By the way, my JR Pass runs out 1 day before I leave Tokyo (stupid planning I know) so now need to decide where to stay for the last 2 nights in Tokyo and how to get to Narita.
I think I took the Keisei Narita Access Limited the last time I was staying at Asakusa and it took me around 1 hour but the train was packed full of people for the latter half of the journey.
As you can imagine, not the best idea with 2 large suitcases and a couple of small ones.

Wondering if it's worth it to pay double ad take the Skyliner for the comfort and convenience or are there other alternatives?

Yes did cross my mind but I am not sure about the traffic on a weekday morning between 7am-8am.
I've heard from some people that they were caught in a bad jam and almost missed their flight

As for the subway pass, yes just get a PASMO or SUICA as they are much cost effective.

The cheaper bus version, is it called the Keisei Expressway bus?

Have 2 nights to burn so staying near Narita Airport seems like a waste to me haha!
So troublesome having to fly out from Narita.

Thanks for the link, will check this out

Waliuuu, is a JR Pass worth it with your itinerary? First galnce tells me no but you can check below for a rough estimate:

https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/

Or use Hyperdia to get a more accurate figure.

He mentioned that he is giving Tokyo a miss in his last post, hence my question to him.

Are you doing a round trip from Tokyo back to Tokyo or flying into Tokyo and leaving from Osaka?
If it's the former a 7 day JR Pass might pay off, if the latter it doesn't pay off.

The cheaper alternative is to just use your IC pass (SUICA/PASMO/ICOCA) within those 3 cities itself and buy a one way shinkansen ticket.

17 days is a nice amount of time and I think you can definitely spend some amount of those visiting other areas by smart usage of a 7 days JR pass.
I personally feel that you are short changing Kyoto (especially during autumn) so cut out maybe a day each from Osaka/Tokyo and add that to the Kyoto portion.

I have never been to Hakone but I love Chureito, you can easily spend a couple of days at Fuji 5 Lakes which puts you near the pagoda.
Worthwhile to get up early and go to Chureito in the morning and hike up to catch a glimpse of Fuji on a clear day

富士山 by Eugene Fanyfied, on Flickr

Nara can be accessed from Kyoto or Osaka easily so no fuss there.

Places I recommend as day trips with your JR pass from Osaka:
1. Himeji & Kobe
2. Okayama & Kurashiki

Places I recommend as day trips with your JR pass from Tokyo:
1. Nikko

If you're wanting an onsen experience, go to Kinosaki Onsen and spend a night there. Easily accessible with your JR pass from either Osaka/Kyoto.

As for accomodation areas, stay around the Namba area in Osaka or near the Midosuji subway line.
For Kyoto, stay at Kyoto Station if you're making frequent day trips or stay near the Shijo/Kawaramachi area for easy access to Gion/Higashiyama etc.

Like I said, 17 days is good amount and with a bit of detailed planning, you might even be able to go to Hiroshima & Kanazawa if you're up for it.

This post has been edited by Monya Meow Meow: Jun 6 2019, 10:36 AM

The last Airbnb I stayed at Kawaguchiko last Nov did not require us to produce our passports during check-in. Not sure if it has changed this year or not.

Many foreigners don't even know Malaysia existed before the famous disappearance of MH and the 1MDB case...
I remember back during uni days in Melbourne, this French guy came up to me and asked where I was from.
Told him Malaysia and he never heard of it.
Told him we are just north of Singapore and he went "oh, I thought north of Singapore was Thailand?"

Just think to yourself, "whatever you have, they have it too so no big deal"
I love onsens and have no problems going everyday but that's me haha!

Actually when you enter an onsen, just focus on where you're heading to (the shower, the pool etc) and don't let your eyes dart around.
Once you hit the pools, close your eyes and relax.

I think if you do that, less chances of you spotting a naked person unless someone jumps out in front of you

Probably Yen is getting stronger as the AUD is also getting weaker against it for the past few months

Generally speaking, 24th Oct is too early for koyo in either areas.
You might need to head up to higher elevations for that.

I have both PASMO & ICOCA

If you're only gonna spend time in Kyoto, Osaka & Nara then no pass pays off for you.
Just use your IC card will suffice.

Historic would be Kyoto and maybe Hiroshima?

Yes and thrown in Himeji as well

Yes absolutely!
Get the castle ticket with the Kokoen combo if you're keen, I think your parents should enjoy