Japan Itinerary with kids

HI, I am travelling from Australia to Japan from 23rd April to 7th may 2018. We are 4 adults (2 couples), 1 Child (5yrs) and 1 infant (1 Yr). Please let me know if this itinerary looks good and can be easily manageable. I would also like o know about travel pass, which one to buy and when to start using effectively example if I opt for 7 Days JR pass.

Is this trip manageable with 2 kids and not too hectic.

TOKYO - 5 Nights (23rd April - 27th April) Arrival in Tokyo on 23rd April

NAGANO - 1 Night (28th April) planning for snow monkey & Zenko-ji temple and leave on 29th to kanazave via Tateyama Kurobe Alopen Route

KANAZAVA - 2 Nights (29th April - 30th April)

KYOTO - 3 Nights (1st May - 3rd May)

HIROSHIMA - 1 Night (4th May)

OSAKA - 2 Nights (5th May - 6th May) Departure from Kansai Airport on 7th April

A 7-day JR Pass won't fit your whole itinerary. You can use a rail pass calculator to find if a pass works for you (there is a simple one on this website, but you can Google for a more comprehensive one). Make a spreadsheet of your train trips and their costs, and compare that to the list of rail passes on this website.

Your itinerary looks okay, but I would advise adding an extra day to Hiroshima so you can visit Miyajima as well.

If you move the Kyoto days to the end you might be able to make a 7 day pass work. One you are in Kyoto you don�ft need it anymore as your trips will be short and inexpensive.

I would reconsider the snow monkey park. In April there won�ft be any snow anymore so it is less impressive and it is quite a remote place. You could go and see monkeys in Arashiyama or there is also a mountain park close to Osaka with free living monkeys.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Absolutely agree with @Likebike about the snow monkeys. Arashiyama would be a much easier option. Personally & wouldn't stop in Nagano but would stay an extra night in Hiroshima.

How about this schedule for 7 day rail pass.

"TOKYO Monday, 23 April 2018
Tuesday, 24 April 2018
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Thursday, 26 April 2018
Friday, 27 April 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 1 NAGANO Sat, 28 April 2018 Tateyama Kurobe Alopen Route via Nagano
JR RAIL PASS DAY 2 "KANAZAVA Sunday, 29 April 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 3 Monday, 30 April 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 4 "KYOTO Tuesday, 1 May 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 5 Wednesday, 2 May 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 6 HIROSHIMA Thursday, 3 May 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 7 "OSAKA Friday, 4 May 2018
Saturday, 5 May 2018
Sunday, 6 May 2018
Monday, 7 May 2018

As my trip is between GOLDEN WEEK, so do I have to make all advance booking/reservations or I can buy once I reach Japan. specially the Alopen Route optional ticket for international tourists.

Hi!

Since no one else has said this yet, unless you're a super early riser I think seeing any of Nagano and doing the full Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route and arriving in Kanazawa might be a very long day. (Which is what it looks like you are trying to do on Saturday April 28.) It's going to take you at least 1 hour to get to Nagano from Tokyo, then whatever you plan to do in Nagano, then unless I messed up with Hyperdia, it will take you 2 hours to get to Shinano-Omachi and the start of the Alpine Route.

Personally, unless your children are super into lots of different forms of transportation I think they will eventually get bored. Mine is 7 now, and at 5 she liked the train for maybe 15-20 minutes and then got bored on it. She still likes trains in theory, but not for long trips.

Good luck!

Too many locations for 14 days. I'd drop a few to you can better concentrate on the locations you do visit and it reduces traveling time across the country with kids.

Just want to say we saw the snow monkeys last year in April but that was in the beginning of the month around April 6. There was a lot of them, there was little patches of snow around and the pathway was pretty muddy. Also takes about 30-45mins to walk one way so with kids, it could be longer.

Hope this helps!

I will be staying in Nagano on saturday and next whole day is kept for Alopen Route.
Please let me know if it will be better to stay in Kanazawa or Toyama. I hope one full day is enough for doing ateyama Kurobe Alopen Route via Nagano to kanazawa ?

NAGANO Saturday, 28 April 2018 "Early morning 7:20 train to Nagano
1. Snow Monkey Park (Check if worth doing ? Seasonal) otherwise go to nearby Onsen
2. Zenko-ji Temple
3. Hiyori Café (7 min walk from temple)" 1 Night

KANAZAVA Sunday, 29 April 2018 Tateyama Kurobe Alopen Route via Nagano
Monday, 30 April 2018 1. Kaga Onsen 2. 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art 3. Miyoryuji Temple "

Please help in booking for tateyama alopen route booking - Do I have to book in pre-advance or I can buy the oneway optional ticket (9000Yen / adult) once i reach Japan.
It will be Japan golden week. If I have to book it in advance how can I do it.

Please let me know if prebooking is required or not.

TOKYO Monday, 23 April 2018
Tuesday, 24 April 2018
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Thursday, 26 April 2018
Friday, 27 April 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 1 NAGANO Sat, 28 April 2018 JR RAIL PASS DAY 2 "KANAZAVA Sunday, 29 April 2018 Tateyama Kurobe Alopen Route via Nagano
JR RAIL PASS DAY 3 Monday, 30 April 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 4 "KYOTO Tuesday, 1 May 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 5 Wednesday, 2 May 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 6 HIROSHIMA Thursday, 3 May 2018
JR RAIL PASS DAY 7 "OSAKA Friday, 4 May 2018
Saturday, 5 May 2018
Sunday, 6 May 2018
Monday, 7 May 2018

It is a real waste to spend almost 9 days in Tokyo and Osaka, while you rush Nagano, Kanazawa and Hiroshima.

Since you are only using pass for Tokyo-Nagano, Toyama-Kanazawa, Kanazawa-Hiroshima, Hiroshima-Osaka.

Is it really worth jamming everything into 7 days so you can save 3,000 yen?

I would pay for separate tickets as you go, so you can have more time at Nagano and Hiroshima, unless I have missed something?

JR 7 day pass - 29,XXX yen

-or-
Tokyo to Nagano 8,200
Toyama to Kanazawa 3,330
Kanazawa to Shin-Osaka 7650
JR West 5 day Sanyo-Hiroshima pass 13,500
total 32,680

second option allows you to have a non rushed stay or extra nights at locations if required. the JR west pass can get you to the Kansai airport also.