• There are essentially two types of tickets in Japan; tickets that are necessary for riding all types of trains, and tickets you need to buy when you take trains or use seats with additional services. The former is called “Basic Fare Ticket” and the latter includes the “Limited Express Ticket” and “Green Car Ticket.”
• When you take local/rapid trains and do not need seat reservations, only a basic fare ticket is required.
• When you take Shinkansen/limited express trains, you need to buy a limited express ticket valid for the specific train you are going to ride in addition to the Basic Fare Ticket. Limited express tickets show that you have paid the surcharges for additional services the trains/seats supply.
• Some trains have “Green Cars” (first-class cars), for which passengers are required to pay additional fees and get “Green Car Tickets” to ride.