Travel plan help
 

Hi guys, first real post but I'm planning a trip to Japan. May 7th to 17th. I've made up a rough list of things to do and such. Just wondering if there is anything else that is a must see on my way, and if my timetable will work. Also trying to find out costs. I'm hoping to keep the trip under $3000 CDN.

Cheapest flight I found was for $1108 CDN from Edmonton Alberta to Osaka

I plan to get a 7 day JR pass as I think it's the cheapest way to get everywhere i need to go. Feel free to throw any suggestions out there for me. I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to Japan.

Fri 7th - Osaka
- Land in Osaka @ 2:30 pm
- ???

Sat 8th - Osaka morning, Koya mountain evening
- Shitennoji temple
- Sumiyoshi Taisha
- JR to Koya temples
- 2 day Koya Bus pass

Sun 9th - Kinosaki
- JR to Kinosaki
- ????

Mon 10 - Kyoto
- JR to Kyoto
- Arashiyama and Sagano
- Kiyomizudera Temple
- Gion District

Tue 11 - Shima peninsula
- JR to Shima Peninsula
- Edo Wonderland
- Inner Shrine/Town
- Outer Shrine
- 2 day bus pass for Shima Peninsula

Wed 12 - Shima morning, Tokyo night
- Inner/Outer Shrine again
- JR to Tokyo

Thur 13 - Izu peninsula
- JR to Izu Peninsula
- Rent car
- White sand beach
- 7 waterfall walk
- Black ship
- Hot springs

Fri 14 - Tokyo
- JR to Tokyo
- Any suggestions?

Sat 15 - Tokyo
- Suggestions?

Sun 16 - Tokyo
- Electric district
- COSPLAY!!!!

Day 10 Mon 17
- Shop till I drop
- Narita airport 330pm back to Canada

You are going to be in Tokyo in January? I think you can see Sumo in January. What kind of stuff do you like to do? I was in Tokyo only for 2 weeks and I wanted to stay much longer. Do you like shopping for otaku stuff? I thought Nakano Broadway was cool and Shibuya. I think you have Harajuku covered with "COSPLAY!!!!" and dip into some bars in Shinjuku. That is if they don't hold up the "x" sign with their index fingers. I can't remember what area it was in, but when you are in Kyoto visit the Bamboo forest.

Hi, does the 3000 include flight and accomodation? if not, then i say you can probably travel comfortably....

I would suggest spending sometime in yokohama as well, shopping in tokyo is fun and all, but Yokohama really have EVERYTHING, landmark tower and world porter is the place to shop... maybe you can somehow squeeze that in for the 14th...

3000 includes Flight and Hostels. Or that's the hope anyways...
I'm going with my friend (budget is based on one person). And we both love anime, manga's, little bit o cosplay. Didn't see anything interesting in Yoko, but if it's a good place to shop I can definatly make the trip for a day :D
Mostly the plan is that the first couple days we'll be doing Onsen, Temples and Gardens. Then the last 4 days we'll hit the more 21st century stuff.

Mainly i guess i'm looking for:
- Good hostels in Osaka, Kyoto, Koya mountain, Kinosake, Tokyo.
- Any advice on Tokyo would help, i only really know the Otaku haven and Harajuku.

I went to Japan with a guy who had majored in Eastern Religions with a focus on Buddhism, and after about the 5th Buddhist Temple even he had seen about enough. You are only giving yourself a couple hours for shopping on the last day, so I would change that.

One temple you won't want to miss, however, is the Great Buddha at Nara Park in Nara.

Yeah I think i found a balance. 2 temples of Shinto decent, then a buddhist temple (koya), then a couple japanese gardens. I was debating on nara or not, I'll probably slide that in before going up to Kinosake on the 9th.

I have 4 days in Tokyo, i'm assuming i'll spend time touring around and shopping at the same time, or atleast picking out my favorite stores so i know where they are on the last day.

Just a note: The train from Osaka to Koya-san is not a JR train, it's a Nankai train, so you can't use your JR pass on it. No point in activating the pass until after you get back to Osaka. In fact, it seems like you won't really get much use out of the pass at all... the only day you'll actually save money is the day yo go to Tokyo. You might consider skipping the pass altogether and taking a night train to Tokyo, or some other cheaper method than the bullet train.

yeah i wasn't quite sure on that.
Osaka - Koya
Koya - Nara
Nara - Kinosake
Kinosake - Kyoto
Kyoto - Shima Penninsula
S Pen - Tokyo
In Tokyo 4 days
That's the travel plan now in it's basic form. How much of that is the JR pass needed for? Would it be cheaper to pay as we go or get the pass?

you can calculate your rail travel cost using Hyperdia | 乗り換え案内 路線検索 時刻表 ゴルフ場検索 旅費精算なら

thanks! :)