At what age do children pay on Japanese trains?
It goes by school year, and free infants differ by company
A family of 6 does not always need 6 tickets. Japan's railways and buses set child fares by school year, not by age, and the number of infants who ride without a ticket has a limit set by each company. Even within Nagoya, the line changes every time you change trains.
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The line is school yearRailways and buses draw the line at "in elementary school or not"
The answer: child fares on Japan's railways and buses are decided not by age on the birthday, but by whether the child has started elementary school.
- Railways and buses go by school year. Elementary-school children pay the child fare, children before elementary school count as infants, and from junior high school it is the adult fare (a 12-year-old still in elementary school is a child; a 6-year-old who has not started school is an infant).
- Free infants are "up to so many per adult or child passenger". On Nagoya's subway and the Aonami Line it is 4, on JR Central, Meitetsu and Linimo 2, and on Meitetsu's highway and airport buses 1. Children beyond that pay the child fare (table by company).
- Theme parks and attractions use their own age categories. Ghibli Park is free for ages 3 and under, LEGOLAND for under 3 (table of attractions).
All five companies say the same (JR Central, Nagoya City Transportation Bureau, Meitetsu, Meitetsu Bus, Linimo). We have not looked at every company in Japan.
| Category | Who |
|---|---|
| Adult | 12 and over (but a child while still in elementary school) |
| Child | 6 to under 12 (elementary school) |
| Infant | 1 to under 6 (an infant even after turning 6, until starting elementary school) |
| Baby | Under 1 (Meitetsu and Linimo state that babies are free) |
- A sixth-grader who has had their 12th birthday is still a child. A 6-year-old before starting school is still an infant.
- ⚠ Children at schools abroad: JR Central states that "elementary school" and "elementary-school child" in its rules mean an elementary school under Japan's School Education Act. So "a child even at 12 if in elementary school" does not apply to children at schools abroad, and a 12-year-old pays the adult fare.
- The information from Meitetsu, Nagoya City Transportation Bureau, Linimo and Meitetsu Bus says nothing on this point. Meitetsu's passenger rules (Article 44) set the categories by age alone (adult 12 and over, child 6 to under 12), and "elementary-school children under 13 are children" is a note on its information page. For children coming from abroad, use the ages in the rules (6 to under 12 is a child) as a guide, and for a child in a boundary year (6 or 12), check at the station ticket office.
How many infants ride free "per passenger" differs by company
The answer: infants ride free when accompanied by an adult or child passenger, but there is a limit to how many one passenger can take free, and that number differs by company.
Organised from each company's rules and information as of September 2026. An infant who uses a seat of their own (such as a reserved seat) does not ride free.
| Company | Ride free | Beyond that |
|---|---|---|
| Nagoya Municipal Subway and city buses | Up to 4 | Child fare from the 5th |
| Aonami Line and Yutorito Line | Up to 4 (same as the city buses and subway) | Child fare from the 5th |
| JR Central | Up to 2 | Child fares and charges from the 3rd |
| Meitetsu (trains) | Up to 2 (per person holding a ticket for ages 6 and over) | Child fare from the 3rd |
| Linimo | Up to 2 (per guardian aged 6 or over) | Child fare from the 3rd |
| Meitetsu Bus (ordinary local buses) | Up to 2 | Child fare from the 3rd |
| Meitetsu Bus (highway, airport and other seat-capacity or reserved-seat buses) | Up to 1 | Child fare from the 2nd |
- ⚠ An infant riding alone pays the child fare on JR Central, Nagoya Municipal Subway and city buses, and Linimo.
- ⚠ An infant given a seat of their own does not ride free. On JR Central, an infant using a reserved seat, the Green Car (except non-reserved Green) or a sleeper alone pays the child fare. On Meitetsu's special cars such as μSKY, an infant using a seat needs a μ-ticket (¥450 per ride, the same at any age) and a child ticket. On Meitetsu's reserved (seat-reservation) highway buses, an infant using a seat alone pays the child fare (Meitetsu Bus recommends a seat for safety).
- Even within Nagoya, the subway is 4, JR and Meitetsu are 2 and highway buses are 1.
- How to ride trains and buses with a pushchair is in Taking a pushchair on trains and buses in Japan.
How many child tickets does a family of 6 buy? (a Nagoya example)
The examples in this article are based on a family of 6: two parents, two elementary-school children and two grandparents.
The answer: on days when all 4 adults are together, up to 4 infants ride free on every company we checked. The numbers stop working when one adult takes 3 or more infants (5 or more on the subway), and when one adult takes 2 or more infants on a highway bus.
| Who rides | Subway, Aonami Line | JR Central, Meitetsu, Linimo | Meitetsu highway and airport buses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (4 adults + 2 elementary-school children; the basic family) | 4 adult, 2 child | 4 adult, 2 child | 4 adult, 2 child |
| 6 (4 adults + 2 preschoolers) | 4 adult, infants free | 4 adult, infants free | 4 adult, infants free |
| A day when the parents alone take 3 infants (2 adults + 3 preschoolers) | 2 adult, infants free | 2 adult, infants free (up to 2 each) | 2 adult, 1 child (up to 1 each) |
| Family | Tickets |
|---|---|
| 5 (parents + 1 child + grandparents) | 4 adult, 1 child |
| 6 (parents + 2 children + grandparents) | 4 adult, 2 child |
| 7 (parents + 3 children + grandparents) | 4 adult, 3 child |
- If your mix is different: a child in junior high school needs an adult ticket. A child before elementary school rides free within the limits above.
