How Do You Get to Shimoda from Tokyo? Trains via Atami and Ito, and Buses from the Station

Published 2026-10-03 · Sources checked 2026-10-03 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors travelling from Tokyo to Shimoda, a town in the south of the Izu Peninsula. It covers the two main rail routes, how the Izukyu line works, and how to carry on by local bus from Izukyu-Shimoda Station.

We used pages from the railway operator Izukyu, the bus operator Tokai Bus, the Shimoda Tourist Association and Shimoda City, all read on 2026-10-03. Fares, timetables and services change, so check the operator's current timetable before you travel.

The short answer: two rail routes to one station

Trains from Tokyo end at Izukyu-Shimoda Station. The Shimoda Tourist Association describes two ways to get there:

• Shinkansen and local line. Take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Atami (about 1 hour). Then ride the Ito Line and the Izukyu Line to Shimoda (about 1 hour 30 minutes).
• One limited express. Take the Odoriko or the Saphir Odoriko from Tokyo straight to Shimoda (about 2 hours 30 minutes).

These are the association's rough figures. Your real journey time depends on the train you catch and any wait for a connection.

The through trains: Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko

Izukyu lists both trains as services that run onto its line from JR lines. The Saphir Odoriko has been running since March 2020. Every seat is Green class, with Premium Green seats, private Green compartments and a cafeteria car. The Odoriko has used E257 series cars since March 2020.

Izukyu's fare page gives the extra charges for the part of the trip on its own line:

• The reserved-seat limited express charge on the Izukyu line is a flat 800 yen, whatever the distance.
• Green class adds 1,800 yen for Saphir Odoriko Premium Green, 900 yen for other Saphir Odoriko seats and 600 yen on the Odoriko. A 700 yen express charge is added to these Green charges.
• The Saphir Odoriko has seasonal express charges. Its express tickets are not sold on board, so buy them before you get on.
• On the Odoriko, an ordinary-class express ticket bought on board costs more than one bought in advance. On the JR section the difference is 260 yen for adults.

The JR part of the trip has its own fare and charges. Izukyu's page does not list a single Tokyo to Shimoda total.

Booking a reserved seat

For a trip that uses both JR and Izukyu, such as Tokyo to Izukyu-Shimoda, Izukyu says reserved seats go on sale one month ahead. Sales start at 10:00 on the same date of the previous month.

You can buy them at JR ticket offices and ticket machines. You can also buy them at the Izukyu stations where limited expresses stop: Izu-Kogen, Izu-Atagawa, Izu-Inatori, Kawazu and Izukyu-Shimoda.

Izukyu notes that JR East's Eki-net website can book reserved seats for journeys that start or end on JR. Membership is free. You cannot collect those tickets at Izukyu stations, so pick them up at a JR East ticket machine or office first.

Changing at Atami or Ito: the Izukyu line

The Izukyu line runs down the east coast of the peninsula. It has 16 stations, numbered from IZ01 Ito to IZ16 Izukyu-Shimoda. Shimoda City's history timeline records that the line between Ito and Shimoda opened in December 1961.

• Fare. From Ito to Izukyu-Shimoda the adult fare is 1,860 yen with a paper ticket or 1,856 yen with an IC card. This is from the fare table revised on 14 March 2026.
• IC cards. Suica, PASMO and the other cards linked with Suica work at all 16 stations, including JR Ito. Izukyu stopped selling Suica cards on 25 October 2021, so bring one with you.
• Topping up. Seven stations have simple top-up machines inside the gates. You can add money in 1,000 yen steps, up to 20,000 yen. The machines do not take 10,000 yen notes.
• Resort 21 trains. These trains, including the black-painted Kurofune ("Black Ship") train and the red Kinme train, run as local trains between Atami and Izukyu-Shimoda. A normal ticket is enough.

Izukyu publishes a daily timetable valid from 14 March 2026. It also has separate timetables for extra limited express trains running from 1 October to 30 November 2026. Check the one that covers your travel date.

Luggage, surfboards and bikes

Izukyu's rules for bringing items on board:

• You may bring up to two items. Each must be 250 cm or less in length, width and height added together, and 30 kg or less. Nothing longer than 2 m is allowed.
• Surfboards are free if they are in a proper board bag. Bicycles are free if folded or taken apart and packed in a bag.
• Small pets in a carrier cost 290 yen per item. Size and weight limits apply.
• All trains are non-smoking.

From the station: Tokai Bus

Local buses leave from numbered stands outside Izukyu-Shimoda Station. Tokai Bus lists these, among others:

• Stand 9: Shirahama coast, Itado-isshiki and Kawazu Station.
• Stand 10: Suzaki coast and Cape Tsumekizaki.
• Stand 4: Cape Irozaki.
• Stand 5: Matsuzaki and Dogashima, via the Basara pass.
• Stand 1: Kawazu Nanadaru and Shuzenji Station.

