Questions about 14 day trip to Japan

Hey all,

this site is very informative. I like it a lot.

My friend and I are going to Osaka in Dec. We will arrive Dec 8th.
We are 23, from Canada and both have not been there before.
I know a lot of Japanese, but conversationally am pretty weak.
We will be there for 14 days.

I am in the process of planning itinerary for these days. Using this site mostly. So far its quite good. Here is the outline

First 3 nights we are in Niseko for boarding...(hopefully there is snow, if not...  meh) Arrive there Sun night. After we get to Osaka Weds around 7pm. Enough time to settle. Have a twin room at Chisun Shinsaibashi. Thurs we will check out the town a bit, get some train passes and that stuff . See Osaka sights.... same thing Friday.. maybe some shopping, clubs and bars at night...... Saturday we�fd like to take a trip to Kyoto.... see Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market. Return to Oasaka for the night on the town......Sunday check out of Osaka and spend the Sunday and Monday night in Kyoto... see some more things Sunday and Monday. Then move onto Himeji and MT Koya Tues morning. Hopefully stay at the temple (just to see what its like) if not a hotel there for Tuesday night. Weds – Sat in Tokyo..see the sights there and shop.. mostly check out the nightlife on the thurs fri and sat...... back to Osaka Sunday morning. Flight home to Toronto from there....

Once I have timeline done I�fll have a few more questions on how possible it is to see specific things and whether or not everything will be open to see in Dec.

Right now more specifically my questions are:

1. Nightlife: Osaka and Tokyo. We have a full weekend in each... we want to check out clubs, pubs, karaoke if its in the area... and anything else people can recommend that is fun out and at night.... Are these places running every weekend? What are the hours etc (ie. In Toronto last call is 1. Close at 2...busses stop at 1)... names of some of these places in Tokyo and Osaka so i can find them and plot a route.... again we have the hotel in Osaka booked.. no where else tho. During the day we are seeing all the touristy things.. but at night we would like to find some really happening places.... also how late are they open til and when do the trains/busses start running again?
2. Are trains and busses the same thing there? If not will a JR pass work for most? Also will the JR pass work for trip between Osaka and Tokyo... NON EXPRESS will it take just an extra hour or something? Will we need to get a rail and a bus pass?
3. Where to buy these passes.... should we get now remotely or just buy when we get there?
4. Will locals be offended by me talking to them and seemingly broken or poor Japanese? (I�fm white-Canadian btw. So won�ft expect me to speak Japanese most likely)
5. Hotel recommendations in Kyoto, Mt Koya and Tokyo... for Tokyo would like it near the nightlife, �gparty�h areas... walking distance would be awesesome.....
6. Overall what to expect from ppl that have visited 
Thanks so much!
Sorry for the email being so long!

I'll start the ball rolling as I am a Canadian too. I will only answer a few questions as each point your raise take time and space.
Buses and trains are from different companies. Trains: JR (Japan Rail) goes from one side of the country to the other. Vouchers/ exchange coupons for JR passes covering the whole country, MUST be bought in Canada. see www.japanrailpass.net/ and please read ever single page..The price of a 7 days JR pass is the same as the price of a return ticket from Osaka to Tokyo. You can use the Hikari Shinkansen for that 3 hrs trip. A 14 day pass may not be a god deal but is practical and you can also use the pass on local trains to go from Osaka to Kyoto,Nara, Himeji,etc. and around both Tokyo and Osaka.You should also use it to go to Kamakura and Yokohama or Nikko when I Tokyo. In Kyoto you need 1 day bus pass each day (about 5 $) available at the tourist bureau in the JR Kyoto main station. Each region also has several private railway companies. check http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2019.html
for private companies in the Kanto (Tokyo area) and the Kinki (Kansai region ie Osaka, Kyoto, Nara etc.) Please read the section A-Z at the very top of this site. trains are under transportation and you have stuff about passes etc.
Buses are either long distance (some are JR, some are from other companies)or City buses. these ones are non-JR and so are subways. JR has above ground loop line trains that go around both downtown Tokyo and downtown Osaka. Nankai is a private rail company in the Osaka region.You will need a special pass for the Nankai railway company that will take you from Osaka Namba to Koyasan and back.
Visiting Himeji then Koyasan is possible but not the best use of your time that day as going to Himeji, visiting the castle and back to Osaka will take you the whole morning.You better go to Koyasan in the morning, enjoy the place, sleep there then leave from Koyasan in the morning to go to Tokyo (Koyasan-Osaka Namba then subway Namba-Shin Osaka. The Shinkansen for Tokyo leaves from Shin-Osaka).I strongly suggest that you stay in a hotel in Osaka all the time, before going to Koyasan, as Kyoto and Nara are very close to Osaka and there are numerous trains going from Osaka to other places. On your first visit to Kyoto from Osaka first go to the Nishiki market (all markets are better in the morning) then go to Nijo then spend the afternoon at the Fushimi Inari shrine. the train leaves from JR Kyoto main station. Google that station to find the tracks numbers to the Nara line. Fushimi-Inari is the second stop on the Nara line from Kyoto. I am not a night bird but Osaka and especially Tokyo are very vibrant at night. Way more than Toronto & Montreal. Kyoto is much more sedate, Nara even more so. Shinsaibashi is a few blocks from all the night action so you can walk back to your hotel.You may well be ignored by locals due to language problems on both sides.Japan is a safe place but young women have to be very careful everywhere. Stay with your friend at all times, never go with guys to their place or another club, no matter how cute and friendly they are AND DON'T DRINK TOO MUCH! DON'T bring and use grass or STRONGER STUFF as you could be in very serious trouble.Trains and subways close around midnight I think but open around 5 am.for hotels in Tokyo and Osaka: http://www.japanhotel.net/ and also http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/
for Koyasan: www.shukubo.jp/eng/ No doubt that other posters will change your itinerary to ensure that you only use a 7 days JR pass then local Kansai and Kanto passes etc.

