Reserving Your Seats

How to get a seat reservation:

Japan Rail Pass holders can reserve seats on the bullet train for free. They simply have to look for a JR Pass ticket office (Midori no Mado Guchi), Seat reservation machine or a JR-affiliated travel centre to make the reservations. Passes bought directly on the official Japan Rail Pass Reservation site can book reserved seats online before collection. Exchange Order customers, which includes orders placed through us, book seats once in Japan, either at a reserved seat ticket machine using the pass QR code or at a JR ticket office. Both are free and take a few minutes. You will be asked for your preferred date, time, destination and seating preference. All carriages are now non-smoking, so there is no smoking or non-smoking choice to make. They will then provide you with a ticket that indicates your train name and number, carriage number, row number, seat number, departure time, and arrival time.

NEW: How to book a seat reservation via the new seat reservation machines:

You can now book your seats via the reserved seat ticket machine located at JR stations with your JAPAN RAIL PASS. This makes it easier and you don’t need to line up at the “Midori-no-madoguchi” (ticket office). Please note, some JR stations do not have a reserved seat ticket machine so you may need to use the ticket offices there.

Steps:
1. Scan the QR code on your JAPAN RAIL PASS with the reader on the reserved seat ticket machine (or input the reservation number written on the PASS), and input your passport number.
2.  Input the travel section, date and time, etc., and select the train and facilities.
3. Check the inputs, and if everything is correct, issue the ticket.

Reserved seat tickets can be booked and issued for most of the trains that can be used with a JAPAN RAIL PASS. However, reserved seats may not be booked when they cannot actually be used, such as booking reserved seats for the same time on different trains.

How to read your seat reservation:

When to reserve a seat:

Seat reservations can be made even just a few minutes before a train departs. However, at certain times of the year when there are national holidays being observed, such as the New Year, Obon, or Golden Week, it is advised that you reserve a seat at least three days before your intended travel date.

Those travelling in a group who wish to get seats next to, or close to each other, are urged to make reservations at the start of their trip. Navitime Japan Travel and Jorudan Japan Transit Planner both let you filter for services covered by the pass. Hyperdia, which older guides still recommend, has discontinued its public timetable search.

Japan Rail Pass with Reservation Ticket