Traveling without JR Pass

[The Big Bang Theory]

My average days per region is around 2-3 days atleast, and region to region are rather short, and thus after calculating the JR ticket costs, it's not worth for me to buy any JR Passes.

Question I have is, am I encouraged to buy reserved seat tickets in advance or just buy non-reserved seats?

Reserved seats allows me to confirm my seat, and able to sit together with my traveling partner. However, risk here is that if I booked reserved seats in advance, what happen if I couldn't make it due to unforeseen circumstances, missing the train..?

Am I allowed to change to the next train as reserved or opt for a refund?

On the other hand, I heard non-reserved seat even if misses train, can just take the next unreserved seat without exchanging the tickets, need confirmation on this as well. Thus my thought is that non-reserved seat tickets offers more flexibility.

Those who have experience traveling without JR pass or misses any JR trains with reserved tickets, please share your experience here, thanks in advance.

 

[snap99]

If you miss a limited express train on which you have a reserved seat - you can take a later train but forfeit your seat reservation. I will always reserve seats (couple hundred Yen more) but save me having to rush and queue at the unreserved seat lines.

 

[The Big Bang Theory]

If you miss a limited express train on which you have a reserved seat - you can take a later train but forfeit your seat reservation. I will always reserve seats (couple hundred Yen more) but save me having to rush and queue at the unreserved seat lines.

Thanks, but there's no option to take a later train with seat reservation (if available?)

I don't mind a few hundred yen more either, but I only scare I will miss the train lol

 

[snap99]

Thanks, but there's no option to take a later train with seat reservation (if available?)

I don't mind a few hundred yen more either, but I only scare I will miss the train lol

I haven’t done it before- but I do think you can buy another reserved seat. Ie you pay again.

 

[The Big Bang Theory]

I haven’t done it before- but I do think you can buy another reserved seat. Ie you pay again.

Well, that's equivalent to voiding the missed reserved seat, then the risk is high to miss a JR train in JP...

 

[wkweewee]

Well, that's equivalent to voiding the missed reserved seat, then the risk is high to miss a JR train in JP...

Erm no big deal to miss a jr train in japan, be it reserved or non reserved seats as the train frequencies are not a cause for concern.

I have been travelling without the JR pass for quite some time alrdy due to the way I travel, and my main travel tools are the suica and icoca cards (jp ezlink). Lemme share my input wrt limited express tickets, and its refund policies.

If you are unsure about your arrival time for JR trains, you need not purchase the reserved seats beforehand till you reach the station. You can purchase it via the ticketing machines in the station itself when you are there. If you do not have the suica or icoca cards, you will need to buy 2 tickets, one base + one limited express reserved top up. Slot these two into the gantry and you are good to go. If you have the ezlink cards, you will just need to purchase the latter. Tap in with the ezlink card, and just walk through. If you already hold the tickets beforehand, and you are late- tough luck (buy again). If you know are going to be late at that station, and you happened to be another station, quickly proceed the train station counter to ask them for a refund, or for a change of ticket timing. The catch is, you must do all these before the train departure stated on your tickets.

Next, for non JR limited express trains like the kintetsu rail (privately owned) or etc, you have no choice generally but to buy the reserved tickets online first (unless the station has the ticket issuing counter [some stations do not have though]). You will have the e ticket- just screen shot it to your phone. When you reach the station, just tap the ezlink card to enter (for base price) and proceed to board. If not, purchase the base price ticket at the station. If you happen to miss the train, there are limited express ticket machines next to the railway track (yes you heard it)- you can impromptu purchase the top up ticket(s) before boarding. For the refund policy, it is the same. Changes or refund has to be made before the departure date/time of the train stated on the tickets.

Hope the info helps.

And if the limited express ticket is overdue, you are not allowed to take the next train's reserved seat as the ticket is no longer valid. You can try your luck, and pay the fine (or so called 'top up') when the person checking your ticket comes though. You would not be driven out, as long as there are seats available.

