Route & Pass & Luggage Questions

Hi all!

I have finalized my itinerary but I have a couple more questions that I hope you can help me with:

Itinerary:
Oct. 6-10 Tokyo
Oct. 10-11 Hakone
Oct. 11 Overnight stay in Kobe
Oct. 12 Himeji in the AM and then to Kyoto in the PM
Oct. 13 Kyoto in the afternoon and then return to Tokyo
Oct. 14 Depart Tokyo

I was planning on just getting the Suica and Nex for Tokyo and then take the Romance Car to Hakone along with getting the Hakone Free pass.

I'm a little confused in getting from Hakone to Kobe...It seems like we need to catch the Hakone Tozan Line from Hakone-Yumoto, and then catch the Shinkansen Hikari to Shin-Osaka and change to another train. I went on the JR website but I don't see the Hikari going from Odwara to Osaka...can someone help me with that?

What is the cheapest and fastest route from Hakone to Kobe to Himeji to Kyoto and then back to Tokyo?

Also, since we will be traveling from Kobe straight to Himeji, does anyone know if there is a place where I can store my luggage? Does Himeji Station have lockers to hold our luggage? (We are going to Kyoto afterwards)

I have been to Kyoto just last year so I don't think I need to spend a full day there. I figured 2 half days in Kyoto and a half day in Kobe with a half day in Himeji would be ok. What do you think?

Would you recommend a JR East pass or any of that sort or just the Suica and Nex?

Looking forward to your input.

Thanks in advance!

Ellen

What is the cheapest and fastest route from Hakone to Kobe to Himeji to Kyoto and then back to Tokyo?

Cheapest and fastest are two different opposites, which do not meet in this case!

The cheapest would be using buses. Especially the night buses along the highly competitive Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka route can be as cheap as 4000 yen one way or even less:
http://www.123bus.net/index.html?agencyCode=4268

The fastest would be taking the shinkansen.

Also, since we'll be coming from Kobe straight to Himeji, do you know if any of the train stations store luggage?

All train stations have coin lockers:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

Would you recommend a JR East pass or any of that sort or just the Suica and Nex?

Suica and Nex should be sufficient for the Tokyo area. Possibly a 7-day Japan Rail Pass for the round trip to western Japan.