21 day itinerary

well since i screwed the date for nara i had to re think my plan

day 1 10th osaka arive 6:20pm go to tokyo
day 2 11th tokyo
day 3 12th trip to nikko
day 4 13th tokyo to kamakura
day 5 14th kamakura to shinyokohama ramen musem then to tokyo
day 6 15th tokyo
day 7 16th tokyo to kanazawa
day 8 17th kanazawa nagoya
day 9 18th nagayo to ise
day 10 19th ise
day 11 20th ise to kyoto
day 12 21st kyoto
day 13 22nd nara Yamayaki
day 14 23rd kyoto
day 15 24th osaka
day 16 26th kyoto to himeji maybe might need a better castle to see
day 17 27th himeji to hiroshima then to miyajima
day 18 28th train from miyajima to somewhere
day 19 29th Iga Ueno or kobe sake this could be moved to the 30th depending if nara works out on the 22nd
day 20 30th osaka or kyoto
day 21 31st leave japan 10pm flight

if activate my jr pass when i get into osaka will it be active for the trip to tokyo if not anything good till midnight
and where should spend a night at a onsen?

I recommend the following order instead: Tokyo - Ise - Nagoya - Kanazawa - Kyoto

if activate my jr pass when i get into osaka will it be active for the trip to tokyo

If you select the 10th as the starting date of your pass, yes, it will be valid for the trip to Tokyo.

thanks uji that seems to be 90mins less on trains lol. looks like im stuffed either way for my jr pass il either have to pay for the start train or end train or find something to do for 6 hrs at osaka airport doh guess i could just pay for the last train when leaving.

looks like im stuffed either way for my jr pass il either have to pay for the start train or end train

What version of the pass do you intend to buy? 7-day? 14-day? 21-day?

or find something to do for 6 hrs at osaka airport doh guess i could just pay for the last train when leaving.

The last JR train leaves Kansai Airport for Osaka at 23:32. And there is only one night train to Tokyo, leaving Osaka 0:34. However, there is a high risk that the train is already booked out by the time you can make reservations for it upon arrival in Japan. I don't think it is a good idea.

i meant my last train fare from kyoto to osaka air port when leaving japan

oh and am getting the 21day pass how do you edit on this forum cant find the button

i meant my last train fare from kyoto to osaka air port when leaving japan

I see. In any case, there is no connection after midnight.

Himeji Castle is undergoing rennovations until 2014, so you may want to go elsewhere that day...

If you want to see a castle between Kyoto and Hiroshima, there are a few options:
-Bitchu Matsuyama Castle is the most convenient ORIGINAL castle along that route. It is small (especially compared to Himeji) but it's a beautiful mountain castle (the highest in the nation) with well-preserved castle walls and a great view of the valley below. It's located in Takahashi. You could visit here and stay in Kurashiki or Okayama to make your trip to Hiroshima the next day more convenient.

-Okayama Castle is a reconstructed castle, but if you don't mind that, it is interesting and Korakuen Garden just across the bridge is one of the top gardens in the nation. It's very open, spacious, and beautiful!

-Fukuyama Castle in Fukuyama. Also a reconstruction. There are museums and temples in the town, as well.

-Hiroshima Castle in Hiroshima is another option. Once again, it is a reconstructed castle, but it would be convenient.

thanks now for accommodation Should i prebook in advance if so how far or just show up and hope to find some place. Any recommendations on hostels to go to or not close to transport and shrines and such would be great as close to 3000yen or lower :d.
i also looking for a good ryokan to stay at for a night ive been thinking either Ohishiya in ise or Benten no Yado Itsukushima in Miyajima.if i go with ise tho id turn miyajima into a side trip no real point staying in a hostel in hiroshima dont really want to spend the money for 2 nights thanks.

tokyo
hostel address
Sakura Hostel 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, TOKYO 111-0032
Khaosan Tokyo Samurai 1-18-3　Higashi-Komagata Sumida-ku, Tokyo

kamakura
Kamakura Guesthouse 273-3,Tokiwa,Kamakura-city 248-0022

Miyajima or hiroshima
Bennten no Yado Itsukushima 634 Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima
J-Hoppers Hiroshima Trad 5-16, Dobashi-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi

