Booking a seat on a bullet train

I'm trying to work out if it's worth getting a 7 day rail ticket or just buy them when needed.

My main question is do i have to book seats or can i just turn up and get on the next train with avaliable seats?

Thanks,
SG

SG,

I'm trying to work out if it's worth getting a 7 day rail ticket or just buy them when needed.

You can look up individual train fares using the HuperDia site and decide whether it will save you money to get the Japan Rail Pass.
http://www.hyperdia.com/

My main question is do i have to book seats or can i just turn up and get on the next train with avaliable seats?

You can find information about how and where to buy tickets and seat reservations here...
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2016.html

On most shinkansen services, it is possible to just buy a ticket on the spot and find a seat on the non-reserved cars.

Yeah, I never had trouble getting on the Hikari or Kodama without a reservation, even during rush hours. However, I found it really nice to have a reservation whenever I travel with luggage, and its really easy to make a reservation at the train station - they can normally get you on the very next train out.

Many thanks for your prompt responses, they're really useful. I've used the Hyperdia site and have decided that a rail pass isnt going to be cost effective.

And if i can reserve a seat whilst at the station for the next one thats what i'm after, i just dont want to make a reservation and be worried that i wont catch it.

Thanks again

I booked tickets from Tokyo to Osaka on the day and got reserved seating for a train that was due to arrive in 30 mins. We just went to the ticket office and they sorted it out for us. It wasn't cheap so I'm not sure if it would have made a difference booking in advance.