Originally Posted by
freecia
I was thinking of going from Tokyo to Nikko, stopping for a night, then heading up towards Lake Towada/Hakkoda to Hachinohe before making my way back towards Tokyo. Currently thinking of routing back to Tokyo in a Z like pattern from Hachinohe to Sendai and Niigata. Would it be better to skip Nikko/Kinugawa Onsen on the way up as the
traffic to Kegon Falls vs another two hours on the shinkansen/plane and I could be in Aomori or Hokkaido? I don't actually need to "start" from Tokyo but most the flights arrive in the afternoon, so it might be more relaxing to overnight.
The exchange rate is pretty good so am happy to optimize destinations, route, and somewhat lesser crowds over regional train/highway toll passes. I'll probably be mixing trains, one-way car rentals (possibly returning 2-3 prefectures away), and possibly a few flights/ferries since I'd like to finally visit Oma while visiting in tuna season (and errr, before Pacific bluefin tuna gets ethically/environmentally iffier) and driving/training down the Sanriku Coast. I tend to travel more like a domestic tourist and head to small towns/onsens/inaka.
Oku-Nikko/Lake Chuzenji is delightful in the fall and you can avoid the worst of the traffic by going on weekdays, heading uphill in the afternoon, (staying overnight/s), getting up early for sightseeing, and returning downhill just after lunch. Don't be one of those people who take a 9am train out of Tokyo and then try to go up Irohazaka, that is just asking to spend the day stuck in traffic. If this sounds like a horrible schedule on vacation then skip.
I also think the Nikko -> Aizu-Wakamatsu train is one of the top foliage scenery rides in Japan, and there's plenty of foliagey stuff to do around Aizu/Urabandai.