Reservations

Hi there,

Unfortunately it is only possible to make seat reservations when you are in Japan, the exception to this is JR East which allows you to make seat reservations for the Tohoku region, this for instance does not include travel to Kyoto.

Still, I don't think that you'll have to worry at all - trains do get busy but you won't have any trouble reserving your tickets in advance if you arrive on Dec 18. I'd suggest making the seat reservations then, just to be sure. In general I would recommand making seat reservation for the New Years day at least 2-3 days in advance but the sooner the better :)