For non reserved seats, no point buying beforehand. You can just tap the ezlink card to enter when you reach, or buy the normal ticket when you are at that station.

 

[The Big Bang Theory]

Erm no big deal to miss a jr train in japan, be it reserved or non reserved seats as the train frequencies are not a cause for concern.

I have been travelling without the JR pass for quite some time alrdy due to the way I travel, and my main travel tools are the suica and icoca cards (jp ezlink). Lemme share my input wrt limited express tickets, and its refund policies.

If you are unsure about your arrival time for JR trains, you need not purchase the reserved seats beforehand till you reach the station. You can purchase it via the ticketing machines in the station itself when you are there. If you do not have the suica or icoca cards, you will need to buy 2 tickets, one base + one limited express reserved top up. Slot these two into the gantry and you are good to go. If you have the ezlink cards, you will just need to purchase the latter. Tap in with the ezlink card, and just walk through. If you already hold the tickets beforehand, and you are late- tough luck (buy again). If you know are going to be late at that station, and you happened to be another station, quickly proceed the train station counter to ask them for a refund, or for a change of ticket timing. The catch is, you must do all these before the train departure stated on your tickets.

Next, for non JR limited express trains like the kintetsu rail (privately owned) or etc, you have no choice generally but to buy the reserved tickets online first (unless the station has the ticket issuing counter [some stations do not have though]). You will have the e ticket- just screen shot it to your phone. When you reach the station, just tap the ezlink card to enter (for base price) and proceed to board. If not, purchase the base price ticket at the station. If you happen to miss the train, there are limited express ticket machines next to the railway track (yes you heard it)- you can impromptu purchase the top up ticket(s) before boarding. For the refund policy, it is the same. Changes or refund has to be made before the departure date/time of the train stated on the tickets.

Hope the info helps.

And if the limited express ticket is overdue, you are not allowed to take the next train's reserved seat as the ticket is no longer valid. You can try your luck, and pay the fine (or so called 'top up') when the person checking your ticket comes though. You would not be driven out, as long as there are seats available.

For non reserved seats, no point buying beforehand. You can just tap the ezlink card to enter when you reach, or buy the normal ticket when you are at that station.

Thank you for sharing, very useful. I always thought those ezlink cards are for subways.

Few clarifications:
You mean we can buy reserved seat at the station via the ticket machine with those JR ezlinks? And what is the chance that when you reach there the reserved seats already are sold out and are these machines available at every stations?

So to confirm, if I missed my train for a ticket I purchased earlier, the ticket becomes invalid already?

Thanks!

 

[VD]

I have missed a couple of reserved booking and it’s really nothing to be too bother, only if you have a JR pass, but of cos if you don’t have, then you probably have to wait for the next train and sit in the non reserve carriage. The point being, you need to know you are hopping up the right train and wouldn’t bring you to the wrong destination. I rather have a confirm ticket with a seat assigned but there are cases where the train you want to be on is almost fully booked and you will be seated away from each other.

At time when you rushing for time, pre reserve tickets for yr route and decide to hop onto another train. I like to travel without getting too stress. Many will calculate the actual train route and the total cost to decide whether to not get the jr pass. But for me, if the difference is small, I would still get the pass. In my 2nd last trip, my partner lost her pass and we had to pay for her ticket. So if you getting a pass, make sure you don’t lose it

 

[wkweewee]

1) Yes you can buy limited reserved tickets with the ezlink cards, will just debit away the value and issue you with the reserved ticket. Not so for shinkansen (bullet trains).

2) So far I have not faced a failed limited express ticket purchase nor a sold out issue. If the incoming is full, you can always opt for the nxt train’s one.

3) Train stations will always have ticketing machines. Big train stations will always have a physical customer service counter(s) and/or ticket purchasing counter(s).

4) Yes limited express ticket is invalid once expired. Can opt to pay fine (lol) or purchase a new one.

 

[The Big Bang Theory]

Thank you all for the inputs. Appreciate it.