Buying JR Pass online or from a travel agency

Hi all,

I am planning for a trip to Japan in Dec.
We will be arriving in Tokyo on 11 Dec and taking Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate on 14 Dec.
We would need to get the JR pass. However I am contemplating whether to buy JR pass online or from a travel agent.
Buying JR PASS online:
Pros:
- I get to book the seats on Shinkansen one month in advance, before I reach Japan.
Cons:
-Itfs about 10000 yen more expensive per pax.

Buying JR pass from a travel agent :
Pros:
- itfs much cheaper and sometimes therefs promotion.
Cons:
- I can only book the Shinkansen seats upon exchanging for the physical pass when I arrive in Japan. I am not sure if seats on Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate (and vice Verda) in Dec can be booked easily in December.

Would appreciate if anyone could help to share your experience. Many thanks.

I would buy from the agent if cheaper. Reservation can be booked easily and if you avoid a peak season (after Xmas) can't think of a problem getting the seats.

Online should only be 1000-1500 yen more, not 10,000 yen more.

Travel agencies require a handling fee, don't they?
(I am a Japanese resident, so I cannot buy a Japan Rail Pass.)

To be precise, also the fluctuation in the currency exchange rate makes difference.
I wonder how much the real difference in the total cost would be....

Just to make sure:
A 7-day Japan Rail Pass does not pay off
by only a one-way trip from Tokyo to Hakodate.

- JR-EAST Train Reservation
https://www.eki-net.com/en/jreast-train-reservation/Top/Index

Registering yourself as a member of this website,
you can try seat reservation for the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen.

> taking Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate

The Shinkansen does not bring you directly to Hakodate.
Currently it's north terminus is Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station,
which is located in Hokuto City, near the boundary between the two cities.

You make a transfer there and take a train for Hakodate.

Alternatively you can fly from Haneda [HND] to Hakodate [HKD].
Check the Japan-Guide article featuring discount air tickets.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

If you are concerned about not getting seats, and if all seats are taken, yet, you still need to travel following your schedule, try standing tickets. I did once, and a seat was available midway.

If you are concerned about not getting seats, and if all seats are taken, yet, you still need to travel following your schedule, try standing tickets. I did once, and a seat was available midway.

An option: https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/easthokkaido.html

Many thanks for your advice.

I double checked the price difference per 14-day JR pass. Itfs about 6000 yen.
As I will be going to and back from Hakodate, itfs more worth it to get a JR pass. We will be staying in Hokkaido for more than a week so I think we will most likely get a 14-day JR PASS.
I understand that shinkansen will only go to Shin Hakodate and we will have to transfer again.
Is it difficult to get a reserved seat back to Tokyo on 24 Dec?

Thanks very much for the suggestion of checking out domestic flights. I will look it up.

Xmas eve should be fine. But in the worst case, get to the platform early and an unreserved seat is often available.

There are only a couple of busy travel periods in the year where it is difficult to get Shinkansen seats including Golden Week (end of April to early May ) & New Year (Xmas eve to ~10th Jan).

All JR passes are now issued as magnetic tickets that can be inserted into ticket gates rather than the old passes that you had to show at the manned gate to enter/exit a platform.

This also means that after receiving your JR Pass you can book seats using the ticket machines instead of having to line up at a long queue in booking offices (you can still use the booking office if you wish).

What this means is that if you purchase a JR Pass from an agent, after you exchange it for the actual pass you can then get your seat reservations for the 24th ahead of time so you won't have any problem getting a seat.

The Shinkansen to Hakodate actually terminates about 20 min outside Hakodate (this is because they are extending the line from that station through to Sapporo). All you do is change at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto for a local train to/from Hakodate Station. These trains are timed to connect with the Shinkansen and included in the JR Pass.

P.S. Depending on how many people are travelling and your budget, consider the green JR Pass which gives you larger and much more comfortable seats, especially as you are travelling 4-4.5 hours on the Shinkansen each way.

Thank you very much for your advice.

It depends on how much convenience you want. You can book seats directly on your phone/computer without having to book a seat by going to a ticket machine at a station. But that depends on your budget and if youfre willing to spend a bit extra.

Itfs not 10000 more expensive. The 7 day pass is \3960 more expensive, 14 day pass \5710 and 21 day \5750 more expensive.