Advice on Itinerary and Transportation

Hi there,

We are visiting Japan from 14-23/4 and after some research from the websites, we have decided to go with the following itinerary. I would really appreciate your advice on the itinerary and the mode of transportation (esp JR Rail Pass). I have listed a few specific questions in the itinerary below but there are a few general questions :
- the first 2 days in Kyoto is intended to catch the cherry blossom season
- I believe JR Rail Pass will be well worth for the visit and have decided to get the pass. Current plan is to activate the pass on day 2 i.e 15/4 to maximise values from using the pass. Is the correct ? We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children 11 & 13 yrs old)
- Please advise the best time to get on trains for my trip below (esp those using JR Rail pass) ? Are there any times that I should avoid ?
- Is the itinerary realistic or too busy ?
- Other advices
Apologies for the long message but really appreciate your advice.

Thank you very much.

Regards,
Wendy

Itinerary :

14-Apr Arrive Kansai Airport 1030pm. Train/limousine bus to hotel in Osaka

15-Apr Full day trip to Kyoto. Active JR pass
From Shinimamiya, get to Umeda, take Hankyu line to Kyoto Karasuma station, then local bus to Ginkakuji.
Alternative Shinimamiya, to Osaka station, to Kyoto Station then take local bus/subway from Kyoto Station to Ginkakuji) .
Doing full day trip at Ginkakuji area (eastern Kyoto)
Dinner around Gion area
Bus/subway from Gion to Kyoto Station, then JR to Kyoto Sihnimamiya

Questions :
– Is Hankyu line covered by JR Rail Pass ?
- Is it recommended to get a full day bus ticket in Kyoto for the day ?

16-Apr Half Day Trip Kyoto, Half Day Osaka Dotonbori etc
Same as the 15th morning, from Osaka to Kyoto with JR Rail Pass
Visit Kinkakuji and Ryoanji Northen Kyoto.
Visit Fushimi Inari.
Return to Osaka, visit Dotonbori area, then Umeda Sky Building, return to Hotel in Osaka

Questions :
- how do I get to Kinkuji and Ryoanji. Local bus at Kyoto ?
-how to get to Fushima Inari ? I think JR Rail Pass can be used here.
-is it worth to get a full day bus ticket in Kyoto for the day

17-Apr Universal Studios Japan Whole Day
Full Day at USJ. Use JR Rail Pass from Shinimamiya to Universal City Station
Evening/night around Osaka. Stay in Osaka
18-Apr Half Day Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Half Day Kobe, then to Hiroshima
Half day Kaiyukan Aquarium (using JR Rail Pass from Shinimamiya to Osakako station).
To Kobe with JR Rail Pass, leave luggage at Sannomiya Station, sightseeing and dinner at Kobe
Last train from Sannomiya to Hiroshima (JR Rail Pass)
Overnight in Hiroshima

19-Apr Full Day Hiroshima : Peace Museum & Park, A-bomb Dome in the morning, Miyajima island in the afternoon
Local bus ticket in Hiroshima
JR Rail Pass to Miyajima island
Overnight in Hiroshima

20-Apr Travel to Tokyo
Morning Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Tokyo (using JR Pail Pass).
Proceed to Disney partner hotel near Disneyland, drop luggage then visit Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation floors in Shinjuku etc.

21-Apr Full Day Disneyland
Last day to use JR Rail Pass (Day 7 assuming activating pass on the 15th April)
May be sightseeing at night after Disneyland using JR Rail Pass ?
Overnight at Disney partner hotel

22-Apr Full Day Disneysea
May be sighseeing at night after Disneysea using local subway.
Overnight at Disney partner hotel

Question :
- do I use local Tokyo subway (pay as you go ?)

23-Apr Sightseeing Tokyo. Departing Haneda Airport at 1130pm
Check out hotel, leave luggage at hotel.
Sightseeing at Tokyo – Ginza, Tokyo Skytree, Asakusa, Senso, Odaiba.
Head back to hotel near Disney, get luggage then travel to Haneda Airport around 8pm.

Questions :
- what’s the best transportation means for the day ? 1 day ticket for Tokyo metro ? Will the 1 day ticket covers trip to Haneda Airport or is there an alternative ticket or pass ?
- there is limousine bus from the hotel to Haneda Airport however the last trip is at aroud 430pm (a bit too early for my flight at 1130pm)

I tell you the following.
Cherry blossoms in Kyoto is becoming full bloom already, by the time you arrived, a good time to see them might have started to end. It accelerated depending on the weather.

