We are travelling to Japan in April. We are coming to visit our daughter who is teaching there and we will be there during Golden Week as she has that time off. I understand that many of the Shinkansen trains may get booked up during this time. We are also travelling with our in-laws (in their late 70's) and our other daughter so there will be 6 of us travelling together. Our Itinerary is as follows:
Arriving Tokyo April 26, staying 4 nights. We want to travel around the city exploring the sights on our own, and may book a 1/2 day tour.
We depart for Hakone/Mt Fuji (staying 1 night) on a tour so our bus is included but we are wasting the bullet train back to Tokyo as we are then heading to Kyoto May 1.
We want to take the bullet train to Kyoto, and we are staying there 4 nights with a 1 day tour of Kyoto w/ Nara included.
We want to visit Hiroshima but the tours are not running during Golden Week so we may opt to go on our own.
We then head back to Narita Airport to send off the in-laws and our daughter and will then stay the last 3 days alone with our daughter in her little town of Okegawa with some day sightseeing tours on our own with her.
I am still not clear if the pass is good for the local travel within Tokyo and in Kyoto and the only long train trips we are taking is to Kyoto and back to the airport. If Hiroshima and the adjacent island are included will that help to make it worth our while? Thanks for any help and suggestions you can give!!