koneko wrote:
Bob Myers wrote:
Can't hurt. At worst, they will stick to their guns and
not drop the price - but you might be able to get some
concessions from them, especially if you can go in armed
with the right information. Fare info, etc., regarding the
JR trains, including the shinkansen, is pretty easy to get.
Again, try the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO);
they've got a great English-language web site:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

I checked, and they ARE charging us more for the Shinkansen tix!! I
guess I will tell them never mind, I will book those myself! Wow, it
was a huge mark-up too. It's funny, though, b/c I calculated the
rest,
and we are still saving money by taking the package, just these extra
tix alone are totally crazy-overpriced!

Get a rail pass. Just the cost of travelling round trip to Tokyo-Kyoto
makes it worthwhile. You can't use it on non-JR lines, but it's still
useful.

It's pretty easy to get shinkansen tickets on your own, especially
at the major train stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinagawa). Figure
out what train you want in advance, using either the Hyperdia site
above or the JR site, and it will make things easier for you when
you go to the ticket window. Basically, besides the time you want
to travel, you'll need to tell the clerk whether you want a smoking
or non-smoking car (non-smoking is in the minority!) and if you
want the "Green Car" (first class, and IMHO not worth the
extra charge). I wouldn't until the day of to get the tickets, but
2-3 days in advance should be no problem.

I found this site: http://www.world.eki-net.com/

Do you know if this is reliable? I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way... my adobe isn't working, so I can't see
where
I can pick up the tix though. I just need to make sure I can get
back
to Tokyo from Kyoto! =) But if you think that I can get Shinkansen
tix
easily enough when I am in Japan (maybe while I am in Tokyo?) But I
rather it was taken care of. That's the reason why I went with the
package the first place. :-/

Honestly you probably don't need reservations and can make them at the
time of travel. You just walk up to the Shinkansen ticket window and
make a reservation; I've only once had to suffer through a bad seat by
doing it this way, and it gives you much more flexibility.

John W.