Stopover Niigata - Kyoto

Hello everyone!

I'm about to return to Niigata, my old college town, in September. After that, we will be heading to Kyoto with a JR Pass.

I know the fastest way to get to Kyoto would be to take the Shinkansen via Tokyo. However, because we will be coming from Tokyo and returning there later, I was thinking about seeing some of the countryside. Originally, my idea was to have a stopover (not necessarily an overnight stay) in Takayama. Now I see that trains are taking longer than I expected, so going thru Takayama means no time to actually see the place.

So, is Kanazawa a good alternative for a stopover? Or do you have any other suggestions?

Thank you very much for your help!

Yes, Kanazawa is a relatively easy option for a stopover. If you leave very early in the morning, you can be in Kanazawa before 10am, so you would have enough time to see some parts of the city even without an overnight stay.

There are dozens of other possible options for a stop over. Basically anywhere that is along the or close to the Joetsu Shinkansen, Tokaido Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen or the Hokuriku Main Line:
http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1104.html

The train along the coast from Niigata to Kanazawa is nice (I did it a few weeks ago). There is a small private rail supplement charge of a few hundred yen, and a transfer onto the shinkansen for the final leg to Kanazawa itself.