Originally Posted by
jib71
But some travel agencies offer Kyoto packages (including trains and hotels) that can offer roughly equivalent savings as getting a JR pass and booking hotels separately. Some of those deals are with Nozomi trains.
As I always say, check the Sunrise tour - for the price they'd be paying separately, they could stay at a top flight hotel.
And you can use the ticket at anytime that day for an unreserved seat on the shinkansen.