Or the Toyoko Inn Shinagawa which is next to the Prince, although the Prince looks cheap right now.

Jean and thursdaysd,
Thanks for the suggestions. Our flight arrives in the afternoon around 4pm. I’ll look into the recommendations you’ve made and the area you suggest.

I’m still playing with my itinerary and I appreciate all your suggestions.

Hi, again! One more itinerary variation which is gradually coming together, but still leaves room for tweaking! Suggestions welcome!

I tried very hard to fit the Nakesendo trail into our itinerary, but I realize, sadly, that we probably would find it too tiring. Aging is catching up and I’m trying to keep the trip manageable. I do think it’s very doable but not for us.

I’m considering adding Nagano, mostly because it sounds like there are nice scenic vistas in the area. Seeing the historic temple appeals to me, too. How does this compare to Kamikochi and Okuhida? I’m considering a half day to Kamikochi from Okuhida for an EASY walk and then take a later bus to Takayama. Would Shibu Onsen be a preferable place to stay? I’m not wedded to seeing the snow monkeys but if we are here, I’d certainly make an effort to go.

Takayama appeals to me for a longer stay because it sounds like a charming town and we love a place we can wander.

I’m still considering a visit to the Noto Peninsula if we decide to rent a car just for those 2 days. If we include Noto, I don’t think we’d do Nara, since the process of 1) coming back from Noto and returning the car, then 2) travel to Kyoto and 3) then travel to Nara sounds like too much to do in one day (for us). We’d probably visit Nara as a day trip (but I’m not interested in the deer park).

If we don’t go to the Noto Peninsula, I would consider a 2-night stay in Nara and then 5 nights in Kyoto. I think we may be hitting our limit on shrines by now!

We arrive around 4pm in Haneda. We have a total of 26 nights.

Tokyo-6
-day trip to Kamakura
Nagano/Yamanouchi/Shibu onsen -2/3
-snow monkeys, Buddhist temple
Matsumoto-2
Okuhida/Kamikochi-2
Takayama- 4
-day trip to Hida folk villag
-day trip to Shirakawago
Kanazawa-3
Nara-2 or Noto-2 (if we do Noto, we would rent a car for 2 days. If we do Nara, I would probably stay in Kyoto for 5 nights)
Kyoto-5/6
Leave from Osaka

Thoughts/opinions welcome!

I think if you are arriving at Haneda at 4 p.m., then it will be fine for you to travel around Tokyo a bit (for example to Ginza) to get to your hotel. If you are arriving late, and with no knowledge of the city, then the Shinagawa Prince would be my suggestion.

You mentioned 'nearing shrine overload.' Some people can visit tons of shrines. As for me, and for my parents when they came here, shrine overload is definitely a real thing. So, yeah, maybe keep that in mind as you plan places to visit.

Nara is so unique -- I really think you should go! It's a perfect day trip from Kyoto. Kyoto is a modern city with temples and shrines dotted here and there whereas Nara is just a big park with neat temples around the park (Big Buddha!) and deer walking everywhere. It's really quite unforgettable. If I were visiting that area, I'd spend two days in Kyoto and one in Nara, so since you'll be in Kyoto for 5 or 6 days, then not going to Nara seems a shame.

You might want to look into Himeji (incredible white castle - 45 minutes by shinkansen from Kyoto) and Kurashiki (an hour and a half from Kyoto - picturesque town). You could visit Himeji in the morning, then continue on to Kurashiki after lunch, and come back to Kyoto in the evening.

You're not interested in visiting Hiroshima?

If you enjoy biking, there are lots of opportunities to rent simple bikes (what they call 'Mama Shopping Bikes') in Japan. It's very cheap and comfortable (as they are sit-up style rather than mountain-bike style). That can be a really great way to explore a city for an hour or two (or longer if you wish).

There's a Nakasendo post town, Narai-juku, that is about a 50 minute local train ride from Matsumoto--if you want to visit one of the towns on the trail without the hiking. We're hoping to walk the portion from Yabuhara to Narai, weather permitting. I don't think the trains are super frequent (I still have to dig into schedules), but from what I've read, this is an easy-enough day trip from Matsumoto.

