Too much to do in 14 days?

Is this Itinerary too much to do with 14 day JR Pass?

Day 1 to 3 : 3 nights Tokyo – 2 full day tour Tokyo
Day 4-5 : 2 nights Kanazawa – 1 day Kanazawa – 1 day Shirakawago and Takayama
Day 6-7 : 2 nights Kyoto
Day 8 : 1 night Osaka
Day 9 : 1 night Mount Koya or Nara
Day 10 : 1 night Kinosaki Onsen
Day 11 : 1 night – Night train to Tokyo from Himeji
Day 12: 1 night – Izu peninsula
Day 13: 1 night – Hakone
Day 14: Next day leave for NRT Airport

As a continuation from http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+153270, I believe you are learning to travel without packing and unpacking too much as shown in your Kanazawa leg.

If you have Kyoto as your base, Osaka is only 30 minutes away and Nara (as in Nara town proper) is over an hour away. Depending on your taste and pace, you can do Koyasan on other time. I mean I just find travelling to Koyasan too much especially you are not ending your travel in Osaka. However, it's your call for the best travel you want.

If ever, I would like to suggest travelling from Kyoto then have a day tour, although not a mountain, in Miyazu/Amanohashidate then settle towards Kinosaki Onsen in the night. Train from Kyoto Station to Amanohashidate is within 2 hours via ltd exp then Amanohashidate to Kinosaki Onsen is within 90 minutes. The only downside is the train network on each leg which covers JR and non-JR (via KTR).

@stikiting - Thanks for the Miyazu. See..i never knew about this place. I will check it out enroute to Kinosaki onsen.

Regarding doing day trip from Kyoto - to Osaka, Nara etc.
I know you prefer to stay in one place and do day trips. But here is my thoughts for each stay. We plan to carry as less luggage as possible - one carrybag for each person.

2 days in Kyoto - visiting Fushimi Inari - Gion - Bamboo forest / Todai-ji Temple etc. - basic accommodation

1 day - in Osaka - Ryokan stay - by Dotonbori canal

1 temple stay Nara - decided to choose a Nara temple over Koyasan

1 night in Kinosaki Onsen - a friend suggested it as a must-do

1 night train to Tokyo - to save one night cost

1 night Shimoda or Atami - coastline drive to Shimoda - see atleast a waterfall or beach enroute - I realise it may be wet/chilly that time of year

last night Hakone - Another Ryokan stay

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Indeed it is your choice to base in any city.

You can do the sequence of Kyoto-Nara-Osaka or Osaka-Nara-Kyoto. Osaka or Shin-Osaka is the main station of various limited express (Hamakaze or Konotori) bound for Kinosaki Onsen. There is also the infrequent Kinosaki limited express which starts from Kyoto that will traverse via Northern Kyoto (where Miyazu is). Each limited express ride travels for 2-3 hours.

see atleast a waterfall or beach enroute

I do not know if you have searched on this but Ishikawa (where Kanazawa is) faces the Sea of Japan. Noto Peninsula is 2 to 3 hours away from Kanazawa.

I also found this link if you want waterfall when in Kanazawa https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUserReviews-g1021240-d1424222-r2244....

From Awara Onsen which is few stations away from Kanazawa, you will see the Tojinbo Cliffs facing the Sea of Japan.

You'll get the view of Biwako or Lake Biwa as you seat on the left side of Thunderbird from Kanazawa going to Kyoto or Osaka.

In Osaka, you can see the waterfall in Minoh Park.

Amanohashidate faces Sea of Japan. For sure Northern Hyogo where Kinosaki Onsen is faces Sea of Japan as well.

Kinosaki Onsen Station to Tottori Station is 90 minutes away, if you have heard or known the Tottori Sand Dunes.

I am not saying that you visit them all since you are time-constrained. It's always your decision where do you plan to see the beach or any body of water en route.

I am not sure about your travel on 'wet/chilly that time of the year'. Are you travelling on spring time or last quarter of 2017 or year/s to come?

Anyway, since you will end up in Tokyo prior flight home, it makes more sense to do the Odawara or Atami to Shimoda travel as you prefer before settling in Hakone.

If your flight time permits you to relax in Hakone, maybe you can catch the NEX trip from Kawaguchiko http://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-shinkansen-reservation/english/wb/com.... Check here the bus schedules from Gotemba to Kawaguchiko http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/route/detail/id/1/. If not, you can always go back to Tokyo then train or limousine bus to NRT.

You are going to be spending most of your time travelling or checking in or out of hotels. To me, your itinerary is a horror.

For the time you have I would pick 3 bases maximum, eg Tokyo, Kyoto and 1 other. From there you can day trip to other destinations, e.g. Nara, Himeji, Osaka, even Hiroshima. Drop some of the out of the way destinations such as Koya and Kinosaki unless you are particularly keen on them.

@Ben:

Points taken. I hope OP take your advice positively.

On the side note, OP can even go to Hokkaido or Kyushu or Shikoku if he wants to. Please do understand that to each his own. He even specified his preference of moving to any other city albeit advices here and previous thread to have a single base.

Travel is a personal experience. Let OP have it. :)

I think it's definitely doable. As long as you travel light, I find moving from town to town is actually better because you don't have to travel in round-trips back to the same hotel. By either packing a small bag for each traveller, and/or using Takkyubin and coin lockers effectively, having a different hotel each night really isn't a big deal, and you actually get more time to spend in each location.