Best way to go to Kyoto

Will be going to japan in Dec and trying to understand their train connections as early as now.

I will be in Osaka with a family of 12, but only the 2 of us are interested to make a night stay in Kyoto. So, while the rest spend their time in Osaka, I will be going to Kyoto on our 2nd or 3rd day after a day trip in USJ.
Will I be able to make use of the Kansai 3day Pass to travel to Kyoto as I was told from the site? Or else, any other cheaper methods of getting to Kyoto? I will be staying a night in a hotel in Gion area.
Following day, I will return back to Osaka to join the groups.
From Osaka, we want to travel to Mount Fuji. What is the cheapest way to Mt Fuji?? By overnight bus or train? Any way that can arrive in the early morning around 8am as there will be a pick up bus to meet us from Kawaguchi Station.
Will be staying a night in a hotel there and proceed to Tokyo on their daily buses.
Thereafter, we will spend about 3nights in Tokyo.
Pls advise me in any ways where we can also make use of the Suishen 18 Kippu from Osaka-Kawaguchi-Tokyo, in case it will be cheaper than train travel from Osaka-Kawaguchi-bus to Tokyo.


Phew..I hope I am not confusing u guys..

Thanks in advance

Will I be able to make use of the Kansai 3day Pass to travel to Kyoto as I was told from the site?

Yes. But note that, unless you make many other JR train trips in the Kansai Region, it is likely to come cheaper to pay for regular tickets or buy a prepaid card.

How to travel between Osaka and Kyoto:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html?aFROM=2157_2158

What is the cheapest way to Mt Fuji?? By overnight bus or train?

The overnight bus is cheaper:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html?aFROM=2157_6900

It gets you to Kawaguchiko Station at 8:14am:
http://www.yamanashibus.com/kousoku_osaka.htm

By daytime trains, it impossible to make it from Osaka to Kawaguchiko by 8am.

Pls advise me in any ways where we can also make use of the Suishen 18 Kippu from Osaka-Kawaguchi-Tokyo

It could, indeed, be even cheaper. But you cannot use it inside the Fujigoko region. You would have to pay separately for the buses from the closest JR station to Kawaguchiko. In any case, the Seishun 18 Kippu is not a practical choice unless you are extremely keen on saving money and do not mind spending hours in local trains, changing trains multiple times along the way.

There is no point going to all the trouble of carrying a suitcase and going to a hotel for only one night! Osaka is only 30-40 minutes by very frequent trains from Kyoto! I usually stay in Kobe myself and go to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka etc. daily from there. Of course I am used to a 45 minutes (one way) daily commute by train back home (North America). If you want to stay in Kyoto to experience a Ryokan it is only really worth it if you stay in an relatively expensive one with a big room, great food etc. ..