Suica/Shinkansen train ticket

1) Can SUICA card be used for the shinkansen train?

2) I'll be taking JR train from Shinjuku station to Tokyo station using the SUICA card. Thereafter from Tokyo station, I'll be taking the Joetsu shinkansen train to Echigo Yuzawa. station. At Tokyo station, do I have to exit the ticket gate in order to buy the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved ticket outside OR can I buy the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved ticket from within without the need to exit the ticket gate?

3) Reference to question 2 above, where can I buy the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved ticket at Tokyo station (in other words, can it be purchased at a ticket vending machine or only through JR ticket office?

4) At Echigo Yuzawa station, do I use the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved train ticket to exit through the ticket gate?

Can SUICA card be used for the shinkansen train?

No! Only if you have a commuter Suica for a specific shinkansen route. Or from March 2008 with Mobile Suica.

I'll be taking JR train from Shinjuku station to Tokyo station using the SUICA card. Thereafter from Tokyo station, I'll be taking the Joetsu shinkansen train to Echigo Yuzawa. station. At Tokyo station, do I have to exit the ticket gate in order to buy the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved ticket outside OR can I buy the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved ticket from within without the need to exit the ticket gate?

Echigo-Yuzawa Station is outside the area covered by Suica.

What you should do is buy a base fare ticket from Shinjuku to Echigo-Yuzawa and a shinkansen supplement ticket from Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa.

Reference to question 2 above, where can I buy the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved ticket at Tokyo station (in other words, can it be purchased at a ticket vending machine or only through JR ticket office?

It can be bought at the manned ticket counter or a purple colored dedicated vending machine at any major station in the JR East service area, including Tokyo or Shinjuku Stations.

At Echigo Yuzawa station, do I use the Joetsu Shinkansen Reserved train ticket to exit through the ticket gate?

Yes.

Hi Uji
you were suggesting to buy a base fare ticket from Shinjuku to Echigo-Yuzawa and a shinkansen supplement ticket from Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa.

If I heed your above advice,

a) at Shinjuku station, do I use the base fare ticket to enter the ticket gate?

b) What do we do with the base fare ticket & Shinkansen supplement ticket once we reach Tokyo station by JR train, ie do we exit the ticket gate using the base fare ticket, thereafter enter the SHinkansen ticket gate using the Shinkansen supplement ticket? I'm quite confused as to which ticket to use at which ticket gate. Pls advise.


c) At Echigo Yuzawa station, you advised that we can use the Joetsu Shinkansen supplement train ticket to exit through the ticket gate. What will happen to the Base Fare ticket then?

d) per your advice, I can buy the Shinjuku to Echigo Yuzawa base ticket as well as the SHinkansen Reserved train ticket all at Shinjuku station?

Thanks.

Pristine,

It would be a lot easier to buy your ticket and shinkansen seat reservations all the way to Echigo Yuzawa at Shinjuku station.

You will be issued with two tickets: the base fare from Shinjuku to Echigo Yuzawa and the shinkansen ticket (with seat reservation) for Tokyo to Echigo Yuzawa.
At Shinjuku station you need to feed just the base fare ticket into the ticket gate, and catch a Chuo Line train to Tokyo. At Tokyo station, you need to look for signs to the Joetsu Shinkansen. (Don't exit the station.) You then pass through the ticket gates to enter the shinkansen platforms. These gates accept two tickets at once, and you must feed in both of your tickets.
At Echigo Yuzawa station, you just head for the signs that say "Exit" and feed both your tickets together into the ticket gate. Both tickets will be kept by the machine.