JR Pass - Seat reservations

Hi there,

On most trains you don't have to make a seat reservation. Most trains will have unreserved seats besides the reserved seat wagons. It is very much recommended though that you reserve a seat, as you will be sure to have a nice seat. Also during busy times, if you don't reserve a seat, it may be very hard to find any seat at all.

Don't forget that the nice thing about the JR Pass is that any seat reservation you make is completely free!

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Thanks Daniel.
I'll use the JR Pass between 23th and 29th April (busy time!, now I know). Arriving Narita airport, can I activate my pass and make all the reservations there?

Thanks,
IP

Hi IP,

Yes you can exchange your rail-pass directly at Narita and book all the reservations for your trip at the same time.

Enjoy your travel time,
Daniel

Thank you Daniel, is it easy to find the place at the airport? Do you think I will have trouble making reservations in such a busy time?

Thanks,

IP

Yes it is very easy to find the JR Ticket Centre at Narita Airport.

When you go town to the trains look for this sign:

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/centeredeast/files/2010/03/jr-tickets.png

You can't miss it!

As for making reservations I don't think you should have any problem what-so-ever getting your tickets.
I once made a last minute trip during golden week (national week off), which is the most busy travel week of the year in Japan and even then was able to get a seat.

If you have anymore questions let me know!
-Daniel

I want to book and reserve two seats from Hakuba to Siba/Tokyo Tower/Tokyo. What bookings will I need to make?
Thanks----------Ralph.

Hi there!

For Hakuba to Tokyo the reservation should be fairly easy to make on this route. We have a great blog post on making seat reservations here to help you in the process of making a reservation, but it should be as easy as visiting the JR ticket office with your JR Pass and presenting your JR Pass for your free reservation.

Hope this helps!