The major difference between now and the past may be the general availability of “seat map designation” when securing a reserved seat. The method of making a request at the “Midori-no-Madoguchi” by typing in a specific seat number and saying “If seat No. △ in car No. ○ is available, I would like to have it” has existed for quite a long time.
Cases where it matters which side you sit on.
The ability to freely choose the number of cars and seats also means that there must be criteria for making a choice.
The first and most obvious theme is “which side to sit on. Normally, the interior of a train car is arranged with an aisle in the center and seats lined up on both sides of the aisle. Then, you may be wondering, “Which side has the best view of the windows? would be the question.
A popular example is the Tokaido Shinkansen. Fuji can be seen from Seats D and E. In Shizuoka Prefecture, the Tokaido Shinkansen runs on the Pacific Ocean side, and Mt. Fuji is located inland from the Shinkansen, so down trains heading for Shin-Osaka come to the right side of the train, and up trains heading for Tokyo come to the left side. Therefore, the down train bound for Shin-Osaka will be on the right side, and the up train bound for Tokyo will be on the left side.
On conventional lines, for example, the “Inaho” limited express on the Hetsu Main Line. Since the train travels northward on the Sea of Japan side, the side with a view of the sea is the left side for down trains headed for Sakata, and the right side for up trains headed for Niigata.
On the express train “Shinano” on the Chuo Main Line – Shinanoi Line, the view of Zenkoji Plain when passing near Yakuseto is on the right side for down trains headed for Nagano, and on the left side for up trains headed for Nagoya.
Basically, you can check the map to see which side of the train window view you are aiming for comes in relation to the tracks, and then determine “which side of the train seat to take toward the direction of travel”.
However, there are cases where it is not possible to simply determine which side “XX” is on. For example, the Hida Limited Express on the Takayama Main Line runs along the Hida River, but it crosses the Hida River several times along the way, so the Hida River sometimes appears on the right side and sometimes on the left side.
Although I am only talking about limited express trains here, the situation is the same for regular trains. When you enter the train and there are empty seats on either side, which seat will you choose? If you prefer a window view, it would be a good idea to check in advance.
© Source travel watch