pls adv schd&trpt - JPN in6/7 days

My wife and I plan to explore JPN next year on our own. We may only have 6 to 7 days excld flying time. We like to stay 2 days in Hokkaido (Sapporo and Furano 1 day each), 1 days each in Osaka and Kyoto and 2 days in Tokyo. Is that economical and best to travel such as:
SIN - Sapporo: by flight
Sapporo - Tokyo: by night train (immediately continue to Osaka & Kyoto by JR train)
Osaka & Kyoto - Tokyo: JR train
Tokyo - SIN: flight

Please advise best sight seeing and activities on each destination. Also, what is the best time to go to do this? We try to avoid school and Golden week period.

I could not find schedule for night train Cassiopedia from Sapporo to Tokyo. Understand that there is a special 5days train pass that cost only 10,000Yen but cover Hokkaido and Kanto.

Many thanks in advance.

Please advise best sight seeing and activities on each destination.

Here you go:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html

Also, what is the best time to go to do this? We try to avoid school and Golden week period.

Hokkaido is best from June through September. But June to mid July is also the rainy season in most of Japan except Hokkaido. And mid July through August is very hot and school holidays.

Early October is usually quite nice in Hokkaido and the rest of Japan.

I could not find schedule for night train Cassiopedia from Sapporo to Tokyo.

It runs about every second day. More often during the peak seasons.

Understand that there is a special 5days train pass that cost only 10,000Yen but cover Hokkaido and Kanto.

Yes, but you can only ride local trains. No shinkansen and no express trains, incl. night trains.

Hi Uji

Thank you for your kind reply and advice.
Could I check a few more details with you?
1. SIN to SAPPORO
Our original plan is to travel by air from SIN to Sapporo directly. But the air fare for ths particular route is very high. So we are considering to fly from SIN to Tokyo, and fly one way with domestic flight from Tokyo to Sapporo. However, most of the int'l flights would only land at Narita where has very limited little domestic flights to Sapporo, compare to Haneda.

2. SAPPORO to TOKYO
We want to take Cassiopea from Sapporo to Tokyo so we could rest well. I just wondering, if I get JR pass from SIN and ask somebody at JPN to reserve Cassiopea' seat for us, how could the person do so? Does this person has to go to JR office? Any JR office in JPN would do? And as we need to pay extra for the berth and bla2 up to 19,000 YEN per pax considering having JR pass, how does this person could do the reservation for us while he does not has any JR pass of us? I could not find the reservation info for Cassiopea' seat. Note that no tel or internet booking for this train. Could you share your experience with us? Also, do you happen to know any travel agent in Japan that do this kind of service for foreigners?

3. DISNEYSEA
Would the entrance ticket price is always the same, all year round? Any idea how we could get a cheaper rate on this park entrance fee?
BTW, for convenience, which area in tokyo is better for staying 3 days? Ueno or Ginza? I have not studied the track line yet.

4. KYOTO+OSAKA
My wife wants to get a geisha make over. Any suggestion?
Sorry for this very lor sor (long winded) email. Look forward to hear from you.

MIKI

The night train from Sapporo to Tokyo is VERY slow! It will take about eleven hours to reach Tokyo station. Also, even if you are traveling on a JR pass, it will still cost you about $120 per person to ride this train since the JR pass doesn't cover the "limited express" trains (and this route also uses some non-JR track).
Especially considering that you will only be in Japan for a short time, I recommend that you fly from Sapporo (Chitose airport) to Tokyo-Haneda. Check out the discount airfares offered to visitors from abroad:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html
With these fares it will cost just about as much as it does to take the train, but will save you a lot of time which you can use to see more of Japan!

However, most of the int'l flights would only land at Narita where has very limited little domestic flights to Sapporo, compare to Haneda.

There are about three direct flights from Narita to Sapporo. You can use the air passes on them. But they are popular. Therefore, I recommend to make reservations well in advance:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

how does this person could do the reservation for us while he does not has any JR pass of us?

A ticket for the Cassiopeia includes the following tickets:
- base fare from Sapporo to Tokyo
- limited express fee from Sapporo to Tokyo
- berth fee

The Japan Rail Pass only covers the base fare. So, your person in Japan should buy the limited express fee ticket and berth fee ticket, but not the base fare ticket.

Also, do you happen to know any travel agent in Japan that do this kind of service for foreigners?

I don't know such an agent.

Would the entrance ticket price is always the same, all year round? Any idea how we could get a cheaper rate on this park entrance fee?

All about tickets:
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/tdr/english/plan/ticket/index.html

Dear Jason and Uji

Thank you for your replies and advice. Sorry for the late acknowledgement - was away last week.

Hi I am also going to Sapporo via Tokyo in Nov.I am taking SQ and then book the discount ticket from ANA office in S'pore for Yen11,000 one way and fly from anywhere in Japan.

I suggest that you book ANA with open jaw from S'pore (S'pore/Tokyo/Osaka/S'pore).
Total internal flight Yen 22,000 per pax and save you a lot of time lah.

1) Internal flight Tokyo to Sapporo to Osaka.

You first sightseeing in Tokyo for 2 days, then to Sapporo 2 days and 3 days in Osaka lah.

stay for 2 nights in osaka or kyoto and use it as a base to sightsee the other.
saves alot of trouble lugging your suitcases around.

kyoto is closer to Tokyo via shinkansen.

I would recommend staying in kyoto and checking out osaka as a day trip from kyoto.

There aren't any tour agents in singapore that does train or shinkansen or highway bus bookings. I think if you are planning to go by train, you'll probably have to book just before you leave.

depends what you want to see really.
but i think Ueno would be a better choice compared to ginza as it's on the JR Yamanote line (it pretty much reaches 80% of major attractions in tokyo)
Ginza is mainly served by subway lines, but it'll be relatively close to Asakusa,

Popular locations to stay would include asakusa, Shinjuku, ikebukuro.

There are services in Kyoto for Geisha makeover, some ryokans offer it as well. But the cost can be relatively high.

Joyce and Amelia

Thank you for all your inputs! Great idea for the open jaw.

Miki