Itinerary/Accommodation help for 2 week trip

So me and my buddy are arriving at Narita airport on the 12th of November and departing from Kansai on the 25th.

We would appreciate some suggestions on the must see places to go to and who is best to book accommodation with. We definitely want to see certain things like Mt. Fuji, Hiroshima, Nara park etc. we also definitely want to stay in a ryokan at some point. We have a budget of about £2000.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we would like to get this booked as soon as we can.

Thanks in advance!

If just for two weeks,
3 days Tokyo
2 days Fuji five lakes
3 days Kyoto
2 days Hiroshima
2 days Osaka
Rest of time for transit

No rail pass would be good for you

For highlights, this webpage has many to select from. The higher the rating the better.

I take it you want cheap accomodations?
Sakura hotel chain Tokyo
Piece hostel Kyoto
Boarding house Tennoji Osaka
These are just some of the many places to sleep at

Well for clean, comfortable and relatively cheap accommodation I highly recommend Toyoko Inn. They have hotels all over Japan. All the rooms have wired internet (as well as wireless throughout the hotel), a fridge, and a safe. You get free breakfast every morning and they have laundry facilities in the lobby. If you pay 1500 Yen you can get a membership card that gets you discounts on room stays (20% off on Sundays and Holidays and 5% off Monday to Saturday) as well as you get a free stay after every 10 stays.

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/index.html


As for itinerary, check this page for suggestions
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400.html

I don't have any tips other than I'm arriving and departing on the exact same days as you! How cool is that!! Hope you guys have an awesome trip!

Actually, I take that back. I do have some input. I stayed in this Guesthouse when it was known as Yougendo back in 2010. It's located in a nice area where you can easily access Nara, Osaka, and Kyoto. It has new owners now but they seem to have kept the reasonable price.

Guesthouse Kotone:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1001807

I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with your currency, but getting to Hiroshima can be kind of expensive if you plan on round tripping it from Narita . If you get the JR pass, no problem. Otherwise you may consider flying into somewhere closer, such as Kansai airport via Jetstar (what I'm considering) and using a rail pass. Check out the "rail passes" section on this website under "transportation". I'd copy and paste another link, but it's a pain on my mobile device. Anyhoo, Hiroshima is amazing. I stayed here on my last trip and it was central to everything:

Chizuru Ryokan:
http://www.chizuru-ryokan.com/

If you can see what you want in the Tokyo area first, then go down to Hiroshima/Miyajima and return to the Kansai area within a week, then a 7 day pass would pay off. You could save quite a lot with that.
You could also take a day trip to Nikko north of Tokyo within the week to add to your savings, and a day trip to Himeji (with Japan's finest castle) would enhance your value further. You should also add Nara to your itinerary for at least half a day.
Nara is often neglected by some tourists, which is a shame. Missing the Todaiji in Nara is like going to India and skipping the Taj Mahal. Nara Park has a lot of great places. A few other great places missed out even by those who go to Nara though are the Isuien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk-7IoLELio
and Yoshikien Gardens. They are gorgeous and not crowded at all.

In addition, there are other numerous great places you can visit in the area. Okayama is not far and it is famous for its castle, plus Korakuen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zAI3_N7NEM
which is one of Japan's Top 3, and also the Handayama Garden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGQ8o7k9GbA
If you'd like to get off the beaten trail for a while, the half day hike up to Konpirasan in Kotohira, Kagawa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ley9rVIewoQ
is stunning. Going to Takamatsu is also nice - it has one of Japan's finest gardens also, called Ritsurin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afx-Ju52FiY
And aside from Hiroshima/Miyajima, Onomichi with its temple tour and Kosanji Temple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Q5EjEOXI8
is spectacular. Just beyond Miyajima also lies Iwakuni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0COOZXi66mM
with its historical bridge and castle on top of the mountain.

And if you really want your socks blown off, visit the 300 million year old limestone cave in Yamaguchi, called Akiyoshido:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqIKC9S8TFQ

All in all, a lot more to explore and enjoy.