deliver luggage to tokyo hotel

hello! my family (2 adults and 2 kids, age 6 & 8) will be traveling from osaka (stay at swissotel nankai) to tokyo (stay at shibuya excel) on march 26 via hikari shinkansen. then travel from tokyo to osaka (stay at ana gate tower) on march 31 also via hikari shinkansen. i have jr 7-day pass.

a: what time would be best on the hikari shinkansen to avoid rush hour? is there an 11am/12nn/1pm schedule? i tried to check on hyperdia.com but was confused.
b: i plan to have one big luggage(suitcase) delivered to next hotel prior to shinkansen ride. what time will this be delivered, do i specify the time to takuhaibin? do i need to inform next hotel of the delivery?

advance thanks to your replies.

what time would be best on the hikari shinkansen to avoid rush hour?

I recommend to avoid taking the Midosuji Subway Line from the Swisshotel to Shin-Osaka before 9am if you have large luggage.

In Tokyo you could theoretically avoid the crowded trains by taking a Narita Express from Shibuya to Tokyo Station (set reservations required). Otherwise, I also recommend to head out after 9am if you have a lot of luggage.

Alternatively, if you do not mind an early start, the trains should not be that crowded before 7:30 or so.

As for the shinkansen, they don't have any rush hour conditions comparable to urban trains. And you can completely avoid problems by reserving seats in advance.

is there an 11am/12nn/1pm schedule?

There are two hikari trains per hour.

what time will this be delivered

The following day. You have the choice of selecting AM and various time slots in the afternoon or evening.

Hello again. making use of JR pass from Namba to Shin-Osaka for the shinkansen: do i need to get off the JR train at Osaka then transfer to a Shin-Osaka bound train or does the train go directly to Shin-Osaka from Namba? If this is too much of a hassle, am I better off taking the Namba subway to Shin-Osaka station (M13) instead? Is the JR train more confusing/time-consuming?

Thanks again. (i'm getting more and more anxious as d-day arrives :*))

making use of JR pass from Namba to Shin-Osaka for the shinkansen: do i need to get off the JR train at Osaka then transfer to a Shin-Osaka bound train or does the train go directly to Shin-Osaka from Namba?

The approach by JR from Namba to Shin-Osaka is more time consuming and complicated. And the JR station is further away than the subway station. Instead, I strongly recommend to take the direct Midosuji Subway Line. It costs only 270 yen.