JR West Night Trains
Every JR West night and sleeper train route — 2 connections across Japan. Timetables, stops and destinations on an interactive map.
Fixed fare — how JR West prices tickets
JR West sells on a fixed tariff: the fare is set by distance and comfort class, so it does not rise as the departure approaches and booking early does not make it cheaper — though sleeper berths do sell out.
How to book the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto
Tickets go on sale at 10:00 Japan time one month before travel, and the private rooms can be gone within minutes. Rooms for two follow their own rules: a Sunrise Twin is booked as "1 adult" because it is sold per room, and each traveller still needs a basic-fare ticket of their own.
- Sales open at 10:00 JST (UTC+9) one month before the travel date; the rooms can sell out within minutes.
- A Sunrise Twin is sold per room, so book it for "1 adult" — then buy a second basic-fare ticket for whoever shares it.
- Tickets booked online are printed at a JR ticket machine with the card you paid with and a 4-digit PIN.
- Only the Tokyo-bound train stops at Osaka and Sannomiya (Kobe), and no food is sold on board.
When and where to book
- JR West opens reservations at 10:00 Japan time (JST, UTC+9) on the same date one month ahead: for a train on 18 November, at 10:00 JST on 18 October.
- You can book on JR West's online reservation service, which has an English version, or at a JR ticket office in Japan.
- The private rooms, and the two-person rooms most of all, can sell out within minutes of opening, so have the search set up and a payment card ready before 10:00 JST.
Rooms for two
- Two room types take two people. The Sunrise Twin is a two-person room with two beds. The Single Twin is a one-person room with an upper and a lower bed.
- A Sunrise Twin is charged as a whole room, the same whether one or two people use it. For that reason JR West's reservation page asks you to enter "1 adult" even when booking for two.
- The basic fare is charged per traveller, and a booking for "1 adult" carries one. The second traveller buys their own basic-fare ticket for the same journey before going through the gate, or pays the conductor on board.
- A second person can use a Single Twin's upper bed for an extra-bed charge (¥5,500 in 2026) on top of their own fare. Ask at a JR ticket office how to add them.
Collecting your tickets
- An online booking asks you to choose a 4-digit PIN. Print the tickets at a JR ticket machine or a ticket office in Japan with the card you paid with and that PIN.
- You can collect them any time after booking, not only on the day. Machines and offices keep opening hours, though, so check your station's before a late-evening departure.
Which stations each direction serves
- The two directions stop at different stations. Only the Tokyo-bound train calls at Sannomiya (Kobe) and Osaka, and only the westbound train calls at Hamamatsu. You can ride from Osaka to Tokyo, but not from Tokyo to Osaka.
- The Sunrise Izumo and the Sunrise Seto run coupled between Tokyo and Okayama. Your ticket names the train and the car, so board the one it names.
On board
- Nothing to eat is sold on board, and the vending machines sell drinks only.
- The showers take a paid shower card, sold on board in limited numbers. Single Deluxe tickets include one.
Japan Rail Pass
- The nationwide Japan Rail Pass covers the Nobinobi carpet space, which you reserve like a seat. Pass holders who want a private room pay the limited express and berth charges on top of the pass.
Sources: JR West — Sunrise Seto / Izumo: rooms and facilities (Japanese) · JR West — reserving the Sunrise Seto / Izumo online (Japanese) · JR West — ticket rules, March 2026 (Japanese) · JR West — reservation conditions · JR West — collecting reserved tickets · JR West — where and when tickets can be collected · Wikipedia — Japan Rail Pass · Checked 2026-09
Further reading: A traveller's own account of booking and riding a Sunrise Twin, Osaka to Tokyo (r/JapanTravel, May 2024)