14-Apr If possible, at Kansai Airport Station, you should receive a JR pass to use the next day. It is not able to receive it in the Shin'imamiya Station.
Those who care is good security so bad south side of Shinimamiya Station. As much as possible, the time to return to the Shinimamiya, it is preferable to early afternoon is good.

15-Apr It is not possible to get on the Hankyu line by JR Pass. It is not valid for public transport and private railways other than JR. I recommend that you buy a City Bus All-day Pass of 500 yen for Kyoto sightseeing. Previously, it was only valid Kyoto city bus, but it has become possible to Kyoto bus (private company) now.
16-Apr I think that it is difficult to go to Fushimi Inari because there is no time to you. I recommend that it better to that you go to Dotonbori after you went to Umeda. Due to the location.

18-Apr To go to Osaka Port, there is a need to switch to the subway station Bentencho. Subway is not available JR Pass.
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=SHINIMAMIYA&arv...
It takes one and a half hours by bullet train from Osaka to Hiroshima. JR Pass you have is not effective to ride Tsubame and Nozomi. Enabled by Hikari, Kodama and Sakura.

19-Apr It's useful tourist of Hiroshima, to ride the tram. It is also direct to Miyajimaguchi. It would be good to buy a 1day pass. You can only board the JR ferry to Miyajima using the JR Pass.
http://www.hiroden.co.jp/en/ecotickets.html#oneDay

20-Apr To go to Tokyo from Hiroshima, it is better to arrange to ride in Hikari as possible you will be in good. You can not ride to Nozomi using the JR Pass, and are you going to Tokyo aboard the Kodama is taking too long.

For the second half, because there is no time for me now, so I will put them later.

The following is a continuation of the above.
20-Apr
In order to go to Disneyland from Tokyo Station, it is necessary to make the switch to JR Keiyo Line, it takes more than 10 minutes to time of transfer. To Maihama station nearest it takes about 20 minutes.
I recommend that you consider that you will use the luggage storage service at Tokyo Station.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center_tokyo.html

21-Apr
I think Disneyland is a place where you around over a full day, so that it does not think using the JR Pass, and that going to the other.

22-Apr
I think cases where it might make sense later in the day to Odaiba, which is located in the bay area of Tokyo is good. Only the next day, it's around in a day Tokyo That's because the very hard.
In order to go to Odaiba, it does not use the subway. Go by JR Keiyo Line to Shin-Kiba Station, you will transfer to Rinkai Line.

23-Apr
You would probably be possible to send the luggage to Haneda Airport International Terminal for a fee prior to check-out. Disney Partner Hotel would have made the service.
You will be able after the Tokyo tourism and headed directly to Haneda.
http://www.jalabc.com/english/index2.html
There is a direct bus of Sky tree bound from Disneyland. The journey takes 55 minutes and costs 720 yen. In order to ride it, you prepare so that there is no change. Should say to the crew you want to go to Sky tree. I think the answer can be obtained if you ask at the hotel for further details.
For tourism in Tokyo, Pass several have been released in each transport, but does not have set the one-way ticket to Haneda. So, assuming you buy, it is 1 day ticket for Tokyo metro, but it is valid only for the Tokyo Metro Line. You can not go to Haneda Airport to use it.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/1day/

[Accommodation in Osaka City]

Arrive Kansai Airport 1030pm. Train/limousine bus to hotel in Osaka

Which area do you plan to stay?
You had better consider staying first near Kansai Airport [KIX]. If you stay in a hotel which usually can be reached by taxi in 15 minutes, a taxi fare is estimated at about 2000 to 3000 yen per car if the taxi runs smoothly. One taxi car can carry 4 persons.

Osaka City is far away from KIX.
You may miss the last railroad connection to Osaka City, in which you should leave KIX by around 23:30.
After 23:00, only a very few limousine buses are available for Osaka City, and one bus ride may last for more than one hour.

[Practicability]

Is the itinerary realistic or too busy?

It sounds to me too busy.
I suppose visiting three big amusement parks, one big aquarium and one war-and-peace heritage within six days may be too much.
(Personally I am afraid the two children get exhausted in experiencing too many things and cannot make good memories of my country.)
It sounds good to allot a weekday for each of the amusement parks, but you may have to wait inside it for popular attractions.
And, the journey from Hiroshima to Maihama is very long.
If I were in your shoes, I would select one Tokyo Disney Park from the two, maybe also skip either USJ or Osaka Aquarium.

