Originally Posted by mario33
A couple of questions on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) :
1) Do all seats face the direction which the train is travelling or do some seats face the opposite direction ? Is it possible to specify the direction the seat faces when making seat reservations ?
2) Do I need to make advanced reservations and I can do it on the internet ?
Thanks.
(unable to use search function)
Unless you're traveling during a peak period (like a national holiday or school vacations), you can usually get by without an advance reservation between Tokyo and Kyoto, because the trains leave every 5 to 10 minutes.
You can make reservations for ANY JR train or bus at most JR stations throughout the country. Look for the "Midori no Madoguchi," the "Green Window," which is marked with kind of a square, green cloverleaf sign and which may actually be a room rather than a window in the larger stations. If you don't speak Japanese, write down what you want in clear, block letters. The clerk will check availability, and if there is room on your desired run, you pay for and receive your tickets right there. (Often the larger stations have Midori no Madoguchi clerks who speak English.)