That stop sounds right for the Yarimikan ryokan. The bus from Matsumoto directly to the stop for Shinhotaka ropeway is 2 hours, although that route is very limited. It looks like the route from Matsumoto to Hirayu onsen runs more regularly and then we can switch for the bus to the Nakaokogen-guchi bus stop.

Okay, so the tentative/final (note the wiggle room!) is now:

Tokyo - 6 (Hotel Richmond Premier/Asakusa)
Matsumoto - 3 (options for several day trips include wasabi farm, Narai)
Okuhida - 2 (plan to book, if possible, Yarimikan ryokan)
Takayama - 3 (Sumiyosh ryokan)
Kanazawa - 4
Kyoto - 5 (Cross hotel)
Hiroshima/Miyajima-2 (Mitsui Garden)
Osaka -1 (just to be closer to bus to Itami airport)

Thoughts: I must admit that Hiroshima never “called” to me but so many of you have said that you’ve really liked or appreciated a visit there that I just decided that maybe it’s one of those places we should see. I had considered some smaller towns, such as Kurashiki, but we would end up there on a Monday and most museums are closed, so I decided to forget the idea of a smaller town. It was also why Naoshima doesn’t work. Hiroshima IS easy transportation from Kyoto and to Osaka so I just figured it was meant to be. I’m planning to stay in Hiroshima for the 2 nights and travel to Miyajima during the day.

Next up: figuring out if a JR pass would work at any point in this trip!

An addendum to the above - I’m still thinking about Nara for the 2 nights I’ve now scheduled for Hiroshima. Any thoughts? I’ve been doing some reading on this very question and I see points on both sides.

My biggest issue with Hiroshima is that it’s a big city and we will be spending a lot of time in cities. While I expect that we will feel an emotional response to Peace Park, the images of the architecture in the park seem less inspirational. Many people say Hiroshima is a beautiful city and I’d appreciate it if those who feel that way would give me a better sense of this. I don’t think we’d spend a night in Miyajima as the rates are pretty high and I don’t want to break up the stay. But spending a good half day there sounds very nice.

I imagine we will probably take a day trip to Nara from Kyoto though who knows if we’ll actually make it? I have no interest in Deer park but wonder how different Nara would be from Kyoto as far as the experience. Is it easier to walk from temple to temple or wander?

I did note an earlier post which compared the costs of travel to each city. Traveling to Hiroshima is expensive! One reason why I want to see if the JR pass might make sense at the end of our trip.

Thoughts welcome!

Sumiyoshi for three nights?

14,260 for 5 days
Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass (japan-guide.com)
15,000 for 5 days
JR West Rail Pass - Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass (japan-guide.com)
6310 matsumoto
1180 narai roundtrip

that's about 37,000 JPY

I like Hiroshima but would not call it beautiful, though the Peace Park is. It doesn't feel as large as it is. They have some cool street car lines.

I stayed at the Rihga Royal which is not far from the PP and was particularly convenient for the old baseball park. It is a large hotel and I would go back (except it is not near the new ballpark south of the station).

I stayed at two hotels on the shinkansen side of the station. One was the Granvia which I did not care for it but YMMV. Across from there is the Sheraton where I have stayed a couple of times and would go back if baseball season (or any time). It was a good deal on points. Thing is from both of these hotels you have to cross the station to get to the city side and then take the street car. You would cross over the shinkansen side to get to the side with the local train that you would use to get to Miyajimaguchi for the ferry to Miyajima. There is another route tho. Of course, they both would be very convenient fo the shinkansen.

Thanks, mrwunrfl,
I do have the reservation at Sumiyoshi for 3 nights. And fyi, I checked and the Best Western is closed.

I’ll need to sit down and really crunch numbers to see what the transportation costs are and to compare to the various passes. I’ve spent enough time working out the itinerary and haven’t really focused on the transportation costs. And to figure out all the passes - really, you need an advanced degree!

I have a reservation at the Mitsui Gsrden in Hiroshima. Are you familiar with that hotel?

The Best Western is now the Chisun Grand hotel.

I wrote about Sumiyoshi but didn't submit it soon enough. I really enjoyed it for one night with meals. I had a street-side room and several of the people that live on the street get up early. Talking right outside my window sounded as clear as if they were in my room. I have heard good things about the river side rooms.

What I know about Mitsui Garden hotel is what I saw on a map. It is not far from a streetcar line and the museum. You can walk from the hotel to the road with the streetcar line and take that road north to enter the PP near Genbaku Dome. Then south through the park to the museum. Walk around the south end of the museum and you will get back to the road with the streetcar. You can then complete a loop back to the MG or hop a streetcar to the station (or other spots).

Thanks for the info, mrwunrfl. We are in a Riverside room at Sumiyoshi so I’m going to hope that it is quieter than what you describe! It gets such good reviews that I imagine that the level of street noise you describe isn’t always the case. Or I hope that’s the case!

I haven't stayed in that Mitsui Garden hotel (I visited Nagasaki instead of Hiroshima, I thought it was rather neglected), but I did stay at Mitsui Garden hotels in Kyoto and Okayama in 2016 and thought they were fine.

That would be 3D/3N with a shared bath and toilet and sleeping on futons that are not of the same quality, perhaps, as a high-end ryokan. The bath, IIRC, is a shower and a hinoki soaking tub. I think you are supposed to reserve tub time. I didn't and it was awkward. I recommend Sumiyoshi but only for one night.