thanks for the info.. I dont think we will be going anywhere with guys anyways.. since we ARE both guys... lol... in looking I may take Koyasan off completely, I didn't realize it was so far away.... if the JR pass doesnt work for local busses than we shouldnt need the 14 day. the local trains to kyoto and himeji. then Osaka to Tokyo.. (then back as we fly out of OSAKA). We were going to stay 3 nights in Kyoto.. cuz it seemed more interesting then Osaka during the DAY. but is it really dead at night?? Im still working on Itinerary....ill post a bit more detail.. thanks.. the train systems seems confusing :S

Though train system looks confusing, virtually all the rail service around Osaka can be used with a single "ICOCA" card.

You can book a hotel in Osaka and visit Kyoto in the daytime, as many local people commute from Kyoto/Osaka to Osaka/Kyoto everyday. It's completely a matter of one's preference to base oneself in Kyoto and Osaka.

Ok, here is my Itinerary..I haven't researched if the places are open during the times nor their exact locations so some are probably traveling back and forth.. maybe people can help me... but I will check their locations... So knowing th eplaces we want to see... will the JR railpass be able to take us to all of them or is there a combination of passes that are cheaper.. or 7day RAIL and local fares is way to go? Also is there negihbouring cities from Tokyo worth seeing....? We don't want to cram TOO much in and exhaust ourselves with travel either...Thanks!

ITIN-

OSA THURSDAY DAY5 out n about Shopping 5:00 PM - Scope out NL areas 6:00 pm - 7:00 PM - Eat at restaurant Chill at Hotel or Arcade, Karaoke..etc

OSA FRIDAY DAY6 1:00 pm - Osaka Aquarium 3:00: pm - Umeda Sky Building 6:00 PM - Scope out nightlife areas

OSA SATURDAY DAY7 11:00 am - Osaka Castle 2:00 pm - Sumiyoshi Shrine Shopping

OSA - KYO SUNDAY DAY8 10:00 am - BUS to KYO ARRIVE 10:45 AM Sanjussangendo-Kiyomizudera-Path of Philosophy-Kurama 4:00 pm - BUS to OSA ARRIVE 5:00 PM

OSA - KYO MONDAY DAY9 9:00 am - BUS to KYO ARRIVE 10:00 AM Nishiki Market-Gion-Kinkakuji-Tofukuji-Kokodera-Fushimi Inari Shrine-Nijo Castle 6:00 pm - BUS to OSA ARRIVE 7:00 PM

OSA - HIM TUESDAY DAY10 7:00 am - BUS to HIMEJI ARRIVE 8:10 AM Himeji - MT Shosha(Last Sam) Himeji - Kokoen Garden 3:30 pm - BUS to TOK ARRIVE 7:00 PM

TOK WEDNESDAY DAY11 Shibuya (hotel) Harajuku (CosP) Odaiba (ManMae Isle) Ginza (shops eats)

