While there are tons of third-party sites where you can buy a JR voucher and mailed to you, there is no official JR Pass online storefront. And wherever you get your voucher from, you will still need to exchange it in person at a JR kiosk at valid train stations BEFORE you can begin using it.
JR website with information on official retailers (English)
Step One: Purchase a JR Voucher
$237 (for a 7-day voucher) is no easy sum to part with, so rather than buy something online and pay for shipping, I just called up a local travel agency in the area and asked if they sold JR vouchers.
I came in with my passport and it took less than 20 minutes to receive my voucher!
Step Two: Look up train stations where you can exchange the voucher for the JR Pass
JR Passes must be redeemed within 90 days, and are then valid from that day until the end of the purchase period you selected (7 days, 14 days, etc.)
You can exchange your voucher at specific locations, including some airports, travel centers, and train stations (within a specific time frame). Make sure you go to the right place, because some cities have more than one station!
Step Three: Locate the JR Kiosk (or JR Office)
In many train stations, there is a free-standing kiosk near the JR Office that has a big question mark on the side. These are information booths where you can redeem your voucher for an official pass. (You can also ask the JR Office if you are unsure!) Again, they will require your passport, and you will need to fill out some information to go on your pass as well. They'll explain the rules of the pass and give you a chance to ask them any questions as well. In about the same amount of time (15-20 minutes), you're done!
Step Four: Get Your Pass Stamped
When you make your JR journeys, rather than going through the turnstiles, you will need to visit the staffed counter where an employee will stamp your Pass to mark its official use. After that first stamp, you can just show them the stamped page and whiz on by!
Note: JR Passes are only valid for JR trains (excluding Mizuho and Nozomi Shinkansen trains). Some legs of your journey may not be JR, and you will have to pay for those sections. But! With some careful planning on Hyperdia, it's very possible to make it on just a JR Pass if you make some concessions here and there. If you purchase pocket wifi at the airport, you'll have added flexibility by using Google Maps to plan out the destination points of your journey and double-checking official times on Hyperdia.
Note #2: If you ride on the Shinkansen bullet trains, you will always need a ticket, whether reserved or unreserved. Buy these at the JR Offices at the train station! Although many employees speak enough English to understand tourists, I also encountered many who didn't, and my destination points and times written in English and Japanese really sped up the process! During peak-seasons, you will want to reserve as much of your trip as you can so you can have a better idea of what changes (if any) will affect your itinerary.
If you use a local subway line, you don't need to reserve tickets. Just show your JR Pass to the staff as you pass through the gate!
Courtesy Note: I've reserved seats on Shinkansen trains and decided I wouldn't be using them anymore, and whenever that happened, I always informed the person at the JR Office so they could "release" the ticket and give someone else a chance to purchase it. It takes two seconds, and it could really help other people, especially during busy travel seasons!
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