LAX_Esq

Hmm... Is this what you have in mind... instead of this:

Day 3: Tokyo to Takayama (4-5 hrs); Takayama afternoon (walk around old town); o/n Takayama

Day 4: Takayama to Shirakawago (1 hr); visit Shirakawago (lookout; walk around village); Shirakawago to Kanazawa (1.25 hr); o/n Kanazawa

Day 5: Kanazawa full day (Higashi Chaya-gai geisha district & teahouses, Omicho Market, Kenrokuen gardens, Kanazawa castle); o/n Kanazawa

Day 6: Kanazawa to Kyoto (2.5 hrs); Kyoto afternoon; o/n Kyoto

To do this:

Day 3: Tokyo to Kanazawa (2.5 hrs); Kanazawa afternoon (Kenrokuen gardens, Kanazawa castle); o/n Kanazawa

Day 4: Kanazawa morning (Higashi Chaya-gai geisha district & teahouses, Omicho Market) half-day trip from Kanazawa to Shirakawago (lookout; walk around village) (1.5 hr each way); o/n Kanazawa

Day 5: Kanazawa to Takayama (2.5 hrs); visit Takayama (walk around Sanmachi Suji old town); Takayama to Kyoto (4.5 hrs); o/n Kyoto

Day 6: Full day Kyoto; o/n Kyoto

majortom421

Yes, except I visited Shirakawago from Takayama (half-day van tour with a few other people) and spent two nights in Takayama.

LAX_Esq

Does that make Kanazawa AND Takayama rushed, and a long day of trains on Day 5? Essentially we'd be cutting out an entire day and compressing all this stuff down...

Agneisse

I am uncertain how a day is supposed to have been cut out since you are still leaving Tokyo on Day 3 and arriving in Kyoto on Day 6, same as in Post #1.

More generally keep in mind that November daylight is ~6a-5p so getting an early start is key to maximizing sightseeing time. People who like long leisurely breakfasts and lunches will naturally cover less ground than people who prefer to get up early and have dinner as their more extended meal.

As for the trains on Day 5, in early November the Toyama -> Takayama -> Nagoya train route is very scenic and quite worth taking in its own right.

Gradfly

I've done a similar itinerary in the past (winter of '15-16) but in reverse. A few of my thoughts that might be applicable:

• Pre-pandemic, I heard Shirakawa-go got very packed. No idea how it is now. It was on my list but ended up not going since the buses from Kanazawa were booked up for the day and the next. At the time, there wasn't a way to reserve seats ahead of time, I had to go to the ticket office. An alternative would be the Hida Folk Village in Takayama. This was my plan B and it turned out great. Crowding wasn't an issue and they did a good job with the exhibit explanations.
• If you can, see the Peace Museum first when you get to Hiroshima. The subject matter can get overwhelming/intense, I would not recommend ending your day like that.
• For off-the-beaten path, two places from my trip come into mind, Natadera/Kaga Onsen and Kunisaki peninsula. My TR if you want to take a look: 3 week winter vacation

railways

I have just spent a few days in Fukuoka. Last time I was there (December last year), I went to Dazaifu, and found it overrated, frankly.

This time I made the short trip to Nanzoin shrine. This is generally advertised as having the giant reclining Buddha - which is impressive - but I found the adjacent hillside with loads of nooks and crannies and mini-shrines just as interesting. I'm certainly not one to overdose on shrines and temples, but I really enjoyed this little side-trip. It's not a huge site - you won't need much more than an hour there - and it's only half-an-hour or so by train from Hakata, with trains roughly every 20 minutes, so it could easily (partly) fill one of your Fukuoka half-days.

LAX_Esq

So.... we're now totally not into the Takayama-Shirakawago-Kanazawa swing, and wife wants to cut down the overall number of days and isn't into the long day trips from Fukuoka to Nagasaki and Kagoshima. We've now significantly tightened the trip up to what seems to me to be a very standard and basic 1st time Japan trip except with the Fukuoka sumo at the end.

What are your thoughts on this itinerary: (Biggest problem to me is Days 4, 5 & 6 are Fri-Sun and the idea of being in Kyoto on the weekend is far from ideal, and I'm not sure how anything can be moved around to avoid that.)

