Oct 5, 2015
How much does it cost to travel from Tokyo to Nagoya?
Article updated April 2019
Travel from Tokyo to Nagoya for most sightseers in Japan usually means flying through Nagoya on the Shinkansen bullet train in a feverish desperation to get among the attractions of the Kansai region, or in and around Tokyo if coming from the other direction. But Nagoya didn’t grow to be one of the Japan’s largest cities by accident. No, this huge urban center in Aichi Prefecture is a vital part of Japan’s East Coast economic/industrial juggernaut, and has a proud people with a proud culture to boot. Understandably then, this place is well connected. So, how much does it cost to travel from Tokyo to Nagoya?
(Prices are based on bookings one - two months in advance directly with the service provider. Currency is Japanese Yen)
Summary of costs to get from Tokyo to Nagoya
| Transport | One-way cost | Time |
| Flight | from ~ 7,000 yen | 2 hrs (into central Nagoya) |
| Shinkansen | 8,000 - 11,000 yen | 1.5 - 2 hrs |
| Trains | from 7,000 yen | 6 hrs |
| Highway bus | 3,000 - 8,000 yen | 6 - 9 hrs |
| Car | 8,000 yen (expressway tolls) | 4 hrs |
Our recommendations
Shinkansen bullet trains between Tokyo and Nagoya are expensive but you really are getting what you pay for -- smooth, easy, and efficient travel. And the Shinkansen trains plug travelers straight into Nagoya. For us, the extra three to four thousand yen compared to the most budget of flights would be worth it to save on the trouble of checking-in, collecting luggage and getting to / from airports.
Budget travelers will want to go for the highway bus. Local trains make no sense at all.
A group of travelers could get good value out of a road trip returning to Tokyo, although the drive between the two cities isn't so spectacular save for the view of Mt. Fuji.
Flights from Tokyo to Nagoya
Most flights from Tokyo to Nagoya will use Haneda Airport (HND - officially "Tokyo International Airport"), although there will be some departure from Narita International Airport (NRT). Nagoya is serviced by Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), more commonly known as Chubu Airport. Komaki Airport (NKM - officially "Nagoya Airfield") used to the region's international air hub. While much of the traffic has switched to "Chubu" there is still the possibility that traveler flying to Nagoya will arrive here.
How long does it take?: The flight time between Tokyo and Nagoya is around 1 hour.
Flag carriers
All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) operate services between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) and Haneda Airport (HND) and Chubu Airport.
Fares from Tokyo to Nagoya: (all taxes/surcharges included)
ANA (from Haneda)
A lot to choose from, with negligible price differences between weekdays and weekends …
| Fare type | One-way | Return |
| FLEX | 19,700 | 39,400 |
| VALUE 1 | 9,300 | 18,600 |
| SUPER VALUE 55 | 6,700 | 13,400 |
| SUPER VALUE 45 | 6,900 | 13,800 |
| SUPER VALUE 28 | 7,500 | 15,000 |
| Premium Fare | 27,900 | 55,800 |
| VALUE PREMIUM 3 | 15,300 | 30,600 |
| SUPER VALUE PREMIUM 28 | 14,300 | 28,600 |
The cost of flying from Narita Airport to Nagoya (Chubu) with ANA is a little higher by one or two thousand yen
JAL - Haneda to Chubu
| Type | One-way | Return |
| Economy | 6,700 - 11,500 | 14,600 - 19,400 |
| Class J | 10,300 - 21,900 | 32,200 - 39,600 |
JAL - Narita to Chubu
| Type | One-way | Return |
| Economy | 6,850 - 14,050 | 13,700 - 20,900 |
| Class J | from 18,050 | from 39,900 |
There is scant difference in cost between flying from Haneda of Narita.
Budget airlines (LCC) with flights from Tokyo to Nagoya
At the time of writing there were no budget airlines (low cost carriers - LCCs) operating flights on this route.
Construction work on the new Terminal 2 building at Chubu Airport began in May 2018. The new terminal is due to open in September 2019. With an annual passenger capacity of 4.5 million the new terminal will likely see the airport begin handling LCC flights. Watch this space.
Chubu Centrair International Airport sits on an island just to the south of downtown Nagoya in the waters of Ise Bay. The quickest and easiest way to get from Chubu Airport into central Nagoya is by using Meitetsu Mu-Sky Limited Express trains to Meitetsu Nagoya Station, a five-minute walk from JR Nagoya Station. The journey takes 30 mins and costs 1,230 yen (Myu Ticket).
