10 day trip to Japan

Hi all!
My family and I will be visiting Japan in early April. We’ll be spending about 10 days there, arriving in Narita Airport on the 1st of April 2009.

Our rough planned itinerary is as followed;
1st April – Reaching Tokyo at about 1 pm, get settled in and walk around Shinagawa Area for the first day (that’s where our hotel will be at)

2nd April- Roam around places like Harujuku, Shibuya & Roppongi

3rd April- Day tour to Mt Fuji

4th April- Roam around Tokyo in the day, catch a train to Hokkaido at about 7

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th – Roam around Hokkaido

9th- Catch train back in the evening to Tokyo

10th- Reach Tokyo to catch flight back to Singapore.

Questions:
Would it be wise to purchase a JR pass? If so, activating it on 4th April would be a good idea, no?

In addition, I understand that catching a night train to Hokkaido would cost me extra due to the lines that do not belong to JR.

According to this website,
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/practical/y18_...

It would just cost me an extra 2960Yen, is this correct? Can someone verify this for me?

Meanwhile this would mean that my first few days in Tokyo, I would need to purchase another card for transportation. Would the Suica card be a good option? Or the PASMO?

It seems that travelling to Hokkaido can be quite the hassle. Would it be wise to visit Hokkaido, or is there another area that is more accessible that is recommended? What I’m actually hoping to see while I’m in Hokkaido is the cherry blossoms & a more rural area of Japan.

Please advice.

Thanks! This site is really helpful!

Would it be wise to purchase a JR pass? If so, activating it on 4th April would be a good idea, no?

If you also use JR trains in Hokkaido, then a Japan Rail Pass might pay off, otherwise, I recommend to buy regular night train tickets.

It would just cost me an extra 2960Yen, is this correct?

No! The supplement is 12,150 yen + 2,960 yen = 15,110 yen. It is explained on the above referenced web page.

In other words, with a Japan Rail Pass you would save roughly 10,000 yen one way. Or 20,000 yen for the round trip. That is less than the 28,300 yen you pay for a 7-day Japan Rail Pass.

Meanwhile this would mean that my first few days in Tokyo, I would need to purchase another card for transportation. Would the Suica card be a good option? Or the PASMO?

I recommend to use the NEX and Suica package.

It seems that travelling to Hokkaido can be quite the hassle. Would it be wise to visit Hokkaido, or is there another area that is more accessible that is recommended?

Yes, I actually think that the effort might not be worth it, especially considering that early April is not the most pleasant time of the year to visit Hokkaido. The cherry blossoms do not reach Hokkaido until May.