Itinerary and Rail Pass for 20 Days

Hi,

Below is my itinerary:-

17 Dec Kansai Airport to Osaka (Stay: Tennoji Miyako Hotel)
18 Dec Osaka to Kobe (Stay: Crowne Plaza ANA Kobe)
19 Dec Kobe to Osaka (Stay: Tennoji Miyako Hotel for 4 nights)
23 Dec Osaka to Nagoya (Stay: Best Western Hotel Nagoya for 5 nights)
28 Dec Nagoya to Takayama (Stay: Hida Hotel Plaza for 4 nights)
1 Jan Takayama to Kyoto (Stay: Citadines Karasuma-Gojo Kyoto for 4 nights)
5 Jan Kyoto to Kansai Airport

1. Any amendment require on my itinerary?
2. From 19 Dec to 23 Dec, should I change my hotel to Namba/Dotonbori area?
3. What type of passes should I buy based on my itinerary? I'm confusing with so many type of passes.

Thanks.

Kobe is not far from Osaka, don't see a need to change hotels for one night. Or instead of Kobe stay someplace different such as Arima Onsen.

Nagoya for 5 nights? That's 5 nights longer than I would stay.

Takayama for 4 nights is also rather long; I would stay in Takayama for 2 and Kanazawa for 2 nights.

I myself prefer Namba over Tennoji.

Kobe is only 25 minutes away on the train, I would just plan a day trip.

JR trains in Osaka aren't the most convenient, it's easier to use subway and other company trains.
I would get a 14 day ordinary rail pass, and would hold off exchanging the order for a pass until the 22nd so that it covers your trips outside of osaka. Then in Osaka I'd just pay per trip.

Your traveling area is restricted to Kansai region, so you might better consider following passes.

Kansai Wide Area Pass (JR West, 4 consecutive days, 7200 yen)

https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/kansai_wide...

Kintetsu Rail Pass Wide (5 consecutive days. Including transfer ticket for Kanasai Airport to Osaka region by Nankai railway. 5700 yen).

http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/japanese/useful/ticket/rpw1-2.html

Takayama Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass (5 consecutive days. JR plus Nohi bus. 10500 yen)

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_takayama_hokuriku.html

Tennoji is a good place if you use Kansai Wide Area Pass and Kintetsu rail pass wide, since some limited express trains stop/departs there. As suggested earlier, Nagoya for 5 days and Takayama for 4 days are too long, I suppose. I would consider Ise-Shima (one or two nights), Shirakawago (one night), Kanazawa (one to two nights) and some Onsens in the Hokuriku area.

Hi,

Should I buy 'HARUKA + ICOCA" for the used of Kansai Airport to Osaka and Kyoto to Kansai Aiport?

Should I buy 'HARUKA + ICOCA" for the used of Kansai Airport to Osaka and Kyoto to Kansai Aiport?

In general, Icoca & Haruka round trip type (note that it is not a pass, it is a combination of Haruka tickets and an Icoca prepaid card) is a bargain if you travel within 2 weeks. But in your itinerary (20 days), the round trip type can not be used. I recommended Kintetsu rail pass wide which includes airport transfer tickets for Kansai airport to/from Nankai Namba. I am not sure whether these two tickets are valid in your time range.

Oops, I noticed that Kintetsu rail pass wide is valid until 31st October, 2014. Maybe this pass can not be used in your case. Therefore you may better consider Kintetsu rail pass (3800 yen, 5 consecutive days) for going to Nagoya from Osaka and traveling around Ise-Shima.

http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/japanese/useful/ticket/rpw1-3.html

Icoca & Haruka One way type may be useful in your case. For Kyoto to Kansai Airport, you must buy separate ticket(s), the cheapest is Kanku Access Kippu.

http://www.hankyu.co.jp/en/images/kanku_access.pdf

Nagoya City (in Aichi Prefecture) and Takayama City (in Gifu Prefecture) are in Chubu Region.
The other places in your current itinerary are in Kansai Region.
Will you visit also Shirakawa-go (in Gifu Prefecture)?
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html

I suppose Kintetsu Rail Pass wide has seasonal editions, presumably because facilities where a discount is given may vary. (Unlike Kintetsu Rail Pass wide, Kintetsu does not mention a specific date regarding validity of Kintetsu Rail Pass (normal version), to which sightseeing facility coupons are not attached.)

[Accesses from and to KIX]

Airport access tickets of Kintetsu Rail Pass wide can be used outside the 5 days of validity of the Kintetsu part.
However, you can travel by JR from Kansai-airport to Tennoji at 1030 yen with a ticket in a one-way ICOCA & Haruka package; and if you head from Karasuma-Gojo in Kyoto City to KIX, purchasing the above-mentioned Kanku Access Ticket (sold at 1230 yen) sounds better than paying on regular tickets to get to Namba + an airport access ticket of Kintetsu Rail Pass wide.

[From Osaka to Nagoya]

The fastest way to travel from Tennoji or Namba area in Osaka City to Nagoya City requires roughly 1 and a half to 2 hours, which is mainly by JR Tokaido Shinkansen (from Shin-Osaka to Nagoya).
If you are OK to travel a little slower, you can take a Kintetsu Limited Express train from Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu-Nagoya, which requires roughly 2 to 2 and a half hours.
A Kintetsu Rail Pass (normal version) pays off with this Limited Express ride only.

From 19 Dec to 23 Dec, should I change my hotel to Namba/Dotonbori area?

Well, if you use Kintetsu to get to Nagoya City, Namba area sounds better than Tennoji area to start from.

[Kobe trip]

.. (anonymous): Or instead of Kobe stay someplace different such as Arima Onsen.

Arima Onsen actually is in Kobe.
Kobe is famous also for night views. (And, I suppose in December Kobe is usually free from snowfall and windstorm.)

Your Kobe hotel and Shinkobe Station on Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line are in the same complex, which is just near Shin-Kobe Station on JR San(�f)yo Shinkansen.
You cannot travel by JR non-Shinkansen line to/from Shin-Kobe.
One lower-cost route from Tennoji to the hotel is
Tennoji
| [JR Osaka Loop Line (clockwise)]
Osaka
| [JR Kobe Line (westbound): Special Rapid: about 20 minutes]
Sannomiya
| [JR Kobe Line (westbound): Local: 10 minutes or less]
Shin-Nagata
--Making a short transfer--
Shinnagata
| [Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line]
Shinkobe
--going up via elevator--
Ana Crowne Plaza Kobe: reception desk on 4th floor.
This route requires roughly 1 and a half hours.
The one-way fares are 1070 yen (800 yen for JR, 270 yen for subway).
Two subway lines are available in Shinkobe, so please pay attention to the name of the subway line.