Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

Shinkansen Seating 2010/7/2 23:48
We will be taking several Shinkansen trips later this month. We will be using our Japan Rail Pass (Green Car), and we will be making reservations, either at Narita, or later, at one of the Green Counters in Tokyo. Are there any seating diagrams available so we may specify which seats we can have? The weather may not cooperate, but my wife would like a view of Fuji-san on one of our train rides.

I have looked here and at other resources on the web, and I have not found any.
by Oenophile Angler  

Green Car 2010/7/3 08:25
Seats C and D are on the side of Mount Fuji.
Seats A and B are on the opposite side.
by Uji rate this post as useful

but - - - - - 2010/7/3 10:28
Don't count too heavily on actually seeing Fuji. At this time of year the view is often obscured by clouds, mist and polution.
by koniero rate this post as useful

maybe Fuji 2010/7/3 10:54
I agree with koniero- July probably has the lowest chance of seeing Mt. Fuji of any month of the year. For most of the month we are lucky if we get to see the sun much because of the overcast and haze caused by the rainy season, and this means Mt. Fuji is usually covered as well.

I have seen it in July though on an unusually clear day, so it's not impossible!
by Sira (guest) rate this post as useful

AB CD seating 2010/7/3 11:52
Thanks for the info.

Uji, I assume the AB CD seating information you give is for Westbound. and it would be opposite for Eastbound?
by Oenophile Angler rate this post as useful

Seating 2010/7/3 12:01
Oenophile Angler,

I assume the AB CD seating information you give is for Westbound. and it would be opposite for Eastbound?

Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen Green Car seats A and B are always on the seaward (south) side. Seats C and D are always on the landward (north) side, regardless of direction of travel.

As others have already said, the chances of seeing Mt Fuji from the train in July/August really are miniscule, but I hope you are lucky.
by Dave in Saitama (guest) rate this post as useful

Shinkansen 2010/7/3 12:41
Too bad that you are wasting money on a Green pass..the seat are only a wee bit wider and there is a tad more feet room, but not worth the expense as it is nothing like the big difference between economy and business class in a plane.. .
by Monkey see (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2010/7/4 10:52
Opinions vary on green cars. I think that if you do not mind the additional expense, Green Cars are well worth it. They come with considerably more space, are usually less crowded and have better service and more electric outlets (the latter depends on the train set, though).

The exception are ironically the newest N700 train sets, which have an uncomfortable, permanent foot rest installed just in the place where tall people would like to extend their legs. But the N700 trains are currently being used mainly on nozomi trains, so Japan Rail Pass users will rarely encounter them.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Seating 2010/7/4 12:47
Thanks, all, for the information. Just what I needed to know. The seat lettering seems counter intuitive, but I am glad to know.
by Oenophile Angler rate this post as useful

Seat numbering 2010/7/4 13:07
Oenophile Angler,

The seat lettering seems counter intuitive, but I am glad to know.

Not really if you stop to think about it. Unlike a bus or plane, a train cannot turn round at its destination, so car 1 will always be at the western end and car 16 (or whatever) will always be at the eastern end. The seat numbering will also of course always stay the same.
by Dave in Saitama (guest) rate this post as useful

seating 2010/7/4 16:45
Although the cars are always in the same position within a train, if I remember correctly the seats are rotated at the end of the line so that they all (or most of them anyway) face forward. They still...obviously..stay on the same side of the car...
by Monkey see (guest) rate this post as useful

Rotating seats 2010/7/5 13:19
Are there specific seat numbers which rotate? Can a passenger rotate them himself? It sounds like, perhaps, all will. I guess I can ask the booking agent at the time of the reservation.
by Oenophile Angler rate this post as useful

... 2010/7/5 13:23
Are there specific seat numbers which rotate?

No, while the seats can be rotated, the seat numbers/letters are fixed. In green cars on the Tokaido Shinkansen, A and D are always window and B and C are always aisle.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Rotating seats 2010/7/5 13:32
Oenophile Angler,

Are there specific seat numbers which rotate?

All the seats rotate to face the direction of travel.

Can a passenger rotate them himself?

Yes, if you wish to make a group of facing seats for 4 or 6 people.

See this Youtube video clip showing you how...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSTPNMao7pI
by Dave in Saitama (guest) rate this post as useful

reply to this thread