revised itinerary: 9 days
thank you for many inputs....
arrive: stay in shinjuku
day 1. take shinkansen from tokyo to Hakata, 2 nights. bike hakata or go to sakurajima or nagasaki
day 3. go to Hiroshima, 2 nights. Go to Miyajima & rent bike at JR station, eat oyster udon w/cold sake
day 5: shiga ken Otsu, biwa-ko.
day 6: Kanazawa. 1 night. return via Takayama
day 7. Go to Shizuoka, Tokyo/Shinjuku. 2 nights
Mt Takao on the Keio line
NRT-ORD ...
thanks for tips