advice for 17 night trip to Japan in may 2015

Hi guys, first post here and excitedly awaiting my first trip to Japan, actually for my honeymoon! We fly into and out of Tokyo, were not on a massive budget but want to combine loads of sights with relaxing. We're considering the 2 week rail pass, working around the idea of spending the beginning and end of the trip in Tokyo (bearing in mind our flights.
The recommended trip looks great on this site but maybe with some adapting?
Really interested to hear any suggestions?
Thanks

Nick

May is a great month to travel, I think, the temperature is great but it isn't quite as busy. If you are spending a couple of weeks, coming in and out of Tokyo, I think it really depends on how much you like cities, or if you like to see the countryside. What's your preference? Last year we went to Karuizawa and Kamikouchi. This year (April) we are going to Bessho Onsen, Karuizawa, Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen, and Enoshima/Kamakura, spending a couple of days in each. That would be an awesome honeymoon, and it just so happens we are travelling without the kids (air punches)

thanks for the reply...yeah we love cities but also the countryside that's why Japan really appealed, the combination of old and new. We thought about basing our trip loosely around this one http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_16.html
We'd love to get a real insight into Japan and its culture, taking in as much as we can but obviously finding a nice balance between activity and relaxation. The trip above looks fairly active seemingly moving around every day of so which would be great but considering having luggage etc could become a pain if too much moving. ideally having a base to return to (or at least several bases scattered around) with trips out would possibly be preferable.
Has anyone tried this trip above and if so how relaxing was it? We are definitely an active couple and like being busy but bearing in mind it's the honeymoon it has to be a compromise here and there ha ha!

The other thing is, if we spent two day in Tokyo at the beginning and end of the trip (allowing for a 14 day railcard), would that be cost effective for any trips out to the surrounding areas using buses and underground rather than a 21 day card which the trip above recommends, despite us only being there for 18 days?

Hmmm, I don't want to dominate the answers especially because what I like might be different to what others like. I would say that the itinerary looks pretty busy to me, it might be hard to squeeze in romance. Takayama is a favourite of mine but I wonder whether that Takayama/Kanazawa leg is making it all a bit cramped. Personally I don't think Kanazawa is a good choice for a first timer though other people disagree. My view is that it is not as impressive as Kyoto so if you are going to Kyoto in the same trip it has the same sort of thing but more impressive, maybe without the crabs. I hope I haven't offended Kanazawa lovers, I actually did have a good time there and highly recommend Hotel Hakuchoro.

And I have to say Hiroshima was a pretty awful city IMO, it was shockingly polluted and I had crap coming out of my nose for days afterward. I don't know if that is unusual. That said, a visit to Peace Park is highly recommended and Miyajima is very nice. If you were spending the night at a ryokan on Miyajima, it is worth the trip. Otherwise I'd forget it and get my fill of deers at Nara where they aren't and munty.

So if you were keen to use Tokyo as a general base and then maybe Kyoto as a general base (which we've done before, you can usually leave your gear at the hotel and take an overnight bag on the side trips), you could divide your time pretty much evenly between Tokyo and Kyoto, with side trips from Tokyo to Nikko, Kamakura/Enoshima, and Karuizawa (onsens at Karuizawa), maybe hakone too. Then from Kyoto you could pop off to Nara, maybe Osaka (not my cuppa), Kinosaki Onsen, Uji.

Check those places out and see if you like them.

Only suggestions of course, based on what I like which is lots of forests, good food, etc. But you'll have a good time pretty much anywhere.

I partly agree with the above.
Hiroshima is nice to go about, especially near the main train station. Besides that it is just a main waypoint to Miyajima and a place for Okonomiyaki. (prefer it over the osaka one)

The peace park is alright but nothing amazing, considering the number of hours it takes to get there from Osaka, I think it is hard to say whether it was worth it.

I went to Kanazawa on my second trip (first being a tour of Hokkaido) and it was my first time in Kyoto too. In all honesty, I prefer Kyoto. However, Kanazawa has its charm. There are onsens within and outside the city. Kenrokuen is superb. The food there is cheaper and usually better than Kyoto. (Value over luxury) That said, Kyoto does have much more attractions but if you are not only shrines and temples, it can get pretty dry. (I have pals that get sick of them. Nara and Uji is only slightly more interesting due to Uji River and Nara Deer to them)

Thanks for those great replies... So a two week rail pass is definitively essential then? I guess If we started off thinking about Tokyo and Kyoto as the two main bases, then figuring things out from there re sightseeing as suggested.
On a side note, what district of Tokyo would be your preferred place to stay?

Me again...check out the rail costs on hyperdia. You might get away with a 7 day pass just for the Kyoto leg. I generally plan it out then figure out whether the cost is worthwhile, but a lot of the time we take Nozomi trains and they arent covered by the pass, so in 8 trips I've only got the pass once. If you arent taking the Nozomi trains, then the 7 day pass is covered pretty much by the cost of getting to Kyoto.

In Tokyo we've been staying at Dormy Inn Premium at Shibuya. It is awesome value - great rooms, onsen style baths, great breakfast with free ramen after 9PM, and a pretty handy location essentially in the fashion district. It's a bit of a walk to the Shibuya or Harajuku JR stations - probably 5 minutes to each, but I reckon it is the best value hotel I've stayed at in Japan. It doesnt have room service or anything, though.

Thanks, yes interestingly many of daytrips out of Tokyo that i've checked are between ��10 and ��30 max travel expenses wise, cheaper than I'd thought. I'm assuming that it's the same for various (local) trips around Kyoto. Will really have to get a proper idea of exactly we want to do before buying the rail pass...