plan nearly completed - a few questions

So here's the plan so far-I welcome any feedback or suggestions on how to improve. Also-thoughts on the rail pass and payoff? As this is a first trip we are trying to find that balance between seeing and experiencing lots but not flying through everything so we don't ever really see or feel anything. Tough because there is so much to experience. We know we aren't spending as much time in Tokyo as some might, but we don't typically love large cities as much as other things. The only things that are "fixed" are the MOTO GP Race and I would love to be in Takeyama for the fall festival Oct 9th. We have cancellation on hotels and are open to moving around if it makes sense

Oct 4th-7th Tokyo (Century Southern Tower Hotel)

Oct 7th-Tokyo –overnight at ryoken in Okuhida region (still deciding exactly where) Question-we would ideally love to have a car for this portion of the trip-where would be a realistic place to hire a car? It would mostly be to have the freedom to visit sites in the alps, onsen, ropeway, Ainokura etc on our own time)

Oct 8th –Okuhida –Kamikoche -Takeyama (Auberge Hidanomori)

Oct 9th -Takeyama (cycle trip and fall festival)

Oct 10th -Takeyama - explore surrounding villages including Ainokura-overnight in village or back to Takeyama or to Kyoto that day. This is another question-we would like the opportunity to stay over night in or near Ainokura but not sure re logistics etc-especially if we hire car though we could return in the morning to Takeyama and take train/bus from there on to Kyoto. I know Kazawana looks lovely but I just don't see how we can fit it in without short changing something else.

Oct 11th –Takeyama -Kyoto (Hotel Ethnography - Gion Shinmonzen)

Oct 12th –Kyoto

Oct 13th -Kyoto

Oct 14th – Kyoto-Kyo San (we would leave our main luggage at the hotel and then return. splitting the Kyoto stay seemed to make most sense-haven't decided where to stay yet)

Oct 15th –Kyo-San- Kyoto-

Oct 16th –Kyoto

Oct 17th –Kyoto –Himiji -Hiroshima/Miyajima (haven't decided where to stay)

Oct 18th- Hiroshima/Miyajima

Oct 19th – Hiroshima -Tokyo (here is the big question-we have to be back for the Moto GP race and not sure where to stay neat Motegi)

Oct 20th-MOTO GP Race Motegi -twin ring (not sure where to stay overnight-tokyo, closer by)

Oct 21st-home

Please be a bit more accurate with place name spellings…

I can’t comment much as I’ve never been to Kanazawa/Takayama area.

One thing about MOTO GP race; if you are willing to take the bus (or taxi – expensive), you can stay near JR Utsunomiya station. If not, you could book a room at Twin Ring Motegi itself, there is a hotel on site, though it could get full with race event staff. There are some hotels near the racetrack, but they tend to be the hotels for golfers (meaning near a golf course), and you’d need to take a taxi to get there. (Locals tend to drive or ride to the racetracks.)

It will be a long day on trains in any case: Hiroshima – Tokyo (4 hours or so on JR Shinkansen train), then Tokyo – Utsunomiya (1 hour by another JR Shinkansen train).

Regarding Takayama... if you have not already made a hotel reservation I would do so immediately before you finalize your itinerary. There are not many hotels or similar there and the tour groups fill them up quickly. Two years ago we went, I reserved a hotel room at the Holiday Inn equivalent 6 months prior to the event, it was almost full. Since then, as we go to Japan 1-2 times per year, have tried to get a room at a hotel or onsen or other during one of the matsuri's in spring or fall, to no avail. I did not want to "commute" on the train daily back and forth to Takayama so we have not gone back.

You really do want to stay in the town and not have to get on a train because there is much to see and experience all day during the matsuri's.

My two cents...

S

Thank you for your feedback. Yes I will try and be better with spelling!

We have already made those hotel reservations for Takayama.

Re the Moto GP- yes I am not quite sure how to fit that in... we will figure it out at any rate