koneko wrote:
Thank you once again, everyone. You've saved me a lot of time,
trouble, worry, and money! I looked up the map of Narita online, as
suggested above, and I think I know where to find the JR counter. I
might just pick up a shinkansen ticket as soon as we get into Tokyo.
Or, I can wait until we get into Tokyo and get to one of the stations
as also mentioned above and purchase the ticket then. That makes an
awful lot of sense! I guess there's really no need for me to depend
on
the agency to make those reservations, huh? And I should be able to
get 2 tickets easily, right, as long as I don't wait until the day of
travel?

No worries. Just take them your rail pass and you should be fine.

And just to confirm... the JR pass works for both the shinkansen
(except the nozomi), and the JR metro trains in Tokyo, yes? thank
you
for the tip!!

Correct. There really is no reason to not buy the rail pass. It's an
exceptionally good deal.

Also... where is the "Station" from which the shinkansen depart in
Tokyo? I was a little confused with that. Do hotels usually have
shuttles that go back and forth to the stations? Is it possible to
take the bus? I am worried about how expensive it will be in Tokyo
to
take a cab, when we get back there from the Shinkansen!

A lot depends on the hotel. Probably not a shuttle, but they can help
with either bus routes, walking, or a cab. If you're getting the hotel
on your own get one close to a station. The shinkansen will leave from
Tokyo station.

I read that carrying suitcases on the shinkansen is a huge pain...
what
do people usually do? I realize I am going to be in big trouble, as
I
already know I am going to by a lot of goodies, and I'm the first to
admit that I'm no weight-lifter!

Try to get an end row (my luggage can go behind the last seat) and flip
the seats so you have two facing each other. Even if you're not on the
end you can then put your luggage up in one and sit in the other
(unless, of course, that seat has been reserved; I've really only been
on a couple of trains too crowded to do this). You might also consider
a backpack if you can; makes life much easier.

John W.