Jym when are you going? I’d love to hear how your travels went.
I am trying to figure out the rail pass system – we will be in Tokyo for three days, one of them traveling out to the Ghibli museum (hint: if you can’t get tickets from the international travel agent, try your hotel’s concierge). We also will be taking the bullet train to Kyoto and then back to Tokyo. Should we purchase the JR pass? If so, how exactly do I do that? Also, I have read conflicting things about advance reservations for the bullet train – some people seem to regard reservations as a must, while others suggest that because the trains run fairly often, reservations are not essential. Advice?