Hi,
I'm thinking about this itinerary. Is it worth buying the JR pass? Should I add/drop anything?
Keep in mind that this is my second trip. I have
Day 1 Tokyo: parasite museum, eat shabu shabu, go to onsen, sleep in capsule
Dag 2: Tsujiki fish market, cooking class, meeting with friend, karaoke, try another capsule
Day 3: daytrip to Ito Island (Iza peninsula), return to Tokyo or travel on to Nagayoma (can you travel on or do I need to return to Tokyo?)
Day 4: Nagayoma, go to Nagoya (is this possible?)
Day 5: Inuyama, return to Nagoya or travel on to Takayama (is this possible?)
Day 6: travel to Takayama, stay in zenko-ji temple if possible
Day 7: travel to Matsumoto (is this possible, not sure that I want to go there yet), stay there or go to Kyoto (possible?)
Day 8: Kyoto: gion, philosophers path, karaoke!, capsule ryokan
Day 9: Himeji castle, return to Kyoto for Gion matsuri
Then return to home. I still have to figure out where to in/fly out of Japan depending on ticket prices and smart use of the JR pass. Reversing the route (ending in Tokyo and starting in Kyoto) is also an option.
Is there also a sleeper train? How much are the costs (covered by JR pass)? Would this be handy for this trip. It would save me the cost of accomodation.
Thanks for your advice!