In today’s #Epic race, TPG’s Madison and Nicky sprint across Japan from Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing to Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto in speed and style, with Nicky flying Japan Airlines first class and Madison on the Shinkansen bullet train. Will it be Nicky’s plane, or Madison’s bullet train that wins the day? Watch here and find out!

Madison Blancaflor took the Shinkansen bullet train.
We paid:
Tokyo subway – $2.50
Bullet train – $135
Total: $137.50

Nicky Kelvin took JAL First Class
We paid:
Taxi – $100
Subway – $3.00
Flight – $180
Total: $283

Follow Madison – https://www.instagram.com/madison_ave18/
Follow Nicky – https://www.instagram.com/nickykelvin/

#japanairlines #shinkansen #bullettrains #epicrace #planevstrain #thepointsguy#tokyo #kyoto #kyototrip

36 Comments

  1. Love it when you have Madison with you she's the sweetest. Much love from Vancouver BC 🇨🇦

  2. Awesome video! You can't beat the Japanese Shinkansen. As you guys are in East Asia, could this mean you might be doing other high speed rail vs flying races in the region? Eg, Seoul/Busan, Taipei/Kaohsiung or even Beijing/Shanghai…..?!

  3. Guys you have chosen a beautiful country for one of your adventures what a wonderfuly video to watch brings back memories of my four trips to Japan. cheers Gowra

  4. Watching this just gives me memories of my trip to Tokyo in February. The BEST country I have ever been to and genuinely think nothing will beat it. Everything about the country was amazing. Hopefully I get to go back one day.

  5. Madison could have made it even earlier to Kioto by taking the Yamanote line to Shinagawa station and transfer there on the Shinkansen. Why wasting your time by taking two different subway lines to Tokio station which is a maze for first timers? All Shinkansen trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen line will make a stop at Shinagawa.

  6. It’s surprising for such a innovative and future leaning country, but cash truly is king in Japan 🇯🇵

  7. But you could have gone to Shinagawa station to take the shinkansen which will save some time.

  8. Love Madison, she seems lovely, as to Japan, I have spent a lot of time there and trains are amazing, always on time (even in an Earthquake) BUT the larger stations are a hot mess, hedge mazes are easier to work out than some of the stations I've been to there.

  9. For awhile Nicky did lose to Liam. And Nicky was taking the plane ✈️ and Liam the train 🚆 from one of the UK 🇬🇧 races

  10. LOL. Lot's of artificial drama due to inefficient use of the train system. Other commenters.have already identified them. Madison should've beaten Nicky by 40 minutes. Also, I think Nicky cheated by grabbing a taxi from Itami, but I guess budget is not a factor.

  11. Are you sure you can use the foot rest with your shoes on in the train? 😅 I've seen some Japanese vloggers mentioning no shoe on foot rest?!

  12. Without watching to the end I'd say Shinkansen Nozomi super express would get you there quicker and easier and with nicer food with those awesome bento boxes they serve onboard! 🙂 Flying is boring and more expensive in comparison lol

  13. Anywhere past Kobe in the south, or Sendai in the north, it's better to take flight as it would be faster and also cheaper.

  14. I'm surprised it's still cash only so much in Tokyo. Would have thought smartphones would have been prevalent there. I always got confused between needing two different company metro/train cards.

  15. It’s great to see you finally made it to Japan Nicky! So yes, we are quite a cash based society but it’s been changing and you can now use your credit card in about any major store. A mom-n-pop shop would likely still only take cash though. The Suica card you bought with cash at the teller (the card with the penguin) you can actually buy (and top up) at the ticket machines. The machines also have English menus. You can even use the Suica card at konbinis (convenience stores) and some restaurants too.

    And yes, Japan is incredibly organized. Travel is super efficient and smooth. Airport security treat you with respect (*cough “TSA!”). Even during peak hours the waiting time will only be about 10 minutes, if that.

    The Shinkansen (bullet train) are actually very quiet even when crowded, as are most trains in Japan. People who talk loudly and disrupt the “peace” are a rare sight. In order to not bother other passengers there are special areas with “phone booths.” The size of the seats are generous, probably similar to premium economy on planes?

    When traveling domestically, in general, most people fly instead of taking the Shinkansen because it’s cheaper. Taking the Shinkansen is considered to be more of a luxury because of the slightly higher cost and slower travel time. Having said that, nothing beats watching the beautiful Japan scenery whizz by!

    To be honest, the 100 dollar taxi ride at the end was a bit of a surprise. That is crazy expensive and no resident would pay that amount of money for a taxi. I’m sure there would have been a way from the airport to the shrine by train, which might have taken longer but would be more economical? But of course, this was a race! Loving the vids as always guys and looking forward to the next one!

  16. Awesome race and perfectly done by Madison and Nicky 👍👍

  17. Japan one of the best countries in the world be kind and helpful and give help our family were going to Japan for a holiday then my family was sick so we canceled at least we are going in September

  18. As a person who's witnessed Nicky scranning KFC on Tottenham Court Road, I know for certain that he pre ordered that spaghetti bolognese without shame.

  19. Going west to Osaka/Kyoto, the high-speed rail has got planes beat easily, just wait until the new Maglev line opens to Western Japan, Tokyo – Osaka flights is just gonna be a thing of the past

  20. Why did she got to Tokyo Station? Shibuya to Shinagawa is by far quicker.

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