Meitetsu Limited Express trains take a little longer (~ 37 mins). Unreserved seat fares are 870 yen / 1,230 yen MyuTicket.
Direct buses from Chubu Airport to downtown Nagoya are 1,000 - 1,300 yen (40 - 60 mins).
*NB: When doing searches for trains from Chubu Airport to Nagoya, the train station at the airport is often listed as "Central Japan International Airport (NGO)".
Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya
The cost and time efficiency of the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Nagoya would seem to render flying between the two cities a little redundant.
Nagoya Station is a key stop on the JR Tokaido Shinkansen line from Tokyo to Osaka and beyond. Three types of Shinkansen trains make the run. How much the journey from Tokyo Station costs and how long it takes are listed in the table below.
| Shinkansen | Unreserved seat | Reserved seat | Green seat | Time (mins) |
| Nozomi | 10,360 | 11,090 | 14,680 | ~ 90 - 100 |
| Hikari | 10,360 | 10,880 | 14,470 | ~ 125 |
| Kodama | 10,360 | 10,880 | 14,470 | ~ 165 |
Given the almost negligible difference in costs between the Shinkansen journeys listed above, taking anything other than the Nozomi from Tokyo to Nagoya would seem to make little sense.
First and last direct departures for Shinkansen between Tokyo Station and Nagoya Station
First departure | Arrive | Last departure | Arrives | |
| From Tokyo | 6:00 (Nozomi) | 7:34 | 22:00 (Hikari) | 23:49 |
| From Nagoya | 6:20 (Hikari) | 8:13 | 22:12 (Nozomi) | 23:45 |
Travelers in less of a hurry might want to check out the Platt Kodama (ぷらっとこだま).
Run by JR Tokai Tours, this plan can see travelers make use of Shinkansen fares between Tokyo and Nagoya for the Kodama Shinkansen for 8,300 yen, a saving of around 2,000 yen. Tickets are available from JR Tokai Tours offices and need to be booked in advance. The discount comes with a complementary drink!
Aside from the above, there are few (if any) discounts or complicated advance-purchase plans for the Shinkansen, which might be refreshing for some travelers. Ticket retailers (that sell sold-on tickets for concerts, movies, sports games e.t.c) might be able to shave a few hundred yen off Shinkansen tickets, but the hassle of finding the shop and the ticket that suits is probably not worth it for most.
What about getting back? How much does it cost for return tickets? No such thing with the Shinkansen. Just buy another ticket for the Nagoya to Tokyo run.
The Japan Rail Pass is valid for Hikari and Kodama trains between Tokyo and Nagoya. Not Nozomi trains.
Local, express and rapid trains from Tokyo to Nagoya
The distance from Tokyo to Nagoya isn't so far that it can't be done by trains that aren't Shinkansen. However, when using rapid or express trains, costs are about the same as Shinkansen anyway, and with journey times at around 5.5 hrs these options don't make a lot of sense.
From Shinjuku Station travelers could take the Limited Express Azusa to Shiojiri Station (Nagano - Yes, Nagano) and change there for a Limited Express Shinano for Nagoya. Fares are from 10,840 - 13,590 yen depending on seat type.
The cheapest train option we found from Tokyo to Nagoya costs around 6,700 yen and requires four or five changes before reaching Nagoya. Not worth it for the six-hour-plus journey.
Still, the train journey between Nagoya and Tokyo could be an option for those holding the Seishun 18 Kippu -- a seasonal ticket allowing for unlimited travel on local trains with costs working out at 2,370 yen per day. Read more about the Seishun 18 Ticket (青春１８切符) on an earlier post at City-Cost here.
Getting from Tokyo to Nagoya by highway bus
The cheapest way to travel between Tokyo and Nagoya is by highway bus. In Tokyo, the largest number of buses to Nagoya depart from Shinjuku Station (Busta).
In Nagoya, many buses arrive/depart at Sasashima Live (~ 12 mins walk from Nagoya Station). Night journeys from Tokyo to Nagoya can be anywhere between 6 and 9 hrs. Daytime journeys, around 5 hrs.
One way fares are in the 2,000 - 5,000 yen range for standard seats. Up to 6,000 - 8,000 yen will buy more comfort and space. Plenty of services are available so there should be no problem getting the cheaper fares if you’re on a budget.
Perhaps the most user-friendly bus booking experience for Japan's highway buses is via WILLER. On the popular Tokyo to Nagoya route there are plenty of options and seat types with a good balance between day services and night buses.
