Shinkansen transfer station to Ueno

Hi,
May I know which station is easier and more convenient to transfer to Ueno Station, Shinagawa Station or Tokyo Station?

Thank you

You can't transfer to all shinkansen from all three. Tokyo is the only one which allows JR East and Central trains. Ueno is only for JR East and Shinagawa is only for JR Central shinkansen.

What are you transferring from? And to what?

Sorry, I should be more specific.

I am coming from Osaka to Tokyo on a shinkansen and choosing which station should I stop at, Shinagawa or Tokyo.

From there, I will take JR train to Ueno Station.

Since I will be having luggage, would like to know which station allows an easier/convenient transfer to the JR Line.

Thank you

I would get off at Tokyo station, because it is simply closer to Ueno station on JR Yamanote line.

Major stations where Shinkansen trains stop at assume that people have SOME luggage, so there are plenty of escalators at both Shinagawa and Tokyo stations.

By the way, Shinkansen is also one of the train lines operated by JR, so you are talking about transferring from JR Shinkansen to JR Yamanote line :)

I would actually get off at Shinagawa and use the South transfer gates to get to Track 1 (Yamanote). There is an elevator there that gets you down to track level. From there, I'd go to the end of the platform if it's anywhere close to being rush hour, as most people will not take the extra time to go to the last car and it's likely to be less full. You know you're in the right spot if you can look up and see the Shinagawa Prince Hotel right in front of you.

Tokyo Station is too busy and has too many levels. Also, from Shinagawa, most people will likely get off at Hamamatsucho or Tokyo when heading on the inner line of the Yamanote line. Once you pass Tokyo Station, the cars tend to be less busy in the direction of Ueno and Ikebukuro.

Shinagawa Station, Tokyo Station and Ueno Station of JR-East are commonly on two lines: Keihin-Tohoku Line and Yamanote Line.
Regarding a transfer from Tokaido Shinkansen of JR-Central to one of the two JR-East lines, I do not find a major difference in convenience between Shinagawa and Tokyo.

It may be a small merit in choosing Tokyo Station that you can take any of the trains departing at the both tracks beside the one platform because Keihin-Tohoku Line and Yamanote Line trains running in the same direction use the same platform there. They use different platforms in Shinagawa Station.
: In any of the two stations, you can use a Shinkansen transfer gate.
: In Shinagawa Station, northbound Keihin-Tohoku Line trains depart at Track 3 and counterclockwise Yamanote Line trains on its inner loop depart at Track 1; you need to choose a platform.
: In Tokyo Station, these trains depart at Tracks 3 and 4; the two tracks are beside the same platform.

Ueno Station of JR-East is big and complicated. I recommend you would check in advance which gate / exit you should choose and how you can get to the destination from the exit of Ueno Station.

I am coming from Osaka to Tokyo on a Shinkansen

Please note that you cannot take a Shinkansen train from Osaka Station.
In Osaka City, Shinkansen trains are available in Shin-Osaka Station.
If you start from Osaka Station (of JR-West), you can take a Local / Rapid / Special Rapid train departing at Track 7, 8, 9 or 10 to Shin-Osaka Station (= the next stop) and make a transfer to Tokaido Shinkansen (of JR-Central) via Shinkansen Transfer Gate.

Thank you all for the respond.

I actually prefer Tokyo Station too as I will spend less time to commute to Ueno. Looking at the station map, it is hard to estimate the distance between the Tokaido Line and the Yamanote Line. Are they on the same floor? And can you help to estimate the distance between them?

I note that you use the term 'Shinkansen transfer gate'. It is any different from the exit gate of a Shinkansen line? I actually need to buy a Pasmo card before taking the train to Ueno. So the procedure is:

(1) Step out from Nozomi train, exit shinkansen gate.
(2) Buy Pasmo from machine.
(3) Enter JR Yamanote Line

Mr. Omotenashi, thank you for the reminder on Ueno Station and yes, I would be coming from Shin-Osaka.

A transfer gate is a ticket gate where a passenger can exit one railroad line or station and enter another in order to make a transfer.
In Shinagawa / Tokyo, you can exit the Tokaido Shinkansen zone of JR-Central and enter the zone of JR-East at one Shinkansen transfer gate, so you do not need to pass through an exit gate + an entrance gate.

Looking at the station map, it is hard to estimate the distance between the Tokaido Line and the Yamanote Line.

I agree. But please note that Tokaido Shinkansen and Tokaido Line are different lines. The latter is a non-Shinkansen line.

In Tokyo, Tokaido Shinkansen tracks, which are Tracks 14 through 19, are beside three platforms on the 3rd floor.
The distance to Track 3 or 4 depends on which track your Shinkansen train arrives at, but generally this transfer may need about 5 to 10 minutes, not including time on waiting for an elevator, an escalator or your JR-East train.
: The tail end of your Shinkansen train (from Shin-Osaka) is closer to the south concourse.
: Each of the three Shinkansen platforms is equipped with one elevator.
: You can get down to the south concourse on the 1st floor (= the ground floor), using this elevator or a nearby escalator.
: Then you can pass through Shinkansen South Transfer Gate.
: Walking a little, you see signs of Tracks 9 and 10 (for Tokaido Line) on your right, and you see a wide staircase with a few slopes in front of you.
: Then you can go down the staircase / one of the slopes and proceed on the pathway to an elevator, which can bring you up to the platform of Tracks 3 and 4. Alternatively you can use a nearby escalator.

I actually need to buy a PASMO Card before taking the train to Ueno.

Basically it is not necessary to buy an IC card in Shinagawa / Tokyo when you travel from Osaka / Shin-Osaka to Ueno.

