Reserving Japanese Train Tickets from Abroad

You can buy a Japan Rail Pass before arriving in Japan, but how do you make reservations on Japan Rail (JR) trains before arriving?




You Probably Don’t Need Reservations!
First, here’s the one thing you should know: Unless you plan to travel during Japan’s three short peak-travel seasons, you don’t usually need train reservations to guarantee seats. In fact, having reservations can actually be a bad idea, because a reservation ties you to a specific departure time.

Which Trains Can You Reserve?
First, only JR shinkansen (bullet trains), tokkyu (limited express trains) and some special trains like overnight sleeper trains have seats that can be reserved. Most regular JR commuter trains don’t even have reserved seats. Also, shinkansen and JR tokkyu trains all have at least one car (usually several cars) of unreserved seats – just show up and board with an unreserved ticket (good on any departure that day)

When Do You Need Reservations?
Okay, so when are the three periods during which you should consider making train reservations?

Japan’s Three Peak Travel Periods:
• Golden Week: usually around 28 April to 7 May
• Obon: Usually 10 August to 20 August
• Shogatsu (New Year’s): 28 December to 4 January

Outside these times, you don’t need reservations. If you are nervous about getting a seat, show up at the station and wait at the boarding position for an unreserved car about 30 minutes before the train is due to depart. And, even during the above three peak travel periods, you can usually get seats without reservations (plenty of Japanese do this). Choosing an early morning or late evening departure is your best chance of getting a seat (keep in mind that you can always stand in the unreserved cars – so you will get where you need to go, it just might not be that comfortable).

How Far in Advance Can You Reserve?
You can reserve JR tickets one month prior to your departure at JR ticket offices (in JR train stations) and at travel agents inside Japan and at some travel agents outside Japan (see following).

How Do You Make JR Train Reservations From Abroad?
Here’s the major rub: Only JR East has an online booking service that you can use from abroad. This only covers shinkansen and tokkyu lines in northern and central Japan (Tohoku and parts of Chubu) The site is here. Otherwise, there is no online booking system. So, even if you have a JR Rail Pass, you can’t make reservations trains in Kansai, Western Honshu, Kyushu, Central Japan and Hokkaido. This means, for example, that you cannot make reservations for trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen (running between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka).

So what do you do if you really want to make reservations?
• Go Through a Travel Agent: Some travel agents that specialize in Japan travel will sell you reserved seats on JR shinkansen and tokkyu in advance of your trip. They’ll essentially buy the tickets in Japan and have them sent by courier to their overseas offices and hand them over to you (or, have them sent to your hotel). They usually charge around US$75 for this service (and this does NOT include the price of the ticket). Japanese travel agents with overseas offices like JTB are the best place to ask, but also ask at other Japan travel specialists.

• Impose on a Friend: You can ask a friend in Japan to make reservations for you (keep in mind that they can only buy tickets one month in advance of your intended departure and it may be very difficult for them to buy tickets during the three peak periods, for which there is a form of lottery simply to stand on line to buy the tickets).

• Fly: If you must travel during a peak period, why not fly? Needless to say, you can reserve flights in English online for flights on JAL and ANA and these airlines may well cover the route you need to travel. The trip will be faster and it may even cost less than the equivalent shinkansen journey. Just be sure to book well in advance. And when you buy your international ticket, ask if you can add the domestic leg (it might even be free to do so).

• Don’t travel during peak periods!

• Reserve on Arrival: You can do is walk into the JR office at your arrival airport (Narita or Kansai, for example) and make all your reservations for your whole trip. You can do this at the same time as you convert your Japan Rail Pass exchange order into your actual pass. Of course, you can also reserve at any point during your stay in Japan for travel up to one month later.



BUT HERE’S THE MAIN POINT: I DON’T MAKE RESERVATIONS!
In Japan, there are so many departures on the main routes that you can usually just show up and either grab an unreserved seat. Sure, this might make you nervous if you’re a control freak, but here’s something you should know: I’m also a control freak. I like to arrive at an airport with three or four hours before my departure! And, in over 15 years of living in Japan, I’ve made train reservations less than five times. And I travel on trains all the time as part of my job as a Lonely Planet writer. In fact, I consider reservations to be a completely unnecessary task: I just show up at the station when I need to go somewhere and grab an unreserved seat on the next train going to my destination. True, I usually avoid train travel during peak periods, but I’ve travelled during peak periods without reservations plenty of times. So, long story short: considering the expense and hassle of making JR reservations from abroad, it’s probably better not to.

Japan's Tipping Point

Recently, I read Mark Pendergrast's e-book "Japan's Tipping Point." Pendergrast is an American writer who received a grant to study in Japan shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake. He arrived in Japan expecting to find a country at the forefront of developing renewable energy technology and energy conservation. Instead, he found that Japan lags far behind almost all other developed countries in these areas. Here's a quote from Pendergrast himself:

"Japan is at a crucial tipping point and I discovered that I had been naive in thinking that the country was ready to make a massive change. The Japanese boast of their eco-services for eco-products in eco-cities and yet they rely primarily on imported fossil fuel and nuclear power, live in energy-wasteful homes, and import 60% of their food. That may be changing in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Maybe. But as I documented, Japan lags far behind Europe, the United States, and even (in some respects) China in terms of renewable energy efforts. And Japan is mired in bureaucracy, political in-fighting, indecision, puffery, public apathy, and cultural attitudes that make rapid change difficult."

In some ways, Pendergrast's book makes a good companion piece to Alex Kerr's "Dogs and Demons," for it shows how the country is literally being strangled to death by entrenched bureaucracies and cultural inertia. For anyone with an interest in Japan's future, I strongly recommend this book. You can find out how to purchase it on Mark Pendergrast's site.

