Kansai Chubu Tokyo 10 days itinerary

Hi, i am currently planning on a 10 day trip for 2 to the Kansai and Chubu region from 11/12/17 to 21/12/17.

My friend and i are interested in hiking (Beginner/amateur) , nature etc. and would like to visit an onsen too. We are university students with a budget of around 2000-2500 SGD (Or 1500-2000 USD) , including lodgings and transportation.

Planning on using the "Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass" for the first 5 days.

The current plan is as follows:

11/12) Day 1: Osaka (KIX)

(12/12) Day 2: Osaka (Early morning) --- Kyoto

(13/12) Day 3: Kyoto

(14/12) Day 4: Kyoto (Morning) --- Kanazawa (Explore) --- go Shirakawago, stay there. (Coin lockers at kanazawa)

(15/12) Day 5: Shirakawago (Most of the day/ or Morning) --- Bus --- Takayama (Just for the transfer or should I explore Takayama?) --- Nagoya (Stay)

(Must reach Nagoya by day 5 to make full use of the Pass.)

(16/12) Day 6: Nagoya --- Kiso valley (Is one day enough?) (Or somewhere else Nagoya)

(17/12) Day 7: Kiso valley

(18/12) Day 8: Kiso valley --- Kofu city, Yumara onsen, other onsen recommendations? ( Kofu mainly for shosenkyo gorge)

(19/12) Day 9: Kofu city (Early morning) --- Tokyo

(20/12) Day 10 : Tokyo

(21/12) Day 11: Tokyo (Fly home, if flight is at night, place luggage in lockers and explore Tokyo)

Are the aforementioned destinations recommended to travel during mid-late December?

Any passes for Kiso --- Kofu --- Tokyo? Any passes for each individual places that i would probably need? Etc Osaka city pass.

Any locations that are better alternatives to the ones listed? (Eg. "Skip so and so and go here instead")

Is the budget of 2000 to 2500 SGD still possible? (Trip to Tokyo was not taken into account before, but plane tickets back to Singapore from Haneda are considerably cheaper compared to NGO) Unsure if there are cheaper accommodations for mountainous areas such as shirakawago, kiso valley.

I apologize for asking so many questions, i thank you all for your time and your insights !!!

Your trip is extremely rushed, particularly at the start. You'll have barely any sightseeing time in each location, and be madly rushing around, not to mention needing to cart your luggage everywhere. I'd drop several locations. For ten days, usually Kansai/Tokyo is enough, and you could add Kanazawa as a stopover between the two.

Only the Kiso Valley part isn't rushed!

That is not a very effective use of 5day Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass. Per your plan, you waste 1day (out of 5) in Osaka (just to go from the airport and hotel?). And you waste another day in Kyoto (JR does not have an extensive network of trains in Kyoto). That's 2 days wasted out of precious 5. Consequently, you rush through Kanazawa/Shirakawago/Takayama.

Suggestion:
Upon arrival, buy a Kansai Area 1day Pass (2300 JPY) and go straight from KIX to Kyoto (and skip Osaka). That way, you get to spend more time in Kyoto. Within Kyoto, use passes designed for Kyoto (like the 500 JPY all day bus pass) or buy individual tickets for subway/train/bus.
Then, when you leave Kyoto start the use of 5day pass. That way, you get to spend more time in Kanazawa/Shirakawago/Takayama. Maybe spend one day in Gero for onsen, and go to Nagoya.

From Nagoya to Kiso/Kofu/Tokyo area, I am not aware of a good pass that covers all those places. So, you may just have to buy individual tickets. There are passes for use within Tokyo, but that depends on how many days and which places you plan to visit.

Read more about Kiso Valley here: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6075.html
Gero: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5990.html

Thank you all helpful advice! I totally forgotten about how early the sun sets in December.

Double checking ticket prices, i realized taking a return flight home from KIX would be cheaper in the long run and decided to skip Tokyo.

