Originally Posted by
mapleg
The Sakura trains between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima only have a small amount of green car seating (1/2 car only).
I have had difficulty sometimes even getting a few green car seats...getting 9 at once will be a challenge, and they certainly will not be in a solid group.
I haven't had a problem getting two green car seats on the Sakura, but yeah, nine seats might be a problem. Still, on the Sakura regular reserve seating isn't much different from green car seating. The decor of the cars is just a little different. (And they probably don't pass through with the snack cart quite as often.)
You don't *have to* get a green car with a green car pass. Easiest thing is to take a Hikari green car to Shin-Osaka, then switch to regular reserved on the Sakura to Hiroshima.