Golden week and green car (again!)

I wanted to avoid going to Japan during golden week, but this time I had no choice. I've read the other posts, but still haven't really found and answer to my question. I read that I should expect double capacity on the shinkansen during Golden week and so it would be hard to get a seat. I'm planning to go from Tokyo to Kyoto on 5/2, Kyoto to Osaka 5/5, and Osaka to Fukoka 5/10 and back to Tokyo on 5/12. I have heard that the green car might be less crowded and easier to get a seat during this time? Has anybody done this during Golden week that can verify? I want to be sure it's worth the extra money in order to be sure I can get to where I want to go..

During the peak days of Golden week trains are often full, and this includes green cars. Though they maybe some of the last to be reserved. Its just a matter of timing and how early you reserve your tickets in order to get a secured seat in either the green or ordinary cars. There are much fewer green seats then there are ordinary seats.

Kev,

Note that there are no shinkansen trains with green cars west of Okayama, so you won't be getting value for money when travelling to Fukuoka. Note also that, as all green car seats are reserved, you will end up standing in cattle class in the highly likely scenario that there are no green car seats free.

I plan to have a JR Pass, but not activate it until 4/29. Is it possible to make a seat reservation before that? Or, do I have to pay at the time I reserve?

Yes you can make reservations after you exchange the voucher for the pass. The pass does not have to be active yet, as long as you have the Pass (and not the voucher) and as long as the dates of the reservations will be within the validity dates of the pass.

You can make a reservation as soon as you land in Japan as long as you also exchange your voucher for an actual pass at the same time. And yes you can ask for the pass to start later. For example land on the 28 and exchange (at the nearest JR rail station) your voucher for a pass. Ask that the pass start on the 4 and make a reservation for the 4. the reservation is free with a JR pass.

That's good news. I'm wondering then, if I were to try to reserve seats, say on the 26th (my arrival day) if I will have a good chance of getting a seat on the 2nd or if it will already be booked up.