Change my Itinerary?
 

Hi again, I'm finally getting enthusiastic about our booked trip to Japan in the autumn so please forgive me: I'm beginning to wonder if I should include Hiroshima/ Miyajima (below) on this trip, is it a must see (I would take in the Himeji Castle)?

Matsumoto (to see the castle and the art gallery) - but may only spend a bit of a day there and then carry on to Takayama)
Takayama - 2 nights
Kanazawa - 3 nights
Nara - 1 night
Kyoto - 5 nights
Mount Koya - 1 night
Osaka - 1 night
Hiroshima/ Miyajima - 2 nights
Tokyo - 2 nights

I would appreciate any comments?
Thanks.

PS I'm not necessarily going to take in Osaka.

>>is it a must see

That is up to you decide. Why is it in your itinerary? Why would drop it and what would replace it?

Here is a plan revision that adds a night to Nara, moves Koyasan up, and eliminates the Osaka stop.

Takayama - 2 nights
Kanazawa - 3 nights
Nara - 2 nights
Mount Koya - 1 night
Kyoto - 5 nights
Hiroshima/ Miyajima - 2 nights
Tokyo - 2 nights

Thanks mrwunrfl, I'll have a look at that - I don't know enough about Nara yet!

With that extra night in Nara you would have time to also visit Horyuji. JR Nara station to Horyuji station is 12 minutes. The Horyuji temple complex is a short bus ride or 20 minutes walk from the station.

Or you could visit Horyuji on the way to Koyasan. It is on the JR line that you would use from Nara to Shinimamiya where you would get the Nankai train headed towards Koyasan.

Totally agree w/ mrwunrfl re. the 2 nights in Nara. I had that same amount for my visit last month for sakura. It allowed me to reach my hotel in Nara around late morning and then the whole rest of the day for several temples and shrines. From there, I was able to spend the next morning at Todai-ji and it's subtemples and then hop the train to Horyu-ji and spend the better part of the afternoon there.

I will definitely be the outlier here but I just wasn't blown away by Koyasan.

Yes to 2 nights for Hiroshima and Miyajima especially if you will be there for prime koyo season. Miyajima was stunning with its fall colors on my first trip to Japan in 2013.

Overall, I think your itinerary looks very good.