Day 0: early evening arrival in HND; o/n Tokyo

Day 1: Tokyo Full Day #1; o/n Tokyo

Day 2: Tokyo Full Day #2; o/n Tokyo

Day 3: Tokyo most of the day day; Tokyo to Kyoto (2h40m) late aft / early eve; o/n Kyoto

Day 4: Kyoto Full Day #1; o/n Kyoto

Day 5: Kyoto Full Day #2; o/n Kyoto

Day 6: Kyoto Full Day #3 (day trip to Nara & Osaka?); o/n Kyoto

Day 7: Kyoto to Himeji (1 hr); visit Himeji Castle; Himeji to Hiroshima (1 hr); Hiroshima afternoon (Peace museum, park, A-bomb dome); o/n Hiroshima

Day 8: Miyajima day trip from Hiroshima; o/n Hiroshima

Day 9: Hiroshima to Fukuoka (1.5 hr); Fukuoka sumo tournament in afternoon; o/n Fukuoka

Day 10: 10am flight from FUK

nishimark

Just a small suggestion. On Day 6, how about overnight in Osaka? Saves you having to backtrack to Kyoto, plus closer to Himeji/Hiroshima the next day. It means checking in and out one more time. If doing this, then I'd recommend transfer your luggage from Kyoto to Hiroshima, and just carry light bags for Nara/Osaka day and next day as well.

LAX_Esq

Hmm... interesting. Definitely pros and cons. How much closer is Osaka-Himeji than Kyoto-Himeji -- we're talking 30 mins vs 1 hr?

BTW, any thoughts on the avoiding Kyoto weekend? I don't see what can be done.

doctoravios

You may not want to double back but you could shift Kyoto to the end and stay at the Crowne Plaza Kobe (adjacent to Shin-Kobe) and visit Himeji/Hiroshima during the weekend. But I have a feeling they would be similarly busy at a weekend so I'm not sure if there is much to be gained. Although still worth considering Shin-Kobe for the night before you depart for Himeji/Hiroshima (day 6).

HnDsolo

We also would rather not deal with hoards of tourist crowds and would want to avoid that as much as possible (I realize it's going to be hard at the popular temples in Kyoto like Kinkakuji.) Also, we don't like fake touristy / over-commercialized stuff that's been ruined by mass tourism (e.g., I've heard Kanazawa might be there already).

I enter this discussion very late...

But just a few remarks, going back to the original post:

True that OP has been forced to reduce the length of his stay, but he has ended up with THE SANCTIONED itinerary, pretty much any first visitor to Japan would choose (with the exception of Fukuoka, perhaps). Expect fake touristy /over-commercialized stuff. And tourist crowds. Tons of them. Specially in Kyoto, during falling leaves season. You are warned...

Tokyo and (at some point) Kyoto are big enough to offer some respite from 'fake touristy', but if you follow the tourist guides/trip advisors recommendations you will be in the thick of it.

More funky and adventurous would be to explore Matsumoto and the Nakasendo and Ise/Kii or Seki/Shiga/Omi, when moving from Tokyo to Kyoto (not that tourists are unheard of in these areas, though).

Even wilder would be to consider crossing over (and getting lost) in Shikoku, when moving from the Kansai region to Fukuoka (ferry boats connect Yawatahama in Ehime with Beppu in Oita). In here, you would be assured to encounter Japan in a raw state.
(You can easily reach Hiroshima from Matsuyama by boat too).

LAX_Esq

Ugh this is my fear. Kyoto will certainly be bad. Tokyo should be fine, right? Tokyo is so urban that I don't see how anything can really be that touristy. Are Himeji and Hiroshima and Miyajima flooded with crowds like Kyoto?

The _Banking_Scot

Hi

I was in hiroshima and miyajjma during golden week

Whilst the atomic bomb museum got queues as the week progressed and the hilton was busy it was nig too bad.
miyajima got busier as the day progressed ( esp in the )shopping street but quite manageable ( no queues for the ferry for example.
I would have thought that kyoto woukd be busier than miyajjma and hiroshima

Regards

Tbs