Three weeks in April.

I am planning a trip in April for three weeks.

This is my itinerary so far...

Day 1 - Arive
Day 2 - Shinjuku, Shibuya
Day 3 - Shibuya, Harajuku, Yebisu Garden Place
Day 4 - Akihabara, Asakusa
Day 5 - Tokyo Tower, Roppongi
Day 6 - Odaiba
Day 7 - Shiodome, Ginza, Nihonbashi
Day 8 - Kawagoe side trip
Day 9 - Kamakura side trip
Day 10 - Yokohama side trip
Day 11 - Leave Tokyo, get to Kyoto, Kinkakuji
Day 12 - Kiyomizudera, Gion
Day 13 - Leave Kyoto, get to Osaka, maybe Osaka Aquarium
Day 14 - Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building
Day 15 - Minami
Day 16 - Kobe side trip
Day 17 -
Day 18 -
Day 19 -
Day 20 -
Day 21 - Get to airport, depart.

I want to keep my trip mostly within areas around Tokyo and Osaka, and I was hoping to get some suggestions what to do with my four empty days.

I have a few questions.

-Is Minami in Osaka a one day place, or should it be split up into a couple of days?

-Is there enough to see in Yokohama to stay two or three days?

-Are there other areas in Tokyo I should consider going?

-I'd really like to see Fukuoka, but I am not decided since it is a little far. I might save it for a future trip to Japan. Should I still consider a JR pass and stay there for a few days?

I'd like to keep my trip fairly simple, since I will be alone, it'll be my first time ever travelling anywhere, I will only be 19 years old when I go, and I dont speak Japanese.

Overall though, besides the four empty days, does my itinterary seem reasonable?

I was hoping to get some suggestions what to do with my four empty days.

Some suggestions:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html

Is Minami in Osaka a one day place, or should it be split up into a couple of days?

It depends on the person. There are enough attractions for a full day, I guess, although, I personally would not spend more than half a day to see most of it because I think there are more interesting sights elsewhere. It depends on your personal interests. Two days seems to much to me.

Is there enough to see in Yokohama to stay two or three days?

There are enough major attractions for two days, but three days will bend it, although, it also depends on your pace of travel.

I'd really like to see Fukuoka, but I am not decided since it is a little far. I might save it for a future trip to Japan. Should I still consider a JR pass and stay there for a few days?

If you can get it covered by your Japan Rail Pass, why not? It is 3 hours from Osaka.

you could save some time as follows, as many of the places don't need to be explored in detail on a first trip. many have similar things like big stores and boutiques, etc. in many cases it is more the case of looking at a building from the outside than going in (most of the big stores have similar stuff. don't forget though to check the food floor and the "Japanese" floor with kimonos, furniture etc.
Day 2 - Shinjuku, Shibuya Harajuku, Meiji shrine.
Day 3 - Yebisu Garden Place,
Akihabara, Asakusa
Day 4 - Tokyo Tower, Odaiba, Roppongi. (Tokyo tower is really a tourist trap. its only claim to fame is to be a replica of the Eiffel tower and oher buildings have a better view from the top for free. 1hr is way more than enough)
Day 5 - Shiodome, Ginza, Nihonbashi.
Day 6 - Kawagoe side trip
Day 7- Kamakura side trip
Day 8 - Yokohama side trip
Day 9 - Leave Tokyo, get to Kyoto, Kinkakuji
Day 10 - Kiyomizudera, Gion. you could add at least one more place very easily.
Day 11 - I would stay in the same hotel in Kyoto and take trains to Kobe and Osaka(it takes only 40 minutes max). first day in Osaka you can easily see Osaka castle then the Aquarium.
Day 12 - Umeda Sky Building (it takes only a couple of hours!) , Minami.
Day 13 Kobe side trip.
Day 14 Himeji castle side trip (you can stop at Kobe again in the afternoon)
this will leave you enough time to go to Fukuoka and a couple of other places.
Don't worry about not speaking Japanese. I go there often and buy stuff with 10 words of Japanese, plus either English or French both spoken slowly.. .

I think this will be my finished itinerary.

