Kyoto to Tokyo advance fares?

[route101]

Looking at doing Kyoto to Tokyo by bullet train and wondering if anyone knows if advance fares exist or is it just walk up?

 

[telstarbox]

The Hyperdia site (www.hyperdia.com) gives three fares in ascending order of price - unreserved, reserved, and green coach (First Class), but no Advance fares when searching a month in advance. (Enter Kyoto and Tokyo as stations, then click "SearchDetails" and tick the two Shinkansen boxes.)

Seat61 suggests that a Japan Rail Pass, available to non-Japan residents, may be cheaper: http://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm

The normal return fare from Tokyo to Kyoto is 27,440 Yen, about £211, and from Tokyo to Hiroshima 37,240 Yen, about £286. A Japan Rail Pass costs £226 for 7 days unlimited travel throughout Japan.

 

[Polarbear]

Rail tickets in Japan are pretty expensive & as noted above, a JR pass may work out cheaper. These are only available to non Japanese individuals. As well as the national rail pass, some of the JR companies also offer regional passes as well.

Advance fares as we know them in the UK & parts of Europe don't appear to exist in Japan.

 

[route101]

Thanks for the advice but looks like im China Bound instead!

 

[island]

Can confirm this a month late. I am taking this trip tomorrow, using the aforementioned JR pass. Note that the pass is not valid on the fastest trains called Nozomi and Mizuho.