21 or 22 days in Japan in 2016

Hello there,

I guess this will be for next year, as it is already the 29th of March. Just got a bit confused there by the dates. The JR Pass will work very well here and you can make great savings, especially with the added in day trips.

The Cherry blossom has started the last couple of years near the end of March in Kyoto and Tokyo, so you may be right in time next year. Of course it is somewhat weather dependent.

Also love the idea of adding in Kanazawa and Takayama. You could travel from Takayama to Kanazawa Shirakawa-go, which is a very picturesque traditional mountain village in the Japanese Alps. Shirakawago is reached by bus and although the bus is not covered by the JR Pass, it is a very worthwhile trip to make.

Also you could spend 1-2 days less in Kyoto/Osaka and stay a night at Naoshima Island. It's Art, Beach, Nature and Freedom all on one small island and well recommended.

All looks great!
Daniel

Thank you a lot for your reply and your help :-) Yes I will travel to Japan with my brother next year and I'm really looking forward to it :-)

You will make the 21 day pass pay off with your plans, although you could further enhance it with a few nice side trips.
Since you are already seeing Tokyo, you can largely skip Osaka during the day. But at night the city comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg, and Abeno Harukas Bldg are wonderful.
There are many nearby sights for you to enjoy, including Nara, Koyasan, Hikone, and Kobe.
Likewise, six days in Tokyo is way more than plenty. Take a few good day trips to Nikko, Kamakura/Enoshima, Hakone or the Fuji 5 Lakes Area.
Lastly if you stay in Japan longer, you won't be able to use the pass to get to/from Narita, but there are cheap buses cheap buses to use for that as well.