Is advance reservation needed?

We plan to travel on Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto on Oct 2, back on Oct 6 (before Sports weekend). How long in advance do we have to buy the tickets and reserve the seats? We will only arrive to Tokyo on Sept 28 and I am afraid this will be too short a time to book. Any advice?

Thanks to all that reply!

You can book and reserve seats up to a few minutes before the train leaves. These are not busy travel season dates, if you know the exact train number and times you want to travel you can book them all ahead of time if you wanted.

How long in advance do we have to buy the tickets and reserve the seats?

You don't have to buy it in advance. You can buy it just before departure at the railway station. But for peace of mind, I recommend to make seat reservations one day before travel date. Or if your travel schedule is fixed and very unlikely to change, as early as possible (max. 1 month in advance).

Thanks for both answers. Do you also know whether I can book via internet or do I have to go there physically to get the tickets and reserve a seat?

You have to be on site to get your tickets.

if you aren't too jet-lagged you ca nreserve rightatthe JR Narita station, especialy if you take a JR train into Tokyo. jus tbe sure to write down the date and approximate time so that you don't get confused yourself!.

Great advice. Thank you all!