Unreserved Tokaido Shinkansen Ticketing Question

[TestudoToTetsudo]

So I've always used Japan Rail Passes every trip to Japan (except maybe when I was 3), and so now I have a very basic question that I need to "ask the experts" for:

 

A friend of mine is days away from a very quickly arranged vacation to Japan, and has insufficient time to get a Japan Rail Pass (she has pass privileges on a major US airline as a relative works for the airline, but must fly Standby).   She would be meeting friends in Japan who will be getting Japan Rail Passes (have exchange orders...), but will have to buy her own Shinkansen tickets.

 

I forget how unreserved tickets work: are the tickets train-specific, and you just do not have a seat assignment?  Or is the ticket open, and you can board the unreserved cars of any Hikari the day you want to travel?

 

Want to explain to her what kind of ticket to ask for/buy when she's at the JR Service Center at Narita, not sure if I can tell her to "just get an unreserved ticket," or if she has to find out which specific Hikari train number her friends want to ride first.

 

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

[miyakoji]

iirc the basic fare (over a certain value/distance) and shinkansen tickets are good for 3 days. Did she contact the sellers of the exchange orders? They might be able to print it right away and overnight it. Can exchange orders be emailed yet?

Edited November 24, 2015 by miyakoji

[bikkuri bahn]

Unreserved seating tickets (jiyuseki tokkyu ken) are good for any train with unreserved seating for a three day period as mentioned by miyakoji. They are thus very flexible.

 

*correction, it appears the period of validity is two days.  Very hard to find the rules on the net.  A paper timetable is much better for this, unfortunately I don't have one with me now.

Edited November 24, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[JR 500系]

Actually, the mail can send the JR Passes pretty fast if she still has around 3 days before her flight...

 

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/book-jrp/delivery-rates-and-times

 

I don't know where she is from, but she might still be able to make it if she wants to purchase the JR Pass, but she needs to be fast...

 

As her friends have passes, it will restrict her travel with them if she doesn't... It will add up too depending on how much travel her friends will be doing in Japan... I don't think she would like to get split up with her friends now, would she?

 

Another alternative might be to get some of the many regional passes that have surfaced recently, like posted by katoftw:

 

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html

 

These passes can be bought in Japan...

 

Some trains will also require all reserved seats too... Also, as she is carrying an unreserved ticket, her friends with passes would also need to sit in the unreserved carriage together with her...

[katoftw]

Go to a place that sells them over the counter.  Done in 10 minutes.

 

But since here friends have rail passes.  Wouldn't they be getting reserve seats?  So she would also need reserved seats to travel in the same car/area as her friends?  Reserved seating only costs 200-400 yen extra per trip.

Edited November 24, 2015 by katoftw

[Steve4031]

Where could one purchase a railpass purchase order over the counter.  I live in Chicago. 

[katoftw]

What did google come up with for an answer when you tried?  Companies like JTB have branches all over the USA.  I'm sure there are others also.

 

Examples I located:-

 

Kintetsu International Express (U.S.A.) Inc. Chicago One Pierce Place, Suite 135C Itasca, IL60143 U.S.A. TEL (800) 654-4090 FAX (630) 250-8574

 

JTB USA INC. (CHICAGO) 1699 E. Woodfield Rd, Suite 205 Schaumburg, IL 60173 TEL 847-593-7226
FAX 773-714-5199

 

JAL CHICAGO O'Hare International Airport 1-800-525-3663

Edited November 24, 2015 by katoftw

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Thanks for all the information!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!