Beltway2A

I know this is a perennial topic, but my search didn't turn up any threads in the last few years, so I figured I'd check with folks more familiar with the area. I'm currently planning to land in Tokyo on August 8, and I'd like to book two Shinkansen trips as follows.

Odawara Station -> Shin-Osaka Station on August 10 (Thursday)

Shin-Osaka Station -> Tokyo Station on August 12 (Saturday)

I know this period is going to be quite busy, so I'm counting a few things. Please let me know if my understanding is incorrect.

1. I can book Shinkansen tickets from an automated kiosk at Haneda when I land, even if the JR ticket office is closed.

2. Traffic will largely be going away from Tokyo on the 12th, so the route towards the city should be lighter.

I'm looking forward to the train ride in particular, so I'm willing to buy Green Car seats if those are the only seats available. I'm also willing to buy an air ticket for the return to Tokyo, but would prefer to take the train.

Please let me know what you think.

AlwaysAisle

1. I can book Shinkansen tickets from an automated kiosk at Haneda when I land, even if the JR ticket office is closed.
Haneda Airport is not served by JR Line, hence there is no automated ticket machine at Haneda Airport. Closest I recommend will be Shinagawa Station, take keikyu Line from Haneda Airport and takes 11-20 minutes to Shinagawa depending on a train you take.

At JR Shinagawa Station View Plaza which sells JR tickets close at 11:00 p.m. Ticket reservation machines located at south transfer area close at 10:50 p.m. and ticket reservation machines located at north ticket area close at 11:50 p.m.

At Haneda International Terminal arrival floor, after coming out from customs, there is a Tourist Information Office open till 1 a.m. which is supposed to sell JR tickets also. However, I never used their service so I do not know if they sell JR tickets till 1 a.m. or if their service is limited, etc.

2. Traffic will largely be going away from Tokyo on the 12th, so the route towards the city should be lighter.
Not necessary. You are planning to take Shinkansen between Osaka and Tokyo, two largest city in Japan. Traffic is usually heavy on both direction even during normal travel days. Yes, when look at numbers, at beginning of Obon there may be larger number of passengers traveling from Tokyo to Osaka than Osaka to Tokyo. But that does not mean Shinkansen form Osaka to Tokyo will be lightly traveled.

I'm looking forward to the train ride in particular, so I'm willing to buy Green Car seats if those are the only seats available.
During Obon trying for Green Car does not mean easier to get a reservation. Local Japanese are fully aware (more than you are) regarding traveling during Obon and many will intentionally try to get Green Car at same time as regular car, ask reservation agent any seats you can get, so Green Car does not always remain unsold when regular car is fully booked.

You are arriving to Japan two days before your schedule train ride to Osaka. During Obon trains sell out more than a week in advance. On popular trains on popular day, nothing unusual for a train during Obon to sell out on the day reservation start on a month before the travel.

P.S.
I know I painted not so pretty picture of traveling during Obon. When I had to travel during Obon I did try to get tickets one month in advance when ticket sales start. But often on news I do hear when trains are fully booked starting from the first train in the morning at 6 a.m. departure, but say some late afternoon or late evening trains still have some opening.

Be flexible with your travel time. If trains are fully booked on time of the day you want to travel, then try trains after 6 or 7 p.m. Yes, you may get to your destination hotel after 10 p.m. but may able to find reserve seat available.

Yes, there will be non-reserve seating available, but during Obon often there are lines to get on non-reserve seating and be prepared for standing room only.

Beltway2A

Thanks for the reality check, AlwaysAisle. I'll be landing around 7:15pm, and my hotel for the first night is close to Shinagawa station, so I'll stop and purchase tickets there.

I understand that I'm taking some chances with ticket availability, and there may very well be nothing left. I suppose all I can really do now is cross my fingers and hope for the best. Either way, thank you for adjusting my expectations.

mcrw00

Remember that if you really want to get on the train you can buy standing room only tickets (for the price of non-reserved standard seats...it's the same ticket)!

AlwaysAisle

Have you seen annual new footage of Tokyo station Shinkansen platform footage during Obon? There is often long lines forming people trying to get on non-reserved standing room only. People often have to let go one or two trains because lines are that long and trains are that packed.

That is at Tokyo station, forget about getting on at Shinagawa station on non-reserved standing room only during obon. From Osaka, trying to get on Shinkansen heading to Tokyo in non-reserve standing room only at Kyoto station during Obon can be difficult. Even from Shin-Osaka is not that easy during Obon. From Osaka, during Obon, it is not unusual that people will go to Shin-Kobe station to catch Shinkansen to Tokyo because it will be easier than catching Shinkansn from Shin-Osaka.

Beltway2A

Very true. Like AlwaysAisle mentioned, I'm also willing to wait for a later train, especially on the second journey. It's a leisure trip, so I don't have to be anywhere at a particular time.

I went ahead and purchased a ticket from ITM-HND on the 12th though. There's a 430 Yen refund fee and a 1000 yen cancellation fee, but $12.50 for peace of mind isn't too bad. Now I've just got to get from Odawara to Shin-Osaka.

