thoughts on my itinerary
 

Hi guys, any tips comments will be appreciated.

I will be flying out Monday, arriving Haneda Tuesday 10:25pm
check in hotel
Wednesday - explore Tokyo
Thursday - explore Tokyo
Friday - train to Kyoto, explore Kyoto
Saturday - Hiroshima, Miyajima (important question here, should these places be avoided on Saturday?)
Sunday - Nara and whatever else (will anything be closed on Sunday? will I have problems taking the train back to Kyoto?)
Monday - hang out in Kyoto and spending the night at a Ryokan
Tuesday - take train back to Tokyo
Wednesday - Hakone day trip I think
Thursday - tbd if I can do another day trip with 7 day JR pass
Friday - Tokyo or whatever
Saturday - Tokyo or whatever
Sunday - check in out

thank you all in advance

also I read Tsukiji is closed on Wednesday is that true?

thank you

Your itinerary seems to be bit all over the place with a lot of back and forth.

I don't know where your interests lie, but unless you're completely uninterested in traditional Japan, you're not spending enough time in Kyoto, and geographically, running off to Hiroshima and Miyajima for a day and then coming back to Nara doesn't make sense. Kyoto and Nara are only half an hour apart by train.

You can also hit Hakone on the way back to Tokyo. Just be sure to take a Shinkansen that stops at Odawara (it will be a Kodama type), which is the gateway to Hakone.

I think that on the whole, you need a little more work with the maps and guidebooks.

Actually ...

Are you planning to stay in Kyoto and do Hiroshima/Miyajima as a day trip? Same with Nara?

If staying in Kyoto the whole time, I don't see a problem with this itin. If staying a night or so in Hiroshima (recommended,) I'd suggest just running all the way down there from Tokyo, seeing what you want there and THEN heading to Kyoto/Nara. I really recommend 3 days for these - 2 for Kyoto and 1 for Nara.

I think I'd go at this a bit differently. I'd do Tokyo and Hakone up front and activate the Rail Pass for the last 7 days of the trip. Use it to run down to Hiroshima for a couple of days, then back to Kyoto for the rest of your stay. The 7th day, I'd use the Pass to run all the way back to Tokyo and on to HND for departure. No point in doing 2 separate stays in Tokyo. Of course, if your departing flight is TOO early, you'd need one last night near the airport but no point in getting there too early the night before. YMMV.

Trains run 7 days/week. Most tourist sites like Nara are fine on Sunday. The only problem there is that it is a day off for Japanese and sites can get a little crowded.

I am staying 4 nights in Kyoto.

Hiroshima and Nara are day trips from Kyoto. I am not staying over night in Hiroshima and Nara.

In that case, I'd just go early from Tokyo to Kyoto so you have 1-1/2 days for the city and 2 days for your day trips.

It is kind of a long haul down to Hiroshima so again, leave early if you want to have time for both Hiroshima AND Miyajima. The Rail Pass is good for the train from Hiroshima Station to Miyajima-guchi where you catch the ferry. It also covers one of the two ferry choices to Miyajima.

For such a short trip, the only thing you'll really have time to see in Hiroshima is the Peace Park. The tram from the Station to the nearest stop near the Park is 150 yen. Pay as you exit the tram. It will probably be easier to go directly from Hiroshima Station to Miyajima-guchi as soon as you arrive and save the Peace Park for the afternoon when you return but again YMMV.

The Tourist Information Center just outside Hiroshima Station has some pretty good maps in English but basically, you'll just take tram #1 and get off at the Fukuro-machi stop, walk another half-block in the same direction to the huge NHK building, turn right and walk across the bridge to the Peace Park. Return the same way but catch the same tram on the other side of the street going back to the station.

If you want to take that extra day you are playing with and add it to Kyoto, you could also take a day trip to Hikone on Lake Biwa to see an original feudal-era castle. The castle in Hiroshima is a reproduction and the famous castle at Himeji is currently covered in construction tarps. You can't even see the castle from the train as you go by any more.

Resist the temptation to feel like you need to "see it all." You can always go back(In fact, I bet you will ;-) ). My best travel experiences have been when I spend at least 3-4 good days in a city like Kyoto(or Tokyo). It gives you time to get your bearings and really appreciate what you are seeing.

Hiroshima/Miyajima day trips from Kyoto will feel hectic, to say the least. You might get away with just Hiroshima from Kyoto for a day.

My suggestion would be to drop the Hakone day trip from your Tokyo itin. To be honest I didn't find it that enjoyable.
A rough outline could look something like this:

arrive
Tokyo x 2 days
kyoto x 4 days(1 day for nara)
hiroshima/miyajima x 2 days
tokyo x 3 days
go home

This way you aren't having to go back and forth over long distances for day trips. My personal experience is that its always great to end the trip back in Tokyo.

Just my opinion. It takes a little time to get out to Miyajima. Consider spending a night on the island!

I like gates_2's suggestions, and if you want a bit more of a look at rural Japan, a day trip to Nikko is an option.

I've been to Hiroshima, and in fact, I'm going again for a conference at the end of this month. However, unless you are very interested in the atomic bombing, there's not much else there for the first-time visitor, other than Miyajima. This is especially true since the castle at Himeji, otherwise a great midtrip stopover, is being repaired and is reportedly covered over during the process.

In fact, if you travel mostly on the Shinkansen, you'll be in cities and suburbs for most of your trip, because that coastal strip is where most of Japan's population is concentrated.

For a short trip, I'd recommend two bases: Tokyo and Kyoto, with day trips from each. Each city has enough to keep you busy even without day trips.

Guidebooks are available for both cities from several publishers, and the guidebooks include suggestions for day trips.