The Best Ryokan in Kyoto

These are the best high-end ryokan in Kyoto, in rough order of preference. I’ve personally inspected all the places on this list.

Tawaraya: Tawaraya isn’t just the best ryokan in Kyoto – it may be the best ryokan in Japan. There are even some who call this the finest accommodation in the world. It’s a magical sanctuary that you’ll never want to leave. The service is supernaturally good here: they know what you want before you do. This is the place to sample the Japanese ryokan experience. Pros: Perfect service, lovely gardens, beautiful rooms, superb food, convenient downtown location. Cons: Can’t think of any.

Hiiragiya: Located directly across the street from the Tawaraya, the Hiiragiya is a polished ryokan thoroughly at home with foreign guests. There are immaculate rooms in the new wing, but I like the wabi-sabi patina of the rooms in the old wing. Pros: Great food, excellent service, beautiful gardens, convenient downtown location. Cons: Less intimate in scale than some other inns.

Ugenta: All the way up in the tiny hamlet of Kibune (one valley over from Kurama and its famous temple), Ugenta is a rare find. The inn is divided into two exquisite units (and they only accept two groups per evening). One side is Western-style – all smooth wood and modern furnishings – the other is traditional Japanese – with sublime old Japan touches. Both units have indoor baths and private outdoor baths that face the mountainside. This would be a brilliant spot for a romantic getaway (and it’s just 30 minutes by taxi from Kyoto). Pros: Giant apartment-size private units, all the mod cons, the latest in Japanese design, great food, impossibly quaint village location. Cons: Nothing to do in the village at night (but, you’d be crazy to want to leave the inn, so this doesn’t really matter).

Tamahan: Designed as a “hidden ryokan,” Tamahan really does feel like a hidden refuge in the city. Located on my favorite pedestrian-only alley in Kyoto, Ishibei-koji, this inn may be the best located ryokan in Kyoto. Rooms look out over a fantastic inner garden and the decorations are museum quality. Pros: Brilliant location, excellent food, huge rooms. Cons: Very expensive.

Hoshinoya: No ryokan in Kyoto comes close to Hoshinoya for dramatic approach: a private boat will whisk you up the Oigawa River to a boat landing, where the staff will greet you and escort you to your room. Surrounded by greenery, overlooking the rushing waters of the river, this place feels like a completely different world from Kyoto, but a quick trip back down the river brings you to the bustling Arashiyama tourist district. The design here is modern Japanese and the feeling is of extreme privacy. Pros: Magical river approach, fantastic riverside setting, slick modern design. Cons: A bit of a hike to downtown.

Hatanaka: Right on the doorstep of Yasaka-jinja Shrine and Maruyama-koen Park, Hatanaka is a spacious modern ryokan with some expansive beautifully decorated rooms and a young manager who knows how to serve foreign guests. They put on regular geisha entertainment and the food is first-class. Pros: Right in the heart of the Southern Higashiyama sightseeing district, comfortable with foreign guests. Cons: A bit large for some people’s taste.

Seikoro: Once you step into the secluded entryway, it’s like you’ve stepped into another world. The Seikoro is a classic ryokan with almost flamboyant decorative touches that recall art nouveau. All rooms look over lovely gardens and have fine wooden bathtubs. Pros: Attentive service, lovely décor, comfortable with foreign guests. Cons: Gojo-dori location is somewhat inconvenient (but, it’s close to a subway station and within walking distance of Kiyomizu-dera and Gion).

Yoshida Sanso: Like the name suggests, this superb ryokan is located up on Yoshida-yama, a beautiful hill in the northeast part of town. The rooms here are beautiful and the food is wonderful, but the location is the real attration here: walk out the door and in a few minutes, you’ll find yourself in some of Kyoto’s most beautiful (and seldom visited) temples. Pros: Stunning location, beautiful front garden, warm service. Cons: A fair distance from downtown.


Please note that this list is just one man’s opinion. Ranking these wonderful ryokan is like choosing a favorite Beatles record or Thai Island: They’re all so good, it’s almost pointless to play favorites. One thing is for sure: A night in any of these ryokan will be an unforgettable experience. Keep checking this blog: in future posts, I’ll list my favorite mid-range and budget ryokan.

Great New Hiking Guide to Chikuma City, Nagano

I've just had a look at Peter Ninnes' new hiking guide to Chikuma City in Nagano Prefecture. It's titled "Hiking, Walking and Biking Nagano: 20 Nature, History and Culture Tours in Chikuma City." It contains a good mix of hikes within the city and hikes in the nearby mountains. The maps are very clear and easy to use and the route descriptions are excellent, making this a useful guide for non-Japanese speakers. There's also excellent information on getting to/from the hikes. This guide is highly recommended for anyone who wants to make a thorough exploration of a beautiful part of Japan. The book can be downloaded from Smashwords.

Save Aidan

A friend in Kansai, Aidan O'Connor, has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He requires a bone marrow transplant, but due to the scarcity of potential matches in Japan, he is forced to look for donors in the United States, which is not covered by Japan National Health Insurance. The father of two young children, Aidan is in obvious need of support. Please join with Aidan's friends in Japan in helping Aidan weather this crisis. For information on how to donate, please visit: Save Aidan.

Chris Rowthorn on Japanese TV

Back in March, I appeared on TV in Japan to introduce some of my favorite secret spots in Kyoto. If you have a chance, check some of them out.

Kyoto Voted Number One City in Asia

Kyoto was just voted the number 1 city in Asia in the annual Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards. Interestingly, Bangkok was voted number 2 and Hong Kong number 3. This means that the three main cities where I offer tours just topped the rankings of this poll. For more on my tours, see my site here. Tokyo, where I also offer tours, came in at number 7. For the full Conde Nast article, click here. The picture above is courtesy of Stephane D'Alu.