Seat reservation for Hokuriku Arch Pass

Hi,

I've been researching and am still a bit confused about the Hokuriku Arch Pass seat reservation policy,

My friend and I are planning to go to Japan with different airlines but arriving on the same date (6 October). I'll be arriving at Narita while she'll be arriving at Haneda. Thus, we purchased the Hokuriku Arch Pass separately.

Question:

1. Can we reserve seats for the Kagayaki shinkansen (planning to go to Kanazawa on the 8th of October) at the travel service office/midori no madoguchi at each airport (Narita and Haneda) or

2. Should we reserve seats for the shinkansen at Tokyo station in order to ensure that we could sit together in the shinkansen?

Looking forward to your recommendations.

Thank you,

Melati

No both.

8 Oct is the last day of the three consecutive national holidays,
so many passengers come back to Tokyo, no worry about the reverse it even on travel date.
But it would be better after you and your friend joined on 6 OCT, if both flights has arrived certainly.

In Oct, still the possibility that the typhoon will be close to or land across Japan.
https://www.data.jma.go.jp/fcd/yoho/typhoon/statistics/generation/gene...
This is last year's one in Oct "No.21 (21st in 2017)".
https://youtu.be/t8FgJUplEWA

cnola:
In Oct, still the possibility that the typhoon will be close to or land across Japan.

You can get the latest typhoon information from Japan Meteorological Agency.
https://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/

8 Oct is the last day of the three consecutive national holidays

These three days are not consecutive holidays
but a Saturday (the 6th), a Sunday (the 7th) and a Monday holiday (the 8th).

melatikarina:
we purchased the Hokuriku Arch Pass separately.

How is your itinerary?
(In this forum, I seldom see a case where Hokuriku Arch Pass sounds most suitable.)

Seat reservation for your Shinkansen train ride on 8 October
can be made from 10:00 (Japan Standard Time) of 8 September.

Your friend needs to visit a JR ticket counter by herself.
(Because her seat tickets are issued to be used together with her rail pass,
you cannot receive them instead of her.)

- JR-EAST Train Reservation
https://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-shinkansen-reservation/English/wb/co...

A foreign passenger
who holds a credit card (with a magnetic stripe) of a designated brand (#)
(which should be valid at least until the boarding month)
can reserve seats in Hokuriku Shinkansen trains through this JR East website,
on the condition
that the ticket(s) should be collected by 21:00 of the day before the boarding day.

For travelers using Hokuriku Arch Pass,
this JR East reservation system covers
also the JR West section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Joetsumyoko -- Kanazawa).
So, you can try to reserve seats from Tokyo through Kanazawa.

To use this reservation system,
you first register yourself (free of charge) with your e-mail address and credit card.

(#)
The designated brands
: VIEW CARD (by JR EAST), JCB, VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club International.

@cnola

Noted with thanks for the typhoon info.

@omotenashi

1. We're just going Tokyo-Kanazawa-Karuizawa-Tokyo.

2. Thanks for the online reservation link! Does this mean If we reserve the seats online in September, We could collect the tickets when we arrive in Tokyo on the 6th of October?

Thanks,

Melati

Well,
I guess you on the 7th of October can reserve seats in the same car for the next day's ride;
when you hope to secure adjacent seats in advance,
presumably the best procedure is like the following.

(1) You and your friend each
purchase Hokuriku Arch Pass online
and print out the exchange order sent via e-mail.

(2) You reserve Shinkansen train seats for you and your friend,
using your credit card,
through the JR East reservation website
(by 23:40 of 2018/10/05 Japan Standard Time);
you write down the reservation number
and print out the confirmation screen or e-mail.
https://www.eki-net.com/top/train_reservation/english/faq/faq.html

(3) On the 6th of October:
You arrive at Narita Airport,
bringing the two printed matters and the credit card;
you receive your rail pass and head to Tokyo.
Your friend arrives at Haneda Airport,
bringing the printed exchange order;
if JR East Travel Service Center (Haneda) is still open,
she receives there her rail pass.

(4) On the 7th of October, in the morning:
You and she together
visit the nearest JR East office
among those listed on the Hokuriku Arch Pass website.
http://hokuriku-arch-pass.com/en/location.html
She receives her rail pass if she has not yet.
You tell the reservation number to the staff.
You and she each collect the Shinkansen seat tickets,
showing Hokuriku Arch Pass.

Note
: When you make the seat reservation through the website,
you specify the ticket window where the tickets should be collected.
: If her arrival is expected in the evening or the night,
she may not receive her rail pass at Travel Service Center (Haneda),
because this office is open only until 18:30.
: In NRT Terminal 1 or 2,
you can receive your rail pass until around 21:35
(i.e. just before the departure of the last Narita Express train);
after the business hours of Travel Service Center,
you can visit the nearby JR Ticket Office, which is open until 21:45.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center.html
: In Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station,
you or she may not receive Hokuriku Arch Pass or collect the tickets
at a ticket window managed by JR Central,
who is not the issuer of this rail pass.

By the way, when and where will you and your friend meet?
From what place in Tokyo will you and she travel to Kanazawa?