AlwaysAisle

This year peak of Obon vacation period is from Friday, August 11 to Wednesday, August 16. Your travel from Odawara to Shin-Osaka is on Aug. 10 so possible that you dodge the peak travel season. You have two choices for Shinkansen travel.

First is Hikari. Hikari will not stop till Nagoya after departing Odawara, skipping 8 stations. Travel time from Odawara to Shin-Osaka on Hikari is 2 hr. and 18 min. However, this Hikari which stops at Odawara runs every two hours only.

Then there is Kodama, which stops at all stations. Kodama runs twice every hour, 6 minute on hour and 36 minute on hour. Kodama departing 6 minute on hour only runs to Nagoya, need to transfer at Nagoya to continue for Shin-Osaka. Kodama departing 36 minute on hour goes all the way to Shin-Osaka, which journey from Odawara to Shin-Osaka is 3 hrs. and 14 min. Kodama sometime stops at one station for 10 min., to give way to faster running Hikari and Kodama.

Fares on Hikari and Kodama are same, but likely you will have better chance to get a reserve seat on Kodama. However, also note that Hikari has snacks and drinks sales by wagon onboard, where Kodama does not have any snacks or drinks sales onboard.

Beltway2A

Thanks. I've been checking the timetables on Hyperdia, and I have a list of options I've ranked by preference. My ryokan close enough to both Hakone-Yumoto and Odawara that I can be pretty flexible with time. I'm also sending my checked bag from the airport to my Tokyo hotel for August 12, so I'll be traveling on the lighter side.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

mcrw00

Though this is true, I would always recommend station bento / "駅弁" over onboard sales for a delicious train experience.

These are typically available inside the shinkansen gates.

AlwaysAisle

Just one more thing… Every year during busy travel season of Obon, JR Tokai will run additional schedule service on Shinkansen, which is unlikely to appear on Hyperdia. Those additional schedule service tend to be concentrated on Nozomi, which does not stop at Odawara. Hence, traveling from Odawara to Shin-Osaka, there is likely that there are no major additional service beside regular schedule service. But never know, so when you buy a reserved seat ticket and are given a train which is not listed on Hyperdia, do not get warned. Hyperdia usually does not list those additional schedule service which run only during peak travel season.

Beltway2A

Awesome, that's great to know. I'll have to keep an eye out for the additional trains. Taking a Nozomi was among the reasons I was looking forward to the Shin-Osaka to Tokyo route (I've taken the Odawara to Shinagawa route before, and while nice, isn't the same as being on a Nozomi).

Agreed! I was looking forward to the Ekiben experience. Oh well.

Because I'm a worrywart, I ended up booking both HND-ITM and the reverse, seemingly for a price comparable to what the train would have been. It's a Tokubin1 fare which JAL, which it appears I can refund minus $25 (total). I'm looking forward to cancelling one or both of them.

Beltway2A

I wanted to update this for anyone reading in the future.

After emailing around a few hotels, I found some that were willing to buy tickets on my behalf for pickup when I arrive. I did have to fax in an authorization form and pay a reasonable service fee, which I assume are standard. But the most important thing to me is that I have tickets.

I'm looking forward to the journey.

MasterGeek

I am traveling from Osaka to Hiroshima by Shinkansen on August 10 and returning back to Osaka on August 11 (The plan is to spend a night in Miyajima). Will I be in peak Obon ?

I am planning to use the JR West Kansai Hiroshima Area 5-day pass which costs 13,500 JPY but does NOT come with seat reservation

• August 10 Osaka to Hiroshima: I should be able to get a non-reserved seat on Mizuho or Sakura shinkansen because these trains start empty at Shin-Osaka station. Also, August 10 is not a public holiday. Am I right in my assumption that I should be able to get a non-reserved seats without much issue ?
  
• August 11 Hiroshima to Osaka: Things look more tricky and more "peaky". It's a public holiday and I don't think there is any shinkansen train that starts empty in Hiroshima towards Osaka. However it seems like peak traffic will be in the opposite direction (Osaka to Hiroshima/Fukuoka) from what I read on the web. Will it be hard to get a seat ?

Is it worth it to shell out 5,500 JPY more and get the JR West Sanyo-San'in Area 7-day Pass for 19,000 JPY which comes with the ability to reserve seats ?

Thanks

Pickles

Small pedanteration: Haneda is served by a JR Line. The monorail is part of JR. That's why there is a "green window" ticket office at Haneda, where you can buy pretty much any ticket you want on the JR network, and exchange your JR passes.

abmj-jr

In this case, and assuming you don't have any other longer rail travel planned, I might skip the Rail Pass option and just buy tickets as needed. That is hard to admit as I am usually a Rail Pass fan but I would think flexibility might be quite important in your case and every Rail Pass comes with at least some restrictions on which trains or rail cars you can use. I'd make seat reservations for all trains as soon as I could after arrival, even if I had to shell out the extra for green car seating, which might be all that is left.