My girlfriend an me will travel to Japan for 3,5 weeks with the rail pass.
Do we have to reserve seats in trains before the depature? Or could we just take any free seats?
It seems like reservations are not cheap and I dont know why we should pay twice…?
4 comments
You can just show your JR Pass at the Shinkansen ticket counter and ask to reserve a seat for the next train to wherever you’re going. I never paid a cent extra.
Use the SmartEX app to reserve seats with the pass. It’s really convenient.
It doesn’t cost extra to reserve a seat with a rail pass. Even then, the upcharge for a reserved seat isn’t much more than an unreserved seat.
Personally, I only bother with a reserved seat when I’m on busy lines or during busy hours, but it’s probably not the smartest choice.
If it is busy there is a chance there are no seats left in the unreserved section and you will be standing.