This started with a fast direct train from Nara to Kyoto (just 40mn) and a quick Nozomi ride from Kyoto to Nagoya with the now typical bullshit "how about you wait 20mn to take that other just as fast train that will also do the same stop, but isn't called Nozomi and isn't any more or less full than this one leaving now". Once in Nagoya, we found lockers where to put our luggage (that was kind of a tight fit):