Here is my updated Itinerary:

(11/12) Day 1: (KIX) --- Nara (approx. 2800 yen)

(12/12) Day 2: Nara

(13/12) Day 3: Nara (After breakfast or lunch) --- Kyoto (Approx 800 yen)

(14/12) Day 4: Kyoto

(15/12) Day 5: Kyoto

(16/12) Day 6: Kyoto (Morning and lunch) --- Kanazawa (Reach before 15:30, last bus to Shirakawa go is at 16:00) --- Shirakawakago (Could not find any information on shuttle bus timings around, from station to Ogimachi etc.) (Approx. 8850 yen (Included: Train 6900 yen))

Other option if late or want to spend more time kyoto is to go toyama and take bus at (18:55) to shirakawago (arrival 20:15), however unable to visit onsen in time probably…

(17/12) Day 7: Shirakawakago (Luggage at the station, full day) --- Takayama (Reach around 17:20) --- Nagoya (Approx 6000 or 8550 yen (included: Train 3350 Yen or ltd express 6030 yen ( Save 1 hr))

(18/12) Day 8: Nagoya day trip to Kiso valley (Approx 6240 yen (Included: Train 5640 Yen))

(Nagoya morning --- Nakatsugawa --- Magome --- walk --- tsumago --- walk --- nagiso (or just explore tsumago and skip trail to nagiso))

Return to magome by 16:25 (Bus 16:55) --- Nakatsugawa --- Nagoya

(19/12) Day 9: Nagoya --- Mount Koya (Arrive either afternoon or night) (Approx 7700 Yen(Included train:6470 Yen and Koya line 1260 Yen))

(20/12) Day 10: Mount koya (Full day) --- Osaka (Reach accommodations at night) (1440 yen approx.)

(21/12) Day 11: Osaka --- (KIX) (Fly home, if flight is at night, place luggage in lockers and explore Osaka) (1100 yen approx)

Looking at this I think it would be economical to activate the 14000 yen pass for day 4-8, and to buy the Koyasan heritage ticket 2860 yen and Kintetsu rail pass 3600 yen, for Day 9.

Between Day 6 to 8 i intend to utilize luggage forwarding services from Kyoto to Nagoya, as well as Nagoya to Osaka between Day 9 to 10. Are they expensive?

What do you all think? Thank you all so much for your time!!

Your itinerary is not on the busy season so you will find good and affordable hotels rather easily. I think you are a solo traveler and average rate for the single rooms for these places should be 5000 to 7000 yen. Of course it depends on individual places and good and convenient hotels tend to be more expensive.

If you are solo and have not already find accommodation in Shirakawa-go or Koyasan, it should be limited and more expensive. If you are on a tight budget, you might better avoid these places to stay overnight. Instead you can stay at Takayama and Osaka where you can find single rooms at an affordable rate quite easily.

You go through Kanazawa and Takayama which are famous tourist spots, but you will not see anything since you will not have time there.

After Takayama you will go to Nagoya and then Kiso valley. For me this is somewhat strange detour since you can go via Matsumoto which is more straightforward and you can see Matsumoto castle.

Based on above thought, I would recommend the following itinerary. Of course this is just my thought and I know everyone is different.

(11/12) Day 1: (KIX) --- Nara: Buy Kansai Thru Pass 3 days, 5200 yen.

http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english.html

or Nara Access Ticket.

http://www.howto-osaka.com/en/ticket/ticket/nara.html

(12/12) Day 2: Nara

(13/12) Day 3: Nara (After breakfast or lunch) --- Kyoto: Kintetsu Nara to Kyoto, 620 yen.

(14/12) Day 4: Kyoto

(15/12) Day 5: Kyoto

Autumn foliage is gone though there is winter illumination in Arashiyama.

http://www.hanatouro.jp/arashiyama/

(16/12) Day 6: Kyoto (Morning and lunch) --- Kanazawa (6900 yen), stay overnight. If you want to see something in Kanazawa, get the morning train.

(17/12) Day 7: Kanazawa -- Shirakawago – Takayama. Buy Three Star Route Ticket 5500 yen. Stay in Takayama.

http://www.alpico.co.jp/access/ticket/pdf/panf701[1].pdf

(18/12) Day 8: Takayama to Matsumoto by bus covered by the Three Star Route Ticket. Stay in Matsumoto.

(19/12) Day 9: Matsumoto -- Narai -- Kisofukushima -- Nagoya -- Osaka (Namba) Stay in Namba. Narai and Kisofukushima are old towns which are just close to JR stations.

(20/12) Day 10: If you still have energy, do a day trip to Koyasan. Stay in Namba.

(21/12) Day 11: Osaka --- (KIX) (Fly home, if flight is at night, place luggage in lockers and explore Osaka) (1100 yen approx)

Between Day 6 to 8 i intend to utilize luggage forwarding services from Kyoto to Nagoya, as well as Nagoya to Osaka between Day 9 to 10. Are they expensive?

Luggage forwarding service is approximately 2000 yen per luggage. But I recommend you to minimize your belongings and pack them in a carry-on luggage, preferably a backpack. Most middle to budget class hotels in Japan have coin-operated laundry so you can wash your clothes. I think three days’ clothes will be enough.