14 day itinerary

Hello!
Me and my friend are planing a visit to Japan this summer. I would like to ask the community of Japan-guide to check the itinerary I made for our trip - that is whether I missed some must see sights in Japan and if it is even possible to see everything I wrote in the planned time.

+ I would like to know how large the difference between the main events of the Gion Matsuri at the 17th of July and the 24th of July are, as to know whether it is worth missing the Tenjin festival for the main event of the Gion Matsuri.


Day 1 (arrival in NRT, Tokyo at 13:00):
Day: find the hotel
Evening: Not sure about this par yet

Day 2: Western Tokyo
Day: Shinjuku (Japanese Sword Museum, Shinjuku Gyioen)
Evening/night: Shinjuku (Golden Gai/Omoide Yokocho) or Shibuya

Day 3: Nikko
Day: Trip to Nikko
Night: Stay near the hotel

Day 4: Central Tokyo
Day: Akihabara, Imperial palace/Koishikawa Korakuen

Day 5: Northern Tokyo
Day: Asakusa, Sensoji Temple, Edo-Tokyo Museum/ Rikugien / Tokyo Skytree...

Day 6: Takayama
Morning: train Tokyo – Takayama
Day: Explore Takayama, Shirakawa-go (if we have enough time)

Day 7: Kyoto
Morning: train Takayama – Kyoto
Day: Stay at the hotel
Evening: Attend the Gion Matsuri

Day 8: Eastern Kyoto
Day: Visit several temples in eastern Kyoto

Day 9 (either July 17th or July 24th): Western Kyoto, Gion Matsuri
Day: Western Kyoto
Evening: Main event of the Gion Matsuri

Day 10 (preferably July 25th): Osaka
Day: Universal Studios, Tenjin Festival

Day 11: Nara
Day: explore Nara

Day 12: Hiroshima
Morning: train Kyoto – Hiroshima
Day: Hiroshima Peace Park
Evening: train – Hiroshima – Miyajima

Day 13: Miyajima
Day: Itsukushima Shrine, Daisho-in Temple...
Evening: train Miyajima-Tokyo

Day 14: Tokyo
Depart from the Narita airport

Weare also considering goig to Okayama instead of Nara on day 11 in order to visit the Bizen Osafune swords museum. (the 26th or 19th are sundays, so it should work)

Good itinerary - you have the high points covered (including Nikko, Nara and Hiroshima visits), a good amount of time in Kyoto and have included a trip to the mountains with Takayama. Plus you have worked out the timing for various train transfers, including the lengthy Hiroshima-Tokyo leg on the last day.

seems like you got it all figured out

I might make some changes to the plan, but as it seems it should be good.

I have another question though.

Would the JR rail pass cover all of the routes mentioned in the itinerary (does it cover the trains within large cities such as Tokyo or Kyoto) and is there any other rail pass that might be more efficien