Booking a train ticket for someone else?

My daughter and I will be in Tokyo for a week before my husband arrives and we want to go to Kyoto quite early the morning after he arrives. Will we be able to book a Nozomi or Hidari ticket for him before he arrives ie without his passport etc.
We'll either be using the Japanican E-voucher for Tokyo/Kyoto/Tokyo or a 7 day JR pass which I could carry. If I have all the passes/vouchers, will I be able to buy the tickets without his passport?
It's for 9th November and I am concerned the trains may be busy so I don't want to wait until my husband arrives.

You can purchase tickets for Nozomi or Hikari for any number of riders. What you can't do is reserve tickets on a pass that is not actually exchanged and certainly not for someone else who is not present. Vouchers are not sufficient to reserve tickets. And the Nozomi cannot be used with that pass/voucher. You can reserve seats on the Hikari and Kodama services once you exchange the vouchers for passes and all are present.

Unlike ordinary tickets, rail passes are nominative. The person whose name is written on the voucher must be physically present when it is exchanged.

Sorry I feel very stupid about this. I have never actually used a pass in all my visits to Japan (we usually just buy train tickets as needed and drive a lot).
So, I buy a JR pass online before I go. Then when I get to Japan I have to exchange the voucher for something else and activate it?
Does this mean I start using it from that day?
Or does it start to count down from the day of the actual first train ride?
What can I do to book us on a train before my husband arrives if I have the JR passes for all of us? Or is this not possible? (yikes).

I buy a JR pass online before I go. Then when I get to Japan I have to exchange the voucher for something else and activate it?
Yes, you need to exchange the voucher to the actual pass.


Does this mean I start using it from that day?
No, you do not have to. You have 30 days to start your first ride.( pls confirm with JR website , I could be wrong)

does it start to count down from the day of the actual first train ride?
yes, you are correct.

What can I do to book us on a train before my husband arrives if I have the JR passes for all of us? Or is this not possible?
Nothing you could do. You have in possession of JR pass vouchers only, not the passes.

https://www.jrpass.com/japan_rail_pass_validity

An XO (Exchange Order) must be turned in for a Japan Rail Pass within 3 months of the date of issue. At that time the passenger must specify the date they want to start using the Pass. It can be any date within one month of the date the Japan Rail Pass is received.
The validity period of a Japan Rail Pass is the consecutive 7, 14, or 21 days beginning on the date the pass can actually be first used.

does it start to count down from the day of the actual first train ride?
yes, you are correct.

No; it starts on the day you specified when you exchanged it.

does it start to count down from the day of the actual first train ride?
yes, you are correct.

Sorry, I was assuming the first train ride would be on the date specified when exchanging the voucher.

Japan Rail Pass(=JRP) can not be exchanged without him/herself and passport (not only a voucher),
and can not be booked any tickets by JRP. (in the case of that section)
The place and time to exchange JRP is limited.
JRP can not book "Nozomi".
The period of validity of JRP is not limited to the exchange date.
(JRP official web mentioned all, read again.)
http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/

However, it is possible to switch tickets purchased(by cash: JPY or credit card) separately fr JRP
to tickets that booked by JRP at the counter until boarding time, but a "refund fee" is required.
But, for early morning Hikari(NOT Hidari), your husband have to exchange until last date night,
so if couldn't, yr family can not ride on Hikari with JRP.

No join at "Kyoto stn" as flight that only husband arrives at "KIX"?
http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/train/index.html

The person whose name is written on the voucher must be physically present when it is exchanged.

No, that is not the case. I have found JR Tokai enforce that (because they were being difficult), but for normal JR offices (99% of them) having everyone present is not required.

We can ignore the special case of large groups for the purpose of this question. Recall also that not having your passport on your person, such as giving it to someone else so they can go exchange your pass, is illegal, and we normally don't condone illegal activities here.

The person whose name is written on the voucher must be physically present when it is exchanged.

I used to think it was the rule.
However, two months ago when I exchanged mine as well as my wife vouchers in Kobe, my wife was not present, she was out looking for toilet, and to my surprised when I presented both passports as well as the vourchers , no question asked, just filled up the forms ( the passes) and everything was done in no time, wife still nowhere to be seen.
I doubt JR office would do anything illegal.

There are a lot of people travel around Japan without their passport with them - even though they are supposed to have it with them.

And some of the JR offices are set up to deal with small groups too - might only be two to six, but they expect a representative to do the exchanges.

Where is the JR desk at Narita airport? We will arrive and want to change our JR Rail pass vouchers for the actual rail passes there. I assume we arrive at terminal 2 since we are on Qantas and they state that their flights depart from terminal 2 (impossible to get clear information from them and ringing them is just not an option - you wait for hours and then they cut you off).

The collection/exchange offices are in B1F basement.

https://www.narita-airport.jp/en/map

Very easy to find. Just follow the railway looking symbols/signs out of the terminal.

Thank you so much for your quick answer!