"e5489plus", JR West's online booking service, will be temporarily stop for maintenance. The suspension will go on up to 24 hours depending on the service.

Services and Hours for Suspension

• reservation, settlement, changing, refunding and inquiry on "e5489plus"
  • [suspended] 21:00 on March 6, 2010 to 9:00 on March 7
• services for members on JR Odekake Net (JRおでかけネット)
  • initial registration and correct information for J-WEST online members and e-Oyado (e-お宿) use
    • [suspended] 21:00 on March 6, 2010 to 9:00 on March 7
  • checking and exchanging accumulated points, inquiry for SMART ICOCA usage history, checking of J-WEST Premier Program
    • [suspended] 21:00 on March 6, 2010 to 21:00 on March 7

Services with No Pauses

• Express Reservation services (エクスプレス予約)
• picking up tickets previously reserved through "e5489plus"
• JR Odekake Net services for non-members

JR Central and West announced that EX-IC Hayatoku (EX-IC早特), the discount offer for early purchasing EX-IC members, will be good until June 30, 2010.

The available sectors and prices for this offer are as same as ever. The complicated rules for sectors called Type A, B and C will also not be modified. Though it may be hard to understand this discount rule totally, this site Shinkansen Timetable indicates the applicable prices by the sectors and trains.

Brief Overview of EX-IC Hayatoku for Spring

• Name
  • "EX-IC Hayatoku" (EX-IC早特), or shortly "IC Hayatoku" (IC早特)
• Travel dates
  • April 1 through June 30, 2010
• Period of selling
  • March 1 through June 27, 2010
    Tickets are available from 10:00 on the day of a month to 23:30 of three days before departure.
• Available sectors
  • Type A: between Tokyo/Shinagawa/Shin-Yokohama and Nishi-Akashi/Himeji/Okayama/Fukuyama/Hiroshima/Kokura/Hakata etc.
  • Type B: between Tokyo/Shinagawa/Shin-Yokohama and Nagoya/Kyoto/Shin-Osaka/Shin-Kobe
  • Type C: between any Tokaido Shinkansen stations, except between Tokyo and Atami and within less than 100 km
• Prices
  • Tokyo/Shinagawa and Shin-Osaka: JPY 12,000
  • Shin-Osaka/Shin-Kobe and Kokura/Hakata: JPY 11,450
  • Tokyo/Shinagawa and Hakata: JPY 19,300
• Terms of use
  • only for each identical member of EX-IC service
• Purchasable at
  • the web site of EX-IC service through a mobile or PC
• Remarks
  • Available for travels by up to three trains. But following sectors with EX-IC Hayatoku will be restricted to travel by a direct train; traveling from/to Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama to/from Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, traveling from/to Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe to/from Kokura, Hakata, and Green Car travel on Kodama train of Tokaido Shinkansen.
  • Purchasable until 23:30 on 3 days prior to the travel dates.
  • Changes are permitted before the passenger enters the gate with EX-IC card or receives a boarding bill, and before the departure time of the train.
  • This discount availability is limited on a train-to-train basis.
  • Fares for conventional lines are required separately for ongoing travel on those lines.
  • Not valid with any other offer like the discount for connecting passengers.

JR Central and West said they modified EX Odekake Hayatoku (EXお出かけ早特) partially and it will be sold again in this spring.

The discount fares of EX Odekake Hayatoku for this spring cost JPY 200 more than before. And the deals between Shizuoka/Hamamatsu and Shin-Kobe are not provided in this season.

Brief Overview of EX Odekake Hayatoku

• Name
  • EX Odekake Hayatoku (EXお出かけ早特)
• Travel dates
  • Saturday, Sunday and holidays between March 13 and April 25, 2010
• Period of selling
  • March 1 through April 22, 2010
    ※ Tickets are available from 10:00 on the day of a month to 23:30 of three days before departure.
• Available sectors
  • between Tokyo/Shinagawa/Shin-Yokohama and Nagoya/Kyoto/Shin-Osaka/Shin-Kobe
  • between Shizuoka/Hamamatsu and Kyoto/Shin-Osaka
  • between Shin-Osaka/Shin-Kobe and Kokura/Hakata
• Prices
  • between Tokyo/Shinagawa and Shin-Osaka: JPY 13,100
  • between Shin-Osaka/Shin-Kobe and Kokura/Hakata: JPY 11,650
    ※ one-way price including fare for second class
• Purchasable at
  • the web site of Express Reservation (エクスプレス予約) service through a mobile or PC
• Remarks
  • This ticket allows one of the specific legs of Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama trains. Connections are not permitted.
  • Reservations for up to 6 passengers traveling along will be acceptable at once. Ticket must be received by the member of Express Reservation service.
  • Purchasable until 23:30 on 3 days prior to the travel dates.
  • Reservations are changable before issue and 23:30 of 3 days prior to the departure.
  • This discount availability is limited on a train-to-train basis.
  • Boarding with EX-IC Cards are not available.
  • Not valid with any other offer like the discount for connecting passengers.

JR Kyushu said they decided the names of stations on Kyushu Shinkansen between Hakata and Shin-Yatsushiro. This section is being built and will go into service in March, 2011.

All stations on Kyushu Shinkansen are shown below including existing stations between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima-Chuo.

• Hakata (Fukuoka city): Through service to Sanyo Shinkansen and transferring to Hakata-Minami, Kagoshima line and subway
• Shin-Tosu ("新鳥栖", newly built in Tosu city): Transferring to Nagasaki line
• Kurume (Kurume city): Transferring to Nagasaki and Kyudai line
• Chikugo-Funagoya ("筑後船小屋", moved and renamed Funagoya Station): Transferring to Kagoshima line
• Shin-Omuta ("新大牟田", newly built in Omuta city)
• Shin-Tamana ("新玉名", newly built in Tamana city)
• Kumamoto (Kumamoto city): Transferring to Kagoshima and Hohi line and streetcars
• Shin-Yatsushiro(Yatsushiro city): Transferring to Kagoshima line
• Shin-Minamata (Minamata city): Transferring to Hisatsu Orange Railway line
• Izumi (Izumi city): Transferring to Hisatsu Orange Railway line
• Sendai (Sendai city): Transferring to Kagoshima line and Hisatsu Orange Railway line
• Kagoshima-Chuo (Kagoshima city): Transferring to Kagoshima and Ibusuki Makurazaki line and streetcars

When the entire portion of Kyushu Shinkansen opened in the spring of 2011, Tsubame trains travel between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo in about an hour and 20 minutes and Sakura trains travel between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo in 4 hours.