# Shinkansen smartEX App — Tokaido/Sanyo/KyushuShinkansen

> Shinkansen ticket booking and travel planning app. (iPhone/iPad app by Central Japan Railway Company.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shinkansen-smartex-app/id1253336330 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Central Japan Railway Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/454429903)
- Category: Travel
- Price: Free
- Rating: 1.70/5 from 561 App Store ratings · 348 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 51 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-12-21
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shinkansen-smartex-app/id1253336330/reviews.md

## What is Shinkansen smartEX App?

▼With the EX app, you can:
- Reserve Shinkansen seats through the app easily
- Discount for early booking
- Reserve Shinkansen seats up to 1 year in advance
- You can make as many changes as you need, free of charge, before getting on the train
- Reserve a set of Shinkansen seats and hotel rooms!
- Reserve activities, hotels and car rentals!
- Select any seat from the seat map (*reserved seats only)
- Information on services available in stations and trains
- You can log in quickly by using fingerprint authentication. 
(only for compatible models)

▼ Main features
- Membership registration
- Purchase ticket/Reserve seats (time designation, train name designation, easy free seat reservation)）
- Confirm reservation
- Change and refund reservation (reducing the number of persons)
- Display purchase history and receipt
- Check, change member information
- Display QR-Ticket for boarding
- Designate or register IC card for boarding
- Service status information (Link)

▼ Notes
- Membership registration is required to use this app. For registration, personal information is required, such as member name, date of birth, and a valid credit card, etc.
- Ticket purchase (reservation) payment will be taken from the credit card registered on the account.
-- You need to register or designate IC card for public transportation (*) to travel ticketless with IC card.
(*) Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca, SUGOCA
- You need the pickup code to pick up tickets from ticket vending machines, etc., at main stations of Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakata, Kumamoto etc.
-  Please do not use this app to make a seat reservation for Japan Rail Pass.
- This service is available only in English.
- For more details on this service, please see the website.

*The email address below is for inquiries about application specifications. Please note that we cannnot answer inquiries about the service.

## Key features

- Reserve Shinkansen seats
- Book hotels and activities
- Early booking discounts
- Free reservation changes
- Select seats from map
- QR-Ticket and IC card boarding
- Fingerprint authentication login

## Chart rankings

- #207 in Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 348)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shinkansen-smartex-app/id1253336330/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great

*2026-08-18*

Bought tickets on two separate occasions using the app, account creation and linking my existing suica card in my Apple wallet was quick and easy, the tickets linked instantly to my suica, and I was able to just tap my phone on the IC lane and pick up my receipt. Overall it was a super smooth and easy experience.

Are bad reviews trying to keep this app a secret? Or maybe it’s hard to follow simple instructions lol

### 1/5 — Terrible app

*2026-08-13, version 9.1.5*

This is the worst transportation app I have ever downloaded. Multiple one time passwords, frequent re log ins and basically unable to validate domestic AND international credit cards. Just awful. I want to give you my money, just take my money! Whoever is responsible for this app should be fired.

### 1/5 — Cannot buy tickets

*2026-08-09, version 9.1.5*

The point of the app is to buy tickets for the Shinkansen. I can do everything except make the purchase. I am not in Japan, but planning for my upcoming trip. I would love to have my tickets and reserved seating. Can’t do it.

### 4/5 — It Works Enough

*2026-07-29, version 9.1.5*

Compared to other Japanese apps, it’s very good. Compared to American apps, it’s trash. It had enough functionality for me to work through it. It looks like it was made in 2005 though.

### 1/5 — Pathetic app

*2026-07-25, version 9.1.5*

Unable to download the tourist version via Australia Apple Store. Finally got a tourist version but then the credit card validation failed and you have to start over to retry.

### 1/5 — Impossible to use

*2026-07-17, version 9.1.5*

It crashes as soon as i enter credentials, or click forgot my password, or click register

### 1/5 — Don’t bother

*2026-07-11, version 9.1.5*

If you use visa or Mastercard do yourself a massive favour and try another way

### 1/5 — Doesn't work

*2026-07-09, version 9.1.5*

Why create an app, and a desktop version that doesn't work?  Multiple cards, multiple attempts. Desktop. Safari. Chrome. And doesn't work. Thanks for wasting 40 minutes of life!

### 1/5 — Deleted!

*2026-07-07, version 9.1.5*

Could not complete the registration process so deleted the app.

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2026-06-21, version 9.1.5*

The app doesn’t allow me to select a password that it accepts… Extremely odd.

## Frequently asked questions about Shinkansen smartEX App

### What can I do with the Shinkansen smartEX App?

The app allows you to easily reserve Shinkansen seats, book hotels and activities, and access information about services in stations and on trains. You can also take advantage of early booking discounts and make free changes to your reservations before boarding.

### How do I pay for tickets and reservations?

Ticket purchases and reservations are charged to the credit card registered to your account. Membership registration, which requires personal information and a valid credit card, is necessary to use the app for booking.

### Can I use this app with a Japan Rail Pass?

No, this app is not intended for making seat reservations with a Japan Rail Pass. It is designed for direct ticket purchases and reservations for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines.

### How do I board the train with the app?

You can board the train using a QR-Ticket displayed within the app, or by designating and registering an IC card for public transportation. This allows for ticketless travel with compatible IC cards.

### Is the app available in languages other than English?

Currently, this service is only available in English. For more detailed information about the service, please refer to the official website.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 10.1.0 — 2026-08-24

▼Ver. 10.1.0
- Performance improvements

### 9.1.5 — 2026-05-25

▼Ver. 9.1.5
- Performance improvements

### 9.1.4 — 2026-03-17

▼Ver. 9.1.4
- Performance improvements

### 9.1.3 — 2026-02-25

▼Ver. 9.1.3
- Performance improvements

### 9.1.2 — 2025-11-21

▼Ver. 9.1.2
- Performance improvements

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## More apps by Central Japan Railway Company

- [JR東海　東海道・山陽新幹線時刻表](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jr/id793066048)
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All apps by Central Japan Railway Company: https://appshunter.io/developer/454429903

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*