Originally Posted by susiesan

I will be visiting Japan in November for 5 days as a stopover on the way home from a vacation in Myanmar. I plan to get a JR pass, go straight to Kyoto after arriving NRT at 6;45am and base there. I need to go to Kurashiki for sure and may also visit Nara.

Last time I used a JR pass there were no limits as to type of train you could take. Of course, this was over 10 years ago. When did the restriction on using the nozomi trains come in and why?

I was looking at hyperdia and there are not many hikari trains between Tokyo and Kyoto; majority are nozomi. Are tourists being forced on to slower trains?