best itinerary order

Hi there,

I like your itinerary a lot, there's ton's of variety in there and many famous highlights of Japan.

To answer your questions.
Is there too much traveling? This is a personal matter, I would have no problem sitting this amount of hours in the train but others may say it is too much for them. Just bring a good book or a Pocket WiFi to keep yourself entertained.

Would there be a better order to do it in to make the best use of a rail pass and faster rail journeys please? As the route stands, it already makes the most sense. There is no back tracking for instance.

Is best plan a 14 day pass or could we do 7 day plus hakone? would hakone pass get us back to tokyo? I don't know how many days you wish to spend in each city but I would definitely use a 14 day JR Pass. You will want to have some time to look around, not just spend it traveling :) There are different Hakone passes available, some include travel to Shinjuku. Ask at point of purchase to find the one that suits your plan best.

Kind regards,
Daniel