My husband and I are planning to visit Japan for the very first time. As we are travelling on a limited budget with the National 14-day JR Pass and we will be in Kyoto & Osaka region for 1 week with itinerary Kyoto - Nara - Hiroshima - Mayajama - Kobe - Osaka, then back to Tokyo - Mt Fuji - Nikko - Chiba for 1 week. We truly need your advice as we find Hyperdia website very confusing and some of the venues for traditional/ local attractions in Kansai area are not even listed in Google search. Can you please help us with transportation advice for the following:
From Kyoto Station to Fushimi Inari?
From Fushimi Inari to Heian Shrine? Is there a direct train? Should we get a taxi from Fushimi station to Heian Shrine since we'll be carrying our luggage? Is taxi fare in Kyoto reasonable?
From Heian Shrine Kyoto to Minuko Station Osaka? Will all the trains be covered by the JR Pass?
Can I use my JR Pass and PASMO Card to travel for the above destinations (No. 1-3)? Or should I buy another IC Card, like ICOCA Card? I will be travelling to these 3 places in 1 week, as our accommodations are close to these 3 places as our baseline, i.e. Fushimi station for 3 days, Heian Shrine for 2 days and Minuko station for 2 days.
Does the city bus in Kyoto allow us to bring on board a medium-sized suitcase (20kg)? If not, is there any Coin Locker to store our luggage in any of the stations of our above destinations? How busy is the Luggage Storage on a Sunday and a Public Holiday? Which main station should I make as a base where I can store my luggage, Kyoto or Shin-Osaka?
Is Sunday and Public Holiday usually a busy/ peaked time for people to take a Shinkansen ride from Kyoto/ Shin-Osaka station? What time would you recommend us to travel and what time to avoid? Is that the same as for rush hours for commuters on weekdays?
Considering I'll be leaving on 3 Nov (Japan's public holiday), what is the best way to return from Minuko Station, Osaka to Minato (Tamachi Station), Tokyo? A bullet train/ Shinkansen? From which main train station? Kyoto or Shin-Osaka?
Thank you so much beforehand.