A few general things to note:
- When you put more specific itineraries together, note that the sun sets pretty early around that time, so your daytime activities will be more limited. Not that things close earlier, but just be aware.
- As mentioned before, you can stay in Kyoto and visit Nara, Osaka, and Kobe, especially if you are on a rail pass. Nara especially is an easy day trip. If that seems like too much back-and-forth, I'd recommend only changing hotels once max in the region. One exception for #3 :
- You are foodies and I assume you enjoy cultural experiences- I recommend splurging for a high-end ryokan in Kyoto, if only for a night or two.
- If you are ambitious and still on a rail pass, after Hiroshima I'd recommend continuing on south to Fukuoka and/or Nagasaki. I looooved Nagasaki. Kagoshima is really nice as well but may be too ambitious for that timeframe.