Itinerary help in December

Hi

We are thinking to bring our parents who are aged 70s to Japan this December from 16/12/18 to 28/12/18. Our main interest is sightseeing around Kyoto, Chubu prefecture and Tokyo. Below are our tentative plans

16/12 - Osaka
17/12 - Osaka - Kobe (overnight Kyoto)
18/12 - Kyoto
19/12 - Kyoto (Aarashiyama)
20/12- Kanazawa
21/12 - Shirakawago (still in question if we should stay here or Kanazawa/ Takayama)
22/12 - Takayama
23/12 - Not sure where to stay on this day as all depends what public transport we catch to Tokyo
24/12 - Tokyo
25/12 - Hakone
26/12 - Tokyo (Disney sea)
27/12 - Tokyo
28/12 - Fly out from Tokyo

1) We still some doubts if the itinerary above is doable given that our parents are already old and if the weather is too cold for them in December. Or if anyone has a better suggestion?
2) For 21/12 itinerary, we are still thinking where to stay. Is it worth to stay at Shirakawago at the end of Dec when there is no light illumination yet? If the weather is too cold for my parents, should we stay at Kanazawa or Takayama instead. Can anyonw advise please?
3) For 23/12 itinerary, if we are not going to stay at Shirakawago, we are thinking to go to Gero onsen and stay a night there so we can experience staying at the Japanese style room. If we will stay at Shirakawago, then we probably will catch a Nouhi bus to Shinjuku where it stop at Kawaguchi and we can stay overnight there before going to Tokyo. Do you think itfs a good idea?
4) Re the public transport, thatfs another issues we had currently. We have been studying if we should take the JR pass (JR Kansai Hokuriku or Takayama Hokuriku pass). As our way is not going back to Osaka, we are going to Tokyo instead, so not sure if it is worth to take the JR pass. If we take JR Osaka Tokyo Hokuriku pass, should we catch a train to Toyama and only catch shinkansen to Tokyo? Or if we should just catch a bus to Shinjuku and stay overnight at Kawaguchi?

Appreciate everyonefs advice and thank you in advance.

Thanks
Deb

Hi. What I would do is go Kyoto - Takayama - Shirakawa - Kanazawa, then maybe stay at Bessho Onsen or Karuizawa before getting back to Tokyo. That route has a nicer flow IMO, and means you will be on the wideview Hida to Takayama which is a pretty trip. If you stay at Karuizawa look at Tsuruya Ryokan which caters really well to foreigners and is in a great position.

Stay at Shirakawa? It will be very cold - maybe minus 10 celsius. Also potentially very slippery on the icy bits. Personally I wouldnt in winter, I'd continue on to Kanazawa or get back to Takayama.

For places to stay in Takayama, consider the Hotel Associa. It is really nice with good onsens and big rooms but it is a little out of town and you have to use the shuttle bus to get to and fro.

For Kanazawa we stayed at Hotel Hakuchoro, which was very pleasant, again big rooms and a nice onsen with dark water in it.

A general guide for senior travelers, from a retiree who travels to Japan every year:

It depends a lot on the mobility and stamina of individuals, but I recommend to stay in one place at least two nights. Packing, unpacking, and moving with large luggage can be a hassle and tiring. If you can help it, try to stay at each location for at least two nights.

Hi,

Just a curious question..why would you want to take your elderly parents to Disney? You're not expecting them to take any rides, are you? So will just the shows justify the cost of the tickets?

As for Shirakawago, I wouldn't go there or take my elderly parents there either in winter.
Not sure what the weather would be like in Arashiyama in winter either, but it maybe a little too cold.

If it were my parents, I wouldn't move them too much or too frequently between cities. I would just stick to 4-5 days of Kyoto with maybe day trips to Nara, and Osaka, 4 days Tokyo, an overnight in Kawaguchiko or Hakone in a nice ryokan with onsen, 2 days in Kanazawa (Takayama maybe too cold in winter).
I will just keep it simple and tailored to their abilities and interests.

The comment on not moving hotels too much I find is a golden rule with people who have kids or elder parents. Moving luggage between destinations is often most of the worry....