I've scoured over these forums and over sample itineraries from books, and here's what I've come up with. If you have any further advice, suggestions, or potential problems, please let me know ASAP! (I leave Saturday)

May 23: Land in Tokyo/Tokyo half-day
May 24: See Tokyo (see rest of Tokyo later)
May 25: Day trip to Nikko
May 26: Depart Tokyo for Takayama
May 27: See Takayama
May 28: Depart Yakayama for Kanazawa
May 29: See Kanazawa
May 30: Depart Kanazawa for Kyoto
May 31: See Kyoto
June 1: See more Kyoto
June 2: From Kyoto, briefly hit Nara on way to Mt Koya
June 3: Return to Tokyo from Nara
June 4: Hakone day trip
June 5: See rest of Tokyo
June 6: Kamakura day trip
June 7: Depart from Tokyo-->US

Any last minute advice would be greatly appreciated. I've only booked Hotels in Tokyo so far, but I'm looking into Ryokans for the Kyoto stay, and winging the rest (Hostel/Ryokan/Hotel) except for Mt Koya (night in temple). Thanks a lot!

Hi - I have one suggestion for you. I don't think you will have time to stop at Nara on your way to Koyasan. First, the route to Nara is not on the same route to Osaka station, then to Mt. Koya, so you would have to go out to Nara and then backtrack (not sure how far back) and then make your way to Mt. Koya. I went to Nara in April, and it would not have been a must see for me. It sounds great in the guidebooks, but in reality, I did not love it, because it was a bit touristy, there were tons of people and tour buses and many of the deer did not look to be in great shape. So, I am a huge animal lover, but was a bit saddened by the condition of some of those deer. If, on the other hand, you have other interests there, it may be worth it for you. I think you would be better off taking the train in from Kyoto on one of your Kyoto days, perhaps early in the a.m., then you can still have the afternoon in Kyoto.

The other thing I will say about Mt. Koya is that it is a long way to Koyasan. I kept saying this when I was on my way there. There are a few train changes, which maybe makes it seem longer. Despite the time it takes to get there, Koyasan was one of my favorite destinations in Japan. So, my point is that it does take a long time to get there, I'm recalling four hours or longer, and that's the second reason why I think Nara won't fit.

My final tip for you - if you don't get more responses here, then you may want to change your post title to include "Japan". Some of the Japan experts may not notice your post without it.

Have a great trip!!

That itinerary can be done, though I don't know about Koya-san, having never been there. I think that Nara is a must see because of Todaiji and the great Buddha from the Nara period that is housed there. There are several other sites in Nara. Skip the deer park. Considering that Horyu-ji is near by Nara, you might make a choice between Nara and Horyu-ji or Koya-san.

I assume that your June 3 itinerary meant to say "Return to Tokyo from Mt. Koya". In either case, you could go directly to Hakone on June 3. You would have some time to do the sightseeing route and then spend the night. Resume the tour on the 4th and stop at Kamakura on the way back to Tokyo. You'd then have the 5th and 6th in Tokyo.

You might choose between Takayama or Kanazawa. You could move Nikko towards the end and stay in Tokyo on the 25th (this would help with jet lag, I think).

Looks like you will need a 14-day JR Pass (purchase voucher before you leave for Japan) and start using it on May 25 and it will get you to Narita airport on the 7th.

I loved Nara. It was small and manageable - you can see all in one day. The deer park is very nice, not just deer but if you go further into it, it is very nice. The deer bow to you, so it is very cute.

The todaiji is a must see. There is also a very interesting (and fun) thing to do inside. There is a little tunnel that is carved to be the size of the Buddha's nostril. Legend has it if you can crawl through it, you will get enlightened. It is funny to watch people go through it.

I appreciate the advice so far. It looks like I'll either have to dedicate a separate day to Nara or skip it altogether--I'm not yet sure what we'll do. Stopping in Hakone and Kamakura on the way back to Tokyo is a good idea, but I'm not sure if I could fit it into our budget. We found a great hotel in Tokyo (4* in Shinjuku for $93/night), so I've been trying to stay in Tokyo as much as possible, using it as a base to take day trips to Nikko, Hakone, and Kamakura.

And I'm also hesitant to do the JR rail pass. Again, I'm afraid of breaking our tight student budget. We are going to be taking the cheapest (often the longest) travel between destinations (occaisonally by bus). After looking at many of the individual prices, I'm pretty sure we can beat the $450-ish price of the 14-day JR Rail Pass.

I wonder if there is a way that you could arrange to do a 7 day rail pass and then bus as needed on other days, so that you will still make out better than bus only price. I think most will agree that the train system is so much a part of the experience that it should not be missed. You would probably have to rearrange your days to do this most efficiently.

Where are you staying at Mt. Koya? Are you selecting only western style accomodations, other than at Mt. Koya? There are definitely bargains to be found as far as accomodations go.

On Mt. Koya we plan to stay in one of the many Buddhist temples. In Tokyo, we will be staying at a Western hotel (Crowne Plaza Metropolitan in Shinjuku) for which we received a great deal. In Takayama and Shinjuku, we will probably stay in hostels. In Kyoto, we'd like to stay in a ryokan, but I do not know if we could do so on our tight budget (~$120 or less for two people, or $60/person). If anyone knows of a great ryokan on the cheap in Kyoto, we'd love to hear about it.

As far as the JR Rail Pass debate goes, we're still leaning against it. Even though we will be taking buses at times, we will still be able to experience the trains (from Kanazawa to Kyoto, or even better, from Kyoto back to Tokyo) for which Japan is widely known. So, as long as we get to ride the express trains once or twice, I'd like to save the money for the rest of the trips.

Thanks everyone for the tips so far. As someone who has never been to Japan before (and as someone who doesn't even know anyone that has been there), I appreciate all of the advice that you have given. My itinerary has already changed for the better...

Oh, that makes sense about the train then . . . you may even be able to see more of the countryside by taking the bus to some of your other destinations.

My experience with Kyoto accomodations - I stayed at a guest house for 3 nights, that was fairly cheap for one person. The rooms were very nice. If you click on my screen name and then search "Hirota" there's a web address with pictures. So, there are no services, like you would have in a ryokan, but it is really inexpensive, safe and nice. I would bet that if she still has availability, she might be open to negotiation, especially if you intend to stay a few days.

I spent my fourth night in a ryokan, because I too wanted the experience, and I also did not want to pay a lot. I think it was about $130-140/night for one person. It was very nice, but not perfect, rather noisy where my room was and it was facing a street as opposed to a nice japanese garden, which I had at the guesthouse.

Then, when I went to Koyasan, it was just so, so lovely. Much nicer and much more delightful an experience as compared to the Kyoto ryokan and probably $30-40 less expensive. Also, easily the best food of my entire trip.

Enjoy your trip! You are fortunate to have two weeks to spend in Japan!