osnabuluru

I'm very confused...I've researched, but am having very little luck getting specific answers. I appreciate any help you can give me.
First, I will need 4 tickets, and I want first class on 3 of the 4. It's actually a little more expensive to go with JR pass, so I want to buy 4 different tickets. I'm going during Golden Week, so I would love to get the tickets and reserved seats before I leave.
So, I have lots of questions about this.
First, is it possible to get the tickets (not the pass) before I leave the US? If so, would you direct me to a website that can handle this?
Second, if it isn't, can I get all 4 tickets at the train ticket office in the station? (Or better, at Narita airport)?
Third, when I do get the tickets, can I request a seat assignment? I am afraid with it being a very popular time of year, I will be stuck standing for a couple of hours.
And finally (fourth) once I have the ticket(s), I can probably figure out the platform and the gate, etc. But I read something about having to stand in line. Having traveled only on Amtrak and European trains, this is something I'm inexperienced at and I would like to clarify. I know there's a painted section on the floor where the train will ultimately arrive. On the ticket, I'll see a train # and a compartment #? Then I find the painted section for the compartment # and stand in line? Do I need to do that if I have a seat assignment, too?
Thank you so much in advance!
Felicia

thursdaysd

Recommend reading this: https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm

osnabuluru

Thank you, but that's one of the websites I looked at, and it doesn't answer the specific questions I have. As a matter of fact, they highly encourage the JR Pass, which if even I got doesn't answer the other questions. I appreciate your reply, but as many things they put out there, it doesn't answer my questions.

thursdaysd

Really? You actually read it? Because it doesn't seem like it.

How to buy train tickets, both at home and in-country, right at the beginning: https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#How_to_buy_tickets

Also: "Tickets for the reserved cars cost a little more but come with a allocated seat so you're sure of somewhere to sit. Green cars are always reserved so tickets always come with an allocated seat. " From: https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#class

Getting to your train and seat:
https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#Travel_tips

And yes, you stand in line even with a reservation so that boarding goes quickly and smoothly.

kja

At the risk of getting slammed for not providing information in the precise way that you think most useful, here's another resource:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2019.html

CaliforniaLady

First of all, the JR passes are rarely worth the money, unless you are moving around quickly. I always check the math, and have never found it to be cheaper than individual tickets, so your calculations are not surprising to me.

Thursdays and kja have already sent you links to answer your questions, but I would like to offer some reassurance about train travel in Japan. There are lots of employees at the train stations, and the locals are extremely helpful in directing you to the correct carriage. I typically keep my ticket securely in my hand, and if I'm not sure where to go, I simply flash the ticket to whoever is nearby. Everyone in Japan loves to help foreigners, you will be pleasantly surprised. Also, the so called lines are extremely orderly. There are footprints on the ground where you are to stand. There is no pushing or shoving. In fact, you will most likely be ushered to the front of the line, as an honored guest.

Regarding seats, I would sit in the very first row, if that is an option. The reason is, there is more space there (think airline bulkhead seats), and you can keep your luggage there with you. Otherwise, you will have to put it in the back of the carriage, or in the high racks above the seats.

Lastly, do not throw away your ticket until you have exited the train station. On our first trip to Japan, I was surprised that someone actually wanted to see our tickets when leaving. I'm not sure why.

thursdaysd

Mara

fyi, concerning luggage on some shinkansen trains, new rules came into effect a few months ago about what sizes are allowed, see this link:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html#news

tt7

A generalisation that is simply not true. It may be true in your case but in general it most definitely is not. You just do the arithmetic, tweak your schedule if appropriate and make a decision. It appears the OP has already done that.

For the OP, the one thing you haven’t said is where you’re going and when (time frame). Without that information, it’s hard to provide meaningful advice. You state that on 3 of the 4 journeys, you want ‘first class’ - why?

thursdaysd

LAX_Esq

Um, tt7, what a shameless misquoting of the post to which you responded. This is the full paragraph of the half-sentence you selectively quoted:

EVERYONE in this thread -- including the post to which you responded -- is saying the exact same thing: that the pass is worth the money if you move around a lot, that the pass is not worth the money if you don't move around a lot, and that one should do the math based on the trip s/he wants to take.

You and CaliforniaLady are saying the exact same thing. The generalization that you quoted (that the passes are rarely worth the money) is immediately followed by: (1) a caveat that tells when the generalization is not true (i.e., when one is moving around a lot); and (2) information about how to apply the generalization (i.e., do the math for your individual trip). Unfortunately, you deliberately decided to only quote half of the first sentence of the entire paragraph.

tt7, not sure why you felt the need to pick a fight to make yourself look smart and others look bad!

CaliforniaLady

I was about to scold tt7 for misquoting me, but LAX did it much more eloquently than I. tt7 - I accept your apology in advance, and please edit your post to remove the fake news.

tt7

Scold all you like. Your statement that “JR Passes are rarely worth the money” is simply wrong. Yes, of course you have to do the arithmetic but that doesn’t make your inaccurate statement any truer. If anybody needs to edit their post, it’s you.

tt7

I didn’t misquote anybody and I certainly didn’t pick a fight .... though that seems to be what you want to do.

osnabuluru

Yes, I did. Although I'll admit you did have me second guessing myself, because I did read a lot of stuff prior to coming to this website, where I figured I could get the answers.

I went back just now and read it again. While this website does answer some questions, I'm not sure it answers mine. For instance, it states you can buy mainline tickets (I assume that refers to non-JR pass tickets) thru Voyagin, but it says Shinkhansen tickets thru them, and some of the routes I want are not Shinkhansen. Thus, we are back to my original question.

