Green car vs Ordinary car

christie

Hi,
Traveling late May for about a week from Tokyo-Mt Fuji-Tokyo-Magome-Kyoto-Nara-Osaka (Kinsai). I will really only use Shinkansen from Tokyo-Kyoto portion; otherwise it looks like a bunch of JR trains... I've read that May can be kind of crowded, so going Green Car may benefit me as I can make reservations to ensure seats. My questions are 1. How easy is it to make reservations on the go? And 2. Is it busy enough to warrant Green car? And are there any other tips people have for getting around?

Tenjin

If you have the pass, you can make advanced seat reservations for free with both the ordinary and green passes. You can do it in any JR office, just before your train leaves or any day ahead of time if you know your schedule. May is not a busy time except for Golden Week, which is right now. Trains are leaving every 15 minutes or so from Tokyo to Kyoto, so there is no shortage of trains to ride.

You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
http://www.hyperdia.com
Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box since you can't ride that train using the pass.