Tokaido Shinkansen photo guide
Side, seat, minute window and shutter speed for shots of Fuji from the bullet train between Tokyo and Shin Osaka.
Fuji is visible from the Tokaido Shinkansen for about three minutes if you are in the right seat. Get on the wrong side and you will see a sound wall.
Seat selection
Tokyo to Osaka direction: seat E on the right hand side has the Fuji view.
Osaka to Tokyo direction: seat D on the left hand side.
Window seats only. Window aisle seats do not give a clean shot through the glass.
When to look
About 40 to 45 minutes after departing Tokyo on a Nozomi, you will be passing Mishima station and Fuji appears for roughly 3 minutes.
Hikari and Kodama trains take longer but offer the same window of view.
Shutter and settings
Shutter speed minimum 1/2000 to freeze the train motion against the static mountain.
Lens 24 to 70 mm. Wider catches more of the cabin reflection, longer compresses the peak and gives the cleanest frames.
Press the lens flat against the glass to kill reflections. Disable flash and image stabilisation.
FAQ
Is the view from the train reliable?+
In winter and early morning, yes. In summer or afternoon haze, Fuji is often invisible.
Reserved or non reserved seat?+
Reserved. The unreserved cars fill up and you may not get the correct side.
