I'm travelling to Japan (and South Korea) in May (partly during Golden Week) with my wife. We planned to arrive in Japan the May 5th by ferry from Busan, South Korea and spend the rest of the day and the following night in Fukuoka and then proceed to Tokyo on the 6th day by train. We planned to get Japan Rail Passes but we can't activate our passes before the 5th day because that is the day we arrive in Japan. Because the 6th day is the last day of the Golden Week and trains will be very crowded my question is:
How probable it is that we get reserved seats (rather side by side of course) to any train (except Nozomi) on the May 6th? We don't really mind which time to travel because our plans on that day are very flexible. So my question put differently, how probably will we get reserved seats on any train from Hakata Station to Tokyo that day? Six hours train ride is a bit long to stand :)