JR Sanyo Shinkansen Sakura 558 from Hakata to Shin-Osaka Train Review
Sakura 558 is a Kyushu and Sanyo Shinkansen through service operated by JR Kyushu from Kagoshima-Chuo to Shin-Osaka. I will be taking the section just from Hakata on the Sanyo Shinkansen portion, and use JR Kyushu all the way back to Shin-Osaka, as they offer a big seat in reserved Ordinary Car seats, without any additional charge with my JR Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Area Pass.
Hakata Station
The façade of Hakata Station.
Heading through the Shinkansen fare gates.
There are plenty of very frequent Nozomi trains with thousands of seats available which my JR Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Area Pass is valid for, but they only have regular Ordinary Car seats in a 3+2 formation. To me, since my purpose is for the train ride rather than actually getting to the destination, it was better to wait for the Sakura where big seats are offered without any additional charge and are in a 2+2 configuration.
Heading up to Platform 14 where my Sakura 558 train was departing from.
Platform 14 seems to be assigned for JR Kyushu Shinkansen trains, as they are through services making a brief stop at Hakata only. Track 14 would provide a straighter track for faster speed operations.
Platform 13 seems to be assigned for JR West Shinkansen trains, as they are originating services from Hakata, and require time on the platform for cleaning and passenger movements. Track 13 is on a siding.
My Sakura 558 will be stopping at Kokura, Shin-Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Okayama, Shin-Kobe, and Shin-Osaka.
The Nozomi 40 departed at 2.54pm for Shin-Osaka and Tokyo. My Sakura 558 will be following behind it en route to Shin-Osaka.
Car locations are marked out on signs along the platform on where the train stopping positions are versus your position on the platform.
Aside from static signs, the LED signs hanging from the top also indicates the door number of the incoming train.
Sakura 558 from Kagoshima-Chuo to Shin-Osaka
And here comes my Sakura 558 from Kagoshima-Chuo.
My Sakura 558 will only be stopping at Hakata for 2 minutes, so there’s no time to take any nice pictures otherwise the train will well and truly depart without waiting.
Boarding the Sakura 558.
JR Kyushu N700 Series Shinkansen Reserved Seat Car
The interior of the JR Kyushu N700 Series Shinkansen reserved seat car in a luxurious 2+2 configuration.
Now you can see why I decided on a JR Kyushu service instead of hopping on to a frequent Nozomi.
The area behind the last row of seats is now a designated Oversized Baggage Area with reservations required.
Bags with a total dimension of length + breadth + height of between 160 and 250 cm (generally bigger than a 24″ luggage) require a free reservation to use the Oversized Baggage Area (no extra charge compared to a reserved seat).
Passengers traveling with oversized baggage without a reservation will be charged a baggage fee (1,000 yen including tax).
The legroom available on board the JR Kyushu N700 Series Shinkansen reserved seat car.
A tray table is available on the seat back in front, along with a train consist map of neighbouring train cars with icons of amenities available.
A 2-pin Japanese power socket is available near the floor by the window seat.
A flip-up drinks holder is available on the armrest.
I managed to get on board Sakura 558 with some creative ticketing. Since 0 reserved seats were available on board the Sakura 558 from Hakata to Shin-Osaka, I decided to split my reservations at Okayama, and lo and behold, I was able to get seat reservations on both legs of the 1 train journey. I will simply have to change seats later on at Okayama, a small exercise in exchange for a luxurious and free big seat.
My Sakura 558 departed from Hakata on time at 3.02pm.
I had a bit of a goodbye parade by JR Kyushu with various rolling stocks passing parallel by my window line ending credits to a movie.
My Sakura 558 Car 4 was not full yet, but they will get slowly filled up with a mix and match of passengers along the stops along the way.
Time for a walkabout around the train while I do not have a seat neighbour.
JR Kyushu N700 Series Shinkansen Non-Reserved Seat Car
Non-reserved seats are available in Cars 1, 2, and 3. They were quite fully seated on this trip too. Thankfully, I have my reserved seat so I needn’t have to rush to board the non-reserved seat car to try to get a seat, and get a smaller seat in return.
Western-style sitting toilets are available on board the train.
