reservations and trains schedules

Hi there!

For travel planning and route information be sure to use Hyperdia.com, this is a great website which we use daily to look up fares, travel times and other relevant information.

It does take a little bit to get used too, since Hyperdia displays a lot (and I really mean A LOT!) of information. We have a great BLOG POST to help you get started.

As for Seat Reservations going to the station 15-20 minutes before departed and reserving tickets then and there generally works just fine, it is only during busy national holidays that seat reservations in advance are required.

The JR Pass does allow you to make all the reservations you want, the moment that you have your actual pass, so you could just reserve everything beforehand - this may be useful for instance if you really have to be on a certain train.

Hope this helps!
Daniel-san