[Tokyo Disney Resort]

Proceed to Disney partner hotel near Disneyland, drop luggage then visit Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation floors in Shinjuku etc.

Tokyo Disney Resort is actually located outside Tokyo Metropolis. Shinjuku is a bit away.

Are you aware of differences in benefits between Official Hotels and Partner Hotels?
A guest of a Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotel holding a valid Disney park ticket is guaranteed admission to the park when the entry is restricted due to crowdedness. This benefit is not given to guests of Partner Hotels. (Disney park tickets are available in both Official and Partner Hotels.)

[Transportation passes, cards and tickets]

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children 11 & 13 yrs old).

Then, concerning bus and railroad (including subway) fees, a child rate applies to the 11-year-old traveler and an adult rate applies to the other 3 travelers.

The JR ticket office in Kansai-airport Station (of JR-West) is open only until around 11 pm. It is highly likely that you cannot get Japan Rail Passes there. You can get them in Kyoto Station instead on the following day.
http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en002.html
http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en009.html

Many thanks Passerby168 and Omotenashi for your helpful information and advice. I will make some adjustment to my itinerary.

Just a question, do you know if there are any Pokemon or Lego centre around Osaka or Tokyo ? The kids are the fans of both and would be delighted to visit and get some of their favorite toys.

(I would make comments the next time on transportation in your Tokyo trips.)

[Pokémon Center]

do you know if there are any Pokemon or Lego centre around Osaka or Tokyo?

- List of Pokémon Centers
http://www.pokemon.co.jp/gp/pokecen/english/

The following three Pokémon Centers will not have closed days during this April.

Pokémon Center Osaka is near Osaka Station of JR-West and Umeda Stations of subway, Hanshin and Hankyu.

Pokémon Center Tokyo is near Hamamatsucho Station of JR-East.
You can travel by monorail from nearby Monorail Hamamatsucho Station to Haneda Airport International Terminal Station.
If you choose Pokémon Center Tokyo, I recommend staying closer to it after visiting TDR.
(It requires at least 2 hours to make a roundtrip from Hamamatsucho Station to a TDR Partner hotel / Official hotel, which sound too long to consume just for picking up your luggage.)

Pokémon Center TOKYO-BAY is near Minami-Funabashi Station, which is a little further from Tokyo Station on Keiyo Line than Maihama and Shin-Urayasu Stations.
If you choose Pokémon Center TOKYO-BAY, you may hope to take a limousine bus to Haneda Airport after picking up your luggage. In that case, you had better leave the Pokémon Center by 5 pm.
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus_services/haneda/shinurayasu.html
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus_services/haneda/tdr.html

[Transportation passes, cards and tickets: continued]

Hankyu, Hanshin Electric Railway and Nankai Electric Railway are non-JR companies.

JR companies are not operating subway lines.
(Some subway lines go partly on or above the ground. Some JR lines have underground parts, but they are not regarded as subway.)

You can check in this article how to use an IC transportation card (explained under "Basic Use").
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

Each of you except the 11-year-old child can get issued an ICOCA Card at a ticket-vending machine with an ICOCA icon in a major JR-West station, paying 2000 yen in cash, which includes 500 yen for a deposit.
http://www.jr-odekake.net/icoca/about/img/index_kind_img01-1.jpg

A young child to whom a child rate applies should register his/her name and date of birth when he/she gets issued an IC transportation card, which is possible only at manned counters.
(Alternatively you can purchase a child-rate paper ticket, either using one of your IC cards or paying in cash, at every time the others travel with IC cards.)

An ICOCA Card can be used on many bus and railroad (including subway) lines not only in Kansai Region but also in and around Tokyo. Some major exceptions are Kyoto City Bus, Kyoto Bus and Eizan Electric Railway lines in Kyoto, JR Shinkansen lines, and Tama Monorail and Ueno Park Monorail lines in Tokyo.

Your ICOCA Card can be returned only to JR-West.

You can use e-money stored on your ICOCA Card at shops and drink-vending machines which accept IC transportation cards, except those which only accept (non-JR) PiTaPa Cards.
At shops of major convenience store chains you can recharge your ICOCA Card, paying in cash.