Reply To: Japan trains

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There are always and have always been (well for at least the last 25 years) at minimum three carriages of unreserved seating. The problem is that they get fill up quickly. There is no economy/first class. It’s confusing if you call it that way. Just reserved/unreserved and green class.

With flights you’ll lose a lot of time. Yes they are cheaper, but cash prices have increased and so have Avios. Shinkansen is still advisable. You’ll save at least 3 hours on Tokyo-Kyoto route because you’ll fly into Itami, then need to get to downtown Osaka and then to Kyoto. Flights are really if you want to go directly from Tokyo to Hiroshima, Kyushu, up north to Aomori/Hokkaido or some remote places not served by shinkansen.