Finalizing itinerary

Dear All,
First, we would like to say thank you to likeBike, rkold, mfedley,CDY, omotenashi for helping us to draft our initial plan. In less than a month time, we�fre going to Japan. We're a little bit worried as we're running out of time and yet we've not finalize our plans. We really need help....
Below are our incomplete plans. Some of the days, we leave it blank as we cannot figure out where to go. We are nature lovers who are not so keen on temples. We love slow and leisure walk around the country side with scenic views. Please have a look of our incomplete plan and enlighten us.
All suggestions and comments are much appreciated.

Day 1
27.11.2018
Tuesday (Arashiyama,Kyoto/1N)
Landed in Osaka (Kansai Airport) at 6.20am.
Take JR Haruka express train to Kyoto.
Drop luggage at the apartment.
Walk to Tenzan no Yu to experience onsen
Check in.Arashiyama Saganoarisugawachō
Day 2
28.11.18 (Wed, Kyoto/3N)
Depart to Arashiyama at 7 am. Cycle around.
Check out at 11 am.
Check in at Grids Hotel at 4p.m.
Visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Gion in the evening.
Villa,Golden Pavilion,Stroll along Pontacho Alley.
Day 3
29.11.18 (Thurs, Kyoto)
Botanical Garden and Philosopher�fs Walk. Visit Nishi Market.
Day 4
30.11.18 (Fri, Kyoto)
Day trip to Nara .Night bus/train to Kanazawa.
Day 5
1.12, 18(Sat, Kanazawa/2 N)
reach early visit Omicho Market, Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa Castle
Stay Emblem Stay
Day6
2.12.18 (Sun,Kanazawa)
Visit Higashi Chaya (zoo, free), stroll along Nagamachi District.
Day 7
3.12.18(Mon, Takayama/1N)
Go Shirakawago for few hours; visit the villages, (Ogimachi Village for scenic viewpoint).
Stay at SUMIYOSHI RYOKAN
Day 8
4.12.18(Tues, Takayama/N)
Stay Oyado Yamakyu
Day 9
5.12.18(Wednesday)Tokyo/?
Day 10
6.12.18 (Thursday,Tokyo?)
Day 11
7.12.18 (Fri, Tokyo?))
Day 12
8.12.18 (Sat, Tokyo)
Visit Imperial Palace & Ueno Park and Asakusa(Nakamise Dori) if time permits.
Stay at Super Hotel Lohas Musashi Kosugi Ekimae
Day 13
9.12.18(Sun,Tokyo)
Harajuku (Takeshita Dori, Jingu Gaien), Shibuya(Yoyogi Park, Icho Namiki), Shinjuku (TokyoMetro Govt Bldg)
!0.12.18 Home sweet Home
P/s We've not confirm our accommodations except for the 1st day: Arashyima . Any recommendations for
i. budget travellers to stay in Tokyo?

ii. Unique and scenic onsen town(without sulfur smell) to visit/stay ?

You day one and two aren't realistic. Moving hotels, checking in and out and moving between them will take a few hours of the day up.

I fail to see why you need 2 Kyoto hotels in 2 days?

Agree with PP.

the only free days I see in your itinerary are in Tokyo. It kind of seems that you even don�ft want to go there. But Tokyo is a very specific Japanese experience.

If you want �gnature�h while staying at Tokyo, you could do a hike up Takao san, visit Hamarikyu garden, Shinjuku goyen, Enoshima, Kamakura. I personally am a great friend of Kamakura, specially Kita Kamakura and could spend a week in Kamakura alone. For most other people it�fs an easy day trip from Tokyo.

Thinking about nature also Chichibu comes to mind where you can walk in nature to temples. There is a pilgrimage around 34 temples (takes about 3-4 days I think) but you can do bits and pieces. My personal favorites are the ones around Urayamaguchi.

The good thing about getting accommodation in Tokyo is that you can decide each day what to do. City , nature, culture...

It is however �g admissible �g to skip Tokyo entirely. You could go from Takayama to Matsumoto then on to Nagano and maybe spend the last days before departing from Narita (?) in Nikko.

You wrote that you have booked only one accommodation but you have names listed for many others. Have you prebooked them? Just wondering as they might no longer have availability.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Thank you Hakata14 and LikeBike for the feedback and sorry for the confusion.
Hakata, indeed , we need to replan the itinerary for day 1 and day 2. It looks like we have to omit Nara, so we have more time in Kyoto. My friend suggested me to go to Lake Biwa.

