JR West (Wide) Pass

Hi Guys, I'm going to visit japan early April for 2 weeks and want to get the JR West Wide pass to experience shinkansen :P. Since it's a 4 days pass, what other places would you recommend ? I prefer those not too far (less than 2 hours trip). I checked:
- kinosakionsen
- shirahama (I find this is too far)
- tsuruga
- okayama
- himeji (because of the renovation, i was considering just to visit the garden )
- kobe, kyoto area , but I plan to visit these not with JRWest
Are there any other place that you can recommend ?

Also, as this is my first time in japan for cherry blossom season, are there any cherry blossom festival (those with people selling food, some games, etc) around kansai area?

Thx.

Along with Okayama, Kurashiki is a great addition and it is also covered by the pass.

If you like pottery, Bizen (Inbe Station) is fun. You can make your own pot. (Alternatively, you can also try to make it inside Okayama Castle if you don't go to Bizen)

The castle town of Hikone is worth the trip and might make good use of the pass.

Obama has 8 famous temples that you can rent a bike and go to each of them if you are interested in temples.