Shinkansen smartEX App vs Mame Sama (まめさま)
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shinkansen smartEX App
Easily reserve Shinkansen seats, hotels, and activities. Enjoy discounts for early bookings and flexible changes. Access station and train service information, and use QR tickets or designated IC cards for seamless travel.
- 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
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▼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.
Mame Sama (まめさま)
Discover vegan-friendly restaurants, shops, and events across Japan. This community-driven guide provides verified information to support a plant-based lifestyle for residents and travelers.
- Vegan restaurant and food finder
- Community-verified listings
- Event and meetup information
- Animal rights campaign updates
- Bilingual English/Japanese support
- Vegan shopping directory
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Mame Sama: The Trusted Vegan Japan Guide Mame Sama was created by vegans living in Japan to make vegan life a little easier. It is a growing guide to everything vegan in Japan! Search for and list anything helpful to living a plant-based life. Find vegan food and restaurants, shopping, community groups, events, sanctuaries, and more. Support vegan-friendly businesses and stay informed about animal rights events from Tokyo to Osaka. Whether you are traveling through Japan or building your life here, Mame Sama helps you discover places you can actually trust. Mame Sama is more than just ratings and reviews. It is a trove of information verified by the vegan community. Listings go up instantly, and reported content is taken seriously. • 100% Vegan Focus: No guesswork or hidden ingredients. • Transparent and Community-Driven: Real info from locals. • Updated Events and Meetups: Connect with the community. • Support Animal Rights: Learn about local campaigns. • Bilingual Support: Full English and Japanese options. There are no paid listings or hidden priorities. Our only motive is to create a more vegan world. Whether you are new to veganism or just want better vegan food options, Mame Sama is your ultimate companion for navigating Japan.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mame Sama (まめさま) at 100% against Shinkansen smartEX App's 17%. Mame Sama (まめさま) also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.7) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Shinkansen smartEX App's advantage is ratings volume (607 vs 1) and chart position (#125 vs unranked). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mame Sama (まめさま) holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shinkansen smartEX App has 607 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Shinkansen smartEX App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mame Sama (まめさま)'s.
Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, Mame Sama (まめさま) every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shinkansen smartEX App | Mame Sama (まめさま) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (607 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 607 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #125 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Central Japan Railway Company | qrl-dot-app, LLC |
Customer experience
Shinkansen smartEX App
Mame Sama (まめさま)
In-app purchases
Shinkansen smartEX App
No in-app purchases
Mame Sama (まめさま)
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Shinkansen smartEX App free?
Is Mame Sama (まめさま) free?
Which has better reviews, Shinkansen smartEX App or Mame Sama (まめさま)?
Do Shinkansen smartEX App or Mame Sama (まめさま) have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shinkansen smartEX App or Mame Sama (まめさま)?
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