Japan · High-speed
The Sanyo Shinkansen carries Nozomi, Mizuho, Hikari, Sakura and Kodama services from Shin-Osaka along western Honshu to Hakata in Fukuoka, calling at Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima and Kokura. It is the continuation of the Tokaido line and the way most people travel between the Kansai region and Kyushu.
Osaka → Fukuoka
2h 21m
Photo: JobanLineE531 at Japanese Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0
Published primary route
Published end-to-end time
No verified figure published
Check the selected service before travel
Route & corridor
Engineering-led corridor. The map, ordered calls and any engineering detail shown below come from the published route record.
West from Shin-Osaka through Shin-Kobe, Okayama and Hiroshima, then under the Kanmon Strait via Kokura into Kyushu, ending at Hakata in central Fukuoka.
Osaka to Fukuoka
Key stops
Shin-Osaka StationShin-Kobe StationOkayama StationHiroshima StationKokura StationHakata Station
Shin-Osaka Station
Japan
Shin-Kobe Station
Japan
Okayama Station
Japan
Hiroshima Station
Japan
Kokura Station
Japan
Hakata Station
Japan
Why this connection
The Sanyo line is the quiet workhorse of the Shinkansen network: less famous than the Tokaido, but the route that makes Hiroshima and Fukuoka reachable from Osaka inside a morning. It runs largely in tunnel through the hills of western Honshu, breaking out into views of the Inland Sea and the cities strung along it, then crosses beneath the Kanmon Strait into Kyushu. Hiroshima and Okayama both sit directly on the line, so it works as one journey or as a series of stops.
Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.
More subjective
Not rated yet: value for money, seat quality, onboard service, slow travel quality, romance, remoteness.
Step-free access and assistance are set out with the practical detail further down rather than reduced to a score.
The train in service
Only confirmed onboard details and photographs tied to this service appear here. Unrecorded facilities remain unknown.
Speed is the defining quality here: distances that read as long on paper collapse into a short, businesslike ride. At a few hours between Osaka and Fukuoka, it is long enough to feel like a journey and short enough to watch the whole of it without losing concentration. Passing Shin-Kobe Station and Hiroshima Station gives the journey its midpoint, and the character either side of it is noticeably different.
Reclining seats
Green Car and ordinary car seats recline with a synchronized comfort-seat mechanism.
Power sockets
All Green Car seats feature a power outlet; ordinary car outlet availability varies by rolling stock generation.
Step-free boarding
A multipurpose room and multifunction toilets are provided, with the room prioritized for customers with disabilities.
Family area
The multipurpose room can be used for purposes including nursing a baby.
Premium seating
A Green Car with two seats per row is offered alongside ordinary reserved and non-reserved cars.
5 onboard details are confirmed against a source. Anything not listed here has not been researched yet; treat it as unknown, not absent.
Evidence on demand
Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the journey above. Unknowns stay visible.
2h 21m
West from Shin-Osaka through Shin-Kobe, Okayama and Hiroshima, then under the Kanmon Strait via Kokura into Kyushu, ending at Hakata in central Fukuoka.
West from Shin-Osaka through Shin-Kobe, Okayama and Hiroshima, then under the Kanmon Strait via Kokura into Kyushu, ending at Hakata in central Fukuoka.
Osaka to Fukuoka
Key stops
Shin-Osaka StationShin-Kobe StationOkayama StationHiroshima StationKokura StationHakata Station
Shin-Osaka Station
Japan
Shin-Kobe Station
Japan
Okayama Station
Japan
Hiroshima Station
Japan
Kokura Station
Japan
Hakata Station
Japan
Speed is the defining quality here: distances that read as long on paper collapse into a short, businesslike ride. At a few hours between Osaka and Fukuoka, it is long enough to feel like a journey and short enough to watch the whole of it without losing concentration. Passing Shin-Kobe Station and Hiroshima Station gives the journey its midpoint, and the character either side of it is noticeably different.
Reclining seats
Green Car and ordinary car seats recline with a synchronized comfort-seat mechanism.
Power sockets
All Green Car seats feature a power outlet; ordinary car outlet availability varies by rolling stock generation.
Step-free boarding
A multipurpose room and multifunction toilets are provided, with the room prioritized for customers with disabilities.
Family area
The multipurpose room can be used for purposes including nursing a baby.
Premium seating
A Green Car with two seats per row is offered alongside ordinary reserved and non-reserved cars.
5 onboard details are confirmed against a source. Anything not listed here has not been researched yet; treat it as unknown, not absent.
Jan: Scheduled year-round as a regular timetabled service.
Solo travellers
Especially good
Frequent departures and assigned seating make solo travel straightforward, with no need to plan around a single daily train.
First-time rail travellers
Especially good
A frequent, clearly signed, reservable service between major cities; one of the easiest ways to make a first long-distance journey in the country.
Rail enthusiasts
Especially good
A working high-speed railway running at its designed speed on purpose-built infrastructure rather than upgraded classic line.
Families
Good fit
Short journey, level boarding at the principal stations and toilets on board; luggage space is the usual constraint at busy times.
Couples
Comfortable paired seating and a short journey, though this is transport rather than an occasion in itself.
Older travellers
Step-free access at the principal stations and a seated, reserved journey with no changes.
Less suitable for slow travellers
The point of this route is speed; travellers looking for a long, unhurried journey will find it over quickly.
Prices quoted No fixed published fare. Tickets are sold at operator-set fares that vary by date, service and how far ahead you book; check the operator for the price on your travel date.
We link to the operator's own journey page. No direct booking channel has been verified for this service, so availability and fares must be checked there. Journey length: 2h 21m. Checked 11 Sep 2026 · JR West · Sanyo Shinkansen tickets and services.
The detailed source record remains at the end of this guide. Review the evidence.
Your next step
Frequent services, bookable online or at the station. The Japan Rail Pass covers Sakura, Hikari and Kodama; Nozomi and Mizuho need the supplementary ticket bought at a machine or counter. No extra reservation is needed with a rail pass.
Official journey information, West Japan Railway Company (JR West) (opens in a new tab)We link to the operator's own journey page. No direct booking channel has been verified for this service, so availability and fares must be checked there.
Far by Rail is a discovery guide, not a live timetable or booking service. Confirm times, fares and availability with the operator.
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Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.
Last reviewed 11 Sep 2026.
Official sources
Checked 11 Sep 2026
Checked 11 Sep 2026
Checked 11 Sep 2026
Checked 11 Sep 2026