Hiroshima Hana Hostel
nagoya
Kyoya Ryokan 2-11-4, Habashita, Nishi-ku, Nagoya city, Aichi 451-0041,
Hostel Ann 2-4-2 Kanayama Naka-ku Nagoya-shi Aichi

kyoto
hana hostel
k's house kyoto 418 Nayacho, Shichijo-agaru, Dotemachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku
Guest House Kyoto 401-1 Teppo-cho, Shimogyo-ku
kyoto hostel bakpak 1- 234 Miyagawa Suji Higashiyama-ku
gion hostel bakpak 2 - 244   Miyagawa Suji
Kyoto Guesthouse Roujiya 22-58, Ikenouchi-cho, Nishinokyo, Nakagyo-ku
nara
Guesthouse Nara Komachi 41-2 Surugamachi, Nara
Guesthouse Naramachi

ise shima
Ise - Taiko-ji YH 519-0602 1659 E, Futami-cho, Ise-shi, Mie-ken
Ise - Ise-shima YH 1219-82 Anagawa Isobe-cho Shima-shi 517-0213

can recommand staying overnight at Miyajima, which is a really nice experience. In the evening you can have a stroll near the beach. All houses are lighted with traditional lanterns, many tourists are back abroad, so the island is then really quiet and peaceful.

Next morning you can climb the mountain (first you take the cable car up the mountain), on top of the mountain you have a 360 degrees view on the islands of the bay of Hiroshima, very nice.

I stayed at Ryoso Kawaguch, they have a pickup service from the ferry, the lady cooks an excellent dinner at night, staying there is recommended. If you google their name, you find reviews of people who visited.

Regards, Ton

On my website you can find a travel report of my trip to Japan in october/november last year: http://www.traveltojapan.eu

thanks all for the help
day 1 10th osaka arive go to tokyo
day 2 11th tokyo - meji shrine asakusa sight near hostel
day 3 12th trip to nikko - Rinnoji, Toshogu, Futarasan Shrine, Taiyuinbyo
day 4 13th kamakura day trip - Hasedera,Great Buddha, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
day 5 14th tokyo nikko edowonderland
day 6 15th tokyo sumo
day 7 16th tokyo
day 8 17th tokyo to ise - ise to nagoya Ise Jingu, Meoto Iwa - Nagoya Castle, Tokugawa Art Museum
day 9 18th nagoya to kanazawa Ninjadera, Nagamachi
day 10 19th kanazawa to kyoto kyoto tower, Honganji Temples?
day 11 20th kyoto eastern - Sanjusangendo, Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji
day 12 21st kyoto northern - Kinkakuji, Ryoanji Temple, Ninnaji
day 13 22nd nara - Todaiji, Kofukuji, nara park, Wakakusa Yamayaki
day 14 23rd Iga uneo - Iga Ninja Museum, Ueno Castle
day 15 24th kyoto southern - Fushimi Inari Shrine, Tofukuji
day 16 25th osaka kyoto - osaka or kyoto for catching missed
day 17 26th kyoto to hiroshima then miyajima - peace park, museum, Itsukushima Shrine,Museum of H&F
day 18 27th miyajima to okayama then kyoto - Okayama Castle
day 19 28th kyoto central - Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle can change depending on booking
day 20 29th kyoto my koya stay might turn into just kyoto
day 21 30th kyoto - Nanzenji Temple, Heian Shrine, anything I can fit that missed

day 22 31st leave japan KIX 10pm flight something on this day before leaving

that pretty much it for my iten just wondering is ise worth the trip?

will this do for the weather for someone who does feel cold in 16degrees
shirt polycotton/fleece jumper and baffin island jacket
heavyweight fleece, fully lined, has a high collar and comes with a useful, lightweight zip-away hood

thanks again btw did anyone notice i was missing a day the 25th lol i only just noticed writting this post lol

that was meant to be does not feel cold sigh no edit button.