Msgo -- off topic, but what app are you using for train schedules? Thanks

I'm using Navitime--but still getting used to it (vs. Hyperdia). At this point, I'm just doing searches by computer, but there is an app that I'll eventually put on the phone.
https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/route/

Hakone disappeared!

> there are nice scenic vistas in the area
where in Nagano?

One thing about your Okuhida visit that I am not clear on: are you planning to take the two ropeways up to the top of that mountain?

Nagano/Yamanouchi/Shibu onsen -2/3
-snow monkeys, Buddhist temple
Zenkoji is magnificent, however you will have an opportunity to visit Todaiji in Nara. Beyond that, I have some opinions on this part of the plan, just none good. Maybe IDK what I am missing by not not having visited.

Hida no Sato and Shirakawago are a bit redundant. You can choose one, or the other, or both. The former is a museum. The latter is kind of like a museum with houses to visit but people actually live there.

Hida no Sato is not a day trip. It is just outside of town - you can take a bus up there but can walk/bus back. You don't want to walk up that hill but easy enough to walk down. This is just go to the station and take the next bus. The visit could be a few hours. IIRC, it is a bit hilly on the grounds but ok. It is a nice visit for sure.

Shirakawago is a day trip from Takayama (or Kanazawa). This is go to the station and get reserved bus seats a couple days in advance, or book online. It is popular for daytrippers. Maybe you can just show up and take the next bus, but that is not safe to assume, imo. Ogimachi is easy walking and there is a shuttle that goes up to the wonderful viewpoint.

The shuttle wasn't operating in January when I stayed in Ogimachi. I mentioned that the place I stayed had snow boots for guests. I started trudging up the hill to the viewpoint and saw a boy brushing snow off of a car in the driveway of a house. I absolutely knew where I was, but I asked him if this was the way to the viewpoint. He confirmed the obvious and I thanked him and continued trudging. A few minutes later a car comes up and stops next to me. It was the boy and his mother and they gave me a ride to the top. They stayed for a bit and I got some photos with them. I forget how I got down the hill and back to the village.

Thanks! Good to know. I had finally mastered Hyperdia on the last trip.

Am pretty sure that Narai is a stop for the l'ex that runs the valley to Matsumoto. Is it Shinano?

opps, it is Shinano L'ex but: Trains stop at the following stations:
Nagoya - (Kanayama) - Chikusa - Tajimi - (Ena) - Nakatsugawa - (Nagiso) - (Agematsu) - Kiso-Fukushima - Shiojiri - Matsumoto - (Akashina) - (Hijiri-Kōgen) - Shinonoi - Nagano

Nara as a day trip seems to fit your style. Todaiji is sugoi. Apparently, some people lke the deer park. It was amusing for a few minutes watching other people.

I am not a fan of Kyoto.

Hiroshima certainly can be a day trip from Kyoto. IIRC, emd and child did this, or maybe it was to Miyajima, or maybe it was both.

As far as Noto goes, I don't get why it would be two days, but then, again, I have not visited there. I think it would be a daytrip or 1-nighter. You could, for now, just add those two nights to Kanazawa and figure it out later. There are other places in the area, like S-go, the onsen/scenic rail place that I mentioned earlier, and an onsen town just south.

Have you found some lodging in Okuhida that interests you?

Jenny1968 mentioned Hiroshima and Himeji. And there is more in Chugoku. With Nagano added to the itin I am thinking of suggesting that Matsumoto can be dropped in favor of those points farther south, and even cutting from Kyoto. But, I won't suggest that.

Wow guys! So much info and it’ll take some time to digest it all. Thank you all so much!

FWIW - my idea of a day trip may be different than others. If the transportation takes more than 1 hour (or a little over if it’s direct), it’s possible to do a day trip. If it requires more time and/or changes, it’s not a day trip. For us. I appreciate that there are those who are more energetic but that’s not us!