Shimoda City's beach page gives sample rides. For example, Shirahama Ohama beach is about 15 minutes on the bus bound for Itado-isshiki.

How to ride, according to Tokai Bus:

• Get on at the front and take a numbered ticket. You pay when you get off.
• A screen at the front shows the fare for each ticket number. Press the bell when your stop is announced.
• Put the fare and the ticket in the box by the driver, and get off at the front.
• Drivers do not give change. Use the change machine on the fare box while the bus is stopped. It does not take 10,000, 5,000 or 2,000 yen notes.
• With an IC card, you do not need a numbered ticket. Touch the reader when you get on and again when you get off. Suica, PASMO and the other nationwide cards are accepted.

The Tokai Bus desk in front of Shimoda Station is open 8:45 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17:00.

Driving, and help on arrival

By car, the tourist association suggests the Shin-Tomei Expressway from Tokyo to Nagaizumi-Numazu IC (about 90 minutes). From there it is about 2 hours to Shimoda Station.

The association's information centre near the station is about a 2-minute walk from Izukyu-Shimoda Station. It opens 9:00 to 16:30 and does not take phone enquiries.

The association also rents electric-assist bicycles at the Roadside Station "Kaikoku Shimoda Minato", about 10 minutes on foot from the station. Hours are 9:00 to 17:00. It charges 500 yen per hour, or 2,000 yen for four hours or more.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Exact Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko journey times, and how many run each day. JR East's website did not respond to our automated reading, so we used only Izukyu's pages.
• A full Tokyo to Shimoda fare, including the JR section and the Shinkansen.
• Details of rail passes. Izukyu's global page names a JR Tokyo Wide Pass but does not explain its terms.
• Direct highway buses from Tokyo to Shimoda. The Tokai Bus pages we read did not list any.
• Whether buses have announcements in English.

Related guides

• What is Shimoda's Black Ships history? Perry, the Shimoda Treaty and the temples where it happened
• How do you stay safe from tsunamis on Shimoda's beaches? Warnings, maps and emergency numbers

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-03.

1. アクセス (Shimoda Tourist Association) — (rail routes and approximate times; driving route and times)
2. Access (Shimoda Tourist Association, English site) — (approximate times; information centre; e-bike rental)
3. 電車図鑑／座席表 (Izukyu Corporation) — (Saphir Odoriko and Odoriko cars, since March 2020)
4. 特急・新幹線料金 (Izukyu Corporation) — (express and Green charges on the Izukyu line; on-board ticket rules)
5. よくいただくお問い合わせ: 電車のご利用 (Izukyu Corporation) — (reserved seat sales; Eki-net; luggage and pets; Resort 21; non-smoking)
6. 路線図 (Izukyu Corporation) — (16 stations, IZ01 Ito to IZ16 Izukyu-Shimoda)
7. 各駅運賃表 (Izukyu Corporation) — (Ito to Izukyu-Shimoda fare, revised 14 March 2026)
8. Suica・PASMO利用 (Izukyu Corporation) — (IC cards at all stations; card sales ended; top-up machines)
9. 時刻表 (Izukyu Corporation) — (timetables valid from 14 March 2026 and for 1 October to 30 November 2026)
10. GLOBAL WEBSITE (Izukyu Corporation) — (mention of the JR Tokyo Wide Pass)
11. 下田の歴史年表 (Shimoda City) — (Izukyu line Ito to Shimoda opened December 1961)
12. 主なバスのりば・案内所 (Tokai Bus) — (bus stands at Izukyu-Shimoda Station; desk hours)
13. 路線バスの乗り方・お客さまへのお願い (Tokai Bus) — (how to board and pay; change machine limits)
14. 交通系ICカードのご案内 (Tokai Bus) — (IC cards accepted on buses)
15. 高速バス (Tokai Bus) — (highway bus routes listed by Tokai Bus)
16. 海水浴場 (Shimoda City) — (sample bus time to Shirahama Ohama beach)
17. 寝姿山から見た下田湾 (Izu Peninsula Geopark) — (header photo and its rights holder)

Header photo: “Shimoda Bay seen from Mount Nesugata” (Utsukushii Izu Sozo Center / Izu Peninsula Geopark), https://izugeopark.org/gallery/%e5%af%9d%e5%a7%bf%e5%b1%b1%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89%e8%a6%8b%e3%81%9f%e4%b8%8b%e7%94%b0%e6%b9%be/. Used under CC BY 4.0.