Hopefully, you would have two nights with breakfast only and at most one night with dinner and breakfast. I think someone upthread expressed regret at having the dinner plan at Sumiyoshi for each night of a multi=night stay. Because there are restaurants and they don't require reserving your dinner time. Takayama is famous for Hida beef, as you will see, it is pretty obvious. Local ramen is also promoted to a lesser extent.

Hiroshima has oysters, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Hiroshima beef.

Everybody could be different, but I stayed in a Japanese-style room in a resort hotel in Atami, Japan, many years ago. I could not wait to move on to a different western-style hotel the following day with a western bed and a regular-height desk and chairs.

We have the first night with a shared bath but with a private toilet and 2 nights with private bath and toilet. I wouldn�t want a shared toilet these days! I do think you�re right about dinner as we most definitely will want to try Hida beef. We just have the reservation for dinner for the 1st night at Sumiyoshi. I hear you about the futons. Hopefully, these creaky bones will survive! I think our ryokan experiences will be limited to the one in Okuhida and in Sumiyoshi. Before and after that, we�ll be in hotels.

I hear you! As I just wrote above, our ryokan experiences will be limited to the 2 locations. Hopefully, we�ll do okay with these 2!

Thanks, thurdaysd,
I�ve heard good things about the chain though the reviews on TA of this particular hotel are very mixed. I�ve got a reservation that�s cancellable but I�m sure it�ll be good enough for 2 nights and I can change it if I find something that sounds better.

This link shows the layout of a traditional ryokan. IDK why the author uses "onsen" in the text. This same format applies to a traditional ryokan that is nowhere near an onsen.
Introduction to Japanese-style room “washitsu” at onsen ryokans | SELECTED ONSEN RYOKAN | best in japan, private hot spring hotel, open air bath, luxury stay (selected-ryokan.com)

The first photo shows the hiroen, the veranda with two chairs and a table. When you arrive you should see a couple of sweets (mochi maybe) on the table with tea set.

Expect the chairs to be for Japanese-sized people. They were at the fairly high-end place I stayed last year. The lady ran out and hauled over a bigger, more comfortable, chair for me. She did that for my comfort, for sure, but it just occurrred to me that she might have also been concerned that I would break the original chair.

I don't recall the hiroen at Sumiyoshi, if my room had one, and not sure if it had a zaisu, but am fairly certain there would be now. Probably a nice river view on the other side of the place.

Thanks for that website, mrwunrfl! Not only is the information about the ryokan interesting, but there are many good links on that site, too.

Sumiyoshi and Yarimikan are going to feature Hida beef in their kaiseki dinner. I see that Yarimikan has rooms with beds.

Below is the translated description of one room type from the yarimikan home page.
【Official】Yarimikan - Okuhida Onsen Village Shinhotaka Onsen Yarimi no Yu

It seems to say that the accomodation fee would be 24,350 for two people. That would be an unbelievable bargain Am pretty sure that it means 24,350 per person for a minimum of two people (i.e. no solo guests). The 48,700 for two is a good deal, imo.

---------------
Japanese-Western room with indoor bath(Barrier-free / 1 room)

The Japanese-style room and the bedroom are separated, and it is a barrier-free room equipped with a cypress-made indoor bath (with handrails / free-flowing hot spring).

【Accommodation fee/2 people per room】1 night with 2 meals 24,350
---------------

The reservation page has higher prices. I think it is more clear about the charges per guest, esp. if you click through to the Vacancy Calendar.

【Steak to choose】 Of course, the main dish is Hida beef steak! A5Hida Beef Eating Plan ♪ | Yarimikan - Japan Secret Hot Spring Protection Association Official Website (hitou.or.jp)

<<It seems to say that the accomodation fee would be 24,350 for two people. That would be an unbelievable bargain Am pretty sure that it means 24,350 per person for a minimum of two people (i.e. no solo guests). The 48,700 for two is a good deal, imo.>>

There is an English page, and it’s 24,350 per person. This looks like a lovely place to experience a “nicer” ryokan. I need to wait until the end of the month to book it.

Added later: But I have no idea what the second page is with the higher prices. The Japanese site and English site show the same prices under “Yarimikan”. I can’t find a link to the second page so we’ll see what happens when I write to them at the end of the month. I did write a few weeks ago to ask about making a reservation, and was told to write on May 1. I didn’t confirm the prices since it seemed so clear from the site. We’ll see.

>> There is an English page, and it’s 24,350 per person.
Found the EN page today! It is clearer that it is per person. Good that you know.

The JA page has a link for "About Reservation". It goes here: About Reservations - Okuhida Onsen Shinhotaka Onsen Yarimi no Yu (yarimikan.com)

The Web Reservation link goes to the second link I gave above. That page is "Japan Secret Hot Spring Preservation Association" and shows info for a different property. I think. Not useful.

There is also a Telephone Reservation area on that page. It shows the phone number and below that:
Registration 8:00〜21:00
Reservations by phone are the best deal.
Check availability

The availability page shows 6 months, April thru Sept. The photo at the top of the page is definitely Yarimikan. I suppose on May 1 that you will see lots of blue available days for Oct. on the page:

空室状況 - 奥飛騨温泉郷 新穂高温泉 槍見の湯 (yarimikan.com)

I rhink that page is more useful to someone looking for availability in the current and next month. Notice the weekends get booked up. All but two of the Sept weekend days show Available, the others are green for please call.