This is my first time in japan with my wife and our trip is the following:
29/8 arrive flight tokio. Tokio - Osaka
30/8 osaka-nara-osaka
31/8 osaka-kyoto
1/9 kyoto
2/9 kyoto
3/9 kyoto-kanazawa
Kanazawa- shirakawago
Shirakawago- takayama
4/9 takayama-nakatsugawa
Nakatsugawa-nagoya
5/9 nagoya-hakone
6/9 hakone-kamakura
7/9 kamakura-tokyo
From 7/9 until 12/9 in tokyo.
I woul like to know if the most interesting option is to putchase a 14 day JR PASS. Or i there is any other option.
I would also like to know if the route is correct or if i could improve it. Maybe we will be many days in tokio but we can do day trips to different places ( which ones you recomend us)
Thank you, jose
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A 14 day pass almost pays off with your plans, but you'd need to add a side trip or two from Tokyo to make it pay off. There is no shortage of good places however - you could try Nikko, Karuizawa, the Hitachi Seaside Park, or Kusatsu. IMHO 3-4 days in Tokyo is quite enough.
Otherwise the routing looks good, but a few things you should know - the only way to Shirakawago is by bus, which is not covered by the JR Pass. But it is not far from Kanazawa, and then you can take another bus to Takayama to start using the trains again.
Also, to see Hakone, you would need to go from Nagoya to Mishima Station. From there the JR Pass won't help you anymore, but you can get a Hakone Free Pass to see the area and save money.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
On the way back though, go to Odawara where you can catch the JR train to Kamakura.
I came up with an alternative that would give you very significant savings compared to the 14-day JR Pass.
Order a Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass! (13 500 JPY) within 3 months of your trip.
http://touristpass.jp/en/
29/8 Spend a night in Tokyo!
Buy a Platt Kodama ticket for Shin-Osaka departing early next day (10 300 JPY)
http://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/en/
30/8 Buy the tickets for your Nara day trip. (1600 JPY.) Stay overnight in Nara and return to Osaka/go to Kyoto the following day
31/8 Activate theTakayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass!
The Pass covers your travel to Kyoto, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, Takayama and Nagoya. The big advantage is that it covers your bus trips to Shirakawa-go and Takayama, unlike the national passes.
4/9 Arrive at Nagoya. You really need to give yourself an extra day to arrive at Nagoya for your evening here (or stay in Nakatsugawa).
5/9 Day trip to/from Nakatsugawa (2640 JPY)
Late afternoon bus Nagoya-Tokyo (Willer Express - 3280 JPY)
6/9 Shinjuku-Hakone (via Odawara - 1550 JPY)
7/9 Hakone-Kamakura (all local trains, use Hyperdia - 1440 JPY)
8/9 Kamakura-Tokyo (920 JPY)
From 9/9 until 12/9 in Tokyo.
TOTAL: 35 230 JPY
(14-day JR Pass: 46,390 JPY)
Of course, you could indulge a bit more (and still have nice savings) by instead taking the more direct Shinkansen from Nagoya on your way to Hakone. (Transfer to a bus service for Hakone at Mishima.) Add 4490 JPY for this alternative.
And you may also want to take limited express trains to/from Nakatsugawa, especially if you're pressed for time. Add 3000 JPY for this option.
TOTAL: 42 720
Still cheaper than the 14-day JR Pass. As you can see, the nationwide pass is not worth it for your itinerary considering the savings you could have with the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass.
If money is your overriding concern, it's a way to save more money; but then if you take some day trips from Tokyo on a Tokyo Wide Pass (10,000 yen) your savings evaporate. It's a question not just money but saving time as well. It's great to have the choices though - do what you prefer the most.