A standing urinal cubicle is also available for males.
A wash basin is available along the corridor outside the toilets for those who just need a sink.
A changing room is also available with a full-height mirror, hooks, side table, side cushions to lean on, and a grab poles.
A payphone remains on board, but is out of service.
Drinks vending machines are also available, but with prices higher than at stations.
Smoking rooms are available in Cars 3 and 7.
A remnant of pandemic-era social distancing, the capacity of 2 passengers have been reduced to 1, with the remaining bin covered up with a metal plate.
The smoking rooms on the Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen will be closed by Spring 2024 (probably at the March timetable change) with growing health consciousness among the public and a decline in smoking rates. The smoking rooms will be used to store drinking water for emergencies.
Crossing the Murasaki River in Kokura.
Kokura Station
Making a brief stop at Kokura Station.
Heading away from the local line tracks.
Shin-Yamaguchi Station
Arriving at Shin-Yamaguchi Station.
There were many passengers waiting at Shin-Yamaguchi Station for my Sakura 558 as there were no fast trains serving it for the past 1 hour before my train’s arrival. Most Nozomi trains skip Shin-Yamaguchi Station.
The JR platform staff also watches out for the non-reserved seat passengers to keep my Sakura 558 train on time.
Departing from Shin-Yamaguchi.
Passing by Shimonoseki General Vehicle Depot Shin-Yamaguchi Branch with the famed turntable.
Heading through one of many tunnels, a staple on newer Shinkansen lines.
Arriving at Hiroshima.
Hiroshima Station
Making a brief stop at Hiroshima Station.
Quite a number of passengers alighted at Hiroshima Station.
Departing from Hiroshima.
Arriving at Fukuyama.
Fukuyama Station
Making a brief stop at Fukuyama Station.
There also were many passengers waiting at Fukuyama Station for my Sakura 558.
Meeting a criss-cross of lines on approach to Okayama.
Arriving at Okayama, which means it’s time for me to stretch my legs and take a little walk.
There were many passengers alighting and waiting to board at Okayama Station, a prediction which proved me right when I first decided to split my seat reservations here.
I followed the passengers to the door…
… and arrived at my new seat at 2A to continue my journey to Shin-Osaka.
Departing from Okayama.
Shin-Kobe Station
Making a brief stop at Shin-Kobe Station.
Getting photobombed by passing trains is very common.
The sun was already starting to set after 5pm.
Passing by Aboshi General Rolling Stock Depot Miyahara Branch on approach to Shin-Osaka.
Shin-Osaka Station
My Sakura 558 arrived at Shin-Osaka Station on time at 5.38pm.
The cleaners board the train car as soon as the last passenger had disembarked from the train car.
The station sign of Shin-Osaka Station.
There was quite a crowd trying to head down from the platform, so I let the crowd clear first before attempting to go down.
My Sakura 558 will u-turn to form Mizuho 613 to Kagoshima-Chuo.
The front (now rear) view of my Sakura 558. This same picture is also the rear view of the outgoing Mizuho 613.
Heading down the stairs to the Shinkansen concourse.
Transfer to Osaka
To continue to my hotel in downtown Osaka, I transferred to the local JR lines to get me south to it. Shin-Osaka is across the Yodo River from the city.
Trains for Osaka Station depart from Shin-Osaka Platforms 7 and 8.
Frequent trains operate from Shin-Osaka to Osaka utilising both sides of the island platform, allowing for faster passenger clearance from the platform.
Here, I continued my journey to Osaka Station first before heading to my hotel.
Conclusion
The Sakura 558 (and other JR Kyushu trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen) is a very popular train as it serves certain stations otherwise not frequently served by other fast trains, and also JR Kyushu Shinkansen trains offer a 2+2 seating configuration for their Ordinary Car reserved seats, as compared to the frequent JR West Shinkansen services but with a normal 2+3 configuration for their Ordinary Car reserved seats. It is no surprise why my seat availability for Mizuho and Sakura trains were 0 for almost the whole day, but thousands of seats were still available on Nozomi trains. My split ticketing method helped with getting 2 reserved seats during the full train journey, a very minor inconvenience for the luxury of having a big seat on a Shinkansen train.