I would like to travel from Mt Koyasan to Karatsu to see the Hikiyama festival on Nov 1, 2014. Any suggestions how to travel this distance? I am afraid to miss connections, does it make sense to make reservations in advance? I am assuming I just show my rail pass, I do not need to buy individual tickets (unless I use non JP rail transportation). I am thinking to by the first class (green) JP rail pass for 14 days. How do I make reservations? Do I need to be in Japan or is it possible to reserve before reaching Japan (book online)?
Thanks,
E. David