Ok, I altered my trip so that I have more time in Japan. I'm no longer cutting it short by going to Korea anymore. Will be buying a 7-day Japan Rail Pass exchange order soon.

I already used 5000 UA miles for a HND -> NGS. I'm not going to muck around paying fees to change it/get points back.

I'm still trying to figure out where I should actually book hotel rooms along the way, besides Nagasaki, Nagoya and Tokyo because I'm unsure what to visit and for how long.

I could partially wing it and walk in or book stuff via my laptop along the way, provided I can get wi-fi or wired Ethernet access, but that could be stressful and take away from sightseeing time.

Schedule and time constraints are like these:
Oct 28 - arrive at NGS at 1 pm, but will likely be jet-lagged, sightseeing might be tough
Oct 29 - Battleship Island tour at 1 pm

??? (where I'd like advice)

Nov 3 and 4: be in Nagoya, for 2 or 3 of these, probably,
http://museum.jr-central.co.jp/en/
http://www.toyota.co.jp/Museum/english/
http://www.tcmit.org/english/

Leave Nagoya the evening of the 4th.

Nov 5 and 6: Tokyo Motor Show, want to be there when it opens in the morning. I do not want to be at TMS on a weekend (7th and 8th), as I fear it'll be too crowded.

I guess I'm skipping Matsumoto Castle. Still considering these on the way to Nagoya/Tokyo (but unsure how long I should spend at these & Nagasaki):
- Kumamoto Castle (skip?)
- Fukuoka
- Miyajima
- Himeji Castle
- Kawasaki Good Times World in Kobe - concerned this might geared too much for kids (I'm going solo and have no kids.)

I can skip Hiroshima as I've already been to Peace Memorial Park and Museum.