Day 1 - arrive Narita at 2.30pm, activate JR pass, train to Osaka, sleep Osaka
2- visit Nara or Kobe, sleep Osaka
3- visit and sleep Osaka
4- train to Hiroshima visit Okayama/Kurashiki on route, sleep Hiroshima
5- visit Miyajima island, sleep Hiroshima
6- visit Fukuoka or Hiroshima, sleep Hiroshima
7- train to Tokyo, visit Hokone on route, sleep TKO (JR pass's last day)
8- visit Tko, sleep TKO
9- visit Yokohama, sleep TKO
10- visit Nikko, sleep TKO
11- Visit TKO, sleep TKO

Would our 7day JR pass cover all our stops, is this too ambitious, your comment is appreciated.

With this itinerary it would be easier if you were to fly into KIX and out of NRT. Is that an option for you?

Aloha!

Hi Peter,

yes, you are right, no, we couldn't.
thankyou.

Sam.

Day 6-7 If you travel to Tokyo from Hiroshima, that's a good four to five hour trip. You may not have time to visit Hakone fo any good period. My suggestion would be to see if you can get a berth on either the Sunrise Seto or Sunrise Izumo from Okayama to Tokyo and travel overnight. This needs to be booked ahead of time, and at popular times may be unavailable.

good call and thankyou, could we not take the night train from Hiroshima?

Itinerary seems arranged to get the most mileage out of the JR pass, so you're on the move a lot. Odd that you skip Kyoto tho' you have 3 nights in Osaka.

No, samuell, you can't catch the sleeper trains that Sydney2K mentions in Hiroshima because they originate either south (Seto) or north (Izumo) of Okayama. The first stop where they intersect your route back from Hiroshima is at Okayama. Sleeper trains are gradually being discontinued throughout the rail system in Japan as more and more destinations are served by shinkansen.

Note that your JR pass will not pay for either a couchette or compartment on any sleeper trains---the base fare is covered, but you have to pay a supplement (which is more than I'd typically pay for a hotel room). Both of the trains that run between Okayama and Tokyo do offer nobinobi seats, though, and there's no supplement for them. Although they're called seats they're actually carpeted platforms on which you can lie down for a snooze, so a reasonable compromise.

Whoops, forgot to include this link that will give you loads of info about the night trains:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2356.html

WillJame, this is a one week suggested itinerary from Japan by rail which includes Kyoto, we were in Kyoto two years ago, thankyou for your comment.

Therese, thankyou for your explanation and the link, we may just ride back to Tokyo and see Hokone as a day trip from there.

I see, Samuell, that explains some of what you're doing. Missing Kyoto was a puzzle to me, especially when Osaka and Kobe were chosen as destinations instead. I understand too why you are spending 3 nights in Osaka, and then 3 nights in Hiroshima--not the most delightful places to choose to be in Japan. But they do make good bases for day trips. I think you are wise not to be changing your hotel daily during your trip.

WillJame, that is exactly, I am glad you agreed.
Thankyou.

I was on Kauai this weekend so must have missed this.

Maybe day 6 visit Fukuoka or where ever you want and sleep in or nearer Hakone. Then do the loop in the morning and off to Yokohama later that day with a little touring and overnight there. Visit more of Yokohama in morning then off to Nikko for an overnight with some sights when you get there. More of Nikko the next day then off to Tokyo in the late afternoon for your last two nights. Consider one of the passes for transport to, from and around Nikko
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html

It <b>is</b> an ambitious itinerary but you have been there already and know how its done so should be a piece of cake for you. October weather should still be warm days with the nights just starting to get cooler, no koyo yet unless maybe in some of the areas around Nikko.....I am envious, enjoy!

Aloha!

Hi HT,

I am sure you had a nice time in Kauai, lovely place, we haven't been back for a number of years.

You comment is timely, just about to book our hotel, excellent suggestion to shoot over Yokohama after Hakone, take the late train to Nikko, overnight and see Nikko the next day, then spend the rest of time in Toyko, no back tracking, just Brilliant, thankyou very much.