13 days in Japan in early August

Hi all, I've made up an itinerary touring Japan for 13 days in early August starting and ending at Tokyo. Please tell me if this is a good itinerary for seeing the rest of Japan besides Tokyo? Is this feasible and are there any other spots you would recommend? Should I buy a 7-day or 14-day Japan Rail Pass? If 7-day, when should I activate it? What should I do about my luggage as I arrive at each location- find a hostel quickly and deposit there? Should I research and book at all of the hostels in advance or can I just drop-in?

Thanks so much for your help!

Day 1: Tokyo to Takayama
Day 2: Takayama to Shirakawa-go
Day 3: Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa
Day 4: Kanazawa to Kyoto
Day 5: Kyoto
Day 6: Nara (day trip)
Day 7: Kyoto to Osaka
Day 8: Koyasan
Day 9: Osaka to Hiroshima/Miyajima

Two options from here:

Option A:
Day 10: Hiroshima to Nagasaki (short stop at Huis Ten Bosch?)
Day 11: Nagasaki to Kagoshima, Kagoshima to Yakushima
Day 12: Yakushima
Day 13: Yakushima to Tokyo (flight at Tokyo in late evening)

Option B:
Day 10: Hiroshima to Osaka in early morning, Osaka to Sapporo (hopefully via the Twilight Express)
Day 11: Furano/Biei
Day 12: Furano/Biei
Day 13: Sapporo to Tokyo (can I arrive in time for my flight in the late evening?)

It is a very fast paced itinerary. Lots of time spent on transportation. Too fast for a majority of travelers, but it is possible. A 14-day Japan Rail Pass would pay off.

What should I do about my luggage as I arrive at each location

That's a good question. Since you change bases almost daily, you will be confronted with luggage management on a daily basis. If the hotel is close to the station, you can deposit the luggage after arrival. If it is not located near the station, you can deposit it in a coin locker, but will have to return to the station before going to the hotel in the evening. It can be troublesome and time-consuming.

find a hostel quickly and deposit there?

Unless you want to remain flexible, I strongly recommend to make all your hotel reservations in advance. Searching a hotel would only further decrease the little time you have allocated to each destination. Furthermore, August is a main travel season and comes with a considerable risk of accommodations being booked out.

Day 10: Hiroshima to Nagasaki (short stop at Huis Ten Bosch?)

Huis Ten Bosch is expensive and time-consuming. I strongly recommend to make it either Nagasaki or Huis Ten Bosch.

Day 13: Yakushima to Tokyo (flight at Tokyo in late evening)

Late evening? I think the last flight connection from Yakushima via Kagoshima to Tokyo leaves Yakushima as early as 13:30.

Day 10: Hiroshima to Osaka in early morning, Osaka to Sapporo (hopefully via the Twilight Express)

The Twilight Express is very popular during summer. And I don't think it can be reserved from outside of Japan. As an alternative, you might want to look into flying from Hiroshima or Osaka to Sapporo, see Sapporo first, move to Furano/Biei and return to Tokyo from Asahikawa Airport.

Day 13: Sapporo to Tokyo (can I arrive in time for my flight in the late evening?)

Both Haneda and Narita Airports have direct flights to Sapporo and Asahikawa, with a flight duration of under 2 hours.

Thanks for your reply!

A 14-day Japan Rail Pass would pay off.

I was thinking of getting the 14-day pass too but I read that shinkansens don't operate much around the Takayama/Shirakawa-go/Kanazawa areas, and instead most people travel by Nohi buses? I also read that there's a bus that goes from Tokyo to Takayama in 5.5 hours that costs 6500 Yen and apparently it travels on a scenic route? XD

If I get the 14-day pass, would you recommend traveling to Takayama on the shinkansen (that passes Nagoya, according to Hyperdia)?

The Twilight Express is very popular during summer. And I don't think it can be reserved from outside of Japan.

I'll be in Tokyo for a few weeks before this expedition around Japan so I think I've time to book a spot on the Twilight Express. :) The only hindrance is I don't speak Japanese, but you think I will be fine going to a JR station in Tokyo and making this reservation?

I think the last flight connection from Yakushima via Kagoshima to Tokyo leaves Yakushima as early as 13:30.

Sorry, I meant the flight from Japan back to my home country. I've checked that the overnight trains (Cassiopeia and Hokutosei) take about 16 hours to go from Sapporo to Tokyo, while the regular shinkansens only take about 4 hours according to Hyperdia? What is up with that? Do you recommend traveling on the regular shinkansens on that route to save time?

