Tokyo-Kyoto-Mt.Fuji

Hi everyone,
I am spending 9 nights in Japan, and I was wondering if anyone has any advice. We're thinking
Day 1 - Arrive late in Tokyo, just dinner and explore
Day 2 - Train to Kyoto
Day 3 - Kyoto
Day 4 - Train to Nara then back to Tokyo
Day 5 - Tokyo
Day 6 - Tokyo
Day 7 - Tokyo (day) then Lock luggage up in a station, grab bus to Mt. Fuji from Shinjuku
Day 8 - Come back from Mt. Fuji climb
Day 9 - Day in Tokyo, then catch the plane

I was wondering if someone could please point me in the right direction for figuring out if it's better to move Mt. Fuji closer to Kyoto and get a Japan Rail pass, or if I should think about squishing Osaka in there as well?

Thanks!!

if it's better to move Mt. Fuji closer to Kyoto

You could visit Mount Fuji along your way between Tokyo and Kyoto. You could then use different trails for ascending and descending Mount Fuji, i.e. coming from Tokyo, use the Kawaguchiko trail to ascend and then Fujinomiya trail to descend before continuing to Kyoto (or the other way around.

and get a Japan Rail pass,

A 7-day Japan Rail Pass costs the same as regular tickets for a Tokyo-Kyoto round trip by shinkansen. How to travel between Tokyo and Kyoto:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

or if I should think about squishing Osaka in there as well?

Depends on how much time you want to spend in Tokyo and Kyoto. It is personal preference and also depends on whether you have been to any of these cities before.

If it is the first time to either city and like to travel at a medium to slow pace, you don't have enough time to visit Osaka. In fact, just one day for Kyoto could not be enough.

Thanks for all of the info, that was very helpful! It seems like a 7-day rail pass is worth it, even though it's slower. From what I understand, the Shinkansen is faster, but the price difference if we are travelling to Kyoto and Mt. Fuji from Tokyo overrides that.

Ok, so this is what we're thinking now:

Day 1 - Arrive late in Tokyo, just dinner and explore
Day 2 - Train to Kyoto
Day 3 - Day trip to Nara, back to Kyoto
Day 4 - Kyoto, then train to Osaka for the night
Day 5 - Osaka
Day 6 - Train to Mt. Fuji
Day 7 - Finish Mt. Fuji, go to Tokyo
Day 8 - Tokyo
Day 9 - Tokyo
Day 10 - Tokyo
Day 11 - Tokyo & leave Japan

We are thinking of also expanding the trip to include Kawagoe City, Yokohama City, and one of Nikko, Himeji Castle or Miyajima

based on my research, it seems like the best option for our luggage would be to send it from the Tokyo Airport to Kyoto ahead of us (hopefully we can arrange for a 2 day delay). There are lockers at Kawaguchiko train station, but since we won't be going down that route on our descent, it doesn't seem like a good idea. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which option to take?

1. Send our luggage to a hotel in Kyoto from Narita Airport on Friday Aug 28th, to arrive in Kyoto on Sunday evening (is this possible?)

2. Hike Mt. Fuji after storing our luggage at Kawaguchiko station, but come back down that way to retrieve them

3. Store our stuff in Tokyo and make Mt. Fuji a trip to and from Tokyo, then continue onto Kyoto from Tokyo

Thanks so much, this forum is wonderful =)

Is there a reason why you don't want to bring your luggage onto the train between Narita, Toyko and Kyoto?

As for Mount Fuji, I recommend to send your luggage from Osaka to Tokyo while climbing the mountain (ascend Fujinomiya Route and descend to Kawaguchiko).