Here is a basic version of our itinerary. I'm wondering if the 21day pass will work for us or if there would be cheaper alternatives.
According to the JapanGuide rail pass calculator, it does pay off, although not by much.
http://i.imgur.com/LIfDytt.pngTimeline is as follows:
Feb 18
Land in NRT, stay in Tokyo
Feb 26 (rail pass start date)
Head to Kyoto
Day trips to Arashiyama, Nara
Mar 4
Kinosaki - ryokan overnight
Mar 5
Hiroshima
Day trip to Miyajima
Mar 7
Osaka
Potential side trip to Mt Koya, undecided
Mar 11
Hakone - ryokan overnight
Mar 12
Tokyo
Day trip to Nikko
Mar 18
Return to NRT for departing flight
Comments
You don't do either, but if you wish you could certainly add more itinerary and get more value out of your pass if you want.
It looks like you are putting in 2 weeks in Tokyo which is just waaaay too much. For Tokyo, 3-4 days is fine - there are many other great places nearby. Why not take a few days and instead of going straight from Tokyo to Kyoto, go by way of Nagano and Kanazawa? You could also see Takayama and Shirakawago. Shirakawago requires a bus but staying at a snowy farmhouse for a night can be a memorable experience.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html
For other day trips from Tokyo, you could see Izu, Kusatsu, or Karuizawa, plus Takao or Mt Mitake. If you really want to add value, take 1-2 days and go see Sendai and the Matsushima Coast. It's called one of Japan's most beautiful views.
For Hakone, get the Hakone Free Pass when you get off at Odawara Stn. For Koyasan, get the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket. Instead of 4 days in Osaka, take a day trip to Himeji for Japan's best castle and Kokoen Garden. Kobe is worth a day too.
For Hiroshima, remember you can still use your pass for the Loop Bus within the city as well as the JR ferry to Miyajima. If you still have a little time, you can also go see Iwakuni just beyond Miyajima with its iconic historical bridge and mountaintop castle.
Before your big trip on the pass, you also might go see Kamakura & Enoshima.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/enoshima_kamakura/
For getting from Narita into Tokyo your 1st day, the cheapest way is the 1000 yen bus.
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
We have other reasons for spending so much time in Tokyo. Friend's schedules and commitments aside, I can spend a ton of time in one place since I love exploring all the nooks and crannies and really getting to know the details of cities. It's not just simply for the big touristy sites. If I were only travelling to see the tourist highlights, I definitely wouldn't spend 2 weeks in Tokyo haha. I plan on returning multiple times in the future, so I don't have to see everything in one run either.
I don't know if we'll have time, but I'm definitely willing to explore beyond Miyajima. Thanks for that suggestion.
I'll certainly consider some more day trips from Tokyo as well as a side trip to Himeji from Osaka though, thanks for suggesting those too!
We do have a day in Osaka that consists of only USJ and the Takoyaki Museum so far. If you don't feel like USJ is probably a full-day thing, then we could potentially shuffle something else onto this day as well to free up time.
How long would you suggest the trip to Himeji be? If it's a half day, is it better to go in the morning or the afternoon/evening? I'm not entirely sure if I have enough interest in Kobe yet, but perhaps if you have some suggestions for what to do in Kobe, I'll look into those further.
Do you feel Kamakura and Enoshima would be a full day excursion? The first couple weeks of our plans are already rather set, so if anything, it would end up being possibly a stop on the way back from Hakone or as a day trip after returning to Tokyo.
As for the NRT to Tokyo bus, it appears to take approximately 80 minutes from the airport to Tokyo station. We would then have to transfer to another train as we're staying in Shinjuku, correct?
For USJ, you are going in March which is spring break for many students, so I'd say at least avoid the weekends if possible. Going there could take a full day - it's basically spending 90%+ of your time waiting in lines for 2-3 minute rides, and why someone going to Japan would go to an American theme park escapes me - but it is up to you.
