Hi everyone,
First of all thanks to all those that post so frequently on this forum - the amount of useful information in this forum is truly extraordinary!

I'm close to finalizing our itinerary for Japan and wanted to get some feedback from the Japan experts out there. The main thing up for debate right now is where we spend our next to last night and where we stay in takayama. I really want to keep Takayama in the itinerary because it will at least give us a chance to "cool down" for a day!

Aug 20 - depart heathrow
Aug 21 - arrive in Narita at 9AM (we are flying business on ff tickets so hopefully in decent shape), stay in Peninsula Tokyo
Aug 22 - tokyo
Aug 23 - tokyo
Aug 24 - activate japan rail pass, train to takayama - stay in either Wanosato or Koto no yume (nagase is closed!)
Aug 25 - train to Kyoto, stay in Hyatt
Aug 26 - kyoto
Aug 27 - nara > mt. koya, stay in Shojoshin-in
Aug 28 - kyoto, Hyatt again
Aug 29 - kyoto
Aug 30 - kyoto, tokyo, or Hakkone - this is where we need help!
Aug 31 - tokyo (peninsula)
Sep 1 - depart Narita at 10:30AM

In regards to Aug 30, if we stay in Kyoto, could do a day trip to Hiroshima. If we go back to Tokyo, could do a day trip to Nikko. I'm leaning towards tokyo and no day trips as we already have a pretty busy trip and I don't want to be totally ruined when I get back to the UK.

Finally, I'm pretty interested in the moss temple in Kyoto - but one of our guide books only gives it 2 stars (out of 3). Is it worth it?

Thanks to everyone in advance!

Unfortunately your post got buried due to the spam proliferation on this site today...

One comment is that if you decide to go to Hiroshima on 8/30, that is the last day of your Rail Pass....
Also you are planning to go to Nara, then to Koyasan later that day? It's a pretty long trip - 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours depending on connections, you won't have much time to spend there. I'm saying this as someone who recently spent two nights there - I came from Miyajima and went to Tokyo after so I had quite long trips bracketing my stay.
Sorry haven't visited the Moss Temple.

Looks like my kind of vacation(in my dreams) with your stays at the Peninsula in Tokyo and Hyatt in Kyoto. Don't know if I would want to leave there for anywhere else,lol.

Never been to Takayama so I am no help. What do you want to know about Hakone?

Have you seen this site?

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html

It will give you ideas about what to do in Hakone and how to get there.

Aloha!

Thing about Takayama is that it will take about 5 hours to get there and then leaving the next day on a 3.5 hour trip to Kyoto.

You could stay in Tokyo on the 24th. Takayama on the 31st, a Sunday, when Nagase should be open. Then to a Narita Airport hotel, leaving Takayama late afternoon / early evening. You could drop Koyasan.

I suggested dropping Koyasan though I don't know what you would miss since I haven't been there! But then you can day trip to Nara, and give it sufficient time, then return to Kyoto (or just overnight in Nara).

I would save Hiroshima for another trip and instead spend a couple of days at the end in a lower-key environment.

For example, travel Aug 29th to Hakone, and spend Aug 29 and 30 in Hakone. You really need at least 2 days in Hakone to get a sense of place. I recently stayed at the Hyatt in Gora (Hakone) and enjoyed it tremendously, and there many, many other choices of both hotels and ryokan.

Were you to stay in Hakone on the 30th, I'd suggest spending the day of the 31st in Hakone, then traveling to Narita late in the day on the 31st and staying in a hotel near the airport (unless of course you had some pressing reason to be in Tokyo that night). With a 10.30 flight, you would still need to leave your hotel in Tokyo at around 7.30 (to get to NRT at 9.00), so it hardly seems worth the effort to spend the night at the Peninsula when leavig that early.

I would drop Koyasan as well. I was just there in Dec and was kinda disappointed...it was interesting and all, but not worth the overnight IMO.

If you are going to Takayama, I highly suggest making the 5 hour total trip to Shirakawago. They just built a new road between the 2 and it's now an easy day trip. I loved Shirakawago!

You may want to consider doing a day trip to Himeji castle from Kyoto...You could stop in Osaka for dinner on the way back (this may be too hectic of a day depending on your energy level...but they are all really close together)

and I would spend your last days in Tokyo (starting Aug 30)

Also, have you looked at Nikko? I think its way more impressive than Nara or Mt Koya and its a day trip from Tokyo. It was a highlight of my trip to Japan.

I like rizzuto's plan for the end of the trip. Hakone would be a good time/place to relax, especially if coming from Kyoto. You'd be able to activate the pass on the 24th and then just pay the fare to Narita Airport on the 31st. Or activate in Tokyo on the 25th.

I like the idea of ending the trip in Hakone too. We loved Hakone. We are planning our next trip, and the kids want to go to Hakone twice, once at the beginning, and then again at the end. No Tokyo Disney this time. It was a fantastic and relaxing 3 days. Our last night will be at a hotel at the airport.