My first adventure in Japan for 16 days around the country; please help me with my itinerary and planning

also i would like to watch a sumo match aswell, if anyone can give me some information where I can watch and get ticket?
Is there lot a hop on hop off bus in tokyo? like in other cities?
thx

Hi Andy,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Here are some thoughts on your trip:

1. If you are going to Ueno from Narita Airport, I recommend using the Keisei Skyliner, which goes directly to Ueno. There's also a discount ticket you can use that includes 1 or 2 days of free metro travel.
2. The JR Pass will cover all of your locations except the final leg upto Mt Koya from Osaka, but it will get you most of the way there. I'll include your cost calculation below with distances and times.
3. For gardens you should be sure to check out Kanazawa Kenrokuen, and I really recommend you check out Kinosaki Onsen for Onsen and try to stay the night on Miyajima rather than in Hiroshima - you'll get some great shots. For Koyasan you should book in avance here.
4. For Mt Fuji, you have either Hakone or Kawaguchiko. In both cases the JR Pass will get you most of the way (Odawara for Hakone, and Otsuki for Kawaguchiko), but you'll have to use non-JR Lines for the final stretch upto these locations.
5. For transport in Tokyo I recommend you use the Metro rather than bus as it is by far the most easy to understand.
6. Accommodation is always hard to recommend, but the area near Shinagawa and Ueno station will be cheaper than areas near Tokyo station and also offer good rail connectivity.

Assuming you will stay in Tokyo for 2 days and then use the JR Pass for the remaining 14, I think an itinerary like this will be good and give you lots of opportunities to expand your travel if you want (eg, Kinosaki onsen, Kyushu or Shikoku as you mention):

1. Tokyo > Nikko: ¥5,230 (121mins, 150km)
2. Nikko > Tokyo: ¥5,230 (121mins, 150km)
3. Tokyo > Odawara: ¥3,440 (35mins, 83km)
4. Odawara > Takayama: ¥12,110 (240mins, 448km)
5. Takayama > Kanazawa: ¥4,180 (161mins, 148km)
6. Kanazawa > Kyoto: ¥6,510 (126mins, 224km)
7. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690 (45mins, 41km)
8. Nara > Kyoto: ¥690 (45mins, 41km)
9. Kyoto > Osaka: ¥540 (28mins, 42km) (Visit Koya-san/Mt Koya here)
10. Osaka > Kyoto: ¥540 (28mins, 42km)
11. Kyoto > Himeji: ¥4,930 (68mins, 130km)
12. Himeji > Kyoto: ¥4,930 (68mins, 130km)
13. Kyoto > Kurashiki: ¥7,970 (100mins, 235km)
14. Kurashiki > Hiroshima: ¥5,980 (67mins, 177km)
15. Hiroshima > Miyajimaguchi: ¥400 (26mins, 21km)
16. Miyajimaguchi > Tokyo: ¥18,050 (331mins, 916km) (Maybe visit Kyushu or Shikoku here if you have time)
17. Tokyo > Narita airport terminal 1: ¥3,140 (58mins, 79km)

JR ticket cost: ¥84,560 for 17 legs

• 14 day Japan Rail Pass (¥45,100) saving: ¥39,460

I hope this helps get you started!

Hello

Definitely help, thank you

Hello
Thanks for your advice and suggestion for my previous post for my 16 days trip to Japan. After reading your comments I decided to follow some of your suggestion.
My new question is after realising that the cherry blossom start south west to north,
Should I start my adventure at the southern point in Japan where I aim to go to and head my way back north to Tokyo or start in Tokyo and go south?
My main aim for this adventure is to see as much as cherry blossom events/parks, natural scenery, castle, tourist land mark as much as possible without compromising my adventure by not enjoying and seeing the places. Spend 1 or 2 night at a ryokan and some onsen (during my adventure) to experience some Japanese culture… and most importantly to take some amazing pictures Japan has to offer….
Also I want to watch a live sumo match, if possible, which city should I go too to be able to watch a traditional sumo match? ]
This is my somewhat new Itinerary with the help of people suggestions… can anyone give me some further advices whether I should spend more or less time in each places I plan to go too? Also I would appreciate if anyone can comment how I should tackle my journey, in the sense that, should I start in Tokyo and head my way south or start south and head my way north back to Tokyo?
Arriva (Narita Airport) @March 27th
Tokyo – Side trips (Surrounding Area) 6 Days
Nikko – Day trip from Tokyo: 1 Day
Hiroshima + Miyajima – 1 or 2 Days
Kyoto – 2 Days
Nara -1 Day
Osaka – 2 Days
Takayama – 1 Day
Mt. Koya - 1 Day
Mt Fuji - Pictures
Depart April 11th 2013 @ 7:20pm back to Singapore.

If I start in Tokyo should I activate my JR pass the day I arrive in Japan or just use the Suica & NEX package to get to Tokyo from airport and use Suica while at Tokyo? Is the wifi hotspot package worth it? I read they offer this per day or weeks in Japan? and buying prepaid sim card is not really an option in japan? Is it true? I just wanna connect my iphone so I can check my location in the map or find hotels if I get lost… are there no free public hotspot in Japan? Anyone got experience?

All comments and suggestion are welcomed
Thanks