Railpass reservation question

hello,

i have a 3 weeks japan railpass and i will arrive in japan august 11th.
the railpass will be valid from august 14th onwards.

can i still make reservations when arriving in japan with the first train to make a reservation for leaving august 14th?

thanks
massl87

Yes, you can make reservations at a JR counter after arrival in Japan and before (or after) validity of the JR pass starts.

You need to exchange the voucher first before you can begin to book tickets. When you exchange the voucher, you can elect the date/s of validity of your pass. Must start up to one month in advance. 3 days in your situation.

Basically, you can not make a reservation if there are no vacancies by dep time.
If it have non-reserved seat car(s) train, you may not be able to sit, but you can get on.
Shinkansen, limited express, and even in other types that do not have non-reserved seat cars.

In the case of Shinkansen and Limited expresse that do not non-reserved seat cars,
you can get in if there is a ticket issued only when the seat is full,
but idk your plan, so I can't advise you if it will happen or not.

As for the Shinkansen, another traveler just posted a similar question.
https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+169268

i need to make a lot of reservations for my whole 3,5 weeks in japan this august.
frist trip would be from shari to sapporo on august 14th. i really need to take the train at 6.45AM from shari.

What is "shari"?

Oh I see there is a Shari town in Hokkaido, though no Shari station. The Okhotsk ltd exp (Abashiri to Sapporo) can be booked online.

�gShari�h is a place in North eastern Hokkaido with several train stations. None of them Calle �gShari�h but there is a train line. (Eg Shiretokoshari Station)

I don�ft think dear reservation will be a problem. On the local trains most likely there are no reserved seats anyway.

Shari to Sapporo by train is a VERY long ride!

What you will need to do is exchange your JR pass before starting your trip. Have you confirmed that the office where you plan to do that is open and does handle JR pass ?

frist trip would be from shari to sapporo on august 14th.
Your first trip is from Shari? Shiretokoshari Station maybe - seven hours to Sapporo.
How are you getting to Shari - road, flight, bus, boat? You would not be able to exchange your rail pass voucher there - you would need to do it at one of the JR exchange offices.

i will arrive at sapporo airport on august 11th. there i can exchange my railpass voucher and make all the bookings right?
rail pass should be valid from august 14th onward. i will leave sapporo in the evening at 11.15 PM with a overnight bus to shiretoko. and i will leave shiretoko with taxi on august 14th in the early morning and take the first train from shiretoko shari to sapporo (7 hours).

is that okay?

That is fine, provided that you arrive at CTS before the rail pass exchange office closes (at 19:00).

Also, as mentioned before you can book JR Hokkaido trains online.

where can i book trains online and do i need the railpass to do that?

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

If you want to make seat reservation you should:

1. Take your Japan Rail Pass to any JR Ticket Office spread through all Japanese train stations. Alternatively, go to a Travel Service Center or a Travel Agency ticket sales office.

2. Once at the ticket office, you will be asked about your destination and preferred departure time.

3. You will be handed your reserved seat ticket, stating departure time, arrival time, train name, car, and seat.

Source: https://www.jrailpass.com/faq/seat-reservation

i made some reservations online, but why do i have to register with my credit card number?
i will get a railpass when arriving in japan on august 11th. i don�Lt have to pay for anything right? these are all JR trains which i made reservations for.

If you have a rail pass, you don't pay anything. The credit card number is for security, so that for example they can charge you the cancellation fee if you don't go pick up the tickets.

You register the credit card so you can pick up your tickets. Common system is to insert your credit card to access your bookings and printing tickets at a ticket machine.

That's not how it works with rail passes through, then you must do it at the counter.

if i make reservations at a JR counter, do i also need to present my credit card? what if i do not get a train but picked up my seat ticket? will i get charged then?

If you make reservations with the JRP at a counter you just present the pass.
(And as for picking up online reserved tickets in conjunction with a JRP - I'm happy to be corrected. Last tickets I booked online were via SmartEx rather than something like Eki-net.)