Dec/Jan 2024 - 8 days itinerary

hello,

i'm planning my 6th travel to japan (3rd of my wife) and i need some recommendations. I've 8 full days from 28th december to 5th of january to spend in Japan. I would like to visit Tokyo (3/4 days) and add another place to my itinerary. Currently i have these ideas :

- 3/4 days in Kyoto + 1 night in a near place to experience Japan nature (i've been 2 times in Kyoto, last was this April but honestly i love Kyoto and i would be happy to visit again). In this case i would spend new year's eve in Kyoto, are there any festival/activities worth ? And do you have any idea of something off the beaten path near Kyoto to sleep and appreciate rural landscape and nature ?

- 3/4 days Kyoto + Koyasan. I would love to visit Koyasan (never been there), sleep in a Shukubo, but all the temples are full booked :(

- 3/4 days Kyoto + Nachi Falls (wakayama), is worth visiting ?

- 4 days in Takayama, Kanazawa and Shirakawaga. I've never been in japanese alps, and i think i should visit these places one day, but everytime i watch videos of Kanazawa/Takayama, honestly i can't fall in love with these locations (maybe the youtube vids can't caught the magic of these places) , plus i'm scared we can find too much snow, which may slow us down during visits.

- 4/5 days in Tohoku. I've been in Sendai and Yamadera in 2018, i have fond memories of these places but i don't know if there are other worth places in the area. I would love to visit Ginzan Onsen, but considering we have only 4/5 days maybe we could waste too much times catching bus/trains/etc.

- other ideas ? i'm open to anything, honestly i would love to see something off the beaten path (in 2020 we visited Tomonoura and Onomichi and we have great memories of these places), but i ran off ideas. Please don't suggest me anything which involve taking planes, my wife hates planes and she's doing a big gift to me taking a 12hr flight from europe.



thanks a lot for your help and suggestions :)

None of your ideas is bad. :-)
But being a sucker for Kyoto (and Kansai) myself I support your Kyoto + plan.

Regarding new year activities in Kyoto I went last year to temples in Higashiyana and enjoyed the atmosphere at midnight.
I also like the buzz at Inari Jinja in the first days of the year. Itfs not gnormal g tourism.
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/01/ny2023-d1-new-year-in-k...
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/01/ny2023-d3-nara-wazuka-k...

You didnft mention Nara

For something more countryside there would be:
- Miyama (apparently similar to Shirakawago) I havenft yet been being stopped by a freezing cold rain earlier this year
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/01/ny2023-d5-kameoka-miyam...
- Ohara
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/01/ny2023-d6-kyoto-ohara.h...
- the old city of Yamatoyagi
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/11/day-43-yamatoyagi-to-os...
- Yamanobenomichi walking trail
c
All doable as daytrips

- Or Dorogawa onsen in the mountains (book a ryokan there)

Obviously there are millions of other potential places

Enjoy planning your trip

Hi, I wouldnt go to Takayama and Kanazawa at that time of year. Kanazawa in particular gets really slushy and it makes for a nuisance with wet boots and trousers. Takayama as well a bit, maybe not as much. That said, they are super pretty, we have stayed at Takayama probably 5 or 6 times over the years, but it is best at the beginning of November for autumn IMO.

Nara would be my pick for a few nights. It has so much stuff there, and is a great place to just chill out. Unless your missus doesnt like deer, I reckon she'd love it. My favorite area to stay at Nara is around Mt Wakausayama. Kotonoyado Musashino there is fantastic, not just because the hostess praised my flower arranging efforts. But for a bit of history and class, you cant go past the original wing of the Nara Hotel, we have stayed there several times and are back next week. The new wing is nowhere near as nice.