Thank you in advance for your help. Please advise what are the best combination of passes needed for this itinerary? We will not be using tour services or joining tour groups. We will be self-guiding and using public transport. Do we need passes in addition to 2 week JR Pass?... Trip includes:
> 3 nights in Tokyo
> 2 nights in Fujiyoshida region
> 2 nights in Osaka
> 3 nights in Kyoto
> 2 nights in Hakote
Comments
You first might start by clarifying your final destination. Do you mean Hakone? Or Hikone? Or Hakata?
If the first two, you simply do not travel enough to make a 14 day pass pay off.
You would need to add some side trips to make a 14 day pass worthwhile. If you took a day off of Osaka and did a day trip to Hiroshima, that would do it. Or a day trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Karuizawsa, Kusatsu or Izu, plus a day trip from Osaka to Himeji, with Japan's best castle.
No full JR Pass can help you go around the Mt Fuji area though. For the Fuji 5 Lakes area, you could use a number of different tourist tickets, listed at the bottom of
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6900.html
For Hakone, you can use 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
Or if you are willing to rearrange your plans to put all the 5 Lakes and Hakone together, a Fuji-Hakone Pass might work.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/
You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
http://www.hyperdia.com
Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box if on a JR Pass since you can't ride that train using the JR pass.
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.