- ⚠ If one adult takes 3 infants on JR or Meitetsu, the 3rd pays the child fare. On the subway, up to 4 ride free.
- Examples of child fares: Meitetsu Chubu International Airport → Meitetsu Nagoya is adult ¥980, child ¥490; Linimo Fujigaoka → Ai Chikyuhaku Kinen Koen is adult ¥400, child ¥200; on Nagoya Municipal Subway, an adult fare of ¥210 is ¥100 for a child and ¥310 is ¥150 (a little under half). JR Central's child fare is half the adult fare (rounded down to the nearest ¥10).
- This article counts the grandparents at the adult fare.
- How to prepare for riding with an IC card or cash is in our cash and IC card guide.
For theme parks and attractions, look at that place's own age categories
The answer: child prices at attractions are not the same as the railway line; some cut by age and some by school year. Look at the place's ticket price table before you buy.
| Attraction | Free | Child categories | Cut by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghibli Park | 3 and under | Age 4 to elementary school | Age and school year |
| LEGOLAND Japan | Under 3 | Ages 3–18 (junior and senior high students are children too) | Age |
| Toyota Commemorative Museum | Preschoolers | Separate prices for elementary, junior/senior high and university students; 65 and over ¥200 | School year |
| Inuyama Castle | Preschoolers | Elementary and junior high school students ¥200 | School year |
- A 3-year-old is free at Ghibli Park and pays at LEGOLAND.
- A junior high school student is an adult on trains and at Ghibli Park, and a child at LEGOLAND.
- The cost for 6 at the two theme parks and two attractions is worked out in Ghibli Park and LEGOLAND with a big family.
Fixed airport taxi fares are per vehicle, not per person
The answer: a fixed airport taxi fare is set per vehicle, so it is the same however many children you have.
- Example: Nagoya MK Taxi's fixed airport fare (Centrair ⇔ Nakamura and Naka wards, Nagoya, one way per vehicle) is ¥18,000 for a jumbo (seats 9). It does not change with the number of people or whether you have children (tolls extra).
- The train fare changes with the number of children; the car stays one price per vehicle. The comparison from the airport is worked out in Centrair to Nagoya Station and Osu with a family of 6.
Honest caveats (four things we could not confirm or have not written)
These are things we have not been able to verify, so we do not assert them.
Rules of companies in other regions
We checked only the rules of JR Central and Nagoya's railways and buses. Private railways and buses in other regions may allow a different number of free infants.
How children at schools abroad are treated (other than JR Central)
We could not confirm whether Meitetsu, Nagoya City Transportation Bureau, Linimo and Meitetsu Bus go by age or by school year for them.
Proof of age or school year
We could not confirm whether you may be asked for proof of a child's age or school year at the gates or ticket office.
Prices at attractions
These are values as of September 2026. Places with dynamic pricing (LEGOLAND) change by day.
Child fares in Japan FAQ
At what age do children pay child fares on Japanese trains?
6 to under 12 is a rough guide, but the line is drawn by school year. A child who has not started elementary school is an infant even at 6 (free under conditions), and an elementary-school child is a child even at 12 (the rules of JR Central and Nagoya's main companies). For children at schools abroad, use age as a guide and check at the ticket office in a boundary year (JR Central's "elementary-school child" means a pupil at a Japanese elementary school, so a 12-year-old at a school abroad pays the adult fare on JR Central).
How many infants ride free?
It differs by company. On Nagoya's subway and the Aonami Line, up to 4 per adult or child passenger; on JR Central, Meitetsu and Linimo, up to 2; on Meitetsu's highway and airport buses, up to 1. An infant given a reserved seat of their own does not ride free (JR Central, Meitetsu's reserved highway buses).
Does a 12-year-old in sixth grade pay the adult fare?
A child at a Japanese elementary school pays the child fare, and from junior high school the adult fare. A 12-year-old at a school abroad pays the adult fare on JR Central (check at the ticket office for other companies).
Do theme parks use the same line for child prices?
No. At Ghibli Park, 3 and under are free and age 4 to elementary school are children; at LEGOLAND, under 3 are free and ages 3–18 are children. Look at each place's ticket price table.
Do we pay for the children in an airport taxi?
A fixed airport taxi fare is per vehicle, so the price does not change with the number of children (example: Nagoya MK Taxi).
📍 One of the articles in our Nagoya trip plan (Nagoya | Trip plan for large families / all tips articles)