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Tokyo-Hakone-shirikawago- kawasawa- Kyoto- Onomichi-Osaka

Hi,
I have 15 full days in Japan starting from the 15th of April.
My plan is to start with 4 days in Tokyo, head to Hakone for one night, then go from there to Shirakawa-go fro one night, then Kawasawa (1 night) .
From there, I’d head to Kyoto for 3 days then in to Onomichi to cycle the shinami Kaido (2 nights).
Following Hiroshima and mijayima (1 night) then finishing in Osaka for the last night, where I’ll fly out early evening on the last night.
Any thoughts on my itinerary would be appreciated.
I am thinking of buying a 14 day JR pass.
Does that make sense?
Many thanks,
j

Comments

  • Hi,
    Well by my calculations you are close to breaking even. If you wanted to add more value, you could do a day trip from Tokyo - there is no shortage of great places, like NIkko, Karuizawa, Kusatsu, the Fuji 5 Lakes, and so on.
    A few things you may not be aware of though is that you can't go all the way to Hakone on the JR Pass - you could ride the pass up to Odawara, and then you can see the area on a Hakone Free Pass.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html
    The Loop Course is a common way to see all the sights and takes a full day.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html

    Also for Shirakawago, you can only get there by paying for the bus - not train. You can go up to Takayama, and then take the bus there, and afterwards get the bus to Kanazawa.

    While in Kansai, I highly recommend you take at least half a day and see Nara - it was also a former capital and has some of Japan's best sights. Missing the Todaiji Great Buddha would be a tragedy. Nara Park has a lot of other great places, such as Kasuga Shrine, Kofukuji Temple, the Isuien and Yoshikien Gardens, and feeding the many deer in the area.
    After the temples of Kyoto close down around 5 PM, you can zip over to Osaka for the evening. At night the city comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are wonderful.
    On another evening, you could also go and see Kobe.

    If you are going to ride a bike through the inter island Shimanami Kaido, while on Ikuchijima I suggest you take a break and visit the Kosanji Temple. It's a wildly ornate place - so much that some describe it as a "Buddhist Disneyland".
    https://goo.gl/fAz4ax
    Be sure to check the weather daily and be careful - not all your days will be what you want.

    You can find regular rail fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
    http://www.hyperdia.com

    You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos

    There are also loads of other tips on
    http://www.thejapanfaq.com/the-best-japan-travel-tips/

    Best wishes.

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