2 weeks in Japan (Kansai/Kanto)

Hey guys,

Thanks for this great website and forum, very helpful.
I'm going to Japan next week for 2 weeks, and I needed to know what you think about my plans :

- Osaka : 1,5 days
- Kyoto : 3 or 4 days
- Nara : 0,5 day (optional?)
- Tokyo : 7 days
- Lake Kawaguchiko ou Chureito Pagoda (Fuji Mountain) : 0,5 day
- Nikko : 0,5 day (optional?)

Here are my questions :

1/ 2 days and 1 night in Osaka is enough or this city deserves more ?

2/ Do you recommend to go to Nara for a half day, or stay in Kyoto for 4 days considering this is my first trip in Japan ?

3/ Same question for Nikko, is it really beautiful or should I focus on Tokyo ?

4/ Is the Kansai Thru Pass 3 days (5200 yen) worth it for this program ?

5/ Is Kawaguchiko Lake a good choice to see Fuji San in the beginning of May ? Or Chureito Pagoda better ?


Thanks a lot for your help ! :)

1- I think 2 days in Osaka is good.

2- I recommend a day trip to Nara. I think it's well worth it.

3- I also say yes to Nikko. I think you'll find you have plenty of time to explore Tokyo, but it's very cool to get outside the city and see some of the culture of the smaller cities too.

Here are some of my Kyoto recommendations: http://www.blaineanderin.com/two-days-kyoto/

Don't stay only in Tokyo. I highly recommend you do a few day trips, so yes, Nikko is a good idea.
You also might want to go to Hakone or Kamakura.

Nara is similar to Kyoto. Lots of temples and shrines, but you'll get to see one of the biggest Buddha statues and lots of deer in Nara. So, it's up to you. ;)

Kawaguchiko is a great choice and if you go in May, then you NEED to check out the "Shibazakura Festival". You can see some photos of it here: http://zoomingjapan.com/travel/golden-week-2013/
You can do the pagoda afterwards. ;)

Thanks for your kind answers guys, I appreciate !

I also want to add that I am moving from Thailand with 2 big bags, I travel 15 days in Japan and then after I move to Mongolia.
So I will have to stay in Tokyo for a few days to make my mongolian visa, trying to avoid japanese public holidays...

@Erin DB : About Nikko, I don't think I will be able to stay more than one day so I might forget it.
Thanks for the link about Kyoto :)

@zoomingjapan : Thank you for the info about Shibazakura Festival, I saw your pictures and it totally looks worth it !

Considering all this, here is my program :

Day 1
Arrival in Osaka Kansai Airport at 8am. Bus to For Leaves Inn in Uehonmachi to put the bags. Discovering Osaka (Castle in the North, Shi Tenno-ji, Dotonbori, Nipponbashi, Amerikamura, Shinsekai...). Night in Osaka.

Day 2
2nd day discovering Osaka. Train to Kyoto after 6 pm. Night in Kyoto in couchsurfer's home.

Day 3
Discovering Kyoto. Night in Kyoto in couchsurfer's home.

Day 4
Discovering Kyoto. Night in Kyoto in couchsurfer's home.

Day 5
Day in Nara (8am-6pm) or day in Kyoto. Discovering Kyoto. Night in Kyoto in couchsurfer's home.

Day 6
Day in Kyoto. In the evening : night bus from Kyoto to Tokyo Kyoto-Tokyo (Shinkansen too expensive).

Day 7
Arrival in Tokyo early in the morning. Visit another couchsurfer's home to put the bags. Visa in Mongolia Embassy. Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 8
Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 9
Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 10
Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 11
Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 12
Day in Kawaguchiko Lake/Chureito Pagoda (8am-7pm) to have a walk and take photos of Fuji-San. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 13
Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 14
Discovering Tokyo. Night in Tokyo in couchsurfer's home.

Day 15
Go to Narita Airport in the morning. Flight to Ulaanbaatar.

--

About the transportation :

Kansai
- Kansai International Airport to Osaka Hotel = 1500Y
- Transportation in Osaka ~= 1000Y
- Osaka Uehommachi to Kyoto = 950Y
- Transportation in Kyoto ~= 2000Y
- Kyoto to Nara roundtrip = 1300Y
TOTAL ~= 6500 Yen for 6 days

- Night bus Kyoto to Tokyo = between 3000 and 8000Y

Kanto
- Transportation in Tokyo ~= 5000Y
- Tokyo to Kawaguchiko roundtrip ~= 5500Y
- Tokyo to Narita Airport = between 1200Y and 2600Y
TOTAL ~= 11000 Yen for 8 days

Of course this is just an estimate, since I don't really know how many times I'll use the subway in either cities.

Anyway do you have tips or pass to recommend to save money, in Kansai and Kanto ?