For my itinerary, the JR Pass doesn't make financial sense, so I will be buying tickets as I travel. In two instances of my trip I want to stop enroute (Nara to Kyoto, stopping in Uji; and Kyoto to Kanazawa, stopping in Hikone). Do I have to buy two tickets (i.e., Nara to Uji, Uji to Kyoto), or can I buy just the one (i.e., Nara to Kyoto)?
Also, I will be traveling from Matsumoto to Tokyo on October 11. I read about peak days to reserve seats. Is this a date I should reserve in advance?