We planned to stay in Arashiyama for a night even thought it is more costly as we want to have more time to explore the lovely place. In addition,we want to go there early in the morning or late evening in order to beat the crowd.The other 3 days we will stay in the same hotel,Grids Hotel/hostel.

LikeBike, yes,looking at the images of Tokyo,somehow I feel like I do not like the city. Sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone.
Do you think is it a good idea, if I stay in Tokyo as it is a good hub for day trips. If the weather is good , then I can go hiking or even to Kawaguchiko . How accurate is the weather forecast in Japan?
I have confirm the accomodation in Arashiyama and Takayama (Oyado Yamakyu) and prebook the accomodations in Kyoto, Kanazawa and Takayam(SUMIYOSHI RYOKAN).

If you don't think you are interested in Tokyo, don't go. There are MANY more places in Japan to travel.

I will warn that you may run into early winter weather in December. It may be very cold for hiking and the outdoors, especially in the mountains. Be prepared to have the weather not cooperate with your schedule. It will probably get below freezing at least a few of the nights you are there.

No offense taken if you dont like big cities, that is perfectly fine. Tokyo is a good hub if you want to go to several places around the city, but ALSO want to visit Tokyo itself. If not, then it is too expensive to stay in Tokyo both accommodation-wise as well as transport wise (and time wise). So if you prefer to stay more outside, an alternative trip as I said, Matsumoto, Nagano, Nikko and maybe just the last day or two in Tokyo is totally fine.

Regarding weather apps, I normally use tenki.jp, which is pretty accurate, even has a rain radar for the next hour or so.

Not sure where you are from, but yes, December can get cold and there could be first snow up in the mountains. But if you have the right cloths, that's not a problem. Hiking is definitely possible (with the right cloths). Skiing might be possible in Hokkaido only in December. (I think, but never actually went to Hokkaido in Dec).

Thank you Me2 and LikeBike for the response. We are from Malaysia and we would like to view different scenery . We are scare of cold. Thank you for the reminder, Me2. We definitively need to well-equipped ourselves with the chilly weather. We are planning a scenic place to visit for two or three days before we depart from Haneda airport. Thank you again for the advice, we appreciate it .

Still research on the Tokyo and Kawaguchiko accommodation . We'll spend 2 nights at Kawaguchiko before depart from Tokyo. I have some doubts. As I have to catch the early flight home(10.45 am). Is it better to stay at the accommodation near Haneda Airport or should I spend the last night at the hotel near the airport? Any hotel recommendations for kawaguhciko and Tokyo, please?

Hi!

If you don't have a lot of luggage, getting to Haneda by 8:45 am for your 10:45 flight shouldn't be a problem from Tokyo, but I really wouldn't want to be going to Haneda from further than an hour away, unless there are frequent trains from your original destination. I would not stay some place like Hakone or Kawaguchiko the night before departing.

If you want to stay near Haneda you can, but there should be plenty of transportation running to get you to Haneda by 8:45 from Tokyo proper.

Since I don't know your budget it can be hard to recommend places. If money is no object, I love the Tokyo Station Hotel. I've also stayed in the Royal Park near Shiodome and the Mitsui Otemachi. (I've stayed lots of other places as a single traveler, but a lot of them rooms were tiny.) I liked both of them as well. I got a great price on the Mitsui last trip and for my money I thought the room was quite big and comfortable. I tend to like being near Tokyo Station/Shimbashi Station which is not an area super popular with everyone. I don't do nightlife (I travel with a child.) I liked the Mitsui a little more than the Royal Park and would probably pick it first. There is a new Mitsui opening in Nihombashi I might look at for my next trip as well, It really depends on the rates.

I've not yet been to Kawaguchiko. It hasn't really appealed to me in the past. I am waiting to visit when I feel like my child can handle climbing Mt. Fuji. :)

Speaking as someone who runs, a nice fleece hat, scarf and gloves are super important if you are concerned about being cold. Keeping your head warm makes a huge difference. If you're not opposed to purchasing things in Japan, you can probably find everything you might want at Uniqlo. I still love my gloves I bought there in '08.

Enjoy!

Thank you rykold for your good advice. There are some Uniqlo stores in my place and I'm going to get gloves, scarfs and hat . I think the quality should be the same in Japan. Thank you again for your help.