Some trains do not have non-reserved seats (all seats are reserved). There are no Green Cars on most “HIKARI” and “KODAMA” trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line (Shin-Osaka—Hakata), or on Series 800 trains on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line.
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The official rule is that you can still travel but have to use a non-reserved seat. Though JR Staff generally will issue new reservations for you if a train is not crowded. There is no penalty for missed trains or for re-booking a ticket.
If overcrowding becomes intense, first class can be “declassified”, i.e. opened up to all passengers, regardless of their tickets. But there is no automatic right to occupy first class. Ad hoc declassification typically happens after other trains have been cancelled or seriously delayed.
Ordinary seats usually come in 3x2 seating arrangements and have Reserved vs.non-reserved sections in separate train cars. Ordinary seats are more affordable than the gree-car seats, however, it also means that the reservations of the seats are not promised by the purchase of the tickets.
Eating and drinking on Japanese trainsYou should eat on trains only when taking a long-distance train, such as the Shinkansen. These types of trains have a tray and cup holder at every seat, and snacks are sold from a vendor trolley.
With most airlines, if you DON'T pay and just check in online as early as you can, you WILL get to sit with the rest of your group – as long as seats are still available. All of the major airlines bar Ryanair told us their seat allocation systems will always try to seat groups on the same booking together.
Do Shinkansen tickets sell out? Yes, especially for weekend travel and during peak seasons, Shinkansen services can be fully booked. In this case, it may be possible to ride with a non-reserved seat ticket, if you are willing to stand for the entire journey!
Of course you can sit in an empty first class seat on an airplane, under two conditions: 1. You have a ticket for that seat, or 2. The Flight Attendant uses your charge card to bill you for the upgrade cost over and above what you paid for your original ticketed seat.
Flying first class can be an amazing experience, especially if you're traveling internationally. Along with premium treatment in the airport, you can expect better seats, better food and better service onboard. However, first class tickets can also be expensive.
When boarding directly from a Shinkansen station, please insert your tickets into the Shinkansen ticket gate prior to boarding. Your tickets are required for on-board ticket checks and exiting the station at your destination. Please do not lose or forget to take your tickets.
Baggage with overall dimensions of less than 160 cmYou can put baggage whose overall dimensions are less than 160 cm (the same size as the baggage that can be carried for free in airplane holds) * on the overhead baggage rack of the Shinkansen.
Do NOT Eat Food. There is a custom in Japan where most people do not eat food outside other than when in restaurants. However, when using the bullet train or the green car, you are permitted to eat food. Normal trains and people commuting using said trains do not permit the consumption of food whilst riding the train.