If you travel this way with regular JR tickets, you can get issued a basic-fare ticket which should be valid (at least) to Ueno Station + a Shinkansen super-express ticket. At a Shinkansen transfer gate in Shinagawa / Tokyo, you can put the two tickets together into a gate machine, each with the top side up, and the basic-fare ticket is returned while the Shinkansen ticket is collected.
A JR basic fare to get from Osaka / Shin-Osaka is at the same price regardless of whether the destination station is Shinagawa, Tokyo or Ueno. It is not necessary to pay a fare separately for the JR-East leg.

If you travel this way with a Japan Rail Pass, in which case you cannot choose Shinkansen "Nozomi" service, you can use that JRP (at least) until reaching Ueno Station. A Japan Rail Pass cannot be accepted by a gate machine, so you should show your JRP to a JR attendant when you pass through a ticket gate.

An IC transportation card (such as Suica and PASMO) does not give you a discount in particular, but it can save your time and trouble on handling cash and short-distance tickets.

You can have a chance to buy a Suica Card issued by JR-East outside ticket gates in Ueno Station of JR-East or, a PASMO Card outside ticket gates in Ueno Station (G-16, H-17) of Tokyo Metro subway.
A Suica Card and a PASMO Card work the same on the Suica-PASMO network in and around Tokyo, so it is not necessary for you to buy the both.
- Map of Ueno Station of JR-East
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e204.html
- Map of Ueno Station (G-16, H-17) of Tokyo Metro subway.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/ueno/yardmap/images/yardmap.gif
: In the map you see escalators above Ginza Line tracks, which connect the subway concourse and the JR main entrance just near Central Gate.

Thank you for the amazing information. I learn new things on the transfer gate and that I do not need to pay to Ueno Station.

(1) Step out from Nozomi train
(2) Walk through transfer gate, insert both tickets.
(3) Walk to JR Yamanote Line and alight train

Thank you again!

Make sure to pick up your basic-fare ticket in Tokyo so that a JR attendant does not need to follow you�c!

This map might help you in finding a route in Tokyo Station, though it is written in Japanese.
http://www.jreast.co.jp/estation/stations/img/map/hm_1039_1.pdf
In the right half of the map, you find the numbers 9 and 10 indicated near the wide staircase.

I should say "to the third elevator" rather than "to an elevator" because you see other elevators on the pathway.

Enjoy your trips!

Hehe okay, thanks again. I will do more homework on this new found info.

Cheers!

Are these instructions correct?

(1) At Shin-Osaka Station, I insert both ticket (base fare and seat fare) at the same time to the entry gate and collect both tickets.

(2) At Tokyo Station, I insert both tickets at the shinkashen transfer gate and collect the base fare ticket only.

(3) At Ueno Station, I insert the base fare ticket at the exit gate and do not need to collect any ticket.

Thank you

Are these instructions correct?

Correct.
(Do you later travel further by JR from Ueno (to Tohoku Region, for example)? If so, maybe you get issued a basic fare ticket which should be valid to that destination, in which case should collect it in Ueno Station.)

I recommend you would make in advance a memo of stations, dates, time zones, Shinkansen service ("Hikari" / "Nozomi"), whether you reserve a Shinkansen seat then show it to a JR attendant of a ticket counter when you purchase your tickets.
Maybe you already know, but smoking is prohibited or strictly restricted in most of Tokaido Shinkansen trains.

Thank you, Mr. Omotenashi. Great tips as always.

If I purchase the shinkansen ticket at Osaka Station instead of Shin-Osaka Station, I do not need to purchase a single journey ticket from Osaka Station to Shin-Osaka Station, so is this procedure correct?

(1) At Osaka Station, I insert both ticket (base fare and seat fare) at the same time to the entry gate and collect both tickets.

(2) Take JR Kyoto Line Local or JR Special Rapid Service to Shin-Osaka Station.

(3) At Shin-Osaka Station, I use Shinkansen transfer gate (without exiting the station) to reach the departure track. I insert both tickets at the shinkashen transfer gate and collect both tickets.

Another question, do I refund the ICOCA card and purchase the shinkansen ticket at the same counter?

Thank you

While you travel from Osaka Station to Shin-Osaka Station, your Shinkansen ticket is not inspected.

Osaka Station: At an entrance gate, the JR base ticket is inspected.
Shin-Osaka Station: At Shinkansen Transfer Gate, the JR base ticket + the Shinkansen reserved-seat ticket are inspected.
Tokyo Station: At Shinkansen Central / South Transfer Gate, the both tickets are inspected, and the Shinkansen ticket is collected.

do I refund the ICOCA card and purchase the Shinkansen ticket at the same counter?

Yes, you can do the both at the same counter of a JR Ticket Office in Osaka Station.

How is the rest of your itinerary?

Thank you for the clarification and answer.

For the rest of the journey, I will follow your guidance to use the ticket up till Ueno Station.

The original question was asking about the easiest way to transfer to Ueno. It would cost more if not using the JR Pass but would the easiest transfer with luggage be to transfer at Tokyo Station to another Shinkansen line to Ueno? Are there any issues with just getting a Shinkansen ticket for that one quick stop?

@JapanBuff

Where to where???
When? Which date? What time?

JR Ueno station is not operate Tokaido-Shinkansen for west area : Yokohama,Shizuoka,Nagoya,Kyoto,Osaka,Kobe,Hiroshima and Hakata.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018_tohoku.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018_tokaido.html

@tpes

To be more specific: If the extra cost was not an issue I would:

1. Buy the Shinkansen ticket Shin-Osaka to Tokyo Station.

2. Buy a Shinkansen ticket Tokyo Station to Ueno.


This would avoid a complicated transfer if the original poster had a lot of luggage.

You would just go down the escalator in the Tokyo Shinkansen Station then go back up the escalator to the correct track to Ueno.