Advance purchase of train tickets

I have read all posts about train travel from Kyoto to Narita Airport(price, schedule, transfer in Shinagawa) but found no mention of availability of tickets. Can I buy tickets at the station on the day of travel in July or do you recommend prior purchase? How do I do that? Thanks for any help.

Every train has reserved and unreserved seats.

Unreserved seats can be used without any advance reservations, but there is a risk that all seats are taken.

Reserved seats require an advance reservation, which can be made starting one month before travel date until a few minutes before departure. Some trains get booked out, many don't.

Using a JR Rail Pass, Can seats be reserved on limited express trains? Say from Hachinohe to Aomori.

Yes, like shinkansen, limited express trains have both, reserved and unreserved seats.

One of the best things about the JR Pass is the ability to reserve seats for free...it takes only a few minutes at the ticket office and is a fantastic service. Make sure you reserve a seat on the NEX...its the only way to get a seat

Thanks! When you make a advance reservation, Do they give you a ticket when using the JR pass? Also, How can you tell where to stand on the platform If you need to be at a certain car? I can't read Japanese.

When you reserve a ticket using the JR pass, you'll get a ticket for your seat on the train. First, though this ticket looks like everyone else's it doesn't work with the machines--you'll present your ticket and JR pass to the attendant at the manned gate.

On the platform,there will be lanes or signs painted to indicate where the doors will open. If you are in a big station, running along the top of track will be a wire with different signs hanging down, indicating in English, which cars will be smoking and non-smoking, and reserved or non-reserved, along with the car number.

If the station does not have these signs, the cars of the train will. As it arrives you can read a screen on the side that tells you again, the car number and whether it is a reserved or non-reserved car.

If all else fails, either find a station attendant and present your ticket (they generally understand enough English to get you to the right place), or if there's no attendant around, get on the train and inside each car are electronic signs in English that tell you which car you're in and if it's reserved or non-reserved.

Basically, you really can't fail in getting to the right seat.

I can't read Japanese. Many Shinkansen and limited express tickets come in English translation form now.

Any case assuming it was in Japanese, the tickets are pretty self explanatory on seat number and car number, just a little simple deciphering and you will understand it. Also there are station staff on the platform and many bilingual signs showing which cars stop where. Like the other poster mentioned, it's pretty full proof that you won't get in the wrong train.

Example:
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/tickets/read/index.html

(second image)
Car 6, seat 6 C no smoking.