Ltd. Exp Sunrise Seto with my JR Pass

Hello guys,
i'll be landed in Tokyo at January 2nd, and i'll activate my Jr pass on that day. And i'm planning to ride LTD. EXP SUNRISE SETO from Osaka to Tokyo at January 9th 00.24 hrs. My question is, can i ride LTD. EXP SUNRISE SETO with my JR PASS if i already book a seat in advance? or my JR PASS will be expired on that day?
Thank you in advance.

If you pass the ticket gates before midnight, then the base fare will be covered. However, the limited express fee will not be covered if you board the train after midnight. You could consider boarding the train at Himeji before midnight in which case the limited express fee would also be covered.

In addition, please note that the limited express fee will be covered only if you use the nobi nobi compartments. If you use any other type of compartments, the limited express fee will not be covered. The train does not have any regular seats. Note that the nobi nobi compartments are popular and often sell out. You may not be able to make a reservation in which case you cannot ride the train.

While you could pass the ticket gate before midnight, the pass would actually be expired when you board the train on the 8th day of use. On that basis, while you might be able to board the train (as noted by Uji), you wouldn't actually have valid fare coverage. The pass is valid for journeys commenced before midnight on the final day - and that is when you get on the train, not enter the station based on my understanding of the rules.

This question comes up occasionally and most advice is that to ensure coverage, boarding at Himeji is the better way to go.

January 9th 00.24 hrs.
Yes, by that time your JR pass is valid no more. Importantly, the Nobi-nobi seats, which are free with JR Pass, are very limited, and very often taken early.

Thank you guys for your advise, its really help me! Cheers!
Then i'll take the evening shinkansen instead.

On that basis, while you might be able to board the train (as noted by Uji), you wouldn't actually have valid fare coverage.

No, that is not correct. There are specific rules regarding the pass' validity after midnight, and I pointed them out in my previous post, namely: a) the base fare remains covered after midnight if you pass through the ticket gates before midnight (until you exit through ticket gates) and b) the limited express fee is covered for rides starting before midnight (until you alight the train), but it is not covered anymore for rides started after midnight.

Could you make a reservation beyond the validity of the pass? i.e., reserving a seat for the 9th, while the pass expires on the 8th? Wouldn't it be an instant refusal by the reservation office?

reserving a seat for the 9th, while the pass expires on the 8th? Wouldn't it be an instant refusal by the reservation office?

Reservations for trains that you board after midnight are not covered by the pass (the reservation fee is part of the limited express fee). So you will have to pay for them.

@Uji, my reading of the information/rules about pass validity is that passing through the ticket gate is not enough. As an example reference:
What this implies is that if you plan to take a late night train during your last validity day, you will be able to do so as long as your train leaves before midnight.
The important point being that the train leaves before midnight on the last valid day.

Even written on the pass (I have one handy) it expressly says valid during the validity period, and that expires at midnight on the last day. Passing a ticket gate before midnight would be valid use (platform access), boarding a train after midnight is use outside of the valid period.

That is my reading of the rules and based on that using an expired pass to board a train is not something I would do or recommend. Happy to be proven wrong if you care to share the relevant clause in the massive term and conditions document JR publishes.

I don't think that the rules changed, although now I am not 100% sure anymore. This is what I still find on travel agency websites across the internet (but not on the official JR website):
乗車中に日付が変わり、有効期間終了日の翌日にまたがる場合、運賃は最初の改札口を出るところまで有効で料金は有効期間終了日から乗車している列車を降りるところまで有効です。

It says that if you ride a train at midnight, that the base fare will continue to be covered until you leave the ticket gates. And possible supplement fees will be covered only for the train that you are riding at midnight until you get off, but not for subsequent trains.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend making use of this rule though, because even if it is still in effect, I feel that not all JR staff members may be aware of it, and you could run into complications.