2 Rail tickets vs 1

Hiroshima - Nagoya \14,650
Nagoya - Tokyo \11,460
Hiroshima Tokyo \19,430

These are from Googlemaps, not Hyperdia, but why the big difference in prices?

Because that's how the pricing system works?

The further you go, the cheaper (per km) it gets.

Because of his shyness I think Firas does not post his very informative summary about the train fare in Japan.

https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/66616/when-are-stopovers-pe...

No problem, thank you for the answers, this is great news for me.

When you travel by Shinkansen, you pay JR basic fare and Shinkansen surcharge.

why the big difference in prices?

Both basic fares and Shinkansen surcharges differ by whether you pay for Hiroshima -- Tokyo or you pay for the two sections until and beyond Nagoya.

JR basic fare per unit distance generally gets lower as the distance gets longer;
so, the basic fare for Hiroshima -- Nagoya -- Tokyo (11660 yen)
is lower than the total (14680 yen) of the basic fares
for the section Hiroshima -- Nagoya (8420 yen)
and for the section Nagoya -- Tokyo (6260 yen).

To travel from Hiroshima via Nagoya to Tokyo within 6 consecutive days,
you can pay the basic fare for the whole route
and purchase one through basic-fare ticket,
which is good for 6 days and does allow you to make a stopover,
i.e. to get out through a JR ticket gate of a station on the route and resume from the same station.

When you pay the basic fares separately,
the basic-fare ticket to travel from Hiroshima to Nagoya / from Nagoya to Tokyo
is good for 4 days / 3days.

On the other hand, a Shinkansen super-express ticket is valid until you pass though a gate to go outside the Shinkansen zone.

When you make a stopover at Nagoya Station,
you should pay the Shinkansen surcharges separately
for the section Hiroshima -- Nagoya and for the section Nagoya -- Tokyo.

When you don't go outside the Shinkansen zone on your way to Tokyo Station,
you can pay the Shinkansen surcharge for Hiroshima -- Tokyo,
which is lower than the total of the above surcharges for the two sections.

Shinkansen surcharges
(without seat reservation, with your seat reserved on a Hikari / Nozomi train):
Hiroshima -- Nagoya
: 4870 yen, 5190 to 5590 yen / 5610 to 6010 yen.
Nagoya -- Tokyo
: 4100 yen, 4420 to 4820 yen / 4630 to 5030 yen.
Hiroshima -- Nagoya -- Tokyo
: 6380 yen, 6700 to 7100 yen / 7220 to 7620 yen.

For your ride with your seat reserved, the price of a Shinkansen surcharge varies by seasons and dates.

A typo is found in my previous response.

NOT: pass though a gate
BUT: pass through a gate

Alright, thanks for the clarification. I might put it to good use on the way back to Tokyo.

@ omotenashi - the distance/stop-over and combination of fares/distances does not just apply to shinkansen tickets, it also works with ordinary trains too. (I am sure you know that.)