Opinion on 3 week itinerary

Hello, I will be going to Japan on 18/09/11 for 3 weeks and want to check if my itinerary is do able, or would I be better off doing it in a different order. I will be getting a 2 week JR pass.

I want to visit Fuji 5 lakes, but according to goole maps I can't get there from Hakone without going via Tokyo, which seems strange and takes 4 hours.

Any advice is much appreciated.

18/09/2011 tokyo
19/09/2011 tokyo
20/09/2011 tokyo
21/09/2011 yokohama
22/09/2011 kamakura
23/09/2011 hakone
24/09/2011 takayama
25/09/2011 kanazawar
26/09/2011 kyoto
27/09/2011 kyoto
28/09/2011 kyoto
29/09/2011 nara
30/09/2011 mount koya
01/10/2011 osaka
02/10/2011 hiroshima
03/10/2011 tokyo
04/10/2011 nikko
05/10/2011 tokyo
06/10/2011 tokyo
07/10/2011 tokyo
08/10/2011 depart

The period between 9/23 and 9/25 seems problematic to me. Note that it takes half a day (5-6 hours) to travel from Hakone to Takayama, leaving you with only little time for sightseeing in Takayama on the 24th (or in Hakone on the 23rd). By the way, I also suggest to visit Hakone on a regular weekday instead of a holiday to reduce the crowds (September 19 and 23 are national holidays).

Time allocated for Kanazawa is also somewhat limited. But if you like a fast pace, it is good enough.

As for Mount Koya, I strongly recommend to stay overnight instead of visiting in a day trip.

I want to visit Fuji 5 lakes, but according to goole maps I can't get there from Hakone without going via Tokyo, which seems strange and takes 4 hours.

The following page explains how to travel directly between the two places:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html?aFROM=5200_6900

What is your plan for Tokyo? You seem to be spending a lot of time there. I would suggest cutting out 1 day from Tokyo and use it in Kanazawa instead.

Thanks to Uji and Taiakan for taking the the time to answer me, I really appreciate it.

I am a very relaxed person and do not want the pace to be too quick, but I do want to see as much as I can.

here is a revised itinerary

18/09/2011 tokyo
19/09/2011 tokyo
20/09/2011 yokohama day trip
21/09/2011 kamakura day trip
22/09/2011 hakone overnight
23/09/2011 fuji 5 lakes over night
24/09/2011 takayama overnight
25/09/2011 takayama am kanzawa pm
26/09/2011 kanazawar overnight
27/09/2011 kanazawar am pm kyoto
28/09/2011 kyoto
29/09/2011 kyoto
30/09/2011 kyoto
01/10/2011 mt koya overnight
02/10/2011 mt koya am nara pm
03/10/2011 nara to hiroshima, leave suitcase
at station, pm hiroshima to tokyo
04/10/2011 tokyo
05/10/2011 nikko
06/10/2011 tokyo
07/10/2011 tokyo
08/10/2011 depart

Is it ok to check out of a hotel and leave luggage there until say 6pm?

Are there any places you would reccommend staying longer, or any places not on my list that I should visit

I have quite a few days in Tokyo because I only have a 2 week JR pass, but I could activate it a couple of days later and just pay for my first two day trips.

Really appreciate any input.

Is it ok to check out of a hotel and leave luggage there until say 6pm?

Depends on the hotel. Have a look at the websites of the hotels you are staying at (or research some which you might want to stay at if you haven't already decided) and see if they mention anything about leaving luggage before check in/after check out.

Are there any places you would reccommend staying longer, or any places not on my list that I should visit

There are a lot more places I would recommend, but I think what you have is more than enough. Just as a preference I would've stayed at Fuji 5 lakes one day longer.

I have quite a few days in Tokyo because I only have a 2 week JR pass, but I could activate it a couple of days later and just pay for my first two day trips.

This is a good idea to reduce the travel speed. Yokohama and Kamakura are both relatively cheap to go to from Tokyo so you can delay using the JR pass until the day to go to Hikone.

Just noticed your trip starts next week. Hope you have heaps of fun! :D

The new itinerary looks better, but I would think the transition from Koya to Nara to Hiroshima is a bit rushed.

Especially since near Hiroshima is Miyajima island (the ferry to it is covered by JR pass), which deserves half a day itself.

I think the place you can free up time is by arranging Hakone and Fuji Five lakes off the JR pass. The reason I'm saying this is that though the places are expensive to get to, the JR pass doesn't offer you great savings in transport.

For example, here's a budget by using the JR pass:

You get to Odawara from Tokyo: free.
From Odawara you can purchase a Hakone free pass for 2 days: 3900 Y

This takes you around the Hakone loop and gets you to Gotemba the next day.

As Uji mentioned, you then catch a bus to say Kawaguchiko: 1470 Y

From Kawaguchiko to Otsuki by train: 1100 Y (Fujikyu private line to Otsuki)

Otsuki to Tokyo: free

Total: 6470 Y (and the connections are more complicated)

If you did this off JR pass:

From Shinjuku to Hakone via Hakone Free pass: 5000 Y (for 2 days)

Bus from Gotemba to Kawaguchi ko: 1470 Y

Bus from Kawaguchiko to Tokyo: 1700 Y

Total: 8170

You can check the URLs here for the passes and access:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html?aFROM=5200_6900

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html

Basically for 1700 Y more, you can use those two days you have allocated on the JR pass to free up some time in western Japan so you have a better time, and also include Nikko at the end of the trip, which is an expensive day trip that would otherwise be entirely covered by JR pass. And for your last day you can use the Narita express (assuming your times work out), which is a comfortable and quick way to get to the airport from central Tokyo.

I might suggest a revised schedule like this:

18/09/2011 Tokyo
19/09/2011 Tokyo
20/09/2011 Yokohama day trip
21/09/2011 Kamakura day trip
22/09/2011 Hakone overnight (Hakone free pass)
23/09/2011 Fuji 5 lakes over night
24/09/2011 Fuji 5 lakes to Tokyo (bus)
25/09/2011 Tokyo to Takayama (Day 1 of JR pass)
26/09/2011 Takayama to Kanazawa noon-ish
27/09/2011 Kanazawa all day; pm train to kyoto
28/09/2011 kyoto
29/09/2011 kyoto
30/09/2011 kyoto
01/10/2011 mt koya overnight
02/10/2011 mt koya Am to Nara pm
03/10/2011 nara AM; then to hiroshima
04/10/2011 Hiroshima and Miyajima
05/10/2011 Hiroshima to Tokyo
06/10/2011 Nikko
07/10/2011 tokyo
08/10/2011 depart (use JR pass last day to get to Airport via Narita express)

Finally, as for hotels, it's perfectly fine to leave luggage there and pick it up later that day. Most places either have a dedicated luggage room or will bung it in their office (i.e. if it's a minshuku or small ryokan).

Good travels.

mike

From Mike's comment, I think you should buy "Fuji Hakone Pass" (Valid for 3 days) at 7,200 Yen...

So it's covered for all the trips as follows;
22/09/2011 Hakone overnight (Odakyu Railway)
23/09/2011 Fuji 5 lakes over night
24/09/2011 Fuji 5 lakes to Tokyo (Highway Bus)

P.S. If you buy "Hakone Free Pass" for 5,000 Yen, you have to buy the separated tickets when you visit Fuji 5 lakes (1,470 Yen) and the bus return to Tokyo (1,700 Yen)... Total costs = 8,170 Yen...