Tohoku itinerary in May

We're planning to travel around Tohoku during the Golden Week. Would the following itinerary make sense? Are we missing anything important along the way? Any help is appreciated as we have no experience in this part of Japan.

We plan to travel by train but could go by car if this is more advisable.

Day 1: Tokyo-Aizu Wakamatsu
2: Aizu, Ouchijuku, Kitakata
3: travel to Sendai, visit city
4: Matsushima, Shiogama
5: Yamadera
6: Hiraizumi
7: travel to Lake Tazawa
8: Kakunodate, continue to Akita
9: Hirosaki
10: return to Tokyo via Aomori

It seems wonderful to me. Somewhat busy, but doable.

If I were you, I would spend the first two nights at an onsen ryokan in Higashiyama Onsen, Aizu-Wakamatsu. My favorite is the Mukaitaki, one of the nicest in all of Japan:
http://www.mukaitaki.jp/

Then, I would spend the next three days at a hotel in Sendai and visit the various places in side trips.

The next two nights I would spend somewhere around Lake Tazawa or Kakunodate. Nyuto Onsen is one of the best hot springs in Japan:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3650.html

It is a very nice time to visit. In the mountainous areas you can see the fresh mountain vegetables coming out of the ground and eat them in the evening at the ryokan. In the lower areas, the green vegetation is beautiful.

Dear Uji-san, thank you very much for your advise, this is very helpful!

Day 2 looks quite tight if you still have to tour around town in Aizu Wakamatsu. Note that Ouchijuku and Kitakata lie on opposite direction of Aizu Wakamatsu.

Depending on the exact dates of travel, late April to early May could still be good for cherry blossom in the northern part of the Tohoku region. If enjoying sakura is an objective consider reversing the order of visit and go up to Aomori first. Hirosaki Castle Park is a very popular sakura site although the castle itself is under renovation.

For lake scenery we prefer Towada-ko to Tazawa-ko. In Towada-ko nearby Oirase Stream is also worth going although autumn is the best time for walking the trail.

May not be counted as places in Tohoku but 2 highly worthwhile flower sites during the Golden Week period are Ashikaga Flower Park for wisteria and Hitachi Seaside Park for nemophila.

Hi William, thank you very much vor your advise - yes, we will look at starting the trip in the opposite direction to see if we can still catch any of the cherry blossoms. thanks!

I was in both Sendai, Matsushima, and Yamadera in November.

For Matsushima, you might need more than half a day because there is the boat cruise and various temples to visit. I have never been to Shiogama so I am unsure if you need more time.

For Yamadera, I climbed the entire 1015+ steps back and forth within a few hours so you might not need one entire day. Of course this depends on your ability to walk the entire length but please make the effort as it is very worth the pain on your legs! The town is small but cute so you might want to explore on foot the surrounding river and town.

Have fun, I wish I could come with you because Tohoku Region is a secret area not many people want to go.

Dear Villagemayor, thank you very much for your valuable advise. We'll be based in Sendai for that part of our trip so we have some flexibility.

Yes, we are looking forward to this trip very much!