Dec 20 - Which Tokyo airport and at what time are you arriving? You could probably fly to Osaka for less than US $100 the same day or the next.

Or,, you could take the train to Shinagawa and find an inexpensive hotel, as good or better than an airport hotel, for the night of the 20th. You have to take at least two trains to get from the airport to Kyoto and you will be passing through Shinagawa. From there, you would just take one train, the shinkansen, to Kyoto.

My following comments are based on a visit at any "normal" time of year. Your visit is at a time of high domestic travel coupled with limited hours and closings at businesses and sights that would be of interest. For example, there would be not much point in going to Hiroshima if the museum is closed.

You've got 8 full days and two part-days in Kyoto. You've got 6+ days for Tokyo. If you have a good plan on how you will spend that time, ok. If not then I think it is too much time in both of those cities for a first time visit.

Instead of 8 and 6, I think 5 and 4 would be better, but it depends on your interests. If I had spent 5 full days in Kyoto on my first trip to Japan then I think I might have felt that I shortchanged the rest of Japan outside of Tokyo an Kyoto. My stay in Kyoto was 2 or 3 nights and I did realize that I shortchanged it. But, I think I made it up with my two night stay in Matsuyama where I fell in love with Japan.

There is much more to Japan than Tokyo and Kyoto. You could add stays in smaller cities or at locations that give you some experience with the abundant natural beauty of Japan. By "natural beauty" I am including the people as well as the landscapes. I believe that your experience would be enhanced by getting out of the big cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. Spending a night in Nara would be just one simple example of such an enhancement. It was one on my first trip.

I love that people have such different experiences and reactions, and that we are able to share and learn from each other without needing to agree with one another.

Thank you all very much for your excellent responses and suggestions.
I apologise for my tardy post but have been offline for awhile.
I like the ide of reducing the time in Tokyo and Kyoto, but my wife is an Architect and she will thrilled at seeing as many Japanese architecture and shrines as she can. we will of course take day trips also, but I would like to explore going from Kyoto down to Naoshima and it looks like the Benesse museum will be open over the holidays. I am hoping that getting down there by train from Kyoto on Jan 1, 2 03 will be doable and then getting the train back to Tokyo Jan 5th
The more I, (this is a total surprise for my wife and will not know our destination until she is on the plane) look into this, the more I see and hear of places I should be looking into for one two or even three day trips
Thankss again to everyone

Interesting, as I would think that an argument for more time in Kyoto than in Tokyo. And an argument to keep your number of moves to a minimum, as time in transit (as interesting as it might be) is not time spent admiring architecture or any thing else. JMO.

Crellston
well we are in the middle of our first trip to Japan and this is what was decided on:

tokyo five nights
kyoto four nights
Takanatsu two nights
naoshima two nights
hiroshima two nights
kyoto four nights (day trips Osaka, Nara etc
fly home

so far so good.
i stumbled upon Shinkansen agency for booking tickets and they were incredibly efficient.
good luck with your plans
cheers