Tokyo to Kanazawa on New Year’s Day

I need advise from travel experts on my itinerary is as follows:-

30 & 31st Dec - Arrive in Tokyo & stay for 2N
1 & 2 Jan - Depart from Tokyo/Shinjuku to Kanazawa or Takayama
3 to 5 Jan - Depart Kanazawa to Kyoto
6 & 7 Jan - Depart Kyoto to Osaka
8 Jan- Depart for home.

1. Which is a better option for 1st Jan- (i) take the bus from Shinjuku to Takayama, proceed to visit Takayama & S-Go then to Kanazawa for hotel check-in or (ii) take direct shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa, explore Kanazawa first & leave the next day for Takayama & S-Go?
2. Is the Shinkansen Kiyagaki direct from Tokyo to Kanazawa or is there a transfer in Nagano? I'm pretty confused with this train line
3. For Nohi Bus service, looking at the time table, if I were to depart Takayama at 16.30 & arrive S-Go 17.20, does is mean that the bus to Kanazawa leave at 17.30? Is this the last bus departing?
4. Is taking a taxi from Kanazawa to S-Go a better option / very expensive???
5. I know my travelling dates are within the super peak period in Japan and expect rush & crowd all over, so would definitely need to make advance reservations esp for my transportation. However, can I make the reservations online as I'm afraid that the tickets might be fully sold out if I can only purchase when I arrive on 30th Dec.

Any advise is very much appreciate as I'm having a hard time organising this trip. Thank you so much to all.

It has been a few years (2010 I think), but I was at Takayama/Shirakawa/Kanazawa over Christmas and new year, comments as follows :

1. personally I'd take the shinkansen direct to Kanazawa. The transport is feral on 1 Jan, we were jammed into the Thunderbird like sardines on the trip from Kanazawa to Kansai, we nearly missed out altogether booking 2 days in advance and had to take a much earlier train than we'd wanted. The shinkansen shouldnt be as bad especially if you spring for first class or Gran class, because the locals dont use them as much.
2. The last bus from Shirakawa would be about 5.30PM. It is pitch black then so you wouldnt want to be there any later anyway. It is pretty dark from 4.30PM or so, so I would leave the trip for another day when you can get there earlier. Shirakawa is icy and snowy, you dont want to be wandering around there in the dark.
3. I think the taxi would be very expensive, maybe 10000JPY or over. I remember there was an estimate somewhere on the internet, but then I dont know where you would find a taxi, it is all very quiet in shirakawa when the sun goes down in winter.