This is our 2nd trip to Japan. We have 9 days in Japan starting 14-July-19, 3 days in Sapporo, 3 days in Osaka (Kyoto/Kobe); 1 day in Hakone; 2 days in Tokyo.
A. We are looking for suggestion to which character train to take such as Furano to Bie; Osaka, Kobe, Hakone to Tokyo. We are looking for unique experience with private train line such as the new one from Kyoto/Osaka.
B. We are looking for a natural Onsen with huge surrounding follies that we saw in the travelling channel but can't remember the name
C. Shall we use air travel to cut down the transit time from Sapporo to Osaka?
We spent 3/3 days in Kyoto and Tokyo on previous trip.
Comments
A
For some character trains, you might start at
https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/character-trains
B
Without more info, I can't even venture to guess.
C
It would be insane to take a train from Osaka to Sapporo, particularly with your limited time, unless you wanted to tour your way up there. You can fly and be up there in 2 hours or so. Even with the fastest trains and best connections, it would take you about 11 hours by rail, completely murdering the day. There are also dirt-cheap airfares on low-cost carriers and special tourist fares.
http://www.jetstar.com/jp/en/home
http://www.flypeach.com/pc/en
http://ana.ms/20Xtf8t
You can see train schedules, times, fares, connections etc at
http://www.hyperdia.com
You can also see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
There are loads of other tips on
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/the-best-japan-travel-tips/
Best regards.
The truth is, the Kansai area passes simply do not pay off unless you are traveling long distance to places such as Himeji (which does have the finest surviving castle in the country, plus the Kokoen Garden is excellent).
https://goo.gl/65ZtRi
For just going around, using an IC card is very convenient. And if you are flying in through KIX, the Icoca & Haruka discount ticket can save some money.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_icoca_haruka.html
Depending on where you are going, the Hankyu Tourist Pass might work for you though.
https://www.kansai360.net/m/en/ticket.html