Himeji for the castle and garden can be done in half a day - morning is better. You could make it a full day though if you also go up to Mt Shosha for the big temple complex (it was also used in the movie The Last Samurai). If you like castles, seeing Hikone Castle in Shiga is another possibility. Both are originals and not reconstructed concrete fakes like nearly all the rest.
Kobe has a good hot spring area, Arima, a good garden, Sorakuen, plus several mountains for great city overviews and the whole city itself has a good atmosphere - it was one of the open ports used when Japan opened up to the West. Its Chinatown and port area can be a good twist on the usual Japanese city. You can get more info on:
http://www.feel-kobe.jp/_en/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2159.html
Kamakura/Enoshima would take up a full day. You could even spend longer if you want to hike the trails that are between the temples.
http://voyapon.com/hiking-kamakura-gionyama/
Your travel time is not the best for seeing the greenery of Japan, but you might actually be right on time for the plum blossoms, and there are 2 good places - one is in nearly Atami, Baien Park, and another is north of Tokyo in Mito, the Kairakuen Garden.
The main sights of Kamakura are the Great Buddha at Kotokuin, the Hasedera Temple, the Hokokuji Temple & bamboo forest, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine. Plus many others. The best time to visit is in June for the hydrangea, but February or March isn't bad, and you can always visit later also someday.
Seeing Hakone takes a full day with an early morning start. The Loop Course is a good typical way to see it all.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html
The 1000 yen bus can take you up to Tokyo Stn and then it's a 15 minutes train to Shinjuku. You could take the Narita Express straight from the airport there, but it costs triple. There are also the orange limousine buses that are convenient if you're staying at one of the big tourist hotels it stops at. But ¥3100 is pricey convenience. If you have a lot of luggage, it can be easy and simple though. Up to you.
For winters hours, as you mentioned, they close early - not just the Shin-Kobe Ropeway.
https://www.rokkosan.com/en/access/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Maya
As far as the main site ( http://koberope.jp/en/maya/price ) seems to say, Mt Maya seems to close around 20:00, so that's a pretty viable option since sunset will be around 18:00. Leaving around 19:00 would be plenty of time to catch some nice night views and would definitely leave enough time to splurge on a Kobe beef dinner and head back to Osaka afterwards.
We've built in some breathing room to the schedule, so the plan for the day is as follows:
(7:00-8:00am) Depart Osaka and arrive at Himeji, grab breakfast, lunch items and Shoshazan RT tickets
(8:30 - 12:00am) Shoshazan and Return
(12:30-3:30pm) Himeji Castle and Kokoen
(3:45-4:30pm) Travel from Himeji to Shin-Kobe
(4:30-5:00pm) Bus to Mount Maya Cable Station (Kobe City Bus 18)
(1540yen round trip) Maya Cable to Hoshi no Eki, stop at Niji no Eki on the way up
(5:00-5:05pm) Maya Cable to Niji no Eki, enjoy the views
(5:30-5:35pm) Maya Ropeway up to Hoshi no Eki, stay for sunset and night views
(6:30pm-8:00pm) Approximate, return trip to bottom and bus to dinner location
(~9:30pm) Head back to Osaka
Would you have any suggestions in regards to the schedule? Also, we're looking for good places to have Kobe beef for dinner. Yes, I know it's quite expensive, but they don't call it splurging for nothing! So far, the main recommendation seems to be Kobe Beef Steak Restaurant Mouriya @ Sannomiya, but we're open to suggestions if you feel other restaurants are worth considering. Also, should we make reservations on a Saturday evening or are we able to just walk in to these places?
I don't see any problem with the schedule. I am not sure of your travel pace though. For the restaurants, I have not tried Kobe beef in Kobe, so I'm afraid I can't recommend one place over another. But you might look at
http://bento.com/kansai/kc-regional.html#steak
for a listing.
Best of luck.