Kyoto to Nagano and back through Alpen route

Hi,

I am planning a 2 weeks trip this September and so far I planned the first week around Osaka and Kyoto.

What I want to ask is if this sounds possible (well served through trains/buses) in 5 days:

- Kyoto to Nagano (with stop in Nagoya).
- Nagano to Shirakawago through the Alpen route.
- Shirakawago back to Osaka

Will it be too rushed or does that seem reasonable?

Thank you for your valuable advice.

Five days sound enough, but that depends on your places to visit and traveling paces.

Which place(s) in Nagano Prefecture will you visit?
("Nagano" may refer to Nagano Prefecture or Nagano City in the prefecture.)

I suppose you had better expect one full day for a one-way trip on Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route between Shinano-Omachi and Toyama.

To Shirakawa-go (in Gifu Prefecture), more buses are available from Takayama City (in Gifu Prefecture) than from Kanazawa City (in Ishikawa Prefecture).

If your places to visit in Nagano Prefecture are inside Matsumoto City,
and if you do not tour Tokyo Metropolis,
and if you can reserve your seats in buses from Takayama to Shirakawa-go and from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa,
you can travel like the below after your Kyoto trips.
Kyoto
--[JR Tokaido Shinkansen] or [Kintetsu lines] or [highway bus]--
Nagoya
--[JR: Ltd. Express "Hida"] or [highway bus]--
Takayama
--[highway bus]--
Shirakawa-go
--[highway bus]--
Kanazawa
--[JR]--
Toyama
--(Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route)--
Shinano-Omachi
--[JR]--
Matsumoto
--[highway bus]--
Osaka.
: If you just pass by Nagoya and Takayama, you can leave Kyoto in the morning and visit Shirakawa-go on Day (N+1), tour Kanazawa on Day (N+2), travel on Alpine Route on Day (N+3), tour Matsumoto on Day (N+4) and travel back to Osaka on Day (N+5).
: If you tour Nagoya, Takayama and Kanazawa, five days may not be enough for the whole way.

Note
: September 15 and 23 of 2014 will be holidays.
: Please make sure that you pay attention to official information on typhoons when one may approach Japan around the time of this journey.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/

Thank you for taking the time to write this up.

For now I only plan where I want to go on what day, and only later what I want to see on the given day(s).

What is the difference during holidays? Are trains/buses not running on normal schedules?

Following your advice, would that be possible/good idea:

day 1 leaving kyoto in the morning, visiting Nagoya half-day, and taking the bus to Shirakawago to get there in the early evening. Sleep there.

day 2 spend half day there, there off to Toyama and sleep there.

day 3 alpine pass and end in Mastumoto (sleep there).

day 4 go to Nagano city and sleep there

day 5 spend half day around Nagano city and go back to Osaka and get there in the evening

visiting Nagoya half-day, and taking the bus to Shirakawa-go to get there in the early evening. Sleep there.

You will travel to Takayama to take a bus for Shirakawa-go. (Make sure to check the timetable.)
http:://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5908.html?aFROM=2155_5900
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5953.html
If you cannot book a good accommodation in Shirakawa-go, you can stay in Nagoya or Takayama and head to Shirakawa-go on the following day.

Note
: On 9 July 2014, heavy rainfall caused a mudslide near JR Nagiso Station, which damaged railroad facilities there. Following this disaster, JR-Central is now suspending its operation of trains around the site and also all Ltd. Express Shinano trains, which usually connect Matsumoto or Nagano and Nagoya or Osaka. To travel between Matsumoto and Nagano, now alternative buses are available.
: The situation will vary depending on the progress of restoration works and weather conditions. Please make yourself updated with the newest information.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6003.html?aFROM=2157_6000

Thank you for the links, I didn't notice those before. Very useful.

I read also about the Kiso Valley and might want to spend a night over there instead, either Tsumago or Narai look amazing.

That would mean skip Nagoya and go straight to Toyama on the first day (half day in Shirakawa-go). From your link I can see a express line from Kyoto to Kanazawa, then bus to Shirakawa-go and then either sleep there or go to Toyama).

Then alpine route (1day) and go around Nagano for 2 days.

That would leave me the last day stop in one of the great cities in the Kiso Valley.

So many places in the area it's hard to pick what I really want to see in the given amount of days.

I think the landslide won't be a problem by the time I get there (mid-September).