Hi. We are planning a 2-week trip, arriving in NRT at 4:30 p.m., going to Tokyo for 2 nights, then heading to Kyoto for 3 nights. We were thinking of attending the Kyoto Gio Festival and Tenjin Matoui Festival in Osaka, then heading to Koyosan for a couple of nights, then back to Tokyo for the fireworks festival. It seems like a lot of festivals now that I write them down.
Which festivals do you recommend?
Would the Rail Pass be worth it? We are 4 travelers.
How do we get to Koyosan?
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You should go to the festivals that interest you, and only you know your own interests.
You can see a list of many in Japan at:
https://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-festivals/festival-july
For getting to Koyasan, one economical way is with the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_012.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4900.html
If you are staying overnight at Koyasan, most likely it is at one of the temples. But the temples charge typically close to ¥10,000 per person per night. Unless you have some serious desire to just chill and unwind, two nights are really not necessary. You also might ask if the place has any kind of curfew. Some people like to visit the cemetery at night, or if you are from any kind of city, enjoy the sky with a billion stars at night (assuming the weather cooperates) - but if the temple has a lock down at 9PM or whenever, you won't be also to enjoy it.
If you go from Narita to Tokyo and do the round trip to Osaka and back within 7 days, you do make a 7 day JR Pass pay off. That said, you could save more money with a japanican ticket
https://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/PAS1J02131MKC/
and using the 1000 yen bus.
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
It's up to you.