Kanto / Chubu Itinerary

I last posted asking for input about various areas of Japan including Tohoku, however my plans have shifted.

The main focus of this trip will be Kanto and Chubu + a week in Kyoto.

We have 4 weeks on the ground, landing at the end of March 2016 and heading home just before Golden Week.

I've decided on much of my itinerary but am struggling to pull together the remaining 10 or so days into any logical order and would appreciate input.

So far I have:

Day 1 Land early morning Haneda, either overnight in Tokyo or Yokohama
Day 2 Overnight in Tokyo or Yokohama
Day 3 Hakone, wanted to splurge at Hakone Ginyu but it's fully booked, holding a booking at Manatei Hakone which is similarly spendy, does anyone know it?
Day 4 Hakone
Day 5 Nagoya
Day 6 Rental car drive from Nagoya to Miho museum (am holding a room at Heihachi Tea House which I had got into my head was in Otsu but is clearly northern Kyoto so may not be worth holding, especially as is also very spendy so I need to see what I can find out about it, it's a cancellable booking)
Day 7 Drive to Kyoto possibly via one more overnight if there's somewhere else on the way that benefits from a rental car
Day 8-13 Overnight Kyoto or environs
Day 14-17 4 nights in Kanazawa

Day 18-28 Still To Be Planned -- looking at Suganuma and Ainokura, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Matsumoto, Nagano/ Obuse, Karuizawa, Osenkaku Ryokan at Takarawaga Onsen and Nikko. Would also like to visit Chichibu for Ichira's Malt Distillery. Of these, Takarawaga Onsen and Nikko are probably the two key places I want to visit for overnights (pref 2 each), as well as a few hours in Chichibu.

We fly home from Narita on the morning of Day 29.

Information to add: We have been to Japan twice previously. The first trip included Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama (for Autumn festival), Nara, Koya-san, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Osaka. The second trip included Kyoto, Osaka and 8 days in Kyushu. I am aware that the Takayama spring festival is on while we are in Kanazawa but my feeling is that I don't want to reduce my time in Kanazawa to attend it.

Grateful for all thoughts.
Thank you!

We are happy to hire rental car for any segments of the Chubu / Kanto itinerary that warrant it.

For the last section, one way I would do it is:
1. Shirakawa-Go section
2. Reach Takayama, either stay or just take bus
3. Bus to Okuhida? or straight to Matsumoto
4. Matsumoto (Kamikochi part of itinerary?)
5. Tateyama Alps
6. Toyama (Kurobe?)
7. Shinkansen to Nagano etc

My reasoning for using bus to Matsumoto is, the time required using bus is a lot shorter than using train, assuming your depart from Takayama. And with the current Hokuriku Shinkansen going through Toyama, it gives you more options when to travel to Nagano or Karuizawa etc.

Possible day taken out of the 10 days:
1. 1 day from Shirakawa-go Section
2. 1 day from Matsumoto (assuming you do not stop at Okuhida area)
2-1. 1 day if visiting Kamikochi?
3. 1 day at Tateyama (or more?)
4. 1+ days at Nagano ?
5. 1-2 days at Karuizawa
So about 5-6 days taken, with 2 days in each Takaragawa Onsen and Nikko.

Hi Vince

Thank you so much for your input. Just a few additional clarifications.

As we went to Takayama on a previous visit, we will probably not stop in Takayama again this time. We did love it and it's not that I wouldn't enjoy seeing more of it, but that I think we have a lot of places to explore that are new for us, to focus on.

We are happy to use a bus but we are also very comfortable renting a car and driving ourselves, especially in the more rural areas where traffic is not too crazy. We would not drive in Tokyo or Kyoto but we enjoyed driving around Kyushu on a previous visit very much.

It's really trying to work out the best itinerary to take in some of these places, and where we are better to rely on trains/ bus and where it would make most sense to drive.

:-)