Hi,
I'm going to be arriving in Tokyo at Haneda airport on May 3rd, staying in Tokyo for a few days and then I would like to take the train using JRP to Kyoto for a night on May 5th, then go to Yahata station the following day for a few hours and then return back to Tokyo on May 6th.
1. Am I able to book/try to make train reservations from Haneda airport?
2. Since I will be traveling during Golden Week, do you think that there is a chance I won't be able to book a train ticket? I anticipate leaving each morning around 10am or so.
3. If I buy the Green JRP, can I book / make a reservation for my train tickets now in the US?
4. For the stations that I'm going to: Kyoto - Yahata, does the green JRP afford me that much more?
5. I read online that "Travel activity is anticipated to peak on April 29 and May 3 with people leaving the large urban centers and on May 1, 5 and 8 in the opposite direction." So maybe my traveling from Tokyo - Kyoto - Yahata is going the opposite way as most Japanese on vacation??
Thanks in advance for your help!
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Comments
Golden week is one of the busiest times to travel in Japan, everywhere as it's the longest holiday for most Japanese. So it can be easier to get seats on the green cars during these busy periods.
You can make reservation with both the ordinary and the green pass for free by going into a booking office at the train station (midori no madoguchi) and showing your Japan Rail Pass. With the ordinary pass you don't have to reserve seats as you can travel in the unreserved cars, however the green pass you must reserve a seat. This can be done at Haneda.
The trains from Tokyo to Kyoto are really regular, about every 30 mins, so you will be able to get a train. Then to Yahata from Kyoto the journey take about 210 minutes, with a few changes.
The green cars are not available on all trains you can use this website, www.hyperdia.com, to see which trains have green cars. It is listed as a drop down in the seat fee section. To be sure you can use the JR pass when searching on hyperdia.com, you need to un-tick 'Nozomi' and 'private railways' in the search details.
You can find more about the advantages of traveling in the green cars here: https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/common-questions/advantages-green-japan-rail-pass.
Hope that helps.
Best regards
Japan Experience