Shinkansen - when to book?
 

Going to be in Tokyo in a weeks time and planning on catching the bullet train from Tokyo down to Hiroshima.

Around £129 in the green car if I book today.
Doesn't seem to let me choose a seat (not sure if it's because it's night time in Japan or what? Theres something about it cant be done before 5:30am)

Did read somewhere that sometimes getting a ticket 3 days out can be a bit cheaper? Hayatoku3?

Hayatoku3 fare will be about £110 if you can get a seat. Weekends would be difficult a week out.

I always buy shinkansen tickets the day before or earlier the same day. Unless you are dead set on a particular departure there's really no need to book further advance, big holidays being an exception. And departures are frequent.

Also unless you want to save e.g. 2630 yen Tokyo>Shin Osaka and secure a C/D seat on the Fujisan side of the green car. That will pay for your Yamazaki 12 highball. Same day departure changes are free too.

The cheaper fares are all blocked off even at 3 days.
Not sure if sold out or just not available as not a single train gives the option. Decent number of seats still up for grabs.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c00ffb21c6.jpg


Is it worth connecting my IC card to a booking (i.e. Suica)?
Gives the option in the smart-ex app.

Limited number of seats for the discount. Can book 30 days out, at 3 days minimum for savings likely to be mostly gone. IC card allows for ticketless travel which I like.

But do be aware you'll need a hand free to pick up the reservation slip that the barrier spits out at you when you tap in!

Trying to navigate Toyko station.
Signage is awful. Havent seen a single sign for what i want everything but! So many people all going the opposite way with no f*×+s given ;)
Seems to 8000 signs for subway things everywhere, but not one single one so far for where I want to go.

Took me over 1/2 an hour to find Daimaru with about 200 people queing to get in! And still queuing inside for whatever.....

Think I saw 2 roads signs outside, a few hundred metres away, saying "Toyko Station" and zero anywhere else.

Added: added my Suica card and remembered to take the ticket at the end of the barriers.
At least I've found my platform, but no matter how much searching, couldn't find half the shops for KitKats etc.
Trying to find soft drinks :(
If it's not Coke, cold tea or coffee, there seems to be nothing else (well, did see Pepsi and Sprite in one vending machine)

Tokyo station can be a bit confusing yeah. But every konbini sells KitKats etc. so that shouldn't be a problem 🤔 I recommend Mitsuya Cider if you want something Sprite-like.

Well, KitKat wise, couldn't find any beyond the odd chemist and Don Quixote.
Mostly the same 3 or 4 varieties. Not even touristy places Google mentions had any eg Ekie.
Tonnes of lemon orientated things at tourist prices at Hiroshima Station today.

Anyway, just booked my Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka Shinkansen last night. No discount and paid a little over 10000 Yen for the non-green car, about 4k cheaper than the green card.
Quite a few seats left when I booked, but it filled up a bit and I ended up with a seatmate at the first stop - Green car seats definitely more comfortable.
Train seemed to be going through tunnels for 90% of the journey. Different routes as I cant remember that many coming from Tokyo.

Anyway, got off at Shin-Osaka and went through the JR West gates (Google told me to). Spotted a sign that said Kansai Airport, where I wanted to be, and after a 20 min wait, a "Hello Kitty" train arrived (artwork outside and minimal inside)

Didn't know you needed a ticket on top of your IC card for that particular train.
Anyway, paid 1200 Yen to the conductor and 1400ish on my IC when leaving the airport

Thought the exit machine would have wanted my ticket, but my Suica card let me through (did have to find an ATM and top it up as I was 400 Yen short and 90% of the machines don't seem to accept cards, only cash). Handily one near the top of the stairs from the platform.

Fanta wise, have seen While Peach, Orange and grape varieties. None sugar free (just Pepsi and Coke)
Back in the UK, we would have 20+ soft drinks to choose from yet Japan seems to nearly all be tea or coffee.

I think I've found more Kitkat varieties at Narita airport's gift shop than anywhere in town.

Sounds like you got on the Haruka.. most rapid trains operate that way and it confused me a bit at first too when the ticket agent for the Mu Sky from Nagoya Centrair asked me if I wanted an all in one ticket or just the express. Then I remembered Japan has a basic fare + express surcharge fare structure. Same with the Keisei skyliner in Tokyo where I needed to tap my IC to get in the turnstile, but needed a Liner ticket to actually get on the train.
Afaik, you can only charge your IC card by credit card if you do it through your phone on the mobile version.

Definitely agree about the soft drinks though, there seems to be like 10 variants of the same brand of coffee in every vending machine. I usually try and stop by a konbini if I'm looking for variety.

It would not surprise me if there are breakdowns of drink machine branding and what they carry in various areas with info crowdfed by hobbyists. Coke vending machines do exist and some offer cashless payments via Coke on app https://c.cocacola.co.jp/app/index.html. There's an older map for the ice cold Coca Cola's slushy like drink https://icecolamap.com/#google_vignette

Some friends with kids found different varieties of not-tea not-coffee drinks on Tokyo subway platforms which we didn't see very often elsewhere, though you'll probably find more fruit-adjacent flavor more than Coke. There's also a drink (Suntory Dakara Green) I occasionally get at NewDays JR East conbiini which I rarely see at Lawson, Family Mart, or 7-11. Drugstores can be a good place to buy bottled drinks, packaged snacks, a selection of dry/retort foods, and vitamin drinks. They're often less expensive than conbini, too.

I keep forgetting to pick that silly thing up, lol.