The 3 Trains of the Tokaido Shinkansen

If you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto with a Japan Rail Pass, you will probably ride a Hikari.

The Hikari Shinkansen is the second fastest bullet trian, taking about 3 hours from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. Hikari Shinkansen run about every 30 minutes (please check timetables for details). It stops at all the major cities (Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka), and it makes just a few extra stops along the way. However, which stations it stops at varies by train, so be sure to check the schedules. 

This train is the slowest of the three Tokaido shinkansen. It stops at every station on the line, including a few famous hot springs! The Kodama takes 4 hours to travel from the first station, Tokyo Station, to the last, Shin-Osaka Station. You can use this train with a Japan Rail Pass.

The Nozomi Shinkansen is the fastest train, going from one end to the other in 2 hours and 40 minutes. It makes the least amount of stops, only stopping in Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Shin-Osaka. Unfortunately, you cannot use this train with a Japan Rail Pass. The good news is, there's not much of a difference between the Nozomi and the Hikari!

Starting from May 2020, a seat reservation near the luggage area will be required in the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines if the sum of the dimensions of your luggage exceeds 160 cm.