To stay in either Kyoto/Osaka?

-------------------------STAY IN OSAKA 3 nights-----------------------
DAY 1 (14 SEPT)
Arrive in Osaka KIX @ 4:55 (late check in)

DAY 2 (15 SEPT) Purchase JR Kansai Area Pass - Day 1 [2 Consecutive days = 4,300\]
Morning side trip to Nara to see Todaiji Temple (big Buddha statue)
Come back to Osaka to see Osaka Castle.
Minami (Namba) for shopping and night life.

DAY 3 (16 SEPT) Use of JR Kansai Area Pass – Day 2
Morning head to Himeji to see Himeji Castle
(Return to Osaka direction)
Afternoon stop at Kobe for Onsen @ Kin no Yu
Dinner at Kobe then head back to Osaka.

-----------------------Stay in Kyoto 2 night-----------------
DAY 4 (17 SEPT) Use of JR Pass - Day 1 **see Day 7 note
Check out of hotel in Osaka
Morning head to Kyoto (approx. 30 mins)
Check in hotel.
Visit Fushimi-Inari Shrine (for the ultimate Torii gate experience)
After the temple/shrine sightseeing, visit Gion (famous geisha district)

Day 5 (18 SEPT) JR Pass - Day 2
Visit Nijo castle (Former Kyoto residence of shogun)
*Visit Nishiki market (fresh food market) Could skip
After Nijo Castle (afternoon), Kyoto central to see modern Kyoto

----------------------Stay in Tokyo 3 nights------------------------------
Day 6 (19 SEPT) JR Pass - Day 3
Check out of Kyoto�fs hotel
Head to Tokyo (approx. 3 hours) check in
Afternoon Harajuku/Shinjuku

Day 7 (20 SEPT) JR Pass - Day 4
Mt Fuji?
Odaiba?

Day 8 (21 SEPT) JR Pass - Day 5
Ginza?
Or more Onsen?

----------------------------Stay in Kyoto/Osaka 1 night-----------------

Day 9 (22 SEPT) JR Pass - Day 6
Check out of Tokyo�fs hotel
Afternoon head back to Kyoto/Osaka for the last night*
Check in to Kyoto/Osaka hotel
(Free and Easy) – JR pass can be used to travel to any place.
Explore Kyoto Osaka

Day 10 (23 SEPT) JR Pass - Day 7* If activated on day 1 noon, validity is till midnight of Day 7
Check out of hotel.
Departure at 18:00 (6pm)

Questions:
1. Is the itinerary workable?
2. Is my calculations for the JR Pass correct?
3. Is it better to stay in just Kyoto for Day 1 - Day 6?
4. Any suggestions for onsen?
5. Are the days too pack? I am open to more suggestions.
6. Is a budget of S$1.2k suffice to fund the entire trip? (mainly meals and purchases)

This is my second time to Japan. Would be my first to visit Osaka and Kyoto. I will be travelling with 3 other ladies. 1 which is older (50+). I hope to maximise my 10 days in Japan.

1) It's workable, but I don't think going Osaka - Tokyo - Osaka is worth the effort. Granted, Tokyo is a pretty impressive place, but it takes about 4 hours on shinkansen to get there, more if you take a regular train, and if you're only going to be a week in Japan I think you'd end up very stressed travelling so far for just a couple of days. My recommendation would be to stay longer in Kyoto and Osaka, there are lots of things to do and see, and one week would be nice to enjoy all of it and visit some other places in Kansai.

2) JR Kansai is valid for Kansai, so you'd probably have to pay for your ticket, or part of it, to Tokyo. A shinkansen ticket to Tokyo is pretty pricy (www.hyperdia.com to check prices) and a regular train would take forever.

3) I personally think yes. Kyoto is enormous and there are tons of things to see. You can also visit Nara, Arashiyama, etc.

4) Nope, never been to an onsen in Kansai. There are a few around Kyoto, so you won't have any problems finding one. I would recommend Kinosaki Onsen, a beautiful onsen village in the Japanese Alps, but it's a bit far away :P

5) They are if you do what you posted, the won't be if you don't go to Tokyo.

6) Last time I came as a tourist to Japan I spent, for two weeks, around 2500 dollars (Flight tickets $600, JR Pass $300, Accommodation about $25 a night, food very cheap)

The Kansai area is, for me, one of the most interesting and beautiful to visit. Tokyo is great, but there's so much to see in Kansai that going to Tokyo seems a bit wasteful.

I'd suggest 4 or 5 days staying in Kyoto exploring the area and visiting Nara. Spend one day of this in Osaka (on an away day, no need to lug your baggage and change hotels).

An additional option would be to then travel round Lake Biwa and visit Hikone and/or Nagoya (1 or 2 days).

Then on to Tokyo (2 or 3 days, one of which could be a trip to Kamakura (with the giant Buddha, Shonan monorail and Enoshima electric train) and/or Enoshima island if you haven't been). Spend a day in the Fuji area and if you are departing at 6pm and still have the energy, spend some of your last day in Kobe.

Hikone and Nagoya break your shinkansen journey from Kansai to Tokyo. You can juggle the days at Hikone, Nagoya and Tokyo, or swop in something else, but Kyoto/Nara merits at least 3 days and Osaka 1.

Ignore the Lake Biwa excursion if you are worried that you will be spending too much time carrying bags to and fro. Share the extra couple of days between Kyoto, Fuji and Tokyo, as in your original plan. I think there are spa hotels in the Fuji area, some with a view of the mountain. What better treat than a stay in a nice hotel with your own private onsen and a view of Fuji?

You can travel from Tokyo to the Fuji area, stay over night, and then on to Kansai rather than going back to Tokyo. Less travel, more tourism.

Unless you have sherpas, you may need to plan your luggage movements as carefully as your own. You may want to buy most/larger souvenirs at the end of your trip. If you are breaking a journey to see somewhere, use station lockers. Personal fitness can be an issue in Japan, where tourism can involve a lot of walking.

If your friends haven't been to Japan before, they may need more time in Tokyo than you, so consider splitting up and then rejoining them.

$1200 cash in Yen sounds about right to take for food and tourism (excluding accom). Make larger purchases such as shinkansen tickets on a debit card, which you should also be able to use in more expensive restaurants. That would mean you have some extra cash for emergencies, or can just take it home. You may need extra for taxi fares if all the walking starts to take its toll.

When you have decided on your itinerary, tot up the price of your shinkansen tickets using Hyperdia before considering a rail pass. They are not always a good deal. Ask for a window seat to see Fuji if you will be travelling past it. You can book your seats for any Shinkansen trips in advance at the station as soon as you arrive.

Have a fabulous time.

Hi David, thanks for your input. I'll go through it thoroughly before updating on my itinerary again. Thanks!

Thanks Daniel. I'll consider your option too