2 Week Itinerary - a few questions

We are travelling to Japan for our Honeymoon in May this Year. I have an itinerary figured out and have booked my accommodation but have a few questions and would appreciate any suggestions.

May 11th Arrive Tokyo Haneda 7:30AM - Staying in Akihabara
Tues 12th Tokyo
Wed 13th Tokyo
Thurs 14th Nikko Day Trip (?)
Fri 15th Tokyo
Sat 16th Travel to Takayama, stay in ryokan.
Sun 17th Bus to Shirakawago, stay in farmhouse
Mon 18th Travel to Kyoto, via Kanazawa, visiting Kenrokuen
Tues 19th Kyoto
Wed 20th Kyoto
Thurs 21st Kyoto - Nara day trip
Fri 22nd Kyoto - Another day trip Osaka/Himeji/Kobe?
Sat 23rd Kyoto
Sun 24th Travel Back to Tokyo
Mon 25th Depart Tokyo Haneda

So some questions I have:-

1) Day trip to Nikko from Tokyo. Is it worth the fairly long round trip to do that in one day, or would we benefit more from an extra day in Tokyo?

2) Some calculations using hyperdia, put the cost of rail travel at about \51000 (with estimated savings on JR lines each day in Tokyo of \500) so that should make a 14 day JR pass viable. Although this was based on current prices for the Tokyo to Takayama journey, which I imagine will change when the new Shinkansen line opens. Also this includes the day trip to Nikko without which the JR pass would probably not be worth it. Is a 14 day Pass recommended for this trip?

3) Could I arrange Takkubin service to send bags from hotel in Tokyo on morning of Sat 16th to arrive in Kyoto Hotel on Mon 18th. Would rather not lug bags all the way to Shirakawago on buses.

4) Day trip from Kyoto. Should we go to Osaka or maybe to Himeji and Kobe?

5) We would like to visit an Onsen at some point, but would preferably not have to travel too far (i.e not making a whole day of it) and had considered going to Kurama Onsen from Kyoto one day. Any other suggestions? One with a nice "family bath" in which we could bathe as a couple would be good.

6) If anybody has any suggestions of fun things to do in Kyoto/Tokyo that we may not have seen on the "top things to do" etc lists i would be delighted to hear them!


Many thanks for any feedback :)

1: Personally, I liked the trip to Nikko which I did as bus tour one of my first trips to Japan. It is a good opportunity to get out of the city and see some more of the countryside.

2: Your estimate for the cost for the JR pass looks about right - shame it doesn't fit into a 7-day schedule. If you got the pass, then you have extra flexibility to do longer day trips (say substitute Hiroshima for Kobe).

3: If you have enough luggage to consider a forwarding service, pack less (possibly harsh, but you should be able to travel with one modest sized case, and if it's large enough to be a problem, downsize - it will make the rest of your trip more enjoyable).

4: From Kyoto, you have Nara and Osaka is very close. hiroshima is 2-hours, and you could head to Hikone as well (they have a nice castle). There is lots you can do in Koyoto.

5: I've read good things about Kurama (have not been there yet), but most of the onsen we have seen are separated - there are public baths in Kyoto. Doing a shared bath is probably more like a spa - if you want the full onsen experience, then public (segregated) bathing is the way to go.

6: Looks like a good schedule :)

You could pay for a one way ticket to Nagoya, and then use a Takayama-Hkuriku Area Tourist Pass from there.

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

This appears to also cover your bus transportation to Shirakawa-go, and to Kanazawa.

From Kyoto, you would also purchase a one-way ticket back to Tokyo. Here is a link for discount Shinkansen tickets:

http://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/en/?scid=jtt_kepEng001

I hope this helps.

Thanks. I had not considered the Takayama-Hkuriku Area Tourist Pass. I did intend to travel to Takayama via Toyama using the new Hokuriku shinkansen extenstion as the journey time will be slightly reduced this way. I will have to look into my costs and see if this could benefit me.

I did intend to only take a modest sized case with me. I thought for the Takayama-Shirakawago-Kyoto leg I would rather not have a case at all and just take my backpack with me. Would a luggage forwarding service not be worth it?

The luggage delivery is exactly what we did when we went to mt Koya for one night. It's relatively cheap and you just ask your first hotel to make your second hotel aware that the luggage is on its way so they can make space for it if it arrives early. I agree, shirakawago is not somewhere you want to go with luggage no matter how big it is and a backpack would be much more enjoyable.