Day 1 - Arive
Day 2 - Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro
Day 3 - Shibuya, Harajuku, Yebisu Garden Place
Day 4 - Akihabara, Asakusa
Day 5 - Tokyo Tower, Zojoji Temple, Roppongi
Day 6 - Odaiba
Day 7 - Shiodome, Ginza, Nihonbashi
Day 8 - Kawagoe side trip
Day 9 - Kamakura side trip
Day 10 - Yokohama side trip
Day 11 - Yokohama side trip
Day 12 - Leave Tokyo, get to Kyoto, Kinkakuji
Day 13 - Kiyomizudera, Gion, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Shrine
Day 14 - Heian Shrine, Ginkakuji, Pontocho, Nishiki Market
Day 15 - Iga Ueno side trip
Day 16 - Leave Kyoto, get to Osaka, Osaka Aquarium
Day 17 - Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building
Day 18 - Minami
Day 19 - Himeji side trip
Day 20 - Kobe side trip
Day 21 - Get to airport, depart.

Do I have too much planned for day 13 and 14 in Kyoto, and does the whole itinerary seem reasonable?

Also, should I consider booking my flight and hotels pretty soon?

Thanks for your help.

please allow me to make a few comments above and beyond what you asked

Day 4 - Akihabara, Asakusa
Akihabara stores don't open early so perhaps you could walk around Ueno park if you are early then take the Yamanote back to Aki. From Asakusa you can take a boat ride to Odaiba. I found it interesting. You could then have a first look at Odaiba in the late afternoon. It all depends what you intend to do when in Akihabara and Akasuka of course.. many of the electronic stores will have similar things, same w/ manga stores etc. so you don't have to check several dozen of them unless yo uare looking for something hard to find. In Asakusa, after the temple I like looking around side streets at random to see an old-fashioned Tokyo so far away from Ginza, Omotetesando etc. but it doesn't take hours.
Day 6 - Odaiba is only worth a whole day if you are really interested in architecture and automated rapid transit . Be sure to check that the Yurikamome is definitely not a monorail (sit in the front) and send a letter of complaint to Lonely Planet (this is a joke for rapid transit fans.. forgive me)

Day 13 - Kiyomizudera, Gion, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Shrine
I would go to Kiyomizudera, Sanjusangendo (not that far from Kyoto JR station), then to Fushimi Inari shrine (by JR )as it is better viewed in early afternoon (be sure to walk up to the summit then down by the back way.. it is a good 3 hrs walk up and down stairs and paths. Bring drinks and snacks as the numerous eating places on the way are expensive and not too welcoming) then visit Gion in the late afternoon and evening..
Day 14 - Heian Shrine, Ginkakuji, Pontocho, Nishiki Market. Looks fine!!
enjoy your trip.

Thanks for all the help.

I have one more question. Should I consider getting a JR pass for this itinerary?

If so, one, two, or three weeks?

Thanks!

You really should see Nara. Nara park is great- full of temples and shrines, and it's got a different feel from Kyoto. I think it's around 40 minutes by train from Osaka.

suppose you buy a 14 days pass.end the pass on the last day, in order to use it to go to the airport. back track from that last day to find out the first day of use. You can use it in Tokyo on the loop line, same in Osaka, then to go from Tokyo to Kyoto and back and from Kyoto to Osaka, Himeji etc. to be sure (i.e 21 days, 14 or 7) check www.hyperdia.com to check fares. click on limited express for short trips, shinkansen for long ones. for the 2 loop lines, count on 1000 yen a day just as a figure...a 3 weeks pass might not be cost effective.

I was in Japan for 3 weeks this April and fortunate to have arrived during the sakura (cherry blossom) season. If the blossoms are in full bloom at the time of your travels, I would recommend taking the journey to Nara and Kyoto. You can view cherry blossoms in most of Japan but in Kyoto and Nara, I found it extraordinary.

Keep an eye on this site early next year as they post the blossoming season for each prefecture. My relatives in Japan actually chase the sakura (they bloom at different times from region to region) and make it a trip following them along.

