Reply To: Shinkansen reservation required?
Hi Elkin,
I have always reserved a wheelchair seat for the Shinkansen, though you may be able to get a non-reserved seat and stay at the deck between cars. I was going to try that the next time, but didn’t have the chance.
Can you board on your own? If you don’t need the assistance, it should be fine. If you need it, they may refuse. I would tell them that you would stay in the deck, “dekki” in Japanese.
From Kyoto to Osaka, though, there are cheaper options that don’t take that long. From Kyoto station you can get to Umeda in Osaka with the JR Haruka (36 minutes) or with slower lines like the Tokaido Sanyo. From other places in Kyoto you can take the Hankyu lines or the Keihan lines.
Reserving a wheelchair seat takes a long time and needs to be done in person, so I totally understand why you don’t want to do it for such a short trip.
If you try it, let us know.
