m sad the Hello Kitty bullet train will be sunset in 2026, I’m curious what other fun train themes will be in the works.
Personally, I’d love a Sailor Moon theme!
What about you? Is the Hello Kitty bullet train something you would be interested in? Let me know in the comments below, or other themes you hope to see in Japan’s shinkansen lineup!
Pin the Hello Kitty Bullet Train
