tokyo to kanazawa

I will be in Japan from the 15th of August arriving tokyo I have a night booked in Kanazawa on the Tuesday17th and was considering where I could go on a japan rail pass (tokyo to Kanazawa)
I have been to Takayama and Kyoto on previous trips and was looking for an alternative, one thought is to travel to Kanazawa via Niigata, spending one night i Niigata or somewhere else along the way. I am open to any other suggestions I have to be back in Tokyo on the Wednesday night/ early Thursday morning
This is my 9th trip to japan so have agood idea of how to get around

If you like a slow pace, I recommend to stay in Kanazawa an additional night. There is a lot to see.

There are lots and lots of other possible places to stop in between. Niigata City has not too much to offer.

In your profile you mention historic towns among your interests. So, maybe you could make a visit to the Kiso Valley:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6075.html

But generally, almost the entire Chbu Region lies at your disposal:
http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1104.html

Kanazawa is a great smaller city: Kenrukoen is superb, and needs to be seen in both early morning and late afternoon light..it has a completely different feel depending on the time of day. We spent a few hours each time we went. The Seisonkaku villa in Kenrukoen is also beautiful; Samurai and Geisha areas delightful; amazing gold leaf and lacquerware; Kutani Kiln; 21st C Museum of Contemporary Art; fabulous food; great shopping precinct...the list is endless; we spent 2 nights, equating to a day and a half last year, and are planning on 3 nights this year as we didn't have enough time for it all