I think I more or less have the JR Pass down, but I have some questions. We are going to splurge for the Green Car pass. Here are the questions:

1. Do you have to make reservations on the trains to use the green car pass?
2. If not, are there dedicated non-reserved and reserved cars?
3. Or are there just certain seats which are reserved? If so, how do you know?
4. Are the train cars marked clearly?

We will certainly make reservations for the Tokyo to Kyoto run, but also plan on using the JR Pass for many days trips from Tokyo and Kyoto.

5. Will it be OK (in September) just to show up and hop on a train?

Thanks for the answers!

I've only encountered trains with one green car, and I've never ridden in a green car. The regular cars are very nice, so I've never bothered to pay the extra. I'm not sure about smoking/non-smoking division...maybe there is a designated smoking area?

It seems that there are reserved and non-reserved seats in the green car, and that some green cars have private compartment as well. If you want a private compartment you need to pay the extra charge for using it for the total number of people it holds, though the unoccupied seats are charged at a child fare.

You don't need to make reservations as far as I can tell...and I searched around a lot. I would assume that the reserved seats are somehow identified, but I really don't know how.

Each train has the cars numbered, and each car stops at the corresponding numbered place on the station platform. There are numbers on the floor as well as overhead, and as many trains use the same platform, you will need to be sure you are looking at the right number for the train you want. There are also car maps of many trains posted somewhere in the area, but they aren't always easy to find. The green car is marked.

Green car seldom sells out. Most people only use green car if the non-smoking reserved seats are sold out and they won't be boarding at the train's origin. I wouldn't think you'd need a reservation at all for green car use.

Do note: "There are no Green Cars on most HIKARI and KODAMA trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen line (Shin-Osaka·Hakata), or on TSUBAME trains on the Kyushu Shinkansen line(Shin-Yatsushiro – Kagoshima- ch?? )" - from the JR Pass website information.

What that means is that many of the shinkansens between Tokyo and Kyoto don't have a green car at all...and you can't ride the Nozomi, so you might want to rethink spending the extra money for the green car as it sounds like your main use will be between Tokyo and Kyoto.

But Kim, that statement doesn't say anything about green cars on the Tokaido shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto. The website also says that most shinkansen and limited express trains have green cars.

The green cars are marked with a green logo that has "Green Car" under it. The logo is like a four-leaf clover. The green cars typically have the best access to the escalators of all the cars on the train.

Would be best to get the free seat reservations but there would be no problem passing the ticket gate with the pass or in boarding the green car. You will likely be greeted by a woman in a snappy blue JR uniform who will help you find a seat. Or just find an empty seat and talk to the conductor when he comes by. Ordinary cars are marked outside whether they are reserved or non-reserved. Maybe there is a mix of seats. But if it is all reserved and there are no empty seats then you will have to go back to the ordinary non-reserved car(s).

I expect there would be no problem at all getting a reserved seat in a green car in September. That is after the summer holiday. You very well might find the green car to be empty (on a train other than a Tokaido shinkansen) which is a good reason to NOT take the green car because you are less likely to be rubbing elbows with the Japanese.

It is easy to get reserved seats on the shinkansen when you have a JR Pass. There is a separate counter that issues only the reserved seat. Since most people (the Japanese) are buying tickets they buy their reserved seat at the same time. Which means that the reserved seat line is short and quick.

You are right...it's just about the specific trains mentioned. You are also right about it being no problem to get a reservation/seat in September, even in regular cars. And you are right about being able to "rub elbows" with people in the regular cars.

Honestly, very few "regular people" take the green car option....it's too expensive for not much extra. You'll see some wealthy retired follks with money to burn, a handful of businessmen on a luxe expense account (and not so many of those these days), and then the JR pass folks who splurged on the green car pass. Most of us regular folks would rather suffer in silence while standing in a regular car than pay the extra for green car.