Kamikochi, Takayama, Shimoda, Koya & Karuizawa with a 14 day pass

Hi there,

Here is an approximate itinerary breakdown of the JR legs of your trip:

1. Narita airport terminal 1 > Shinjuku(jr): ¥3110, (84mins, 89km)
2. Shinjuku(jr) > Matsumoto: ¥6710, (176mins, 225km)
3. Matsumoto > Takayama: ¥11310, (304mins, 354km)
4. Takayama > Kyoto: ¥9680, (190mins, 314km)
5. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690, (45mins, 41km)
6. Nara > Osaka: ¥780, (55mins, 48km)
7. Osaka > Ito: ¥12270, (208mins, 468km)
8. Ito > Odawara: ¥2840, (60mins, 37km)
9. Odawara > Tokyo: ¥1450, (36mins, 83km)
10. Tokyo > Karuizawa: ¥5750, (75mins, 146km)
11. Karuizawa > Tokyo: ¥5750, (73mins, 146km)
12. Tokyo > Narita airport terminal 1: ¥2940, (58mins, 79km)

TOTAL: ¥63280 for 12 legs. 14 day rail pass (¥45,100) will save: ¥18,180

Please note the following:

1. The hop to Kamikochi will need to be made from Matsumoto by non-JR bus. You can find the bus timetable online here. Please note that this is not covered by the JR Pass.
2. At 5hrs, Travelling by JR from Matsumoto to Takayama is the long way round as you first have to descend to Nagoya and then cut back into the Alps. You can get the [Nohi bus from Matsumoto to Takayama in 2hr 20] although this is not covered by the JR Pass.
3. The train to Koyasan is not operated by JR, so you will need to use the Nankai railway to get up to Koyasan station from Nankai Namba Osaka station. This trip is not covered by the JR Pass and costs around ¥2000 each way (sample itinerary).
4. For Shimoda on the Izu penninsula the JR Pass will get you as far as Ito station. From Ito you'll need to use the Izu kyuko line to get to Shimoda at a cost of ¥1570 each way. Here is a sample itinerary with more information.
5. For Hakone, the JR Pass will get you as far as Odawara. From here you will need to use the non-JR Odakyu operated lines to get you up to the Hakone area. I recommend you purchase the Hakone Free Pass on arrival at Odawara for the best value travel.

This is a lot to fit into 14 days! If you plan well you should be fine - I recommend mapping out where you intend to spend your nights and use the itinerary I list above as guidance for whether you could trim your plans or not to suit your stamina! :)

You can look up precise train timetables and costs at the Hyperdia travel planning website and learn how to use Hyperdia through our video blog.

Hope this helps!