Then I read a little further, and I see I can buy all 4 of my tickets from one place in the station. Can I buy at Narita, too? I wasn't sure.
Also, I'm still not sure if I wait, can I get the tickets, since it states that there are plenty of seats unless you go during a busy time, and I AM in fact going during a busy time. So that question isn't answered to my satisfaction either.
Next, that website does tell you how to purchase a ticket from the machine, but it doesn't say if you can purchase a specific seat. Since I do not want to stand for 1 hr or longer, I do want a seat.

But I see your answer that YES I will have an allocated seat on reserved cars; however, if I buy the ticket at the station the day of travel, well I'm not really reserving a car, I'm just buying a ticket.

Let's pretend I'm 9 years old. I've traveled to over 100 countries and to all the states in the US, so I'm not totally inept, but this has me second guessing a lot.

Thank you for sending me the information that you sent.
Felicia

osnabuluru

Thank you, Kja.....I never slammed you or anyone and appreciate ALL the help I can get.
Felicia

osnabuluru

Californialady - thank you for the reassurance! I have been worried, but it sounds like you don't think that's necessary. Also, I was surprised and checked myself several times, but on Hyperdia, the rates are less expensive to get individual tickets than the pass, like you said happens sometimes. Thanks again.

osnabuluru

Thanks - this is helpful. I am going to have a carryon and a small backpack the whole time, so I'm good. That's the best when you're traveling alone, IMO.

osnabuluru

I'm going from Tokyo to Takayama, then from Takayama to Kyoto and then to Kobe then back to Tokyo. And this is 3rd week of April thru 1st wk of May. You want to know why do I want 1st class on only 3 of the 4 journeys? Or why do I want it at all? Since I'm not sure what you're asking, I'll answer both. I don't want to pay for 1st class on the short train journey. Just saving a bit of money on that. But I want 1st class so I can be guaranteed a seat assignment on the others. Am I not thinking correctly? Let me know. Thanks.

tt7

Firstly, you cannot buy tickets more than one month in advance. There is no need to buy tickets from sites such as Voyagin as they are not doing anything that you can't do for yourself once you get to Japan. They may purport to sell you a Shinkansen ticket now for a journey in April but all they are doing is sitting on your money for a few months until tickets go on sale (and charging you a premium for the privilege).

Although late April, early May is a 'busy' time of year, the only part of it you need to have any concerns about is Golden Week, which in 2020 is April 29 to May 5. That said, I wouldn't anticipate that you would have any great trouble getting tickets/seats. Trains are frequent (there are 150+ Shinkansens daily between Tokyo and Kyoto...) and so, provided you have some flexibility as to the precise time you travel, you shouldn't have any issues if you get tickets in advance.

Long-distance trains in Japan are comfortable. On the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto (and beyond), the seats in the regular carriages are in a 3 x 2 configuration. The seats are similar to airline economy seats but have much, much better legroom. We have only ever travelled in the regular cars and have never felt the need to sit in the Green (first class) car. Those seats are 2 x 2 so, yes, they're a bit nicer but .... I would save your money and just use the regular cars. Obviously, your call (as it's your money!) but I would stick to the regular cars unless Green car is the only way to get a seat reservation on the specific train that you want to take.

Use the website at Hyperdia to research train times. Some links -

Tokyo to Takayama. There are two ways of doing this - west to Nagoya and then north from there, or northwest to Toyama and then south from there. See the first two route outputs in the link.

Note that the fare is the total at the top of each output (¥16,120 and ¥15,190 for the first two in this example and not the fare in the column in the middle (¥8,030 or ¥8,910). That amount is just the "base fare" and doesn't include the express fee or the seat fee. Hyperdia lumps those two together and just calls them a "seat fee" - if you click on the dropdown in the "seat fee" column, you'll see that you don't save much by opting for a non-reserved seat (and note that some trains may be reserved-seats only).

Underneath each train name, you'll see a "Train timetable" and an "Interval timetable" link. Those links will give you (a) a schedule of where the train stops and when and (b) a schedule of all the trains for the day.

On the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto and beyond, the seats in the regular cars are designated A-B-C and D-E. The seats on the D-E side are on the Mt. Fuji side of the train (if that is of interest) both coming and going .... the seats rotate so that they are always facing forward but the train doesn't, so E is always closest to Fuji. On that line, the trains are usually 16 cars, probably 3 Green cars, 3 unreserved cars and the rest regular cars. Car 1, Row 1 is at the front heading west (and Car 16, Row 20 at the back, if it's a regular car) ... and vice versa heading east.

Takayama to Kyoto. Back down south to Nagoya and then from there to Kyoto is the obvious way. However, you could also go back north to Toyama and from there to Kyoto via Kanazawa. Kanazawa is certainly worth a couple of days if time permits. In Kanazawa, don't miss Kenrokuen.

Kyoto to Kobe. In this link, you might wonder "where's the Shinkansen?" It's here - Kyoto to Shin-Kobe. Like Osaka (Shin-Osaka), the Shinkansen stops at Shin-Kobe and not Kobe.

Shin-Kobe to Tokyo. You haven't said how long you're spending in each place but if time permits, Himeji is worth a day trip.

You can get all the tickets when you get to Japan. Have screenshots (or printouts) from Hyperdia showing the trains you want and just show them to the ticket office staff. Finding your way is usually straightforward - platforms are well-marked and there's lots of English signage. If all else fails, just stand there looking like a clueless gaijin and it won't be long before someone offers to help (and unlike many countries where you'd be wary of anybody offering to "help" you, we've always found these offers genuine - Japanese people will often go out of their way to help, including taking you to where you're trying to go).