ONE PIECE Shinkansen Guide: 2026–27 Schedule, Train Times & How to Ride

Yes, there's a real One Piece bullet train. JR West's ONE PIECE Shinkansen runs on the Sanyo Shinkansen between Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka (Hakata), wrapped in Straw Hat art inside and out. It costs nothing extra: buy a normal ticket for the right train and you're on board.

The official calendar and timetables are only shown as pictures, so we've written out every train and date for you here.

Last checked: October 24, 2026. Source: the official JR West ONE PIECE Shinkansen site.

The three designs

The train is an 8-car 700 Series Shinkansen, and there are three versions. JR West runs them at random, so you can't pick which one you'll get. That's half the fun.

• "Setouchi Blue": the first design, in a bright blue for the Seto Inland Sea. The whole Straw Hat crew and lots of allies are drawn in new artwork
• "Tony Tony Chopper": pink and blue, full of Chopper inside and out (debuted May 28, 2025)
• "Monkey D. Luffy": white with Luffy's straw-hat yellow and red. Inside, cars 1 to 8 retell Luffy's story in order (debuted July 2, 2025)

What's special on board

• Chime: a special arrangement of "We Are!", the first One Piece anime opening, plays before announcements
• Character announcements at some stations: Luffy (Mayumi Tanaka) on the Setouchi Blue and Luffy trains, Chopper (Ikue Tanaka) on the Chopper train
• Decorated interiors: seat covers, walls, mirrors and the deck areas are all themed, and the restrooms are styled like wanted posters

Schedule: October 2026 – February 2027

October 1, 2026 – January 12, 2027: every day. The train runs four legs a day:

• Kodama 936: Shin-Iwakuni 6:34 → Hiroshima 6:49 → Okayama 8:10 → Shin-Kobe 9:04 → Shin-Osaka 9:17
• Kodama 945: Shin-Osaka 9:32 → Shin-Kobe 9:45 → Himeji 10:13 → Okayama 10:50 → Hiroshima 12:08 → Kokura 13:34 → Hakata 13:51
• Kodama 958: Hakata 14:54 → Kokura 15:12 → Hiroshima 16:38 → Okayama 18:10 → Himeji 18:48 → Shin-Kobe 19:12 → Shin-Osaka 19:25
• Kodama 967: Shin-Osaka 19:37 → Shin-Kobe 19:50 → Himeji 20:13 → Okayama 20:50 → Hiroshima 22:07 → Kokura 23:22 → Hakata 23:39

January 13 – February 2027: most days. It switches to a shorter loop:

• Kodama 935: Okayama 7:19 → Fukuyama 7:41 → Hiroshima 8:23 → Shin-Iwakuni 8:38 → Kokura 9:43 → Hakata 10:00
• Kodama 950: Hakata 10:52 → Kokura 11:12 → Shin-Iwakuni 12:22 → Hiroshima 12:38 → Fukuyama 13:31 → Okayama 13:55

No service on: January 28 and 30, and February 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28, 2027.

Dates from March 1, 2027 haven't been announced yet. JR West says the train may also run on extra days and that plans can change at short notice.

Tickets: no extra charge

There's no special One Piece fare. You just need a normal Shinkansen fare + limited express ticket for that Kodama.

• Unreserved seats: buy on the day at a JR ticket office or a ticket machine, then sit in any unreserved car
• Reserved seats: on sale from 10:00 a.m., one month before your travel date. Kodama trains are rarely full, but a reserved window seat is nice for photos

Rail passes that cover it (for the stretch each pass includes):

• Kansai Wide Area Pass / Kansai-San'in / Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass: Shin-Osaka – Okayama
• Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass: Shin-Osaka – Hiroshima
• Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass: Mihara – Hakata
• Okayama-Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass: Okayama – Hakata
• Setouchi Area Pass, Sanyo-San'in Area Pass, Sanyo-San'in-Northern Kyushu Pass, JR-WEST All Area Pass: the whole route, Shin-Osaka – Hakata

With a pass, collect a free seat reservation at a JR West ticket office before you board, or just use the unreserved cars.

Check JR West rail pass deals on Klook

How to ride it, step by step (first-timer guide)

Never been on a Shinkansen? Here's how to ride it:

1. Pick your train. Choose a date and a train number from the schedule above, for example Kodama 945, Shin-Osaka 9:32 → Hiroshima 12:08. The train number is what matters. A regular Kodama with no One Piece wrap may run on the same route at other times.
2. Buy a ticket for that exact train. At any JR West station, use a ticket machine with an English button or the ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi). You can also book online with JR West's e5489 or SMART EX before you go. Ask for "Kodama 945", your stations, and reserved or non-reserved (自由席, jiyū-seki). You'll get one or two paper tickets: the base fare plus the Shinkansen express ticket.
   • Have a rail pass? The national Japan Rail Pass and the JR West area passes listed above both cover it. Show your pass at the ticket office or a machine and get a free seat reservation for Kodama 945, or just use the non-reserved cars.
3. Go through the Shinkansen gates. At the station, follow the blue Shinkansen signs, not the normal JR lines. Put all your tickets in the gate together. It gives back the ones you still need, so take them.
4. Find the platform. Look for こだま 945 / Kodama 945 on the departure board. It shows the platform number and time.
5. Stand at the right car. Marks on the platform floor show where each car stops. Reserved seat? Go to the car number on your ticket. Non-reserved? Look for 自由席 / Non-reserved above the doors or on the floor marks.
6. Board and enjoy. The doors only open for about a minute, so be ready. Which of the three designs you get is random. Listen for the "We Are!" chime and the Luffy or Chopper announcements.
7. Getting off. Put your tickets through the gate again. Keep any you still need to continue on local trains.

Tips

• Arrive 10–15 minutes early to take photos of the train on the platform. Kodama trains often wait a few minutes at bigger stations while faster trains pass.
• Kodama trains are rarely full, so non-reserved is usually fine. Weekends, holidays and Golden Week are busier, so reserve a seat then.
• You don't need to ride the whole way. Even one stop counts, for example Shin-Osaka → Shin-Kobe (about 13 minutes).
• Big suitcases (total size over 160 cm) need a reserved "oversized luggage" seat on the Sanyo Shinkansen. Book it when you buy your ticket.

Best ways to ride it

The Kodama stops at every station, so riding the whole Osaka – Fukuoka run takes over four hours. Most people ride one leg as part of a trip:

• Osaka → Hiroshima day trip (until Jan 12): Kodama 945 from Shin-Osaka at 9:32, arriving Hiroshima 12:08. See the Peace Park or Miyajima, then ride Kodama 958 back from Hiroshima at 16:38 (Shin-Osaka 19:25). That's the One Piece train both ways!
• Fukuoka → Kumamoto trip: ride Kodama 945 or 935 into Hakata, then change to the Kyushu Shinkansen for Kumamoto and the Straw Hat statues. See how to get to Kumamoto
• Short taster: Shin-Osaka → Himeji (about 40 minutes) on Kodama 945, then go and see Himeji Castle

Official goods

ONE PIECE Shinkansen keyholders (Luffy and Gear 5 Luffy), panel magnets and A4 clear files are sold at selected JR West station shops and TRAIN BOX stores, and online at JR West's DISCOVER WEST mall.

Pair it with

• Universal Studios Japan's One Piece events in Osaka
• The Mugiwara Store Umeda in Osaka and Mugiwara Store Fukuoka
• The Sunny-Go Train in Aso, Kumamoto, which makes a One Piece train double header

Official source: ONE PIECE Shinkansen – JR West · Train guide & timetable