Help with Itinerary

I wil be traveling to Japan for my second time on 4/8-18/16 to do some Cherry Blossom Viewing and anything else that looks cool. I hold many black belts and I am also an instructor, so anywhere that is Martial Arts related would be appreciated.

So far the only confirmed days I have planned is the 8th in Tokyo, and the 14-15th for the Festival in Takayama.

I would like to visit both Kanazawa and Matsumoto for Cherry Blossoms as well as Himeji, Bitsu-Matsuyama, and Kumamoto Castle.

I would also like to see Arashiyama and Miyajima this time around.

I would like to see Musashizuka while I am in Kumamoto for the castle, and I figure while i'm in Kyushu I can stop into Nagasaki since I had such a great time in Hiroshima last time.

As I learned last time, some places required less than ample time to get a good viewing and I felt like I could have spent the night elsewhere.

How would you all set the trip Itinerary to avoid too much doubling back? And what places could I limit to half/quarter days in between night stops?

I was thinking this
4/8 Tokyo ------Concrete
4/9 Matsumoto
4/10 Kanazawa
4/11 Kyoto
4/12 Night in/near Himeji-Okayama-Bitsu Takahashi
4/13 Nagasaki/Kumamoto
4/14 Takayama -----Concrete
4/15 Nagoya
4/16 Open
4/17 i'd like to see the cosplay in Yoyogi Park this time
4/18 9:20pm flight NRT

I've also been told that it may be a good idea to visit Matsumoto a little later since it's colder, to see the Cherry Blossoms but I really want to be there between the 7th-14th for the night viewing.

Also, seeing as how much travel I will be doing the smart thing to do would be to get a JR Pass, but should I go with the 7 day, and pay for the excess, or, buy a 14 day. Not sure if the extra expense would be worth it, and when to activate a 7 day.

What say the more informed?

The cherry blossom period is hard to predict. You can either go for the night light up that you are certain will occur or try your luck and go later for the cherry blossoms. This gamble is up to an individual's risk appetite. You have to make your own decision.

I would head straight for Kyushu from Tokyo. Either get an overnight train or a day shinkansen. You can decide this when there. Enquire about availability on trains after getting the JR Pass (14 Days) and then reserve them all.

After 2-3 days in Kyushu I would go to Osaka. Spending 2 nights here. As Osaka can reach Okayama + Himeji and Kyoto, you can easily make day trips. If you are a more active traveler, you could instead stay a night in Himeji and another in Kyoto. This lets you experience more cities but it is also more of a hassle.

Finally, I would had to Kanazawa and Takyama before back to Tokyo.
So basically
8: Tokyo-Fixed
9: Nagasaki (JR Pass starts)
10: Kumamoto with night Fukuoka
11: Okayama in the day, afternoon & night in Himeji/Kobe
12: Kyoto
13: Nagoya, Day trip to Matsumoto
14: Takayama via Hida Wide View train from Nagoya-Fixed
15: Kanazawa in day, Tokyo at night

This is for use of 7 Day JR Pass.
14 Day JR Pass would also pay off and would allow you to view Matsumoto, Kanazawa, and some other place (Nikko, Kamakura)
It would also allow the express trains from and to the airport. (If narita)
Kanazawa & Kyoto should have 2 days allocated. Hiroshima + Miyajima are also pretty sights. How you spend it depends on whether you want to get a 14 or 7 day pass. (I would put in Hiroshima or add in a day of Kyoto instead of Day 13 Matsumoto, will view Matsumoto after Kanazawa)

Naturally a 14 day would give you more flexibility and allow you to visit more places. But the 7 day would also give you sufficient amounts of fun, IMO.

Thanks for the information. So it seems with just the cost of the depart/return trains to Narita, and just one extra Shinkansen needed would be around 11,000Y which is pretty close to the cost difference between the two passes, i'll have to think on that.

As far as being active. My last trip I averaged around 40 miles a day walking, I did Nara, Koga Ninja village, Iga/Ueno (this is included walking the 4km from the train station to the Castle/camp), to Nagoya in one day. Nagoya did get somewhat cut short since I got there pretty late and only had time to eat and fall asleep, oversleep, the make my way to Kawaguchiko.

I very much enjoyed my time in Hirshoshima but I found that it was one of the places I could have spent one night instead of two as by the end of the first day I had seen everything the city had to offer. Honkawa memorial, Peace park, bank building, etc.

I would however prefer to be at Matsumoto for the Sakura Night Festival, I am aware that the chance of a full bloom is rare, and if I do not see any at all I could go again towards the end of my trip.

Other Options

8: Tokyo-Fixed
9: Matsumoto
10: Nagasaki
11: Kumamoto with night Fukuoka
12: Himeji-Okayama-Bitsu Takahashi
13: Nagoya
14: Takayama via Hida Wide View train from Nagoya-Fixed
15: Kanazawa
16: Kyoto
17: Tokyo
18: Tokyo

This has me doubling back, which is annoying, but would allow me to make use of my time, although enjoyable, somewhere other than Tokyo.

8: Land Tokyo-Directly to Nagasaki would be there around 8pm
9: Kumamoto
10: Himeji-Okayama-Bitsu Takahashi
11: Kyoto
12: Nagoya
13: Kanazawa
14: Takayama
15: Matsumoto
16: Tokyo (or Other stop, nearish before returning to tokyo
17: Tokyo
18: Tokyo

Eliminates one night in tokyo but also most of the day in initial travel, but may allow me to be at Matsumoto for the night viewing and cherry blossom season providing dates don't change later on.

Anyone else have some input?