Whenever you travel to Japan on a JR limited express train or a Shinkansen train, oftentimes there are choices between reserved and non-reserved seats. A Reserve seat is as the name implies, it is a seat reservation. You sit in the assigned seat on the assigned train. It more expensive but it gives you a sense of ease that there would be a seat for you. On the other hand, on a non-reserved ticket, your seat is not assigned but you are free to take any train you would like. Non-reserved seats are generally cheaper than reserved seats, especially for last-minute tickets.

Reserved

• Date, time, and train # are set
• Seat reservation is guaranteed
• More expensive than a non-reserved seat, especially during peak season
• Various discount tickets are available. Using a discount ticket often makes the price cheaper than a non-reserved seat

Non-Reserved

• Date and time are not set, free to take any date and time
• You may end up no getting seated
• Cheaper than a reserved seat
• Only a few discount tickets are available

How many reserved seats are available?

The list below is the percentage of non-reserved cars in a Shinkansen train. All trains traveling between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka (Tokaido Shinkansen line) carry 16 cars. Some rains traveling west of Shin-Osaka (Sanyo Shinkansen) carry 8 cars. The list does not include other Shinkansen lines such as Hokuriku and Joetsu shinkansen.

• Nozomi (16 cars) : 10 reserved cars (63%), 3 non-reserved cars (19%)
• Hikari (16 cars): 8 reserved (50%), 5 non-reserved (31%)
• Hikari (8 cars): 3 reserved (37%), 5 non-reserved (63%)
• Kodama (16 cars): 3 reserved (19%), 10 non-reserved (63%)
• Kodama (8 cars): 3 reserved (37%), 5 non-reserved (63%)
• Mizuho (8 cars): 4.5 reserved (56%), 3 non-reserved (38%)
• Sakura (8 cars): 4.5 reserved (56%), 3 non-reserved (38%)

Train that you should get a reserved seat

There are times when booking a seat makes sense. For example, the “Nozomi” shinkansen is notoriously popular among business travelers and it only carries 3 non-reserved cars so the chance of getting a seat is slim if you are boarding from Shinagawa, Shin Yokohama or a Tokyo bound Nozomi from Nagoya.

• “Nozomi” between Tokyo and Nagoya
• “Sakura” and “Mizuho” because seats are better
• Peak hour trains
• When discount ticket options are available

Train that you should get a non-reserved seat

Some trains are not worth paying extra for seat reservations. A notorious example is the “Kodama” trains. 63% of the entire train is non-reserved cars so you are more likely to snag a seat. Other than that, trains that are popular among Japan rail pass holders are good options since the pass holders seat in reserved cars, making non-reserved cars rather empty.

• “Kodama”
• “Nozomi” during off-peak hours and west of Shin-Osaka
• Popular train with Japan Rail pass travelers such as “Hida”, “Hikari”, “Hakutaka”, “Asama”, “Toki”, “Tanigawa”, “Haruka”,

Conclusion

If you know the date and time of the travel, it is good to reserve a seat ahead of time. Sometimes reserved seats come with a great discount if you book ahead of time. On the other hand, a non-reserved seat can save you money.