Hakutaka

As of 16 March 2024, the service is structured as five daily return services between Tokyo and Tsuruga, nine daily return services between Tokyo and Kanazawa, and one daily return service between Nagano and Kanazawa. On the Tokyo–Jōetsumyōkō section, Tokyo, Ueno, Ōmiya and Nagano are served by all trains; from Jōetsumyōkō to Kanazawa and Tsuruga, Hakutaka calls at every station. The maximum speed is 275 km/h, reached on the Ōmiya–Takasaki section. From the 13 March 2021 timetable revision, the maximum speed between Ueno and Ōmiya (within Saitama Prefecture only) was raised from 110 km/h to 130 km/h, shortening journey times.

Hakutaka services are operated using JR East E7 series and JR West W7 series twelve-car train sets, based at Nagano and Hakusan depots respectively, both in service since 14 March 2015. In each formation, with car 1 at the Tokyo end, cars 1 to 10 are ordinary-class cars with 2+3 seating, cars 1 to 4 non-reserved and cars 5 to 10 reserved; car 11 is a reserved Green car with 2+2 seating, and car 12 a reserved Gran Class car with 2+1 seating. All cars are no-smoking. On 12 October 2019, Typhoon Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19, the 2019 East Japan Typhoon) breached the levee of the Chikuma River, flooding the Nagano Shinkansen depot and parts of the main line and its facilities; ten E7 and W7 series sets, one-third of the Hokuriku Shinkansen fleet, were submerged and services were suspended on part of the line. Operation over the whole line resumed on 25 October 2019. The name was first carried by a limited express that began running on 1 October 1965 between Ueno in Tokyo and Kanazawa via Naoetsu and was discontinued on 15 November 1982. It was reinstated on 22 March 1997 for limited expresses jointly operated by JR West, Hokuetsu Express and JR East linking Kanazawa with Echigo-Yuzawa on the Joetsu Shinkansen via the newly built Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line, where the trains later reached up to 160 km/h. The last Hakutaka limited express ran on 13 March 2015, immediately before the Shinkansen service took over the name.

• 1965A Hakutaka limited express is first introduced on 1 October 1965, operating between Ueno in Tokyo and Kanazawa via Naoetsu.
• 1982The original Hakutaka limited express is discontinued from 15 November 1982, following the opening of the Joetsu Shinkansen.
• 1997The Hakutaka name is reinstated on 22 March 1997 for limited expresses jointly run by JR West, Hokuetsu Express and JR East via the new Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line, where the trains later reach up to 160 km/h.
• 2013On 10 October 2013, JR East and JR West announce that the name Hakutaka will be used for the limited-stop service after the Nagano–Kanazawa extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
• 2015On 14 March 2015 the Hakutaka name is transferred to new Shinkansen services running between Tokyo and Kanazawa as the Hokuriku Shinkansen opens beyond Nagano; the last Hakutaka limited express had run the previous day, 13 March 2015.
• 2019On 12 October 2019, Typhoon Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19, the 2019 East Japan Typhoon) breaches the Chikuma River levee, flooding the Nagano Shinkansen depot and submerging ten E7/W7 sets — one-third of the Hokuriku Shinkansen fleet; full-line service resumes on 25 October 2019.
• 2021From the 13 March 2021 timetable revision, the maximum speed between Ueno and Ōmiya (within Saitama Prefecture only) is raised from 110 km/h to 130 km/h, shortening journey times.
• 2024On 16 March 2024, with the Kanazawa–Tsuruga extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Hakutaka service is extended to run between Tokyo and Tsuruga.