Shinkansen Line Guide · Tohoku Shinkansen
Tohoku Shinkansen Guide: Tokyo to Aomori at 320 km/h —
Japan’s Longest, Fastest Bullet Train Line
23 Stations · 674.9 km · Japan’s Fastest Trains · Gateway to Sendai, Hiraizumi, Morioka & the Deep North
🚄 320 km/h — the fastest scheduled trains in Japan
🌸 Sendai 1.5 hr · Morioka ~2.2 hr · Shin-Aomori ~3 hr from Tokyo
🔗 Connects onward to the Hokkaido, Akita & Yamagata Shinkansen
🎫 Fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass & JR East passes
What Is the Tohoku Shinkansen?
The Tohoku Shinkansen is the spine of northern Japan: 674.9 km from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori, the longest shinkansen line in the country and — on the Utsunomiya–Morioka stretch, where green Hayabusa trains hit 320 km/h — the fastest. It is also the trunk from which three other lines grow: the Hokkaido Shinkansen continues north under the sea, while the Akita and Yamagata “mini-shinkansen” branch off at Morioka and Fukushima respectively.
Four train types share the line. Hayabusa (all reserved) is the fast service to Sendai, Morioka and Aomori — often coupled with a crimson Akita-bound Komachi. Yamabiko serves the mid-line cities at a gentler pace and price; Nasuno is the all-stops local as far as Koriyama; and the silver Yamagata-bound Tsubasa rides coupled to a Yamabiko before splitting at Fukushima. Watching a coupled train separate on the platform is a small, free piece of Japanese railway theater.
Book an E-seat (right side heading north) on a clear winter morning: after Nasushiobara the paddies turn white, and from around Shiroishi you get Zao’s ridgeline, then Mt. Iwate rising over Morioka. The Tohoku line is Japan’s most underrated scenic shinkansen.
All 23 Stations, South to North
Every station links to our dedicated area-and-hotel guide.
Tokyo · Ueno · Omiya · Oyama · Utsunomiya · Nasushiobara · Shin-Shirakawa · Koriyama · Fukushima · Shiroishi-Zao · Sendai · Furukawa · Kurikoma-Kogen · Ichinoseki · Mizusawa-Esashi · Kitakami · Shin-Hanamaki · Morioka · Iwate-Numakunai · Ninohe · Hachinohe · Shichinohe-Towada · Shin-Aomori
Journey Times & Fares from Tokyo
| Destination | Fastest time | Approx. fare (reserved) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omiya | ~25 min | ~¥3,000 | Railway Museum, cheaper Tokyo base |
| Utsunomiya | ~50 min | ~¥5,000 | Gyoza, Nikko gateway |
| Koriyama | ~1 hr 20 min | ~¥8,500 | Aizu-Wakamatsu & Inawashiro |
| Sendai | ~1 hr 30 min | ~¥11,400 | Tohoku’s capital, Matsushima |
| Ichinoseki | ~2 hr | ~¥13,000 | Hiraizumi World Heritage |
| Morioka | ~2 hr 10 min | ~¥15,000 | Wanko soba, Mt. Iwate, Kakunodate onward |
| Hachinohe | ~2 hr 40 min | ~¥16,500 | Tanesashi Coast, izakaya alleys |
| Shin-Aomori | ~2 hr 59 min | ~¥17,700 | Nebuta, apples, Hokkaido onward |
Hayabusa and Komachi are all-reserved — reserve free of charge with a Japan Rail Pass or JR East Tohoku Area Pass (5 flexible days, superb value for this line). Yamabiko and Nasuno carry unreserved cars if you like flexibility.
Which Airports Connect to This Line?
✈️ Haneda & Narita: Start from Tokyo or Ueno — Ueno saves 8 minutes and money if you’re coming from Narita via the Keisei line.
✈️ Sendai Airport (SDJ): The Sendai Airport Access Line reaches Sendai Station in ~25 min — the easiest mid-Tohoku fly-in point.
✈️ Iwate Hanamaki (HNA) & Aomori (AOJ): Regional airports with Osaka/Sapporo links, connecting by bus to Kitakami/Morioka and Aomori respectively.
✈️ Fukushima (FKS): Limousine bus ~40 min to Koriyama.
Where Should You Stay Along the Line?
City bases: Sendai and Morioka are the two obvious overnight anchors — full hotel ranges, great food districts, and day-trip webs in every direction. Destination stops: Ichinoseki (for Hiraizumi’s golden temples), Kitakami (late-April cherry blossoms), Nasushiobara and Furukawa (onsen country), Hachinohe (markets and yokocho drinking alleys). Park-and-ride stations like Kurikoma-Kogen, Mizusawa-Esashi, Iwate-Numakunai and Shichinohe-Towada mostly deserve a look, not a bed — each guide above tells you honestly which is which, and where to sleep instead.
