Train reservations during Obon?

3 of us travelling in Japan (Tokyo/Takayama/Kurashiki/Kyoto) during August, part during Obon, which I gather is very busy. If we arrive August 2 will we still be able to get train reservations for travel starting August 7? So far I can't find any way to reserve from outside of Japan. Anyone know if that's possible?

It depends on the route. If you are planning to leave Tokyo along one of the major train routes, I estimate that trains will be fully sold out in advance for travel after around 5pm, although late-night departures might not be sold out. Before 4-5pm, I think you should be able to make reservations.

Note also that there is now an "unofficial" service that lets you make ticket reservations from outside of Japan:
http://www.jet-lag.org/

RE: Train reservations during Obon?

Well, JR ticket reservation can be made one month before ride at earliest:
for Aug. 7, from 10:00 of July 7;
for Oct. 31, from 10:00 of Oct. 1;
(by Japan Standard Time, UTC + 9 hours).
I have no intention to harm another ticket-booking service as long as it is honest and legal and not law-evading.

If one of you has reached 20 in age and holds a valid credit card of major brands such as VISA, UC, Master Card, then how about JR-West 5489 [goyoyaku] service? This is available for all JR trains if you book and purchase at once on the phone. Sorry if your phone call to the reservation center is rejected because it's from overseas. I think you can still have time to try another in case this service can not accept your language.

At this service, presumably it's OK to have your tickets delivered to your hotel in Japan with 420 to 1,250 yen charge. (For that, purchase the tickets by the day one week before ride).
If that's OK, you have no need to worry when the tickets will come or whether they will come smoothly.
If delivery is impossible, your member who bought them will be required to get them at one of major JR-West stations, presenting the same credit card; so it's better for you to start from Kyoto or Kurashiki to get them.
http://www.westjr.co.jp/english/travel/
http://www.jr-odekake.net/goyoyaku/phone/a.html
(Omit the first 0 in the alternative phone number. Not 078-341... but 78-341....)

(Little slowly to make him/her slow down)
"Konnichiwa (Hello), I have a credit card of VISA. And, yuukou-kigen (expiring period) is January of year two thousands and eleven. I am twenty-five years old. We have xx days before our travel. Can I get my tickets at my hoteru (hotel) in Japan?"
"We are three members. There is no children. / One of us is a child of ten years old. We use Japan Railway Pass. / We need jo'shaken (fare tickets), and we start from XXX on August 7, and XXX on August xx,... and arrive at XXX on August xx."
"We take Hikari Number four-seven-zero from Okayama and arrive at Kyoto at eleven fifty-four."
As a Japanese, I hope JR-West staffers can understand English expressions like these....

//

I forgot to note when the center is open.
JR-West reservation center is open 08:00 through 22:00 by JST, year-round.
When music lasts long before someone replies, disconnect to save phone charge.

I know vacant seats info is provided by JR, but that' all in Japanese. If Japanese inputting is not possible, there is no choice but copy-and-paste station names to input them. This information service is open 06:30 through 22:30 by JST.
http://www.jr.cyberstation.ne.jp/vacancy/Vacancy.html

I recognize now that you wrote "from August 7", but note that my response only referred to August 7. The situation is different on different days.