Visiting Japan

Hello forumers,

I'll be visiting Japan from 23rd November till 9th of December.
It is a 17 days trip.
But I'm quite messed up as they are so many places to visit besides I'll be stuck at Sapporo from 1st till 6th of December.
Below are my current plans, but I need advise on where to go and I'm also willing to fork-out for hostel stays at places that require me to do so.

23rd November until 30th November: I'll be staying at a friend's house in Yokohama before going to Sapporo on the next day.

1st December - 5th December: Sapporo (Please suggest me, how I could utilize the JR pass in Hokkaido and nearby area).

6th December - 8th December: I'll be staying at my friend's house in Utsunomiya.

9th December: Back to hometown.

also, can anyone suggest me of how I could maximize the 14 days JR pass. TQ.
Cheers.

Unless you are doing a lot of long distance travelling from Yokohama, I can't see the point in getting a 14 day JR Rail Pass. A 7 day pass for your trip to Hokkaido and single fares will possibly work out cheaper.

Yokohama to Sapporo is nearly 11 hours by train and you need to leave about 8.00 am. Your return trip to Utsunomiya is just under 10 hours, so December 1st and 6th will mostly be spent on trains.

What airport are you arriving and departing from, Narita or Haneda?

Yes Rob,
I now have an accommodation with a friend at Osaka, so I might go to Osaka and further down perhaps Hiroshima.

Is it worth the 14 days JR ticket?

Based on the limited information you have given, the 14 day Rail Pass will save you money if you are going to Osaka, Hiroshima and Sapporo within the 14 days.

If you can give a better idea of your itinerary, including arrival/departure airport(s) and times, I'd be able to advise on best use of the rail pass.

As the trip to/from Sapporo is a long journey (especially if you are maybe coming from Osaka), I would suggest a stop at Hakodate on the way up:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5350.html

There's a Toyoko Inn near to the station and next to the fish market, single rooms as low as 4,410 Yen:

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00063/index.html

Thank you for the suggestion rob.

Here is my rough itinerary for the trip.
I'm planning to activate my pass on day 5, as I'm starting to go outside Tokyo on that day.

23/11 2010 (Day 1)
Arrive at Tokyo (head to friend's house in Yokohama. I'll be staying here until day 4).

24/11 (Day 2)
Visit Tokyo

25/11 (Day 3)
Visit Akihaibara

26/11 (Day 4)
Akihaibara (anywhere I can go from here?)

27/11 (Day 5)
Head to Osaka (Here I'll be staying at a friend's house in Osaka).

28/11 (Day 6)
Explore Osaka.

29/11 (Day 7)
Still on plan??

30/11 (Day 8)
Visit anywhere (which I'm still unsure) and straight to Yokohama

1/12 (Day 9)
Head to Sapporo

2/12 - 3/12 (Day 10 and 11)
Maybe visit Sapporo town. At night, took the night train to Yokohama again (is it available? the night train).

4/12 (Day 12)
Visit Iberaki for warehouse sale.
Took the night train to Sapporo again

5/12 (Day 13)
Arrive at Sapporo

6/12
Check-out from Sapporo and head to Utsunomiya, staying at friend's house here.

7/12
Visit Mount Fuji from Utsunomiya

8/12
Still on plan.

9/12
return to my hometown.

Pretty hectic right?
Feel free to adjust to which you think is alright. Thanks in advance.

I'm planning to activate my pass on day 5, as I'm starting to go outside Tokyo on that day.

Do that and you are wasting a day of the railpass, start on day 4.

23/11 2010 (Day 1)
Arrive at Tokyo (head to friend's house in Yokohama. I'll be staying here until day 4).

If you are coming from Narita (you still haven't said which airport you will arrive and depart from), get the N'EX + Suica deal, it will get you to Yokohama and you'll 1500 Yen for travelling to and around Tokyo on the Suica:

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

24/11 (Day 2)
Visit Tokyo

25/11 (Day 3)
Visit Akihaibara

26/11 (Day 4)
Akihaibara (anywhere I can go from here?)

Any reason going back again to akihabara? There are many places to go, depends on your interests.

27/11 (Day 5)
Head to Osaka (Here I'll be staying at a friend's house in Osaka).

28/11 (Day 6)
Explore Osaka.

29/11 (Day 7)
Still on plan??

If you want to get good value from your pass, maybe a day trip to Hiroshima.

30/11 (Day 8)
Visit anywhere (which I'm still unsure) and straight to Yokohama

Kyoto?

1/12 (Day 9)
Head to Sapporo

You can partly do this by night train (Ueno-Aomori on night train Akebono) that would be covered by the JR rail Pass. It leaves Ueno at 21.15, arriving Aomori at 09.56. You'll then need 2 more trains (Aomori-Hakodate-Sapporo) to arrive by 15.43

2/12 - 3/12 (Day 10 and 11)
Maybe visit Sapporo town. At night, took the night train to Yokohama again (is it available? the night train).

Night train again? Are you planning on using the night train to get to Sapporo? Also, the night train does not go from Sapporo to Yokohama, only to Ueno. The direct night train (Hokutosei) is not fully covered by the JR Rail Pass, you will have to pay 14,500 Yen each time you use this night train with the pass:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2356.html#3

Not only is this costly but also plain crazy. Just stay in Sapporo.

4/12 (Day 12)
Visit Iberaki for warehouse sale.
Took the night train to Sapporo again

If you really need to go to Ibaraki you'll need to re-access your schedule.

5/12 (Day 13)
Arrive at Sapporo

6/12
Check-out from Sapporo and head to Utsunomiya, staying at friend's house here.

7/12
Visit Mount Fuji from Utsunomiya

It would be better to visit Fuji from Yokohama, as it is much near.

8/12
Still on plan.

9/12
return to my hometown.

Use your JR Rail Pass to get to Narita, if that is your departure airport.