Hi

Thanks for all the advice so far.
Definitely a lot to do in Kyoto ( probably easy to try to do too much) even before considering Nara and Himeji etc
Have not definitely decided on 3 nights Kyoto/ 1 night in Conrad Osaka ( but have booked the Conrad and can cancel at t-24)

Shimabara looks interesting , thanks Nagasaki Joe. ( and will keep an eye out for the tall ships festival- a quick google search was not coming up with exact dates earlier today

Spent 2 full days in Nagasaki last May and saw the major sites although it was a bit rushed at times and did not get into the western style houses around dutch slope and the dejima area ( but did like the seaside park) or the Oura church ( arrived at the same time as lots of cruise ship pax so just went into the Glover garden)
I am planning on coming back to Osaka in May 2025 ( for the Expo ) so would plan on visiting Osaka/Kyoto and Nara in more detail then.

Regards

TBS