May 2016 3 week Japan itinerary

Hi,

We are planning a 3 week journey to Japan in May 2016. The plan is to buy a 3 week Japan Rail Pass to travel around.

This is our planned itinerary:

Tokyo: flight arrives in Tokyo
Kurashiki/Okayama: visit Kurashiki/Okayama
Kurashiki/Okayama: day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima
Kurashiki/Okayama: day trip to Naoshima
Osaka: visit Osaka
Osaka: visit Osaka
Osaka : day trip to Nara
Osaka : day trip to Himeji
Kyoto: Kyoto
Kyoto: Kyoto
Kyoto: Kyoto
Kyoto: Kyoto
Matsumoto: visit Matsumoto
Matsumoto: day trip to Jigokudani Monkey Park
Tokyo: Tokyo
Tokyo: Tokyo
Tokyo: Tokyo
Tokyo: Tokyo
Tokyo: Tokyo
Tokyo: day trip to Hakone
Tokyo: day trip to Kamakura
Tokyo: flight home from Tokyo

Is Kurashiki or Okayama better as a base to visit Miyajima and Naoshima as a day trip?

What is the best location to stay for a day trip to Jigokudani Monkey Park?

We like to stay 1 or nights in a ryokan, what is the recommended place to do this?

Any comments/suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
David

You can use your JR pass to take a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano (probably one to two hours at a guess), then decide how to proceed from there, you have several options.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6027.html

Are you sure a 3 week pass pays off?