Help on 13-day Japan itinerary requested

Hello again.

In order to make advance reservation for the train tickets, I have tried "www.world.eki-net.com" as suggested somewhere in this web, but that site does not seem to work anymore. The web "www.eki-net.com" works, but I think it is only in Japanese (which I, unfortunately, don't understand). Anyways, I don't think I can make reservations from abroad. Can anyone confirm this? Besides, since I will be using a Japan Rail Pass, I guess there is no other choice but waiting until I arrive in Tokyo to try and make the reservation. Is this true? Anyone can find any other option?

Just in case, are bus reservations possible via internet... ehem... in English? So far I have not been able to find any website in English for buses covering the route Nagoya-Takayama.

Many thanks for the help provided so far!

I will not comment on the pace of your itinerary as this is such a personal choice! the places you will visit will give you a great feel for Japan. I have only one suggestion: google skyscrapercity kansai, skyscrapercity osaka, skyscrapercity tokyo etc.
you need a fast internet connection..they have superb photos of Japan! don't waste your time reading the comments are many are juvenile or uninformed or both..(to see photos you may have to click on fullversion)

Ekinet used to offer an English version for making train reservations, but not anymore. You cannot make reservations from abroad, unless you have somebody in Japan doing it for you.

So far I have not been able to find any website in English for buses covering the route Nagoya-Takayama.

The bus companies operating along the route, do not have English websites. Here is the Japanese one:
http://www.meitetsu-bus.co.jp/highway/takayama/index.html

Hello everyone!

It's been more than a month since this thread was last updated, but I have been looking at this great website each and every day (no joking) trying to find more and more useful information. Now the day has almost arrived, as I will be departing for Japan in a couple of days.

I would like to thank everybody who daily takes the time to write in this forum. I think the opportunity to share doubts and knowledge makes this website a lot better than it already is.

I have no more questions for now. I'll be back in mid-October with a lot of experiences which I'll try to share as well.

Thank you all for your help!

Several months of careful planning for my trip are gone, and now my trip itself is gone as well. Only memories remain... and they will remain for long, since these holidays in Japan have been truly unforgettable.

My personal experience (quite summarized!) is:

1- Japan is not a difficult country to move around on your own, even if you don't know the language (though obviously knowing it would make some things a bit easier).

2- The train and subway systems are not hard to navigate in Tokyo, and they are highly reliable. In Kyoto, I found the bus system convenient and useful.

3- The Japan Rail Pass is great and I didn't need any advance reservations (only to go from Nagoya to Takayama on the day of the matsuri).

4- By the way, the Takayama Hachiman Matsuri was impressive and lovely... highly reccomended!

5- It was always easy to find good bento boxes or eat a filling plate of noodles for about (and less than) 1000 yen.

6- Miyajima is such a nice place, especially at night. I agree with you, Uji.

7- All of the places I visited seemed completely safe to me at all times, day or night (I stayed quite on the beaten path, though).

My advice for planning a trip to Japan is the same that it would be for any other trip: plan well in advance. This is customary, of course, and certain people do not like to do so, but I have found that getting a general picture of a place before arriving there can save you valuable time, if not money.

One last word of appreciation for the people who cares to keep this website and forum updated and full with interesting information. All of the data I gathered in this website proved reliable and valuable, and helped make my trip a better one. Many thanks to everyone!

Thank you for your useful feedback! It is always great to hear back from forum members after their return home.