14 days trip JR pass

Dear All,

We are planning our first 14 days trip to Japan in June. There are so many thing we want to see.. it's overwhelming! We already draw a plan of cities must-see, but I am not sure if it's not too much and road is convenient. Could you please advise us if directions are correct and easy reachable :))
Here our plan:
1 day Arriving to Narita Airport- travel to Tokyo
2-4 days Tokyo and surrounding area
5 day Kanazawa
6 day Takayma via Shirakawago
7 day Ryokan near Okuhida Onsen-go Kansaka
8-12 day Kyoto and surrounding area
13 day Hiroshima with visiting Miyajima
14 day back to Tokyo
15 day flight back from Narita

We had to skip Matsumoto so..

We wanted to buy a JR pass for all 14 days, but what are the extra costs for the transport we need to consider?

Thank you in advance for the reply! :)

Sounds like an interesting and varied trip; when in Kyoto make sure to take a day trip to Nara.

The last few visits to Japan we have come into the habit of staying at Narita-town at the night before our flight and use the hotel's free shuttle bus to the airport; Narita-san Temple makes it very much worth the visit, we always join the Goma ceremony and there are some great restaurants in Narita, especially unagi.
And in your case, you'd avoid paying for the train between Tokyo and the airport :-)

Overall it looks like a pretty solid plan. I'm not sure a 14 day JR pass will pay for itself though. Also I suggest considering flying from Hiroshima to Tokyo, as it's going to be much faster (and while that will make a JR pass definitely not worth it, I'd wager that buying all the tickets separately and flying with a discount ticket will be cheaper than a 14 day pass.)

In terms of other transport costs, you're mainly looking at a bus to/from Shirakawago and Takayama, ferry to Miyajima, and transport within the cities. Also even if you do get a JR pass, 14 days will leave 1 day uncovered, so you will need to buy fare either from or to Narita.

A JR pass covers the Miyajima ferry.

Your central Japan destinations have a zigzaging itinerary causing increased travel and costs. I'd go:-

Tokyo, Okuhida, Takayama, Shiragawako, Kanazawa, Kyoto

So you need train to Matsumoto, buses between Matsumoto and Kanazawa, train to Kyoto.

I'm also not sure a JR pass will work for you. But you can use hyperdia to calculate the costs of your journeys.

Tokyo to Matsumoto, Kanazawa to Kyoto, Kyoto to Hiroshima, Hiroshima to Tokyo, Tokyo to Narita. And see whether that is more than 46,000 yen. The cost of the 14 day pass.

Looks ok, including the 14 day pass.

If Matsumoto was on your "must see" list there are two routes/options I can think of that would include it with only dropping one day out of your Kyoto stay (because you would get an extra day in the mountains). Hiroshima to Tokyo isn't a terrible option via train either (flying will not save much time).

Thank you, guys!
I appreciate your advices.

Jim, going straight to Narita is a perfect idea, and we've decided to do that.

We've made small changes such as extending stay at Kanazawa to one more day and then going to ryokan near Takayama.

Also we've extend stay at Kyoto, and from there we will make a day trip to Hiroshima.

I think it's much easier to have JP pass.. at least for the first time visit, looks like extra costs for transport is only bus in the mountains, and public transport in Tokyo/Kyoto (I do not know how much that would be).