Riding the Shinkansen with a JR Pass

The Japan Rail Pass is an amazing bargain for any tourist wanting to travel around Japan. JR Passes come in one, two and three week versions. They can only be bought in your country of residence, NOT in Japan. Buy a pass and you receive a voucher which can then be converted into a full JR Pass at any JR office once in Japan (i.e. at Narita airport, Haneda airport, or most large stations). Is the JR Pass worth the cost? Look at www.hyperdia.com, check the destinations you want to travel to and record the cost of each leg. You'll soon be able to assess whether the cost of the Pass is good value, or not. For example: Tokyo to Kyoto is about AUS$180 one way. I recently travelled Tokyo - Kyoto, Kyoto - Himeji (rtn), then Osaka - Tokyo, which came out at about $600 - the same cost of the JR Pass - but I also used it on JR buses in Kyoto, on the JR Yamanote line in Tokyo, the Nara line (twice) and many more short trips on JR transport, saving a further $200. SO it worked out to be a big saving overall...

Here's a typical JR reserved ticket.
Kyoto to Tokyo on the KODAMA 646 train, departing at 10:05 and arriving in Tokyo at 13:47. Car 12, seat 11A (window seat). If you can't get a reserved seat like this, you can turn up at the station and queue for the non-reserved seats - each shinkansen has at least two sometimes three cars dedicated for non-reserved seating. Queue and its first come, first served. From my experience, you still get a seat - but it might not be next to the person you are travelling with...

Late afternoon light at shin-Himeji station

When you travel on a shinkansen you can buy meals and snacks from the trolly lady, or buy from a more comprehensive list from a shop like this one in shin-Osaka station. Most bento box places offer anything up to 50 different combinations, ranging from a 180yen onigiri (rice ball) to a 1400 yen feast...

I settled for the 1000 yen local speciality - the kinki special (Kinki is the name given to the district around Kyoto. It was delicious ('oishi!')

Typical two/three seating arrangement in a shinkansen carriage. All seats swivel 180 degrees at the terminus and recline further back than any plane seat in economy class. Even reclined, you still have more room to relax than in any standard economy class seat. This carriage had individual a/c recharge points on the wall at floor level each side plus free WiFi.

Watchful guard at the rear of an N700 shinkansen.
JR Pass holders cannot ride in NOZOMI or MIZUHO shinkansens - these are the fastest and would cost a lot more than the standard shinkansens. Still, even the slower shinkansens can reach speeds of up to 280kph...

Car and seat numbers are printed on your booked ticket. When taking a shinkansen you must find your car number on the platform and queue there, preferably at the right end of the carriage so you do not have far to walk to your seat with your case. There's usually only limited space for suitcases at each end of the car, but plenty of space in the luggage rack, if you can lift the case up!, that is.

Guards and drivers dress like airline staff.
Here's a snap of a female guard at the rear of the train as it pulls out of the station