Pika

We are planning to go to Kawaguchiko from Tokyo in early December, stay one night and then go on to Kyoto where we'll stay for 4-5 nights before returning to Tokyo for our flight home. Hoping that you could help us with the following:
1. Is Kawaguchiko a good place to view Mt Fuji in early Dec?
2. The train ride from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto (thanks to this forum, I learnt about hyperdia) seems awfully long - at least 5 hours. Would it be better if we do a round trip, i.e. Tokyo-Kawaguchiko-Tokyo, 1-2 nights in Tokyo and then go to Kyoto? Or is Kawaguchiko ok for just a day trip?
3. With all this travelling is the JR pass (7 day) a better option to buying single trip tickets? We'll be using the pass either from Narita into Tokyo or the return journey.

This will be our 2nd trip (12 days) to Japan. We never did any homework for the 1st trip as it was just a 5-day holiday.
We have read so many exciting itineraries on this forum that we are now so overwhelmed and spoilt for choice - so many day trips possible but not enough time for all. Thank you.

W9London

1. If just having a good view of Mt.Fuji is the purpose, you can do that on the bullet train, around Shizuoka. Mt.Fuji is obviously closed in December, so the areas including Kawaguchiko is off-peak as well.
Yamanakako is another option, as most buses first stop there, and there seems to be more restaurants, B&B as well.

2. The hassle-free way is to take a long-distance bus from Shinjuku. Connection from Mt Fuji area to bullet train is not that good. I recall there are buses from Yamanakako to Shizuoka, but I was there only during summer. So you might make it a separate trip: Tokyo-Kyoto using JR pass, and an overnight Tokyo-Mt Fuji area if you insist.

Another option is to try Hakone, great hot springs, I liked the open air museum, easier access along the bullet train route via Odawara. Good overnight destination. You should be able to see Mt Fuji near Lake Ashi (Ashinoko). Good historical path.

mrwunrfl

If you will be going roundtrip Tokyo-Kyoto and one way to or from the airport all in 7 days then the 7-day JR Pass is worthwhile. Or Tokyo-Kyoto and the trip one way to or from Kawaguchiko covers the cost of the 7-day pass. So, yes, a pass will save you money.

If you search hyperdia for departures from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko at 9AM then you will see an option at 9:13AM that takes 2hrs 14min. It looks like the last leg of the trip, on the Fuji Exp. train, is not on JR, so you would have to pay that part (only 1110 yen).

Would be worthwhile to find out the bus cost and travel time, it might be a better option.

The Hakone option would be a good one. You could take the shinkansen to Odawara station and then use the local non-JR transportation to get to Lake Ashi.

It's about 5 hours from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto by train and you would travel through Odawara.

The trip from Odawara to Kyoto is 2.5 to 3 hours. I think that there is a bus (or bus/boat/train non-JR) between the Kawaguchiko area and Hakone. For example, take a bus down to Lake Ashi, boat across to Moto Hakone and then bus to Odawara for the shinkansen to Kyoto.

Pika

Thank you, W9London and mrwunrfl. I'll re-look Hakone - that may be an easier option. Any suggestions on a reasonably good place with maybe an onsen (never tried)?
We are now also very interested in Shirakawago so yes, I'm now very certain the JR pass will save us money.