Example fares with WILLER highway buses from Tokyo (arriving at Nagoya Sasashima Live and / or Nagoya Station Noritake).
From Shinjuku (Busta)
| RELAX [NEW] | from 3,700 |
| RELAX with plug socket | from 3,700 |
Wide 4 row seats | from 4,000 |
| RELAX [NEW] 2 seats | from 4,200 |
From Disneyland / DisneySea
RELAX [NEW] (Disneyland) | 3,700 |
Reborn (Disneyland) | 8,800 |
RELAX [NEW] (DisneySea) | 3,000 |
BEAUTE (DisneySea) | 5,400 |
Luxia (DisneySea) | 6,700 |
*NB: Many of the Disneyland / DisneySea departures have Shinjuku (Busta) or Tokyo Station as their next stop
Other departure points to look out for from Tokyo with WILLER:
- Ikebukuro Sunshine Bus Terminal
- JR Osaki Station
- Nishikokubunji Station
JR Tokai Bus operate a number of services from Tokyo Station (Yaesu side) and Nagoya Station with a limited number of services making pick ups at Shinjuku (Busta).
These are day services with the first departure at 6:40 from Tokyo. The last departure is at 18:10. Fares between 2,400 - 3,770 yen weekdays / 4,200 yen weekends and holidays.
Night buses with JR Tokai Bus almost exclusively depart from Tokyo Station. First departure is 22:50, arriving in Nagoya at 6:02. The final departure is the 23:59 non-stop to Nagoya arriving at 6:15. Fares are between 5,000 - 8,000 yen.
Meitetsu Bus are based in Nagoya and operate highway buses between the Meitetsu Bus Center (Meitetsu Nagoya Station) and Shinjuku (Busta).
Departures from Shinjuku are at 6:50 / 16:10 / 22:45 / 23/45. Fares are between 4,700 and 6,000 yen.
Some of the cheapest buses from Tokyo to Nagoya that we found were via booking service Kosoku Bus with costs from as low as 2,000 yen going up to 3,700 yen.
Driving from Tokyo to Nagoya
If driving from Tokyo to Nagoya, expect to pay around 8,000 yen in highway tolls (source: NEXCO). Much of the journey will be spent on the Tomei Expressway which plugs drivers right into Nagoya. The drive takes around four hours.
How much does it cost to rent a car for the journey? Renting a simple k car for a pick-up in Tokyo and drop-off in Nagoya will cost from around 25,000 yen for 12 hours. It's significantly more expensive to drop off a rent-a-car at a location differing from the pick-up. By way of contrast a the same car with pick-up / drop-off in Tokyo over three days will cost around 15,000 yen.
(NB* This article was updated as of April 2019)
If you have any answers to the question, 'How much does it cost to travel from Tokyo to Nagoya?', we'd love to hear them. Join in the conversation below.
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3 Comments
alphy
on Jan 18
I have driven from Tokyo (Narita) to Nagoya in a rental car through TIMES Car Rental. Overall, a good experience, since I got to where I needed to go without a hitch. But I wouldn't expect the cheap prices listed above UNLESS you are making a round trip. Good points - TIMES had "large" KEI cars (Daihatsu Tanto) that could fit a ton of luggage while still in a cheap rental category. they allowed the car to be returned at my arrival destination (not all rental car companies allow this). their hours in the airport were later than other companies. The base cost was reasonable too (less than 10,000 yen for a next day turn-in of the car). Bad - To return the rental car at my arrival destination (just outside of Nagoya) the fee was quite high, about an extra 20,000 yen. They did not provide ETC card for highway use. Overall - Every company has discounts and perks if you book online in advance, but if you need a car ASAP with no reservation, TIMES is not a bad choice.
City-Cost
on Jan 19
@alphy Cheers for the info! Wow! An extra 20,000 yen to return the car at your arrival destination! That's got to sting a bit. Definitely something to be aware of. Thanks for sharing. Oh, how long was the drive in the end? Any nice scenery on the way?
alphy
on Jan 22
@City-Cost I left around 5pm from Narita in the winter - already dark, and most of the rental car operations in the airport had their shutters closed. We were seriously lucky! It was a great chance to go on the Rainbow Bridge and all the downtown Tokyo lights and illuminations. Once we hit the Tomei Expressway, it was a battle to stay awake, but the moonlit Mt. Fuji view was also very beautiful.