Japan Rail Pass Questions 2017
 

We have used the rail pass many times but it was 10 years ago since we were in Japan and there have been some changes. I would really appreciate hearing from others who have had recent experience on the trains.

If we buy a 'Green Card' rail pass can we automatically get a seat in the Green Car carriages without a reservation?
We are traveling between these destinations
Tokyo - Hiroshima
Hiroshima - Himeji - Kinosaki
Kyoto - Nagoya
Nagoya - Takayama
Takayama - Tokyo


There seem to be very few if any trains other than Nozumi which leave early in the morning. Nothing before 8am in a few locations. Am I reading this wrong.

In Hyperdia I want to put Hiroshima - Himeji - Kinosaki but can only put one destination.

We are traveling in April 1 - 16th so quite a busy time and we will have airplane carry on bags to take with us therefore is it best to get the last seats in the carriage and put our bags behind the seats. There are 8 adults traveling together.

It has been suggested that I print of from HyperDia a copy of all of the trains we want to book and then in Tokyo get reservations on all of these trips. Does this mean we ALL need to go to Tokyo or Shinjuku Station office to do this. We are staying 3 days in Ueno.

The trip planning is coming together really well thanks to Fodors Forum and I will post a trip report when we return.

>>In Hyperdia I want to put Hiroshima - Himeji - Kinosaki but can only put one destination.

Hiroshima- Himeji- Kinosaki Onsen is a one of several routes. All the routes go through Himeji, so using the Pass or Via option won't help.

If you are stopping in Himeji then you just need to search the two routes.

One thing you should do is un-check the Ordinary Train option because you just want shinkansen and limited express trains.

Also, if you un-check Nozomi (if you are using a JR Pass) then that will knock out a few options that you don't want.

Look in the "Seat Fee" column for a drop-down list for each train. If the train has a Green Car then that option will be on the list.

It depends on what the card specifies. As far as I know Shinkansen are not included and just normal train with no reservations.

>>best to get the last seats in the carriage and put our bags behind the seats

Yes, I suppose. The last row is by the door which can be a minor annoyance.

More important, I think, is that you get two couples to sit in consecutive rows on one side of the car. Then, one couple can turn their seats around to face the other couple. Then have the other two couples do the same, across the aisle.

>>get reservations on all of these trips. Does this mean we ALL need to go to Tokyo or Shinjuku Station office to do this. We are staying 3 days in Ueno.

You definitely want to get seat reservations, in advance, for a group of that size.

You can take care of all your JR business at JR Ueno station. You can do the JR Pass exchange and/or get seat reservations at the JR Ticket Office (midori no madoguchi, aka info center).

My GUESS is that tour agents can take care of business for their tour group, so you might be able to do it for yours.

If you are using JR Passes, then you would need to take all of the passports. To get the JR passes you would also need to take their exchange vouchers. To get reserved seats for no charge, you would need to take their JR passes along with their passports.

You can just buy the seat reservations for your group without taking any documentation. You can buy fare tickets at the same time, if you aren't using JR passes.

That is to say that buying a fare ticket and buying a seat reservations are separate transactions.

I am ALMOST certain that you can buy seat reservations and then get a refund later if you have a JR Pass that covers the date of travel.

So, you can go to Ueno station on Day 1, by yourself, and buy 8 seat reservation tickets for a train on Day 5. Then on Day 5 (or earlier) you all go to the station and do the exchange for your JR passes and get refunds for the reserved seat tix.

You can get your JR Pass at Ueno station if you have a voucher, aka "exchange order", that you bought before leaving for Japan.

Ueno station is not on the list of stations where you can purchase a JR Pass in Japan without an exchange order/voucher.

http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/exchange.html

All Green Car seats are reserved. You can use a Green Car pass to travel in ordinary cars with reserved seats or in ordinary unreserved cars.

My comment about turning the seats around is meant for ordinary cars. The seat pairs are on a bench that can be spun around to face in the opposite direction. The green car seats that I rode in were on, more or less, a platform and I don't think they could be turned around.

But the idea of getting two consecutive rows on both sides of the train is a good idea, no matter the rows.