i liked the hiroshima area more than kyoto. =) it was more relaxed and didn't feel as busy.

peace park is vicious though; i would reserve a full day just for it, because it gives you a lot to think about it and you get really emotionally worn down. then if you add on miyajima, two days is really rough to get it all done.

if you do go to miyajima, make sure you stop by うえの, a restaurant/take-out place which is in between the ferry station and the train station to get あなごめし弁当！ that is seriously one of the greatest things i've ever eaten. fried momiji manjuu on the island is also great.

I arrived at Kyoto finally, made a few modifications to my plan and visited Nagoya on the way. Already found a nice ramen place but even from my brief walk I can tell its a completely different city than Tokyo. I definitely don't feel "at home" here

Shinkansen is awesome, extremely fast and comfortable (I don't understand why Green class exists at all). What surprised me the most though is how "short" they are and how often they depart, its like public transport interval but with nation wide reach.

For those who don't know, green class = reserved seating, non-green class = sit wherever you like.

Maybe not so important if you're traveling alone, but if it's you and your three kids, or you and your five friends...maybe you'd like to be sure you can sit together? That's probably the biggest reason right there. Also if you'd like to be sure to get a non-smoking seat (or vice-versa).

mlorenz Wrote:For those who don't know, green class = reserved seating, non-green class = sit wherever you like.

Wrong man. 指定席 (shiteiseki) = reserved seating 自由席 (jiyuseki) = sit wherever you like.

Green class is like the business class of the shinkansen and a few other trains. It's more spacious and is nicer.

With rapid shinkansen, usually most cars are reserved seating, about three are non-reserved seating, and just one or two are green cars.

I thought there was plenty of room in the non reserved cars to be honest.. ok it smelt like an open toilet (how is that possible?) but there was more leg room than I've had on any other plane/train in the world.

i think the nonreserved and the reserved seating are pretty much the same... never seen green car seating so i don't know what that's like, though most people told me it's unnecessary.

since rail pass holders get free reserved and non reserved tickets on non-nozomi trains, unless it was rush hour i didn't find a real reason to get a reserved ticket, and i generally got one if i felt like it.

iirc nozomi is all reserved seating.

kainzero Wrote:iirc nozomi is all reserved seating.

On the Tokaido line, most Nozomi have three non-reserved cars. I'm not sure about the Sanyo line. As far as I know those are the only two lines that have Nozomi.

Yeah, dated a girl for a year who lived in Tokyo while I lived in Kyoto. So I've been on the Shinkansen a good 20+ times ><

(Mostly, reserved seating is only really necessary on three day weekends or holidays. If you try to do non-reserved on the first or last day of a three day weekend you'll be standing most of the way)

Tzadeck Wrote:On the Tokaido line, most Nozomi have three non-reserved cars. I'm not sure about the Sanyo line. As far as I know those are the only two lines that have Nozomi.

hm. it seems to be a rumor that's floated around. i just never bothered with nozomi because i always had a rail pass.

Quote:(Mostly, reserved seating is only really necessary on three day weekends or holidays. If you try to do non-reserved on the first or last day of a three day weekend you'll be standing most of the way)

when i went two years ago during physical education day or whatever, i couldn't get a reserved seat and had to do non-reserved, but it wasn't bad at all.

well, except for the fact that i couldn't read anything at the time and i ended up on the only car where smoking was allowed.

it was also hikari, so maybe that's why.