JR Pass non-reserved seat question

will be traveling with a JR pass, question is, do i need to buy a non-reserved seat ticket for the shinkansen? or is it ok to just go through the gates and sit whichever seat is free?

Thanks much

You just go and sit on a vacant seat in a car with unreserved seats.

If you've got a JR pass, you might as well buy a reserved seat since it's included in the fare...

Well with the JR pass you don't "buy" a reserved seat. As mentioned its Free for JR pass holders.

But if you're in a rush or otherwise not sure of your plans, as mentioned you are free to sit in any non-reserved car seat without the need for a reservation.

Hi,

Are there any perticular shinkansen routes that require reservation? I already know what trains I will take on what days, but no idea what time it will be.

For example: we'll be traveling from Hiroshima to Tokyo on Sep 22, but we don't know yet what time we'll depart. Also, since we have to change trains at Himeji, we want to explore that area too, and hop on the train later.

But is there a chance the train will be full?

Thank you.

Regards,
W.

Yes some Shinkansen require reservations only, but they are limited to some Northbound Shinkansen operated by JR East.

Tokyo to Hiroshima is JR-West/JR-Central and their Shinkansen's have unreserved seats.

Remember you cannot use Nozomi Shinkansen.

Are there any perticular shinkansen routes that require reservation?

Among shinkansen, only the hayate trains between Tokyo and Hachinohe and the komachi trains between Tokyo and Akita require reservations. Furthermore, all green car seats require reservations.

Remember that you JR Pass is good on the Hikari trains but not the Nozumi trains. Use www.hyperdia.com for schedules for all trains and subways. It's a great resource. There's a box that you can check that excludes Nozumi trains from the search list...great for JR Pass Holders.