Howdy. I need some assistance in locking down my Japan 11 night itinerary. A bit last minute, but I got lazy about planning, despite buying airfare months ago.
Background:
Arrive in KIX 730PM JST on Thurs April 5th
Leave NRT 610PM JST on Mon April 16th
24 year old male, knows no Japanese, travelling alone BUT:
My brother who speaks Japanese is studying abroad in Kyoto, and I can stay with him
My friend who speaks Japanese is living in / taking classes in Yokohama, and I can stay with him, and he's been to Japan a few times so he is familiar with the Tokyo area and whatnot (unfortunately I didn't make the trip when he was on break)
I'm thinking of going straight from the airport to Kyoto and bypassing staying in Osaka.. if I want to I can always day trip there, yeah? Worth it?
Towards the end of the trip, specifically the weekend before I leave, I want to stay with my friend in Yokohama as he won't have classes then. I intend to stay somewhere in the city of Tokyo the few days before that to be in the center of the city.
Day trips to places like Nara (definitely) and Nikko (possibly) are up for consideration. My main question here is whether it'd be worth it to fit in a Hiroshima / Miyajima day trip (overnight maybe?), or just spend more time in the Kyoto/Tokyo areas, with closer day trips etc. Someone also suggested staying in an onsen one night, which could be fun.
I've laid out some general timing in here, so it's easier to see:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...3c3SHhKN1VjNXc
I don't love hectic travelling around, but with the fast trains and the amount of time I have, just wanted to figure this all out and make sure I see cool things, as I don't know when the next time I'd be in Japan would be.
Thoughts? Also, I'm thinking that basically, if I go to Hiroshima, I would need a JR pass, and if I don't I wouldn't?