Transportation & Itinerary Suggestions

I plan is to squeeze sights in Nara, Tokyo, Fuji, and Disneyland within a 5D / 4N trip in mid-Mar2016. The planned itinerary is found below. As it is my first time to go thru this itinerary, I would really appreciate comments specifically on transpo details and on the itinerary in general (e.g. is the Tokyo itinery optimal?).

13Mar2016 pm: arrive in Osaka (planned accom is near Shin-Osaka station)
14Mar2016 (from 8am to 3pm): Nara tour (Horyuji temple, Yoshikien Garden, Isuien Garden, Todaiji temple, Kofukuji Temple, Naramachi)
14Mar2016 (from 330pm to 730pm): travel to Tokyo via bullet train (planned accom is in Shinjuku area)
14Mar2016 (from 730pm to 930pm): Shinjuku busiest train station, Hachico, dinner
15Mar2016 (from 6am to 1pm): to Mt Fuji 5 Lakes and back to Shinjuku
15Mar2016 (from 1pm to 9pm): lunch at government building, Shinjuku Gyoen, Imperial East garden, Ginza, Kabuki museum only, dinner)
16Mar2016 (8am to10am): Asakusa, Rikugien
16Mar2016 (10am to 9pm): Disneyland
17Mar2016: Departure from Tokyo

Hoping for some relevant replies to my query. :-)

14Mar2016 (from 8am to 3pm) is very busy. You need to be really good with your speed and stamina.

15Mar2016 (from 6am to 1pm) would not recommend the 5 Lakes. You won't have any time to do anything in particular.

Any reason why there is no Kyoto? It is a far more interesting city compared to Nara and Osaka IMO.

I am thinking... why not just stay around Tokyo. Your trip to Osaka and Nara is time consuming and not cost effective. Might as well take the plane to Osaka Airport some other time and do that area. There are enough attractions around and about Tokyo for your short trip.

Thanks for your comments. I also wanted to check how realistic the itinerary is. At the end of the trip, I wouldn't want to think that I need a vacation from a vacation.

In any case, is there a cost effective was to move from Osaka to Tokyo with a stop-over at Mt Fuji?

Are you flying into Osaka when you arrive in Japan on 13 March?

So far, that's the plan. One of the objectives of this trip is to get to ride the bullet train. Which is also why points of entry and exit will be different.

Generally speaking your itinerary looks too packed; to give you an example from what I know from my own experience, Asakusa is a place you do a leisurely stroll in, not a place to just march through :) There you can spend a few hours. And Rikugien is not a huge park, but you'd want to take a slow walk there. And in between there is time needed to travel from one place to the other; no way to do that in two hours.

The same thing for March 15 as well... you won't get to really see anything.

I would focus just on Tokyo and its surroundings for this short duration.

Thanks for your comments.

Agreed!!

Rikugien and Asakusa will definitely take more time. Both places are amazing, especially Asakusa, and they deserve adequate time.

If you must ride the Shinkansen train, I would suggest: on day 1 after arrival to go as far as Kyoto, stay over in Kyoto, then day 2 explore Kyoto, then travel to Tokyo via Shinkansen train. Take a bus tour to Mt. Fuji/Hakone on day 3 (full-day), visit Asakusa and Rikugien and other places within Tokyo on day 4 (skip Disney), then leave on day 5.

With the very limited time you have, (as you say, if you don't want to need a vacation after this trip, you will have to select THE few places that you must visit.

As has been already pointed out by a few other posters, your current itinerary sounds hectic.

Regarding your Nara trip
: Horyuji Temple and Todaiji Temple are located in quite different directions of JR Nara and Kintetsu-nara Stations.
: Yoshikien Garden, Isuien Garden, Todaiji temple and Kofukuji Temple are located rather close to each other.
: Within several hours you may travel at a high pace to visit these four sites, maybe plus Naramachi, but your time may well run out if you add Horyuji Temple.
: Why don't you plan to visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine?
- Nara Kotsu Bus: Bus passes:
http://www.narakotsu.co.jp/language/en/free-ticket/index.html

Regarding your trip to see Mount Fuji
: You need about 4 to 5 hours just to travel from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko and back.
: It sounds non-realistic to expect only 3 hours or less for you to tour the Fuji Five Lakes area.
: On your way to Tokyo, you can make a side trip from Odawara to Hakone, where you can have views of Mount Fuji unless the weather is too bad.

Regarding transportation to Tokyo
: A Shinkansen train does not bring you to Shinjuku Station.
: In Shinagawa Station you can make a transfer from Tokaido Shinkansen to Yamanote Line (outer loop), passing through Shinkansen South or North Transfer Gate.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e788.html

Regarding your Tokyo trips
: The statue of Hachiko dog is near JR Shibuya Station, not near JR Shinjuku Station.
: Spots called as Shinjuku something are studded in a very wide area, which stretches over the boundary between Shinjuku and Shibuya Cities.
: You had better narrow down sites in Tokyo so that you can visit them in a day with enough time allotted for each of them.

If I were in your shoes, I would discard one temple and one garden in Nara and two gardens in Tokyo so that I can have much time for my trip to see Mount Fuji.

I have another suggestion about your Nara Trip.
If you take JR Yamatoji Line from Osaka via Tennoji, you can get off at Horyuji Station on the way to Nara. There's no reason to miss to see a famous historical site and registered World Heritage Site of Horyuji Temple. You have enough time to visit three famous historical sites of Nara city including Todaiji Temple, Kohfukuji Temple and Kasuga Taisya Shrine even after visiting Horyuji Temple.

Thanks again for all your inputs.