Maximizing JR Pass

Heading to Japan for the first time in late August. While I'm spending the majority of my trip in Tokyo, I will be purchasing a 7-Day pass for one week outside of Tokyo.

Plan is to see Hiroshima, Miyajima, Osaka & Kyoto. I'm wondering what is the best way to maximize the value of the JR Pass with respect to the 5 hour trip from Tokyo to Hiroshima.

Right now I have it as:
Activate JR Pass and travel to Hiroshima (5 hours) in the afternoon so arrive in the evening.
Night 1 - Hiroshima
All day in Hiroshima
Night 2 - Hiroshima
Miyajima for half the day or so then travel to Osaka.

Osaka @ Night
Night 3 - Osaka
Universal Studios (I've read opinions on this and have to be to the one in LA but my Japanese friend is coming with me and has never been to USJ)
Night 4 - Osaka
All day in Osaka
Night 5 - Osaka
Next two days will probably be commuting to Kyoto from Osaka

Last day - travel back to Tokyo in the late afternoon

Is there a better way to schedule this? For example should we head to Osaka first and make the most of the 1st day there then return to Tokyo from Hiroshima? i.e. spend half/three-quarters of a day in Miyajima then travel back to Tokyo?

Look up the fares on Hyperdia (hyperdia.com/en/) to decide if the pass is really worth it. 7-day JR passes usually pay off if you're doing a round trip from Tokyo to Osaka, so going all the way to Hiroshima and coming back via Osaka should be okay. When searching in Hyperdia, remember to untick Nozomi and Private Railway under Search Details to get only JR pass trains. The JR pass will also cover the cost of the ferry to Miyajima (provided you take the JR ferry).

@ anon ..., The OP wasn't asking if he was worthwhile using a JR pass. Of course it makes sense with a roundtrip plus Hiroshima.

Anyway, Y, is it the 5 hour train ride you don't want? If yes, why not arrive in Osaka in the early evening from Tokyo? You could stay 2 nights there, then after the second full day you could arrive in the early evening in Hiroshima. 2 nights Hiroshima (or 1 Hiroshima, 1 Miyajima), then evening return go to Kyoto for 2 more nights. On your last day of the pass you can return to Tokyo in the evening.

I would enter a day trip to Kyoto after the USJ day. If you find Kyoto is more to your liking, you could spend more time there.
Kyoto attractions usually close by 5pm except those that are 24hr open.
Thus, you could Kyoto in the morning and evening/night at Osaka. Making full use of your JR Pass, traveling intercity.
From Namba you can go to Nara/Uji.
From ShinOsaka/Osaka you can go to Kyoto.

@... - Sal is correct - the JR Pass will pay off as Tokyo is my start and end destination.

@Sal - I don't mind the 5 hour ride, it's actually which itinerary would make more sense. For example if Miyajima won't exactly take up an entire day, then we could do that on the last day and travel back in the late afternoon.

I guess part of my concern is the expiry of the JR Pass.

If we start in Osaka we could do
Day 1 - Travel to & in Osaka
Day 2 - USJ
Day 3 - Osaka or Kyoto
Day 4-5 - Kyoto
Day 6 - Hiroshima
Day 7 - Miyajima & return to Tokyo

Does that make more sense?

You will basically be doing Tokyo/Hiroshima/Tokyo. Since Osaka is along the way, putting it during the first or second leg would make a negligible difference at best, cost-wise. So you can ignore cost issues, and just focus on what would be most convenient for you.

These are my simple "rules" for maximizing a 7 day JR pass for round trip travel, Tokyo to Tokyo, to anywhere in Japan.

1. Figure on six nights accommodation away from Tokyo.

2. Try to make a circle route, or true "back and forth." Avoid any backtracking, unless necessary. Look at a map for your destinations to figure out your order of destinations. I try to put my high priority destinations earlier just so I can change if needed.

3. If there are long legs for travel, don't do stops on those days. For instance, traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto is not long, so that is an ideal day for a stop. You could stop in Nagoya to see Nagoya castle without spending the night in Nagoya. But traveling from Tokyo to Fukuoka is long (minimum of about 6 hours not using Nozomi), so you might not want to spend 3 to 4 hours stopping to see Himeji-jo.

4. You have to know yourself. Do you like relaxed travel? Or you don't mind very hectic travel days, where you have to rush from one train to another? Do you find a 4 hour train ride a rest opportunity to relax (we do), or do you find it stressful? Budget your travel days accordingly. You may be able to go Tokyo to Kumamoto and back, while stopping at Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and Kyoto within 7 days, AND enjoy your self, if you really don't mind a huge rush! Or you might find it a completely unenjoyable trip.

5. Finally, just do a quick mental calculation (using Hyperdia) to make sure that the costs are reasonable. Once you travel to Japan more than once, this becomes second nature.

Dale