Originally Posted by broston

I used a 21-day Japan Rail Pass that I purchased in NYC prior to my trip. I validated it in Osaka the first time I used it. The pass took me (free of additional charges) from Osaka to Hiroshima-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe-Kyoto-Kanazawa-Tokyo-Nikko and back to Tokyo. As I recall, the pass was about $450 and worth every penny. It gave me complete flexibility for spur-of-the-moment travel and included a lot of local travel. I am a fervent museum goer but the only museums I recall were in Hiroshima and Tokyo, neither of which had any lines. The remainder of the trip was filled with temples, palaces, shrines, bamboo gardens, kabuki theater and even sumo wrestling.