Day 3 - Shibuya, Harajuku, Yebisu Garden Place

Just an FYI from my personal experience. I'm guessing you're going to go to Harajuku to check out the Cosplay kids, and possibly Takeshita street. I was told they mostly hang out there on Sundays, so you may want to factor that in to your schedule. Also, when I went around noon, there weren't that many cosplay people there yet, maybe 5 or 6. We went to the nearby Meiji Shrine (I'd suggest checking it out, if it's not on your schedule. I'd guess in April you'd get to see a few wedding groups, as we did, maybe Shichi Go San kids, although maybe that's just in November), and on the way back in the afternoon, there were a couple dozen of them hanging out. Perhaps someone here more knowledgeable can comment, but I'm guessing that's the regular pattern (more cospay kids to see in the afternoon, perhaps even in the evening).

We did go back to Harakuku on Monday or Tuesday, to go to something else, and noticed a couple of cosplay kids hanging out on the bridge.

If you go to Nara Park as Laura above suggested, spend the 100 yen or whatever it is to get some crackers hand feed the deer freely roaming the park. Make them bow (you bow your head before giving them a cracker, and they bow in return). Be careful, though, some are slightly aggressive. I saw someone try to tell one of them 'no' because it kept pushing past other deer and beg for more; 'no' didn't work, and it tugged a few times at the girl's shirt, after which she ran away. I admit I found the episode hilarious, and got it on video. If you feed them the crackers you have in your hand, you'll be fine. ;)

Kobe - I'm wondering, is there enough in Kobe to spend a whole day there? I'm not being sarcastic, I have no idea. If you like pottery, personally I'd rather go to Bizen (which I missed on my trip) or Kurashiki.

Also, should I consider booking my flight and hotels pretty soon?

Well, I realize April is busier than October, but we were booking hotels the week before we left, in Okayama, Kyoto and Tokyo. Kyoto was a little more difficult to book, as most of the hotels were full. OKayama and Tokyo weren't a problem. I'd guess you can afford to wait a bit, especially since you're still working on your schedule, but I definitely wouldn't leave it until the week before.

I'd recommened the JR Pass; it was great for us, and it looks like you'll be using it a lot. You probably know, but in case you don't, it doesn't work for all public transportation, like local trams and such, so be ready to spend a bit for other transportation, even with the pass.

I go to Kobe often and can assure anyone that there are enough sights for several days!. Mount Rokko, Arima, the Nanubiki herb garden and ropeway, the Kitano district, many shrines and gardens, the Port island and Rokko island, the Port and the Mosaic complex, not to mention quaint residential areas and old shoping streets east of Downtown etc. etc.
check "skyscrapercity Kansai" for photos..

I think you can do Kamakura and Yokohama in one day unless you have some other agenda in Yokohama.

If you are staying in Osaka, Minami is sort of place you may want to see at night when you are out browsing or even during the day between your other side trips. I don't think you need to reserve yourself full day for that.
You may want to re check your options here.
http://www.yadoplan.com/~web/inbound_eng/hyogo/index.html

Also it looks like you'd be there in time for Maiko Odori (dance) at the Gion theater in Kyoto, if that interest you. So be sure to see that.

Thanks for the help.

I also dont think I will need a JR pass.

I added up day 8 to 21, and will spend roughly 25,000 yen. Did I calculate anything wrong, or is this pretty much right?

Should I bother getting one?

I notice that you will spend a few days in Kansai area. You may want to consider kansai thru pass.
http://www.surutto.com/conts/ticket/3dayeng/

--------I added up day 8 to 21, and will spend roughly 25,000 yen. Did I calculate anything wrong, or is this pretty much right?--------

Depends on whether you need to get back to Tokyo(Narita) for your departure or are you flying out from Kansai? Your plan needs to be more specific.

I used to live in Yokohama and can't think of what you would do there that could take two full days. Chinatown, Minato Mirai complex, the garden- and then? The Bluff and Yamashita Park are not really that interesting. One day is more than enough, really. The sights of Yokohama are pretty tame in comparison to Tokyo, Kamakura or especially Kyoto and Nara.

Kamakura you could possibly spend 2 days in, but not if you are also seeing Kyoto and Nara- I would add more days on to Kansai.