Originally Posted by
naeglerian
I was looking for advice for an upcoming trip to Japan this October. I will be spending a week in Kansai (Kyoto, Nara, Osaka) playing tour guide to my parents, for better or worse. I will then have a week on my own, and am torn between heading back down the Sanyo coast, perhaps stopping by Tomonoura and Onomichi, then up to Matsue and Izumo, or visiting some combination of Kanazawa, the Kiso Valley, and Matsumoto. I have visited Hiroshima and Miyajima already in the past.
If you've never been to Kanazawa, then I would definitely choose it above Matsue/Izumo. In late October the leaves should be beginning to turn and the atmosphere will be great. You could also hop up to one of the many onsen villages on the Noto Peninsula (such as Wakura Onsen) for a relaxing stay at a ryokan.