Is two weeks enough time to properly visit Japan?
A lot of people only have around that long for a trip, and it’s enough to see a good number of excellent places. If you’re asking enough to see the whole country, then not by a long shot. It would take years for that.
Most first-timers split their time between Tokyo (the modern heart and capital of Japan), and Kyoto + Nara (the traditional soul of the country). Many guidebooks in fact devote around 80% of their content to just that, as if the rest of the country almost doesn’t exist. It would be a terrible mistake to conclude that’s all there is, and you should make your itinerary according to what you are interested in, not just what a lot of other people have done.
What time of year also matters a lot - spring and autumn are by far the best seasons. Summer can be excruciatingly muggy and sticky in the southern half of the country.
For most people, 3–4 days in Tokyo are quite enough, unless you have a long list of places you are specifically interested in. After that, one of the best things you can do in Tokyo is get out if it - there are many excellent day trips you can take, such as Kusatsu, Hakone, Izu, Karuizawa, Kamamura/Enoshima, the Fuji 5 Lakes, Takao, Okutama, the Boso Peninsula, Yokohama, the Ushiku Great Buddha, Minakami, Showa Kinen Park, and more. Unless you already have some other rail pass, a Tokyo Wide Pass or Greater Tokyo Pass can save you some good money.
For the rest of your time, the whole country is really wide open to you. You can fly to many great places dirt cheap on low cost carriers like Jet Star, Peach, or use ANA’s Experience Japan Fare.
Even if you want to “play it safe” and just follow the crowd, it would be well worth breaking out on your own some. Take a day trip, or better yet an overnight at some places on the way or not too far away.
