Green Car upgrade on the Haruka Express, Is it worth the money? How many times have I taken the Haruka Express train from Kyoto to Kansai Airport? Too many to count.
Every single time, someone asks me if upgrading to the Green Car was “worth” the cost. The answer: it’s not for everyone. it depends on your trip style and whether or not a little added comfort matter to you.
But I’ve experienced both Green Class and Regular Class on multiple trips now, so here’s a breakdown of exactly what you’ll recieve in each cabin. Normally, it will cost between 1,500-2,000 yen extra (on top of regular limited express fares) for Green Car seats.
Green Car vs Ordinary Car: The Real Difference
Haruka Train Green Car
That’s not nothing, but it’s also not huge. So is it worth it? Here are a few things to consider.
They are in no particular order, but they should help you make your decision based off what I’ve experienced.
Getting to the platform at Kansai Airport is straightforward enough. There are ticket machines on the main concourse where you can grab your train tickets. Look at departure board to confirm your track number, then head downstairs.
There’s a fairly regular service during the day (so you won’t usually have to plan far in advance), with a wait time of no more than 30 minutes.
It’s just a regular JR limited express ticket (except that it says Green Car on it). It is just like any other train ticket. Confused the first time?
Yep, so was I. Now it’s second nature: you’ll need both a limited express ticket and a basic ticket. Both are required in order to pass through gates. The Green Cars is easy enough to identify when you get to the train.
The doors carry the Green Car icon, and it is well signposted on the platform. From the exterior of the carriages, there isn’t anything to distinguish them. Nothing special going on with the vestibule (the area between carriages) either.
However, as soon as you walk through the door into the seat section of a Green Car you see the difference: this is where the upgrade starts. Noticeably plusher seats. I mean proper cushioning, a headrest that doesn’t just give your head a surface to rest against but instead supports it, and enough padding that you can genuinely nap if you want to.
Even if you’re tall, there’s plenty of legroom thanks to the seat pitch, the distance from your seat to the next row ahead. I could stretch out completely without knocking into anything. The overhead luggage racks are the same as in normal class.
No complaints here. I had a big suitcase and it fitted up there with no dramas. If you have several large bag, then you’ll probably want to use the luggage storage areas at each end of the carriage rather than the overhead ones.
There is a proper washroom in the Green Car section that was clean and well-maintained when I used it. It was tidy but not luxurius. It was just functional.
In the seat-back pocket was a magazine, the type that JR has in their travel mags, with articles about various parts of Japan. It was not that interesting to read. It gave me something to look at for a bit while looking out window.
Haruka Train Ordinary Car
Getting to Kyoto from Kansai Airport (about 75 minutes) will change from industrial areas around the airport to open farm land, then finally suburban neighborhoods outside the city as you approach. Regardless of the time of day or which direction I am traveling, I take it all in; there is always something interesting to see, fields extending infinitely beneath an open sky, houses tightly packed together, and even little local trains coming into tiny train stations. There’s a fairly decent view no matter where you sit, since they has large and clean windows.
In fact, during another trip, I got put on the ordinary car, and that was the day I rode the special Hello Kitty livery train. Though they aren’t run all the time, they are pretty impossible to overlook on the platform when they are. Outside, Kitty covers the entire exterior with Haruka-themed graphics.
It is cute if you like that sort of thing. Inside, the ordinary reserved-seat ticket looks almost exactly the same as a Green Car ticket, except, of course, there’s no Green Car surcharge. It’s just the same base fare and limited express fee; you pay extra only for the seat upgrade.
I want to make this very clear now, however, while some of my photos here are actualy from a Shinkansen Green Car and not the Haruka ordinary car, I was just comparing different train classes on the same trip.
And while I did so to compare classes within the same trip, the takeaway is the same; the ordinary seats in the Haruka are just fine. They’re a little less roomy than Green Car (less legroom) and aren’t quite as cushy, but for a 75-minute ride, they didn’t make me feel cramped at all. There’s a tray table that can fold down from the seat in front and seats recline slightly.
Everything functioned as it should of. One other thing.
Occasionally (not every single time), an attendant will hand out these little promo wet towels when you board the train.
It’s a nice touch, but obviously not available in ordinary class. In ordinary class, the seat layout is more cramped and the aisles narrower than they are in Green Car. It doesn’t make much of a difference when you sit down, although if you’ve got bags to move around while in the carriage then you’ll notice.
Obviously, the view from the Green Car is no different then the one in an ordinary car. I saw the same transmission towers, fields, and industrial zones whizzing by as before, and the travel time remains the same. The seats are covered in a darker fabric, and they are built on the ordinary car seats, which are noticeably firmer than the Green Car ones.
Leg room isn’t generous (you may notice if you are taller than six foot, or have a lot to carry). But it’s also not bad, I found it completely acceptable for our trip length.
If you do get the Hello Kitty train (the one on the left), then yes it does make the trip a little more fun! The outside is decorated with floral Kitty designs, and there are some themed details inside as well. However, the facilities and seating is still very much like the rest of the Haruka.
Is the Green Car worth it? In my opinion, it may be worth it for the extra room and comfort. This is especially true if you are on an international flight and need to get from KIX (Japan’s airport) to downtown Osaka while lugging bags around and feeling jetlagged.
Otherwise, if you’re traveling light or you don’t care much about seat quality for 75 minutes, the regular reserved seats is totally fine and will save you a little bit of money. Depending on the situation, I’ve been happy with both. Have you been on the Haruka before?
If so, which class did you go with? Let me know what you thought in the comments.
