Itinerary for 21 days, need advice.

Hi there,

Looks like you have a very busy itinerary there but it does work out very well!
I have never been to the TGS myself but I would love to visit it! I hear it has changed a lot over the years though but I guess that it will be very exciting with all the new console announcements.

I would suggest going with the 14 day JR Pass as you can use it to pretty much cover all your long and pricy travel with it (given that you start using it on September 24th). Travel in Hakone is done by local privately owned companies, so a JR Pass won't be very helpful here in any event.

For Osaka, have you seen this website, its a really cool website with a lot of places listed. My personal favorite spots in Osaka include Shinsaibashi and dotonburi, these are some of the most busy shopping streets in Osaka but convey a great feeling that I don't really know how to describe but its a great experience to visit it. I see that you are interested in Technology and Gatgets (perhaps games and anime too?), if so - visit Den Den Town which is like the Akihabara district of Osaka but better in my option as it is less touristy and you can actually find some very cool stuff there.

If you have time left in Kansai (area around Kyoto/Nara/Osaka) visit Kobe too! This city is great and it has lots to offer in all kinds of small and different attractions that can easily fill up your day.

I hope this helps!
Daniel

Thanks a lot for the help, I'll check out the osaka site and kobe.
Regarding Hakone though, you said traveling is done by private companies, however according to google we can take a 300yen train to Odawara Station and then use JR Tokaido Main Line which I thought is covered by the pass.
Is that no accurate?
The Hakone trip as well as being able to cover one of the airport trips is a major factor in deciding between the 2 and 3 weeks passes.
So if the Hakone trip isn't covered then the choice is pretty much made but I want to reconfirm this with you.

Again, thanks for all the help.

Hi Again,

Yes the Bullet train on the JR Tokaido is covered to Odawara. However travel within the Hakone area is not covered, this can be just 300 yen but depends on your destination within Hakone.

The shinkansen from Odawara - Tokyo is ¥ 3,840 by Shinkansen (38min) or ¥ 1,450 by local trains (79 Minutes) than travel to the Airport is about ¥ 3,000 with the Narita Express (56 Minutes) or ¥ 1,200Yen with local trains ( 89 Minutes). The costs won't pay for the 21-day JR Pass upgrade, even if you take the expansive options.

A 21 day JR Pass may be useful if you make the Hakone trip as a day trip from Tokyo but I would stick to the 14 day JR Pass + tickets for the rest if this is just one way.

Yeah actually the hakone trip is a day trip from tokyo in the original plan as we found it easier to book a place in tokyo for the last few days rather than book a day in hakone and then the rest in tokyo.

It still isn't really the best cost-efficient way though it seems, I wasn't aware of the cheaper options (the extra time is pretty meaningless)
So we'll buy the 2 weeks pass after all.

Thanks a lot for helping again!