Ltd Exp Asuza Matsumoto to Shinjuku

Hi!

Four of us will be traveling from Matsumoto back to Shinjuku on Thursday April 25th. On the same evening we are flying home from Haneda (eta 2345).

We plan to depart Matsumoto after lunch to arrive in Shinjuku around 5-6pm. Originally we wanted to take the bus since it is much cheaper.

However, we are worried about the potential traffic congestion problem nearer to Tokyo.

Thus, we are now looking at the train option to minimize the risk of missing our flight :))

The Ltd Exp Asuza schedule that seem ideal is the one that departs Matsumoto at 15:19 (eta into Shinjuku at 18:07).
Do we need to buy reserved seats or it is not necessary? We would be arriving into Japan on April 11th. Thus, we have many days to buy the tickets in advance. It is not the timing issue, but cost issue since we are not using the JR Pass, thus seat reservation is chargeable.
If we don't get the reserved seat do we still buy the non reserved seats in advance? Can a non reserved seat even be bought in advance? Sorry... I don't really understand the process of purchasing non reserved seats as I've always bought reserved seats prior to this since I've always used JR Pass during my previous trips to Japan.
Secondly, this train in the normal Asuza and not the Super Asuza, is it equip with toilets?

The difference between reserved and unreserved is 500yen. I'm sure each of you can afford that for the peace of mind.

http://www.hyperdia.com

Melanie,

All limited express services have toilets and the same general level of facilities, so yes, the "Azusa" has toilets.

How many days in advance are you allowed to purchase a reserved seat ticket?

I've done reservations for all my 16 days of travel the minute I get to Narita.