🔥 BREAKING: JR East slashes Shinkansen & express train fares by 50% — Tokyo to Tohoku, Hokkaido, Niigata, Kanazawa at half price
JR East launches 50%-off Shinkansen tickets (Tokuda-ne Special 28): valid on weekdays Oct 14–27 and Dec 7–17, 2026. Tokyo–Sendai from just 5,550¥, Tokyo–Kanazawa 7,200¥. Book at least 28 days ahead on Ekinet.
Aug 8, 2026·✍️ olablog·⏱ 4 min read
JR East launches 50%-off Shinkansen tickets (Tokuda-ne Special 28): valid on weekdays Oct 14–27 and Dec 7–17, 2026. Tokyo–Sendai from just 5,550¥, Tokyo–Kanazawa 7,200¥. Book at least 28 days ahead on Ekinet.
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JR East has just announced a rare promotion: a flat 50% discount on Shinkansen and limited express train fares across two periods at the end of 2026, under the package name "Shinkansen e-Ticket (Tokuda-ne Special 28)". This is the deepest early-bird discount JR East has ever offered — timed perfectly for the autumn foliage season in October and the first snow season in December.
What is discounted?
Three products are all 50% off, sold exclusively on the Ekinet (えきねっと) booking system:
- Shinkansen e-Ticket (Tokuda-ne Special 28) — a bundle of base fare + express fare on JR East Shinkansen lines
- Ticketless limited express ticket for conventional lines (Toku-wari Special 28) — 50% off the express-fare portion of limited express trains (JR East area only)
- Tokkyu Tokuda-ne Special 28 — a bundle of base fare + express fare for limited express trains
When can you travel?
- Period 1: October 14 (Wed) – October 27 (Tue), 2026 — weekdays only (Monday–Friday)
- Period 2: December 7 (Mon) – December 17 (Thu), 2026 — weekdays only
The "28" in the package name is the most important condition: you must purchase at least 28 days before your travel date. Sales open at 10:00 a.m. exactly 1 month before the travel date and close at 23:50 at the 28-days-before mark. Ekinet also accepts "advance registration" one week earlier (from 14:00), but advance registration does not guarantee a seat.
Sample fares (adult, one way, ordinary reserved seat)
| Train | Route | Regular fare | 50%-off fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayabusa | Tokyo ⇔ Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (Hokkaido) | 24,000¥ | 11,990¥ |
| Hayabusa | Tokyo ⇔ Shin-Aomori | 17,910¥ | 8,950¥ |
| Komachi | Tokyo ⇔ Akita | 18,260¥ | 9,120¥ |
| Yamabiko | Tokyo ⇔ Morioka | 14,730¥ | 7,360¥ |
| Kagayaki/Hakutaka | Tokyo ⇔ Kanazawa | 14,400¥ | 7,200¥ |
| Yamabiko | Tokyo ⇔ Sendai | 11,110¥ | 5,550¥ |
| Tsubasa | Tokyo ⇔ Yamagata | 11,470¥ | 5,720¥ |
| Toki | Tokyo ⇔ Niigata | 10,780¥ | 5,390¥ |
| Nasuno | Tokyo ⇔ Koriyama | 8,250¥ | 4,120¥ |
| Asama | Tokyo ⇔ Nagano | 8,250¥ | 4,120¥ |
| Tanigawa | Tokyo ⇔ Echigo-Yuzawa (skiing, onsen) | 6,700¥ | 3,350¥ |
| Hayate | Morioka ⇔ Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto | 13,680¥ | 6,830¥ |
The offer covers the Tohoku/Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines — essentially every route heading north from Tokyo: Sendai, Aomori, Akita, Niigata, Nagano, Kanazawa, and even the gateway to Hokkaido.
How to make the most of it for your trip
- October (Oct 14–27): peak autumn foliage season in Tohoku and Nagano — Tokyo to Sendai for 5,550¥ or Nagano for 4,120¥ is a fantastic deal. See our 2026 autumn foliage calendar by region.
- December (Dec 7–17): early snow season — Echigo-Yuzawa at 3,350¥ is the ski area closest to Tokyo, and Kanazawa at 7,200¥ makes a great pre-Christmas Hokuriku getaway.
- Combine with day tours departing from Tokyo for the remaining days of your itinerary.
Important notes before booking
- Sold only via Ekinet (eki-net.com) — you need to create an account in advance; tickets are linked to an IC card (Suica/PASMO) so you can board without collecting a paper ticket.
- Applies to ordinary reserved seats only; child fares are available.
- Weekdays only within the two date windows above; seats per train are limited — once they are gone, they are gone.
- The package does not include connecting local line segments — those must be purchased separately.
- Look up trains, timetables and compare fares with OlaChill's Japan train search tool.
Source: official JR East announcement (eki-net.com). Promotional seats are limited per train — if you are aiming for the October foliage season, watch for sales opening from mid-September.
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