Hello
Update on this topic.
I just came back from Japan and yes I used Japan Rail Pass.
I exchanged my pass at Narita Airport Terminal 1 and I asked if my wife had to be at the exchange office.
According to the JR staff, a person does not need to be physically at the exchange office.
As long as a represent has her passport (with proofs) and JR Pass exchange ticket (forgot an official name), a represent can receive JR pass for somebody else.
So my wife and two little children waited upstair near airport bus stop and I just went downstair to the JR office to exchange the passes for myself, my wife and kids. It made it so easier especially with so many lagguages and small kids.
Big H