7 day Itinerary - Osaka & Kyoto

Hi everyone ,
Need some suggestion on my plan visiting Japan for 7 days.I will visiting Osaka (3 days) and Kyoto (4 days) . I've put together my itinerary and I would like to know what you think . Will be travelling February 2015 , 8 adults from Malaysia .

Day 1 : Arrive KIA 11:00 pm , stay Bellevue Garden Hotel
Day 2 : KIA take JR Haruka to station Tennoji , visit Kuromon Ichiba Market , Shinsekai , check in Business Inn Sennichimae Hotel , Dotonbori , Namba City & Hozenji Yokocho Alley .
Day 3 : Universal Studio
Day 4 : Take JR Haruka to Kyoto , check in Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse , visit Kinkakuji Temple , Ninnaji Temple , Nishiki Food Market
Day 5 : Shinkyogoku Street , Kiyomizu Temple , Yasaka Shrine , Gion , Ginkakuji Temple , Nijo Castle .
Day 6 : Visit Arashiyama , Sagano
Day 7 : Imperial Park , Kyoto Station , take JR Haruka to KIA back to Malaysia .

Is the itinerary too busy ?
My plan to buy the JR pass for using from KIA - Osaka - Kyoto - KIA is it worth and can use for all ?

In Osaka & Kyoto what transport we almost need for our visit ? (Bus or train)

Which WIFI recommended ?

Imperial Park need booking online for visit time before we arrive ?

For the above sightseeing is any miss out must visit ?

Sorry for the long question .

Any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated . Thank You !!

You can use free wifi at Kyoto and Osaka Station.
And at hotel.

Train between Osaka and Kyoto is best.

You should stay in one hotel in Osaka. Makes life simpler.
You can stay in Osaka and make trips to Kyoto. Osaka hotels are generally cheaper and there are more hotels available.

Plan is good.

Imperial garden needs reservation

Hi ..

Im already make booking for the hotel at Kyoto so is never mind .(thanks for the suggestion)

For the Wifi moderm is my fren recommended we use because can easily for us to find the place we wish to visit .

Thanks for your help .

I don't think any of the railpasses will be worth it for your itinerary.

The Nankai Line to Namba would be more convenient on day two.

Midosuji subway line to Umeda, then Hankyu line to Kawaramachi would be better route for day four.

Maybe you can consider the Kansai Thru Pass as it is of amazing value for tourists travelling in the Kansai Region as it covers

subways, trains and buses in Kyoto

subways, trains and buses in Osaka

Within Osaka, you should also consider the Osaka Amazing Pass as it gets you into 28 attractions for free :) plus the normal transportation in Osaka.

Here's for more info :

http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english.html

http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/index.html

Imperial Park need booking online for visit time before we arrive ?

If you're only planning to visit the park surrounding the Imperial Palace in Kyoto (photos in the link below), no reservations are needed. You won't be able to enter the palace compound but the park around it can be freely visited.

http://withinstrikingdistance.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/field-report-ky...

If, on the other hand, you'd like to visit the palace compound itself (photos in the next link), you'll need to secure a reservation in advance.

http://animeaffairs.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/japan-2009-highlights-kyo...

More details about the palace below (including info on the reservation process):

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3917.html

didn't find Fushimi Inari in your list - it's really amazing and worth visiting)

Include Fushimi Inari! Definitely better than many of your Kyoto sights.

If you need portable WiFi, Tocoo! one is quite cheap.

None of rail passes will worth it for your itinerary.

Apart from day 5 which might be a little packed depending on how you guys paced yourself during the trip on the day.

There is no real reason to use Haruka from Osaka to Kyoto (more expensive), there are other local trains that will be a lot cheaper.

Nishiki market should be combined with Shinkyogoku + Gion + Yashaka shrine and maybe if you start early you can proceed to Kiyomizudera from there (or start from Kiyomizudera and walk back etc). Ginkakuji is a little out of place from the rest of your itinerary in Kyoto and it is not really that amazing spot as compared to Kinkakuji.

Nijo Castle can be combined with Imperial Palace if you have enough time and start early. Depending what time you arrive in Kyoto on day 4, there might be a better itinerary for the day.