TOK THURSDAY DAY12 Nihonbashi (Cool Bridge) Ueno Park (Museums) Ryogoku (Sumo)

TOK FRIDAY DAY13 Mount Mitake (Cable lifts) Kabukicho

TOK SATURDAY DAY14 Explore

TOK-TOR SUNDAY DAY15 8:00 am - Last walk around Breakfast,shop, etc.. 11am - TRAIN to OSA ARRIVE SUNDAY December 21, 2008 2:00 PM 2 - 3pm - Last walk around in OSA.Shop etc.CAB to Airport Be at AP by - 4:00:00 PM Depart-OSA SUNDAY December 21, 2008 6:55 PM ARRIVE - TOR SUNDAY December 21, 2008 11:18 PM SLEEEEP

We have a lot of nights in Tokyo.. we don't mind cutting one of the earlier nights and staying in KYO or another city if its worth it.. even a unique style hotel or something would be neat for one night...FYI we will each have a backpack.. and are trying to travel light... so moving around isnt a huge deal... also we'd probably have to do one wash of clothes.. are their public laundry places? easy to use? :/

Well, in many countries, even in one's hometown, it is much easier for a guy to talk to another dude in a bar, coffee shop etc. than to a woman.Young Japanese women aren't very outgoing with foreigners and one can't really blame them. In your itinerary does BUS actually mean bus? Most people, locals and tourists, use commuter trains to go from Osaka to nearby towns. They aren't that confusing. I should have explained that although there are 6 or so different rail companies for the Kansai, often only one other company goes to town X besides JR. Ckeck http://japanize.jp/ and click on the map to the left of TRAIN MAP IN KANSAI. Move the map around w/ the mouse to find places. The only place I use city buses is in Kyoto (they do have a subway) check www.urbanrail.net then click on Asia then click on whatever Japanese town you are interested in. Koyasan isn't that far. It is in the greater Osaka. It is just that you have to take a train from Namba (close to your Shinsaibashi hotel) then a cable car then a bus to reach Koyasan main street. Check www.hyperdia.com for schedules. Himeji is west of downtown Osaka, past Kobe (1hr 20 min from JR Osaka station in KITA by regular train). Koyasan is south east of downtown Osaka, also about 1 hr 30 min. for info on the Nankai pass (return trip) to Koyasan see http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_012.html
I would go there for the day only if you intent to go. sleeping in a temple, waking up at 6am to chant with other tourists isn't definitely NOT something I would do, even if one paid me. Some of your days have lots of free time, others are way too crowded. The Fushimi-Inari shrine for example is worth going for the walk up the mountain through the woods and under thousands of torii. Going up to the top then down and around the back way is a must, especially for young bucks. It takes about 3 hrs, not counting looking at the main shrine and the streets nearby and the trip by train.By and large it ALWAYS take longer to visit a temple/ shrine/ castle than one think, if only because a temple or shrine isn't just one building but lots of them in a park. Towns outside Tokyo are interesting if you like religious architecture (your eyes may glaze at the idea but seeing the real stuff is way different) and also get hooked on the craziness of average streets and buildings anywhere in Japan. they are a visual mess of shapes and colours, huge neons signs and video screens. You will then realize that mangas and animes aren't fanciful imagination, just the real thing. Outside Tokyo most people visit Yokohama (mainly the waterfront) and Kamakura (temples and a beach). Nikko is especially famous for several shrines that are covered in amazing painted and gilded wood carvings. I am a minimalist kind of guy yet was bowled over by the extreme workmanship and sheer excess of Nikko. But you have lots to see just in Tokyo. Do try, besides the usual suspects (Shinjuku, Harajuku,Ginza, Odaiba, Akihabara) to check quaint old areas like Asakusa and Yanaka. Back to Osaka: on your way to Umeda Sky building check Yodobashi cameras (across the street from JR Osaka station North exit, the exit you use to walk to Umeda sky) that store is more than computers and cameras (you will be amazed by the sheer numbers of cameras and other electronics). Go check their refrigerators and washing machines!!. I am very serious. A poster mentioned the ICOCA transit smart card: check http://www.japanrail.com/JR_icsmartcards.html
for details. You can also get day passes for trains and subways but they aren't always a saving versus paying with a card and these cards are such a cool geek thing. Some budget hotels have laundries (Toyoko Inn) or ask the desk staff.