We're traveling in September ...

Hi Lynette,

I assume that you mean Sept.16 Respected-for-the-Aged and Sept.23 Autumnal Equinox Day. -
These are indeed national holidays but not as busy such as golden week or the new years period. I think you should not have any problem finding seats but I would recommend making your seat reservation a day in advance just to be sure. A Green Pass would not be necessary but is certainly nice if you want to skip some of the crowds and enjoy a much more relaxed travel experience.

I do think that a 7 day JR Pass would work out very well for your itinerary, you can use it for all train travel from Sept 19 - 25 and the return Tokyo - Osaka/Kobe alone would pay for the pass. So you would make some rather nice savings with all the extra travel.

I hope this helps!
Daniel

Thank you so much Daniel for your super helpful guidance and information. I do have one more question.

If we choose to purchase the regular JR Pass, is it possible / is there any way to upgrade for the trip from Osaka to Tokyo?

Many Thanks, Lynette

Hi Lynette,

If you wish to travel Green Class with the normal pass, than only the basic fare is covered and you will have to pay the limited express fare and Green fare.

For Osaka - Tokyo this would be the following.
Total:¥ 18,390 (Fare:¥ 8,510 Seat Fee:¥ 9,880)

The fare ¥ 8,510 would be covered by the JR Pass, however you would have to pay the seat fee ¥ 9,880 for the Green Class upgrade.

Note that the above only applies if you wish to travel using a Green Class seat and have a normal JR Pass.

I would suggest going for the Green Pass if you do want to travel Osaka - Tokyo on a green class as the upgrade cost from normal to green for the 7 day JR Pass is ¥ 9,500, which is even cheaper than paying for traveling Green Class one way.

I hope this is all clear!
Daniel