I'm afraid I don't have the time to read the whole of the Kiso Valley Area thread right now but think Day 6 of your itinerary is over ambitious. Remember that early March is still winter season in Kiso and especially in the Japan Alps area.
Let's assume you leave Kyoto by Shinkansen in the morning. Since Japan Rail Pass does not allow you to travel on "Nozomi" trains you have the following options:
Kyoto Nagoya
7:22 - 8:11 (Hikari 362)
8:00 - 8:57 (Hikari 402)
8:35 - 9:11 (Hikari 404)
9:00 - 9:57 (Hikari 364)
Nagoya Nakatsugawa
8:28 - 9:24 (Shinano 81)
9:00 - 9:47 (Wideview Shinano 5)
9:36 - 10:38 (Wideview Shinano 83)
10:00 - 10:47 (Wideview Shinano 7)
10:36 - 11:35 (Wideview Shinano 85)
Nakatsugawa Sta. Magome (bus)
9:40 - 10:08
10:20 - 10:48
11:10 - 11:38
11:50 - 12:18
So by leaving Kyoto in the morning you can reach Magome in time for lunch. Once you leave Magome there's nowhere you can stop to have lunch so it's advisable to have lunch in Magome.
I did this walk in November 2005, coincidentally about the time when the Kiso Valley thread was being written. Im sure you can find out elsewhere about the actual walk from Magome to Tsumago (highly recommended by the way) so I'll just mention a couple of things I've found on the net.
Luggage transport service between Magome Tsumago does not operate until 21 March and even then only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays until the summer season.
Buses from Magome to Tsumago (just in case) then to Nagiso Sta.
Magome - Magome Pass - Oo-tsumago - Tsumago - Nagiso Sta
10:55 - 11:06 - 11:16 - 11:21 - 11:30
13:00 - 13:11 - 13:21 - 13:26 - 13:35
15:00 - 15:11 - 15:21 - 15:26 - 15:35
Tsumago - Nagiso Sta.
15:47 - 15:56
I can't remember exactly how long it took us to walk from Magome to Tsumago, but ours was a leisurely walk we had lunch in Magome and were staying the night in Tsumago. If I go again (which I hope to) I'll stay in Oo-Tsumago which is a small hamlet about 1.5km from Tsumago itself. Some photos here.
http://images.google.co.jp/images?hl...-8&sa=N&tab=wi
But I dont know how adventurous the OP and family might be to stay at a place like Oo-Tumago. Sorry, I am getting side-tracked.
Nagiso - Matsumoto
15:58 - 16:59 (Wideview Shinano 17)
17:02 - 18:56 (need to change at Shioziri)
18:25 - 20:28 (need to change at Shioziri)
So it's technically possible to do it all in one day even if you actually walk Magome Tsumago and possibly to Nagiso Station, but I wouldn't recommend it especially with young children. It's almost criminal not to stay the night in the Tsumago area if you are going that far. Tsumago itself has a lot to see and worth spending a morning at least.
Shirahone Onsen: You've obviously checked the bus timetable but did you know these buses run in the winter season because private cars are banned from the area? The live webcam of Shirahone Onsen may show you why.
http://www.m-azumi.jp/live/live03.html
The following timetables are valid from 16 Nov 07 to 23 Apr 08.
Matsumoto - Shin-shimashima (love the name!)
7:16 - 7:50 (train)
13:40 - 14:10 (bus)
14:50 - 15:20 (train)
Shin-shimashima - Shirahone Onsen (bus)
8:00 - 9:25
14:10 - 15:35
15:25 - 16:39
Shirahone Onsen - Shin-shimashima
10:00 - 11:25 (direct bus to Matsumoto arriving at 11:55)
15:45 - 17:09 (bus)
Shin-shimashima - Matsumoto
17:28 17:57 (train)
If you arrive at Shirahone Onsen at 16:39 and leave at 10:00 you'll hardly have time to see the wonderful scenery. If you take the afternoon bus to Shin-shimashima and train to Matsumoto, you can catch Super Azusa at 18:35 and arrive at Shinjuku by 21:05.
I agree with LapLap that Magome-Tsumago and also Shirahone could be the highlight of the holiday but I must say the schedule seems too busy. I would spend less time in Tokyo and possibly cut out Nikko in order to spend more time in Kiso.
All timetables are based on what's available on the Internet now, though they could change. I'll check for any transcription error later
