28 days Itinerary

Im staying in japan with my girlfriend from 24/08/14 (late night) to 23/09/14 (early morning).


Im planning to do 2 bases, one in Osaka (around 15 days) and one in Tokyo (around 13 days)


planning to go to day trips: from Osaka: Nagoya, kobe, nara, Himeji, Kyoto+uji (3-4 day trips), iga ueno/koka, koyasan, Hiroshima+miyajima, takayama/kanazawa/shirakawa-go (maybe 1 night stay) and 3-4 days in Osaka.


from Tokyo: nikko, kamakura, hakone, nagano (maybe), yokohama, Kawasaki (maybe), and 7-8 days in Tokyo prefecture.


Can you tell me what do you think? Is there some "must" cities and some less "must"?


Im planning the jr pass for 14 days or 21 days (not sure yet).


thanks in advance!

Which airport(s) will you fly into and fly out from?

And, I wonder which sites you plan to visit, especially in Nagoya / Kobe / Himeji / Nagano (City or Prefecture) / Yokohama / Kawasaki. Regarding these places except Himeji, your railroad route may depend on sites to visit.

Regarding Hiroshima City + Miyajima Island, I recommend staying overnight.

Sounds like fun!

In Nagoya check out: Nagoya Castle, Osu Kannon Temple + shopping arcade, Nagoya Tower, Oasis 21, the Planetarium (very cool architecture)

Takayama region - I would recommend staying for 2 days

Hakone - you can easily spend 2 days b/c the area is so large, a day trip is feasible too. I highly recommend the Hakone Open Air Museum. (More on Hakone: http://www.blaineanderin.com/the-best-day-trips-from-tokyo-hakone/

Kamakura - also easy to spend 1-2 days, I recommend going to Enoshima Island as well.

More on Japan: http://www.blaineanderin.com/nine-days-in-japan/

Im arriving at 24th kansai airport 21:00
Leaving japan from Narita airport at 23rd 09:25

The itinerary looks very good.

I would skip Nagoya, unless you have something specific in mind. For example the Nagoya Port Aquarium is very good.

I would also skip Himeji Castle, as it is undergoing major renovation work. The Osaka castle is a valid alternative.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3501.html

JR Pass 21 days is the best option. Transportation is very expensive in Japan.

For your trips in osaka and kyoto
might as well buy a kansai thru pass at the kansai airport travel desk..3 days for 5000 yen it covers wide area in kansai ...kinda of waste to activate your JR rail pass immediately in osaka...activate on day you want to go hiroshima