Online Shinkansen Reservation NG

Hi,

I face some problems while trying to reserve shinkansen tickets through "www.world.eki-net.com". I tried to reserve for 20Dec Shin-Yokohama to Kyoto but the reservation turns out NG with this reason:

"The service is not available at this time."

I am not really sure what it really means. I proceeded to try for other dates: 21 Dec, 22 Dec, but all gave me the same results. Does that mean it is fully booked? Or it is too early to book now?

Does anyone face this before? Pls help.

Thanks!

My guess is that the train which you try to book is not operating on these days. Quite a few of the trains operate only on a defined set of days. Check the timetable whether the train is operating on the given date.

Can I make a reservation for shenkansen from toko to oosaka on Jun. 26, 2006

Yes, reservations can be made starting one month before departure date at JR railway stations and travel agents.

If George is asking about making reservatiosn online, then no, you can't do that anymore. No more eki-net for reservations made outside of Japan online.

Is posible on line reservation for shinkazen on 14.9.2007? If yes, what is web site for?

It is not possible to make online reservations from outside of Japan or in a english interface.

I'm travelling from Tokyo to Sapporo. Understand that with the JR pass, seat reservations are free. And in fact, it is mandatory to reserve seats for the Hayate Shinkansen (Tokyo - Hachinohe). How else then can i reserve seats? Pls advise!! I'm visiting next mth!! HELP!!

Lynn,

How else then can i reserve seats?

You can reserve seats at any major JR station or travel agent up to one month in advance. If you are travelling in July, the trains shouldn't be especially busy, so yo shold have no problems even if you book a few days in advance when you arrive in Japan.

there is no need to reserve trains in Japan (and Europe) several months in advance. I understand that tourists travelling to a country they haven't been before and who may not be used to travel by train (I know several people in my North American town who have never been on trains, buses, subways and don't want to) like to have everything set up way in advance. But this in't necessary at all and has drawbacks. It prevents you from changing your travel plans depending on how you feel the day you are suposed to travel. You may not be up to get up that early that day or want to stay longer in a town. Once we (buddy and I)were planning ro stay in Paris for a week but the weather was horrible so after 2 days we moved on to another part of France. Another time we had planned to stay in Shin-Osaka after landing at KIX and go to Matsue the day after. We felt good when we landed so we went straight from there to Matsue. I have taken the Shinkansen Osaka-Tokyo many times in the morning and only booked 30 minutes before. There are more shinkansens per hours than trains per day in other countries!. Relax! I have been to Europe and Japan many times in the past 27 years alone and neither I nor my friends reserve hotels and trains in advance anymore. by the same token, People should'nt have a very tight itinerary. be very flexible. perhaps a place that every guidebook say you must see will not interest you, but you will want to stay in another one longer. You can't see every interesting town, monument there is, so chill out!. if you try to see too much in too little time you will not enjoy your vacation. LESS IS MORE...

You can't make JR reservations from outside the country (you used to be able to but not any more) so there's no use worrying about doing it until you get there, but I would definitely reserve seats soon after arriving in Japan. (You can do this in person at most JR stations except the really small ones.) July is high tourist season in Hokkaido, and although most Japanese people traveling from Tokyo probably do not go by train, it can be tricky. Last year I took the train from Tokyo to Hakodate in May, and had a hard time getting reservations between Tokyo and Aomori. I had to take the slower Yamabiko to Sendai then change to the Hayate, and I had to settle for nonreserved seating on the leg from Hachinohe to Aomori. (I managed to get a seat but there were quite a few people standing; if this happens to you don't panic as they all got to sit down after a stop or two as people got off.)

there is no need to reserve trains in Japan (and Europe) several months in advance

Plantagenesta, have you ever stood for 2hrs in a jammed packed shinkasen because all the seats were sold out because of peak travel times/season. Or have to sit in the smoking car only because all the seats in the non smoking car was taken?

There are many reasons why someone might want to reserve a seat a month out, especially during the holidays and just peak travel times on busy routes.

. It prevents you from changing your travel plans depending on how you feel the day you are suposed to travel.
If you have a seat reservation and decide not to use it, all you have to do is cancel it.

Booking is a good idea. We always reserved our seats on the same day of travel.. and always got a seat in the non-smoking cars.

But.... from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo.... we wanted to get to Tokyo on the 1st avail train... and it was all booked out (except the smoking reserved cars). So.. we took it... it was yukky...to be in the train for 2.5hrs with smoke...but its the choice and chance we took

On the way back from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka we booked 1 day in advance..

I didn't mean to sound flippant.. It just happens that my parents and I never travelled at peak holiday time because prices in the holiday resorts in Europe, where we lived, were much higher at these times. When I moved to North America most of my co-workers wanted Easter, the summer months and Chrismas off so I graciously agreed to take my 3 or 4 yearly vacation breaks off season.

Thanks all for your inputs and advise... seems like i've no choice but to book only when i reach Japan then.. And yes.. the reason why i was uptight about having booked the shinkansen in advance is because July is a peak season to Hokkaido!! So.. i just wanted everything to be planned for.. anyway, thanks again pple! =)

We had the same worry as you when visiting this winter. Our flight landed late afternoon, and we wanted to book berths on the night train to Matsue that same evening. It was less than a week before Christmas, and so not exactly super-peak time, but there were still plenty of people travelling. And I was very keen to make sure we had berths so we could get a decent sleep after a 13hr flight, so the idea of not being able to reserve in advance was quite worrying.

But there is a good JR travel office (with all the booking facilities you need, and they will exchange JR Pass vouchers for the actual passes) inside Narita. We went straight there, and a wonderful lady had everything sorted for us within 15 minutes.

Good luck and have a great trip.

Thanks for the tip! Will definitely head there right away to exchange for my JR pass and do the booking! =)

We are quite relaxed about reserving our regular train tickets when we arrive at Narita - but is this wise for night trains? We are planning to take the Akatsuki from Kyoto to Hizenyamaguchi six days after arrival, and back (Nagasaki to Kyoto) eleven days after landing. Is it OK to assume that we can reserve couchettes this little far ahead?

I believe that the Akatsuki rarely gets booked out. During peak seasons, it might get booked out. But on most days, I think you will have no problems making reservations for the Akatsuki, especially if you make reservations several days in advance.

How's the chance of getting shinkasen from Tokyo to Nagoya on April (mid of April) ? is it peak season or not ?