Sinkansen - Nazumi, Hikari always?

I'm looking for a way to get from Osaka to Nagoya with Sinkasen but not Nazomi as the JR dosen't cover it. Is ther a Hikari or Kodama where ever there is Nazumi?
Thanks.

There are usually two hikari trains per hour and two kodama trains per hour.

Thank you for your answer.
Another question: how do I know if the train is Hikari, Nazumi or Kodama? Are all of them stopping at the same platform? Do the signs indicate the type of trains and are they in English?
Thanks in advance.
M.

Hi,

Those trains are Shinkansen trains and the time tables can be found at the JR website. Once in the website look under timetable and fares.

The time table can be confusing and difficult to comprehend at first but stick to it and you will understand after a while. Then you will be able to know how to look it up for the different timings.

Understanding it will help you a lot especially if you are planning other travels or need to make last minute changes to ur schedule. (you will also feel a sense of achivement...)

Happy learning.

Drk

All the shinkansen trains use special tracks in JR railway stations, in an area clearly separated from ''normal'' trains

On all signs the name and schedules of trains are clearly shown in English (the signs alternate between English and Japanese. All stations names are bilingual too.

check www.hyperdia.com for all trains schedules
have a look at http://www.sfcityscape.com/japan/railfanning.html for great photos of trains, signs, stations etc.

It's best to have a schedule from JR, but if you don't have one or haven't planned ahead, once you get through the Shinkansen gates at the JR station, you can look UP and see a giant electronic schedule.

On this schedule (in Japanese and English), will be the shinkansen trains due into the station in the next hour or two. This information includes the type of train (Nozomi, Hikari, etc), track number, which cars are reserved and non-reserved and its arrival time. You'll have no problems finding the right train at all.

: once you get through the Shinkansen gates at the JR station, you can look UP and see a giant electronic schedule.
: which cars are reserved and non-reserved and its arrival time.

Mike must mean its departure time, not its arrival time.
I think it's better to first find a large electronic schedule board in front of the gate and check the track number. Then you step into Shinkansen zone through a gate, go to the track and see a smaller schedule board there.

Which station in Osaka do you begin with?
Shin-Osaka Station is the only station in Osaka for Shinkansen.
Shin-Osaka Station: Timetable: Shinkansen: Eastbound:
http://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/time_09/Shin-Osaka270207....
All the trains in this timetable stop at Nagoya. As to the HIKARI trains (indicated in red digits), they are all daily trains for the present.

: how do I know if the train is Hikari, Nazumi or Kodama? Are all of them stopping at the same platform?
You are going to use a JR Pass, right?
You can not tell whether a train is NOZOMI by its shape or the track number. The best way is to see a timetable in advance and a schedule board of the station.
If your HIKARI is numbered 5yz (504, 510, etc.), the train is started from Shin-Osaka. Getting on it early, you can hear an announcement like "This is the HIKARI super-express bound for ABC."

Shinkansen trains run very truly according to schedule, unless they are slowed down or suspended for security in case of a heavy rain or so. If a schedule board shows a train which should have departed 5 minutes before, that suggests they are behind schedule, which seldom happens, though.

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