Shinkansen ticket capsule toys will cost you a fraction of the real thing

Last Updated on April 11, 2025

A line of new capsule toys set to be released later this year will allow you to relive your Shinkansen journey long after you disembark.

The ‘Tokaido Shinkansen Ticket Keychain’ capsule toys will be released across Japan in July, priced at 500 yen (approx. $3.45 USD/£2.67 GBP) each, with 4 distinct types available.

Created by toy manufacturer SO-TA, which stands for ‘State Of The Art’, the keychains will also be available in blind boxed packaging and sold in a variety of merchandise stores.

The ticket keychains will replicate 4 different variety of tickets that can be obtained when riding the Tokaido Shinkansen, which runs from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka.

With a ticket from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka starting in price from 13,620 yen (approx. $94.00 USD/£72.76 GBP), these new keychains are just a fraction of the price and being more durable than a ticket, would make a perfect memento of a journey on the Tokaido Shinkansen.

Each keychain can be pressed to play an authentic announcement sound that you would hear during a Shinkansen ride.

First, let’s take a look at the ticket types available, starting with the standard green Shinkansen ticket that many will be familiar with:

The ticket is for a journey on the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka

The second ticket type is a more modern type, being a replica of the ticket received via the Smart EX app when booking tickets:

The Smart EX service can be used to book Shinkansen tickets digitally

Next up is a replica of the EX-IC, or Express IC, a contactless smart card system that enables ticketless travel on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Sanyō Shinkansen lines in Japan:

This keychain replicates the EX IC card, which can be used to travel on the Tokaido Shinkansen

The actualy EX-IC card, which will be replicated in keychain form

The fourth and final type is a replica of a retro Shinkansen ticket, the type of which would have been issued on the date on the keychain in 1987:

This keychain replicates the type of ticket issued for the Tokaido Shinkansen back in 1987

Each keychain will play sounds that would be heard on the Tokaido Shinkansen, such as the “Hikari in-car announcement” and a “horn sound”, which are exclusive to the capsule toy release of the keychains, or the “home announcement” and “passing sound”, which will be exclusive to the boxed release.

Set to be released in July 2025, you’ll be able to pick up the ‘Tokaido Shinkansen Ticket Keychain’ from capsule toy machines throughout Japan, as well as from a number of different variety merchandise stores via the boxed release.

Source: SO-TA