Reserving seats before arriving in Japan

Hi there!

Here are some answers for you:

I have seen reference that what you purchase is in fact an exchange order in the UK which is converted into the rail pass when you wish to activate, after having arrived in Japan. Do you actually get a rail pass rather than an exchange order?

jrpass.com provides a Japan Rail Pass Exchange Order which is converted into a full Japan Rail Pass on arrival in Japan at the JR ticket office. You can see more about the Japan Rail Pass exchange process in our video here.

Can someone in Japan reserve seats for someone in advance of arrival? If so how can that be done? Does the order or pass have a number which can be used now to reserve seats even though the pass is not activated till 28th April?

Yes, provided your friend is a Japanese speaker they can place reservations on your behalf for free online here at eki-net.com. They can place as many reservations as you think you will need here and do not need to use an id or otherwise to place them.

I hope this helps!