JR East Pass or JR Kanto Area Pass

Hi
I will be visiting Japan for 8 days, from 18Oct15 to 25Oct15, and below is my draft itinerary:

18Oct - Narita Airport to Tokyo
19Oct - Tokyo to Nikko
20Oct - Nikko
21Oct - Nikko to Karuizawa
22Oct - Karuizawa
23Oct - Karuizawa to Tokyo
24Oct - Tokyo
25Oct - Tokyo to Narita Airport

May i know the type of JR passes (JR East or JR Kanto or combination) i should purchase? Does it include the bus fares in each area (eg in Nikko)?

Which area (Uero, Asakusa, Shinjuku etc) should i be staying in Tokyo, in order to achieve minimum travelling time to Nikko (on 19Oct) and from Karuizawa (On 23Oct)?

btw, any recommendation on accommodations in Nikko and Karuizawa? Would prefer one of the night to be stayed in place that equipped with private open air onsen (or able to book, at a cost, for private use for an hour) but not too expansive (eg not more than 25,000 Yen per night).

Any suggestion to the changes to the itinerary & the place of food in these areas (Tokyo, Nikko, Karuizawa and others) will also be appreciated.

Thanks !
Gary

My guess is that your first night should be spent in Asakusa.

You could probably take the Keisei "Airport Kaitoku", which goes through Asakusa on it's way to Haneda Airport. I think this is the only direct train to this area.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2027.html

From here, you would use a 2 day Tobu-Nikko pass, which would include bus transportation around the area. It will also get you to the Kinogawa Onsen area. I would look there for your accommodations. If you are planning to go to the Tobu World Square, or Edo WonderLand, you might get the bundled packages with your pass.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html

After that, a Kanto area pass will get you to Karuizawa and back to Tokyo before it expires. I would think about staying somewhere on the Yamanote loop for the final days of your trip. I usually stay in Nippori, which is between Ueno and Ikebukuro on the loop, and has a direct train (Keisei Skyliner and Limited Express) to Narita Airport. I stay at a business class hotel that has a small hot springs bath on the first floor (it's about 100 meters from Nippori Station). I also stay there because I usually visit Fabric Town before I go to the airport.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html

I would probably supplement my transportation with an IC card.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

The IC card may also be able to pay for the ride back to the airport.

This should take care of your primary transportation needs. There may be a bus in Karuizawa, or something like that, but this should cover everything else.

Thank you very much for the details!

In addition:
1) Can i purchase both the 2 days Tobu-Nikko Pass and the Kanto Area Pass over the Internet?

2) If I start using the 2 Days Tobu-Nikko Pass on 19Oct 10am, does it mean that the pass will expire on 21Oct 9.59am (boarding time)?

3) Any reservation of seats required for these passes? Any difficulty for carrying at least 1 unit of 27" luggage?

4) On 21 Oct, if i would like to travel from Nikko to Yudanaka (instead of Karuizawa), the onsen town, so as to visit the snow monkey on 22Oct morning, may i know if the Kanto Area Pass covers the train fare to Yudanaka?

Again, thank you
Gary