If you are using a JR Pass and want to pre-book specific tickets before leaving Australia the only way to do that right now is by buying the pass from Japan Railways direct and then using their website, it is more expensive but if you are concerned about booking specific trips early that is you best option. There is more information on this in the Japan Rail Pass article.

If you wanting to buy only that return ticket I would use the official Japan Rail website, you can do it up to one month ahead and you will need to create a login to use, you will be able to book specific seats and luggage seats if necessary this way.

@Toni Broome, Thanks for confirming this! How can we best pre-book the Shinkansen tickets for the Tokyo - Kansai return (as we want to book reserved seats)? Is that possible whilst still in Australia?

Regards,
Nicole

Within Kansai the only part I might do by shinkansen would be the Himeji day trip (around Y8040). Kyoto to Nara and on to Osaka is around (Y1530) so in total, probably less than the cost of the Kansai passes. I would choose Shinkansen tickets for the Tokyo - Kansai return sections and a Suica card for the rest. Himeji takes about the same time by special rapid from Osaka station, still a comfortable trip and the cost is less than half)

Also, Klook offers options for Kansai wide passes for 3 to 5 days (e.g. Kansai Wide Excursion Pass for 3 days, and JR Kansai wide area pass for 5 days). It's confusing if these are better value than e.g. using the Suica card. Do you have any experience with these?

Thanks!
Nicole

As far as I know, Japan Rail doesn't run buses between Nagano and Hakuba.

@Toni Broome,

Hi Toni, thank you for that, could you also advise if the bus fare from Nagano to Hakuba is included as part of the JRrail pass, or do I need to purchase bus tickets separately.

John

Hi John. We have purchased most recently here through JR Pass, they are a dedicated distributor, the price was competitive and delivery with FEDex was an additional cost for Australia but fast and reliable. For our trip this year, I will probably order through Klook, I have booked various tickets and tours through them in the past and it has all gone smoothly including one weather-related cancellation. They have recently started fulfilling JR Pass orders from here in Australia. Their price is slightly lower than some others on our comparison and they don’t charge an additional delivery fee. They deliver through Australia Post with a tracking number.

You won't find big price differences through reputable sites but there is some advantage to shopping around. As it is a significant purchase our most important consideration is always a company we know and trust, we want to be sure our vouchers turn up and there are no nasty surprises so I don't use a wide range of suppliers myself.

What is the best website to by the JR rail pass

Our article on options for getting from Narita Airport to Tokyo city discusses and compares the various transport choices. Shinjuku Higashi is a little away from the main part of Shinjuku so that's a bit of a walk with suitcases. I would take the NEX through to Shinjuku station or the bus to one of the major hotels nearby then a taxi for the couple of kms to your hotel, the taxi pricing for short distances across town is similar to Australia.

Unfortunately it looks like it doesn’t stop at our hotel but drops us off at the Shinjuku express busway terminal which is about a 15 minute walk from there. It is possible there may be four of us travelling so I’d be interested in getting an idea the best way for four of us to travel from the airport and if not then two of us. Look forward to your information on this. Thanks