JR East Pass reservations

We have ordered our JR East Pass and intend on using them immediately on arrival at Narita in the morning on 30 April this year 2013. we want to travel to Aomori on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line. because this might be a very busy time I thought it would be a good idea to reserve our seats on one of the afternoon trains. It seems that you have to collect your Reserved Seat Limited-Express Ticket by 9:00 p.m the previous day. Do I understand it correctly that I cannot make an online reservation without picking up the ticket the day before. Is it necessary to reserve seats on this line for this day? is it likely to be booked out.
We also wanted to travel on the Resort Shirakami later in the week but I understand we can only book these once we are in Japan.
If anyone has any information regarding this question we would be very grateful for any answers.

Do I understand it correctly that I cannot make an online reservation without picking up the ticket the day before.

Yes, your understanding is correct.

Is it necessary to reserve seats on this line for this day?

Yes, the trains to Shin-Aomori are all-reserved.

is it likely to be booked out.

I believe there is a risk that some of the trains on that day will be booked out because it is likely to fall into the peak of the cherry blossom season. On the other hand, April 30 is a regular weekday, making it less busy than the weekends and national holidays during the Golden Week.

In case the trains are booked out, you could consider taking a slower Yamabiko shinkansen train from Tokyo to Sendai or Morioka and transfer to a Hayate or Hayabusa to Aomori there. Unlike the faster Hayate and Hayabusa trains, the Yamabiko also carries some non-reserved seats. And the chances of getting a seat reservation from Sendai or Morioka to Aomori are higher than getting one from Tokyo. Yamabiko trains do not operate beyonf Morioka, though.

Do I understand it correctly that I cannot make an online reservation without picking up the ticket the day before?

Yes.

on arrival at Narita in the morning on 30 April this year 2013.

To make sure that you can reserve your Shinkansen seats, it sounds better to head to Aomori City on Day 2 (= 1 May 2013). In that case, with a credit card of a certain brand you can reserve them in advance via the official website, as you have already noticed.
- http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/common/faq...
- http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/common/men...
You will have enough time on Day 1 (= 30 April) to try reserving seats of Narita Express and of Resort Shirakami and pick up all your JR tickets at a JR-East counter in your terminal of NRT.
(By the way, will you travel only on JR-East?)

we want to travel to Aomori on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line.

Note that Narita Station is outside the airport and Aomori Station is off the Shinkansen Line.
You will choose Narita Airport / Airport Terminal 2 and Shin-Aomori in designating your stations for seat reservation.

In Golden Week 2013, the three days 30 April - 2 May will be weekdays in its middle between two sets of Saturday, Sunday and holiday(s), which are 27 - 29 April and 3 - 6 May. Some people may take these days off, but not all people will do, I suppose.

Enjoy your trips!

Thank you Omotenashi and Uji for your very detailed and useful information. I think that we will see what seats we can get when we arrive at Narita especially since you remind me that it is a weekday and we don't have a specific hour to be in Aomori, but do have a hotel booked in Aomori city. Yes we hope to travel in Northern Honshu using the 10 day JR East Pass, we have been in Japan seven years ago then visiting Tokyo and around Kyoto are are looking forward to our new visit.
Your information is much appreciated.