Best train options - multiple places

Hello

I am travelling to Japan next month for the 1st time and am a bit confused as to the best way forward for train travel.

These are our plans

Nozomi Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Osaka (Chuo Ward)
Osaka (Chuo Ward) to Koyasan
Koyasan to Kyoto (Minami ward)
Kyoto (Minami Ward) to Osaka (main airport)

Is it worth getting a JR rail pass? Any advise would be appreciated.
Thank you

JRP is not worth it. Even at the current price. Just buy single tickets as you go.

Why Nozomi? Hikari is just as comfortable, less cost and only 15-20 mins more.

Because Nozomi is faster and more frequent.

Nozomi because the Hikari is full of people using JR passes, more frequent, fewer transfers, faster, the price difference is negligible, and with the smartex discount no reason to get a slower train.

I would like to pre book online the Nozomi bullet train. Who is the best company to book through? ShinkansenTicket or Rail Ninja. They both have different prices or is there a better online company? Thank you.

JR pass holders are generally not in a hurry and reserve their seat

@couldabeen: No, the only reason JR pass holders don't ride Nozomi is because they are not allowed to ride Nozomi with the pass. If they could use any train (without additional fees), almost everyone would choose the faster Nozomi so that they can spend more time at their destination.

Given how often the Nozomi runs between the most commonly used stations, if you COULD ride it using the JR pass, I think a fair number of pass holders would opt for unreserved seating on it. But there are actually multiple reasons why a person would choose an unreserved seat, even if seat reservations were available free of charge. (A surprisingly large number of people simply cannot comprehend why you would actually choose unreserved seats, but I have lost track of the number of times I had a seat reservation but wished I hadnft made one.)

I am one of the probably very few who is likely to continue to buy nationwide JR passes after the price hike, and if (as one knowledgeable forum member has suggested) Hikari trains soon be a lot less crowded because foreigners will largely abandon them in favor of point-to-point tickets on Nozomi trains, then I will be even more likely to take my chances on unreserved seats in the future (also on limited express trains, as it is anticipated that foreign travelers will take far fewer gsideh trips if they are paying for point-to-point tickets). I am annoyed that the Nozomi will soon be an option with the JR pass but the surcharge is so large that I will not be willing to pay it, on top of the huge pass price increase.

Off topic, sorryc

Regarding reservations for the Nozomi, I personally would not take my chances with a third-party booking site. Even if it costs a little more, booking directly with JR feels a lot safer and more flexible to me (do those other sites allow you to cancel or make changes, and if so, how smooth and reliable is it?).

Have you looked at the official JR site SmartEx?
https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php

You can get some discounts using their gHayatokuh fares—see gFare Overviewh on the SmartEx landing page. (But I donft have first-hand experience with this since I always get a JR passc)

@ rabbityama

I am sure that a tourist is not concerned about having an extra 30/45 mins to do more sightseeing.

As a tourist, I absolutely care about those 30 minutes for the same price. Unless I'm traveling with a group of 3 or more, I don't bother booking seats, even with a JR pass. If your neighbors are noisy or smelly, you can just go to another seat/car.

Anyway, a reserved seat on the Nozomi is only about \400 more expensive. That's truly negligible compared to a return trip to Europe, and I certainly value my leisure time more than \800/hr.

The proposal that "tourists" don't ride Nozomi trains is so strange it must be a troll. I wish tourists hated the Nozomi. That'd make Golden Week, Obon, etc a lot nicer for me!