abmj-jr

A lot depends on where you are going to visit. The rail system is so comprehensive and so good that in many areas a car is simply a nuisance. As another poster mentioned, having a rental car in Tokyo, Osaka or any of the other large cities borders on insanity if you are not able to read and speak at least some Japanese. I have made over a dozen 1 to 4-week leisure and working photography visits to almost every part of the 4 main islands without ever needing to rent a car, even though I do speak passable visitor's Japanese. For a first-time visitor, I strongly recommend just using the public transportation system. An experienced return visitor might want to expand the possible destinations by renting a car.

Just my usual contrarian view.

kaka

beep88

No foreign renters most do not read/speak Japanese. But rates will be a lot cheaper if you book from Japanese language sites.

You can use google maps for navigation. There in-car GPS which typically comes with English voice prompt these days, but otherwise mostly Japanese display, including the map.

Some rental companies have better English support, such as Toyota with English phone line 7 days a week for booking, making arrangements for pickup, roadside support, etc. Bilingual cheat sheet or iPad to guide you through the paper work at the counter. Many Nissan locations have English rental contracts.

kaka

sinfonia

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this. While it was interesting to read tips on how to manage it without knowing the language, it sounds like it makes no sense for us to rent. We will be in-country only six days, four of them in Tokyo. For two days, we had hoped to go somewhere within a couple of hours of Tokyo to see countryside and a more traditional slice of Japan. We realize Kyoto is likely the best place for this but given the short amount of time we have, we don't want to spend that many hours in transit between Tokyo and Kyoto, so hope to find somewhere somewhat close to Tokyo. We thought about renting a car for this, but it sounds like it will just be easier for us first-timers to rely on public transportation.

abmj-jr

Tokyo-Kyoto is 2-1/4 hours on the Nozomi shinkansen. MUCH better than driving someplace a "couple of hours" from Tokyo.

Another choice would be to stay in Tokyo and day trip on the train to Kamakura, which is almost like a smaller substitute for Kyoto.

sinfonia

This is excellent! I am so grateful that you shared this. We will definitely plan for Kyoto, then. Thank you!

Do rates vary for this train dependent upon which website I use? If so, any recommendations on the best website for this?

abmj-jr

I use Hyperdia to look up routes, times and rates. HyperDia | Timetable and Route Search in Japan. . It is a schedule site NOT a purchase point.

There is no need to purchase Japanese rail tickets on-line, and it is very difficult to do. Just buy your tickets at a Japan Rail ticket office, located in any JR station. Since you will be in Tokyo for a few days, I'd suggest dropping in at the nearest station a few days in advance to make your reservations. Your hotel can help you decide which station is closest. Most have English-speaking agents but to be sure, you can use one of the larger stations. You might also want to decide whether Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station is more convenient for your departure/return point. Tokyo is more central but very large and congested and can be confusing. Shinagawa is not so central but is much easier to negotiate. Use whichever one is more convenient as direct trains depart from both. In your case, I'd use the more frequent Nozomi trains over the Hikari or Kodama shinkansens. The extra cost only amounts to a couple of dollars.

For the small amount of rail travel you have planned so far, I don't think a Japan Rail Pass would help you much. If you decide to add other longer trips during your stay, you might want to consider it. JAPAN RAIL PASS .

freecia

Yes, buying tickets/reserving seats in person is usually the way to go for tourists.

Just a note to add it is now possible to buy Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen tickets via an app https://smart-ex.jp/en/lp/app/ which is only available in specific countries. Most tourists won't need to pre-purchase. The exception is possibly if you're going during a major holiday or festival, or perhaps not going near a JR ticket office before needing to depart. Round trip via app is slightly less expensive than two one ways.
R/T https://smart-ex.jp/en/common/downlo...ip_reserve.pdf
One Way https://smart-ex.jp/en/common/downlo...ce_reserve.pdf

You can't use the app to reserve seats with a rail pass.

sinfonia

Thanks for these recent posts on purchasing tickets. They are helpful and we will use these resources!

gbs1112

Hyperdia is brilliant and you can plan any trip right down to the platform you depart from and arrive at. If you decide on your preferred route and print it out you can take that print-out to the ticket office of your best JR station, ie Tokyo, Ueno, Shinjuju etc in Tokyo, hand ot over and they will ticket it then and there with no language problems.

s0ssos

The nice thing about train prices in Japan is that they are all the same. Whether you buy one hour before or two months out.

It is best to look up which train you want to take, write down the number and times, and then present it to the agent to purchase. Some speak better English than others but usually they can read without an issue.
You can also consider the JR pass, because the round-trip to Kyoto will pretty much make it worth it.

If you still wanted a jaunt to the countryside, I'd recommend going to Minamisanriku Hotel Kanyo. It has an onsen, not many foreign tourists, is literally on the water. If you get the set dinner it is absolutely amazing (and such a deal, I feel). And there have a shuttle from Sendai station, so you don't have to rent a car.
Oh, and they housed the tsunami refugees in that time of crisis.