In answer to some of your questions….

mrwunrfl, yes, Hakone has, for now, been kicked out of the running. After reflection, the idea of chopping up Tokyo didn’t make sense to me; it’s too long of a day trip (for us) and it seems that moving on from Hakone to anywhere else means going back to Tokyo and adding a lot of time to the onward trip, so, for now, it’s out.
I understand that the Hida Folk village isn’t a full day trip - I only meant it as a focus for the day. I like the idea of walking at least one of the ways.

Jean, we’re actually not planning to visit Hiroshima. I’m sure it’s worthwhile, but it’s not in the plan. I do like your description of Nara. And the idea of renting a bike sounds great!

ms_go, I like the idea of Narai. It’s something I will definitely consider. Thanks, too, for the info about Navitime.

I know there’s more but need to review your suggestions more.,

<<Nagano/Yamanouchi/Shibu onsen -2/3
-snow monkeys, Buddhist temple
Zenkoji is magnificent, however you will have an opportunity to visit Todaiji in Nara. Beyond that, I have some opinions on this part of the plan, just none good. Maybe IDK what I am missing by not not having visited.>>

mrwunrfl, just wondering what you mean about what you mean here? What isn’t good? I’m really a bit confused and hope you don’t mind clarifying.

<<Have you found some lodging in Okuhida that interests you?>>

I haven’t zeroed into a specific place yet but I’ve seen several places that look nice. I haven’t figure out exactly where they’re located and how convenient or convenient they might be. Miyama Ouan was one place I saw. Yarimikan was another. But this is still preliminary as I don’t yet have a clear plan. I’ll want to stay in a couple of ryokans but will have to be judicious as they’re so expensive.

<<One thing about your Okuhida visit that I am not clear on: are you planning to take the two ropeways up to the top of that mountain?>>

This sounds like fun, and something we’d probably enjoy doing, but we could see how we feel when we’re actually there.

I don't really want to be a Billy Bummer (like a Debbie Downer but name is actually Bill) about a place in Japan that I am sure that other people have enjoyed and that you might love. FAIK, I might enjoy it. All I can give are my reasons for not going there.

Yama no uchi means "mountain's home" or "mountain home", i think, which sounds nice.

That ropeway does look like fun. I was wondering if the altitude would be an issue.

Which part of the trip or city are you referring to? I appreciate the take on a place even if I choose not to follow your suggestion. If it turns out, I don’t like it, I can always tell myself, “mrwunrfl told me not to go there!” But I’m still not sure which place or places you’re referring to.

I've been posting Japan travel advice here for 20 years. We have people mention their interests and the places they are interested. They post an itinerary. There are lots of places to go, things to see, and when posters make their choices then my approach has been to help them make their plan work for them. Getting negativish about a choice is kinda leaning towards trying to make your plan work for me. There are no bad choices here and fodors should fire me if I every called a choice a mistake.

I was referring to Yamanouchi/Shibu onsen, above.

No problem! I’m not taking your suggestions as the gospel (I hope you don’t mind), but I do appreciate and take your opinion to heart. I never heard of Okuhida until you mentioned it, and now it’s in my plan.

So all I’m asking, then, why not the above? Are the snow monkeys a too-touristy attraction? As I said, I’m not wedded to this. So do you think Nagano be a good place to visit or overkill?

I’m planning to keep Matsumoto. I like the sound of it and the castle appeals to me a lot.

>> Are the snow monkeys a too-touristy attraction?

I don't know. That is certainly my impression. My guess is that it is contrived. People go there to see monkeys in a hot springs. People get spun up about it, the cuteness and all that, and the locals are surely not going to have them leave disappointed. They are going to have those monkeys outside taking a bath bribed by food. Or maybe it is real and those monkeys live wild in the mountains and come down only at uncertain times of the day and you are lucky to see them. And I am somewhat anti-monkey/chimp. I don't think they are particularly cute and they probably harass people for food and then poop in the hot springs. Hate to say it, but I have my doubts that Japanese can have an animal attraction that won't make me sad.

I am an onsen fan. There are many onsen towns in Japan. Shibu Onsen has never been on my radar.

>> So do you think Nagano be a good place to visit or overkill?
It certainly could be either or both, for your trip.