I've considered and I think I'll go to Hokkaido instead of Yakushima (option B), as I think the lavenders will still be in season in early August? Between Hokkaido and Yakushima, which would you recommend?

Thanks so much for your help and sorry about the long text!

Personnally, after having done some similar trip 5 years ago, and planning to do another one the summer, I suggest the following :

Don't do the mistake of visiting too many cities by sleeping in each one. Instead, take the main cities and then use the JR to travel around. Like, you can sleep 5 nights in Kyoto, the first and second day visit Kyoto, the third go see Himeji, then Osaka on fourth... you get the point. The reason is, since you have a JR Pass it doesn't cost more, and it take of the hassle of carrying your luggages around.

And make a long list of places to visit. It's better to have more than not enough. Put a star next to the places you really want to see. And also, be flexible. If on third day you want to continue visiting Kyoto, then do It, you can go visit Himeji on fourth instead and forget Osaka.

Oh, and if you didn't yet, learn some Japanese, seriously. You'll thank me for it. You'll live things differently than other visitors, I garanty it ^^

Thank you for your suggestions!

You're right about the sleeping in too many cities. I was evaluating the trade-offs between moving my base each time and potentially saving time in transportation and the inconvenience of luggage management. When considering the time it takes to settle into a new hostel in every new city, I might not actually save time that way.

So I think I will make Kyoto my base when I get there and travel to Nara/Osaka on a day/side trip. Instead of going to Hiroshima/Miyajima, I might just visit other cities in Kansai like Yoshino and Kumano, because I don't think I'll have enough time for Hiroshima between coming down from Koyasan and going to Sapporo, unless Miyajima is really recommended? Are there other cities in Kansai you think would be worth a visit? (I think Himeji Castle is undergoing construction right now.)

Thank you for your help!

This is just my personal observation - I would skip Hokkaido altogether, keep Hiroshima/MIyajima (stay over one night), and spend more time in Kyoto itself.

Oh, is Hokkaido not worth the few days?

Many people will consider it too much effort to travel all the way to Hokkaido for just two days. But others will do it because they are short on time, really would like to go, but have no other opportunity to visit Hokkaido. It simply depends on the person.

I'm so keen on Hokkaido because of its famous lavender fields I've read so much about. And August, when I happen to be in Japan, is such a good time to see it too. But you're right- the long transportation will definitely take a lot of time off my trip that I could use to see other places. I wonder if the lavender fields and overall landscape in Furano/Biei are really like they say- impressive and unmissable?

And August, when I happen to be in Japan, is such a good time to see it too.

Actually, August is somewhat late for the lavender. The peak usually takes place in July, although some late blooming lavender will still be in bloom in August.

fields and overall landscape in Furano/Biei are really like they say- impressive and unmissable?

I think the area has some of the nicest landscapes of Japan. If you are from a country that does not have similar landscapes and like to see landscapes and flowers, then you are very likely to enjoy a visit there.

Oh, will I be seeing a sea of purple when I go in August then?

In the average year, I believe that mid July to early August is usually the best timing for the purple sea.

Ah ha! I guess I'll still keep Hokkaido on my consideration list then!

With a trip that's so fast paced, i would highly recommend you cut down your luggage to the bare minimum.

With a trip like this i would usually just have a carry on case and my backpack, that way if you can't drop your luggage off straight away you can leave it at the stations coin lockers.

Thank you for your input! Yes, I'm also planning to take one carry on case and one backpack to carry with me. How big are the coin lockers at the stations? I think I might have to use the coin lockers because I'll usually arrive at a new city in the morning and most accommodations' check in time isn't until the afternoon. Or is it a good idea to carry my luggage with me for the few hours, considering the summer heat? :/

I've one more set of questions:

If I include Hiroshima and Miyajima into my trip, I'll probably go there from Koyasan in the morning. I read that the temple lodgings in Koyasan will have some activities in the morning like a breakfast and morning prayers; when can most travelers usually expect to check out? Is it possible to come down from Koyasan, travel to and tour both Hiroshima in Miyajima in one day?

When I first arrive in Koyasan, are there coin lockers I can deposit my carry on bag before checking into the temple lodgings?

If I stay overnight in Miyajima, can I make it back to Osaka in time the next morning to board the Twilight Express (if I can get it)? I think the Twilight Express leaves Osaka at 11:50 AM.

Thank you so much for your help!