Hi
I know there are many posts of different itineraries on here currently, but I would appreciate your help on ours.
We are going to Japan (1st trip) leaving UK on 30th March - I very much hope to see the cherry blossoms!
30th - out of UK
31st - arrive Narita - late arrival 9.30pm so overnight Narita hotel.
1st April - take Airport limo to Tokyo - Keio Plaza.
2nd Tokyo
3rd activate JR pass - go to Kyoto
3rd - 8th Kyoto (side trips to Himeji & Nara)

This is the bit I'm not sure of - we leave Japan on the 11th & rail pass runs out on 9th.

Options for 8th:-
-could go back to Tokyo & day trip to Nikko
-go to Odawara then Hakone area?
-Takayama -would that be silly to just go for one night then back to Tokyo on 9th?


Any other thoughts would be appreciated.
Thank you

April 8-9 was peak cherry blossom time in Tokyo last year.

Both Nikko and Hakone are served by non-JR trains. I would put Hakone last on the list of destinations, behind Takayama, to use with your JR Pass. You can find inexpensive JR trains to Odawara and I think it is better to use the Odakyu Romance Car along with a Hakone Free Pass. Going to Nikko is a bit more expensive on JR and the more expensive JR option is the best one, IIRC. So, you could just go straight to Nikko from Takayama or Kyoto.

I didn't say it exactly but I was suggesting that you go to Hakone from Tokyo on Odakyu Rail or cheap JR train.

Ok, one more post. No it is not silly to go to Takayama, getting there by noon and going on to Tokyo (or Nikko) the next afternoon. It will cost you 4 hours travel time plus an hour or so connecting in Nagoya. Those 5 hours are in addition to the Kyoto-Tokyo travel time.

Thanks so much for your reply - I'll read up a bit more on this following your advice.