Shinagawa Station of JR
is much smaller and simpler than Tokyo Station,
therefore can be better to set the meeting point.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e788.html

Unless she arrives during very late or early hours,
shortly after getting through the immigration procedure,
she can take a Keikyu train to Shinagawa,
go outside the ticket gate
and walk for a few minutes to the JR concourse of Shinagawa Station.

Most Narita Express trains leaving NRT have two destinations;
in Tokyo Station, at the Sobu Underground track on the 5th basement,
one train is divided into two parts;
the earlier-departing part makes a stop at Shinagawa Station,
and the later-departing part skips Shinagawa Station.

Narita Express trains leaving NRT for only one destination
all make a stop at Shinagawa Station.

In Tokyo Station,
JR East and JR Central have separate Shinkansen zones;
different gates or exits have the same or similar names.
Please find a gate
for Tohoku, Joestu and Hokuriku Shinkansen (Tracks 20 to 23),
which is indicated with Shinkansen icons on a green background.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shinkansen-E.svg
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e1039.html

@Omotenashi

Thanks for these valuable inputs, We're staying in the same place so meeting up at Nakameguro station (near the place we're staying). After checking in, we'll be going to Tokyo Station to redeem the seat reservations.

We have big-sized luggage, so worried that it won't fit the locker service available at Shinagawa, so we decided on Tokyo Station as we plan to store our luggage at the station's baggage storage facilities.

Thank you again for the help :)

[qd]We're staying in the same place so meeting up at Nakameguro station

I suggest she will use an IC card
(of PASMO, Suica or compatible)
so that she can pass through smoothly the Keikyu-JR transfer gate of Shinagawa Station(s).

Keikyu trains go to many destinations in some different directions.
Please feel free to ask a Keikyu station attendant which train goes for Shinagawa.

One route from HND without stairs:

Haneda Airport International Terminal Sta.
| Keikyu lines
Shinagawa Sta.(of Keikyu)
: Transfer gate for JR lines
Shinagawa Sta.(of JR): Track 2
| JR Yamanote Linefs Outer Loop
Ebisu Sta. (of JR)
: West Exit
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e290.html
| Walking a little.
Entrance 1:
Ebisu Sta. (H-02): Track 1
https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_H02%E6%81%B5%E6...
| Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
(H-01) Nakameguro Sta.

One route from NRT without stairs:

Narita Airport Sta.
or Airport Terminal 2 Sta,
| JR Lines: Narita Express
Tokyo Sta.(of JR)
: Platform on B5
-- Hall on B4 -- Concourse on B1
-- Marunouchi Underground Central Gate
| Walking through the pathway
Gate:
Tokyo Sta. (M-17): Track 1
https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_M17%E6%9D%B1%E4...
| Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
(M-15) Kasumigaseki Sta. (H-06): Track 3
https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_%E9%9C%9E%E3%82...
| Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
(H-01) Nakameguro Sta.

Tokyu Toyoko Line and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
are jointed at Nakameguro.

I donft recommend making a transfer at Shibuya from JR Narita Express to Tokyu
because you have to take a winding route inside the JR station building
then find your way in the Tokyu underground station building,
carrying your suitcase.

- Shibuya Station of JR
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e808.html
- Shibuya Station(s) of Tokyu and Tokyo Metro
https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_%E6%B8%8B%E8%B0...

At Shibuya:
Tokyu Toyoko Line and Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line
are jointed on the 5th basement [B3F];
Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line
are jointed on the 3rd basement [B3F].

Please note that the Ginza Line part of Tokyo Metro Shibuya Station is above the ground.

To get from Nakameguro Station to a Ginza Line station
(beyond Shibuya and before Kasumigaseki),
I recommend making two short transfers
at Shibuya to Hanzomon Line
then at (Z-02) Omote-Sando (G-02) to Ginza Line.

Also, it should be better to avoid weekday morning and evening rushes.

The first g[B3F]h should be g[B5F]h in my previous response.

we'll be going to Tokyo Station to redeem the seat reservations.

You donft need to go as far as to Tokyo Station only to verify the seat reservations and collect the tickets.

You can do that at the JR East Travel Service Center in Shibuya Station
(open from 10:00 to 18:30, near the South Gate)
on the 7th of October.

The South Gate of (JR) Shibuya Station
(in the building on the ground)
is apart from the Tokyu Toyoko Line platform
(on the 5th basement of the building under the ground),
but you can go up to Exit 14 by elevator and escalator
then follow signs for the JR stationfs East Entrance or South Gate.
(On your way to Tokyo Station, you will take the same route.)

When you choose Tokyo Station,
the Travel Service Center
(open from 7:30 to 20:30)
is near the Marunouchi North Gate,
so you can visit nearby Tokyo Station Gallery
and/or appreciate the restored Marunouchi Building of the station.
(I guess you can leave it until when you will get back to Tokyo.)

The baggage storage (of Rail-Go Service)
and the Shinkansen gates
are near the opposite Yaesu end.
If you after getting the tickets hope to check your route for the 8th,
you need to walk through one of the three passages connecting Marunouchi and Yaesu ends.

It is strongly recommended that you pack lightly.

- Japan Guide: Luggage in Japan
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html
- Tokyo Station City
: Coin Lockers/Baggage Storage at Tokyo Station
http://www.tokyostationcity.com/en/information/locker.html