New Year’s Day train schedule

I will be in Japan on New Year’s Day, will the rail system run a normal timetable ? Can I expect many facilities such as restaurants to be closed for the day or for several days ?

Most trains unaffected

Japanese people tend to travel a lot over the holiday seasons so you will find that the Shinkansen Bullet Train timetable will be unaffected. You might even find some lines have increased services running on New Year’s day. However, some smaller normal train services might have a slightly reduced selection of trains running so it is probably best to check the lines you are looking to use.

Online Japanese bullet train timetable calculator

Hyperdia is a great website that allows you to check all Japanese train times and fares in English! You can also check timetables for smaller lines to check availability over the New Year holiday.

Shops and restaurants vary

Shops and restaurants in Japan vary with their opening hours over New Year. Generally, the more traditional, smaller places are likely to be closed and may stay closed for up to seven days until the 7th Janurary. Larger, more family-oriented restaurants and shops are likely to be open all the way through the holiday including the 1st Janurary!