Kanazawa or Nara?

We are travelling to Japan in May and have a problem deciding on the itinerary.
One possibility is to visit Kanazawa for a day and a half (not including travel from Tokyo). From there we'll go to Kyoto.
The other possibility is to skip Kanazawa and travel straight from Tokyo to Kyoto for five and a half days (not including travel) and do a day trip to Nara.
From Kyoto we're going to continue to Hiroshima.
I've read many recommendations about Kanazawa. On the other hand, if we go straight to Kyoto, we won't have to change so many hotels. (which could be an advantage for us since we're in our 70's)
I know that it's a personal choice but I'd like to hear some opinions.
Thanks.

You shouldnft miss Nara. If your Kananzawa option doesnft include any trip to Nara. Plus as you say logistically it is easier to do Nara. Also overall less time on transport.

Nara, Nara, Nara.

Kanazawa is a very nice city to visit, but you should not miss Nara at all, especially Nara Park. It has some of Japan's best sights. You could spend half a day in Uji, and the rest at the park.
https://goo.gl/LfvWnL

Kanazawa can be outshined a bit by Kyoto, personally I wouldnt go to both in one trip. Nara on the other hand is very different to Kyoto, and I would go to it in preference to Kyoto.

It is best enjoyed overnight and in the morning, in my opinion, rather than as a day trip.

If the hotel change is one of the things holding you back, I will say that I have done Kanazawa as a very enjoyable day trip from Kyoto. (I am not in my 70s yet but getting close, and I have never liked hotel changes.) The Thunderbird Limited Express takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes and is a pleasant ride, and when the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension to Tsuruga opens up in March, the trip will presumably take even less time. Then, if you hop in a cab at Kanazawa Station (donft mess around with the tourist buses), you can be at Kenrokuen in less than 15 minutes. When I did this as a day trip I then took a cab to Omicho Market (much better than Nishiki Market in Kyoto, which unfortunately has been negatively impacted by overtourism). That, plus a very nice lunch, was all I attempted that day (it was at least my sixth visit to Kanazawa), and I left early enough to enjoy the scenery on the way back even though it was February and got dark early. In May (a fabulous time to visit Kenrokuen) it stays light out much later. You could conceivably go to at least one other major tourist spot before calling it a day. Eat your breakfast and dinner on the train (there are some great bento vendors in the station shopping complex) instead of spending time in restaurants, and relax and enjoy the beautiful Japanese countryside coming and going... It isnft a bad proposition at all.

Anyway, especially if you are staying at a hotel near Kyoto Station (up to you but itfs generally where I stay in Kyoto these days), Kanazawa isnft too ambitious for a day trip. So possibly you could visit both Kanazawa and Nara, although you donft want to cut too many days out of Kyoto.

People have their favorite places in Japan, and for many people Nara is on that list, but Kanazawa is one of mine, mainly because of Kenrokuen. But itfs also just a nice city. I donft see it as a minor or lesser variation of Kyoto at all. Great food, easy to get around, and enough unique attractions to make it worth a visit. Donft go crazy and try to do all of the things on the tourism lists in one day, but you can still do a lot. I would allow two hours for Kenrokuen; it is quite large and you really donft want to rush through it. But there are plenty of places to rest if your feet get tired.

I forgot to mention that taking long-distance day trips really helps to make the JR pass gpay off,h especially after the dramatic price increase that took place this fall. Itfs not like you want to take long day trips just to get more value out of the pass, but it does sort of help one to feel better about the cost.

I'm sticking up for Kanazawa.

Great tourist info point at the JR station.

Omicho Market for the best (and well-priced) seafood lunch, followed by Kenrokuen, followed by the Contemporary Art Museum makes a fantastic itinerary (and they're all within walking distance of each other).

Also, the local crafts (textiles, laquerware) are great, and there are nice older districts which can be less crowded than in Kyoto. (The area around the gold leaf workshop sticks in my mind.)

With 1.5 days you could cover these at a reasonably leisurely pace.

Nara has charms, of course, and I'd maybe take a half/daytrip there from Kyoto. The main temple is memorable, and the city could be a welcome relief from Kyoto's crowds, but in some senses it's more similar to Kyoto and I think you'd get more variety by choosing Kanazawa, especially if you don't have any other grand gardens on your itinerary.

Re. changing hotels, you could always take a v small bag to Kanazawa, and send your main luggage on from Tokyo to Kyoto, and it will be there when you arrive. This length of side-trip is ideal for Takkyubin.

Hotels will have toiletries and toothbrush, and quite often yukata/pyjamas to sleep in, so you can travel easily with a change of underwear and a phone charger. This will allow you to get straight off the train and start your sightseeing, and then check into your hotel later in the day for a chillout before dinner.

Changing hotels when you don't have luggage is a LOT easier.

Thanks for your answers.
I wouldn't consider Kanazawa as a day trip - that would be almost 5 hours of just travelling. I'm tired just from thinking about that. Ha, ha.
We were planning on sending our big luggage ahead as was suggested.
Would 3 and a half days be enough in Kyoto? If we do go to Kanazawa, that's the amount of time we'd have in Kyoto. We've never been in Japan so everything is new for us....

Hmm, are 3,5 days in Kyoto enough? Well, it can be. And it canft. You can easily spend weeks in Kyoto doing sightseeing but 3,5 days pure Kyoto assuming you get at least one more day for Nara can be enough. But missing Nara would be a crime in my eyes. I could spend 1+ week in Nara alone.

Many people tend to think of train travel as onerous, but you might be surprised once you try it in Japan. I actually find it to be fun and relaxing, so a two-hour ride one way on a route with good scenery is nothing to me, especially if I do it at meal times so I donft have to spend time in restaurants. But Ifm not going to try to sell you on it.

Kyoto has so much to offer (including but by no means limited to temples and shrines) that you could spend your whole trip there. But the sensible thing to do is balance it with other cities in such a way that you get to see a number of different places in Japan. Pick your sites carefully, though, and carefully plan the transit to get to them. Some people rush around trying to visit as many Top Ten sites as they can, and that is a real pity. The specialness of each site is lost on them, and they get worn out by the crowds and the local transit (as much as I enjoy long-distance trains in Japan, I am no fan of local transit, especially when it is crowded and/or slow). Note that city buses in Kyoto are especially unpleasant (and slow) most of the time even though they are often recommended to tourists. Take trains and cabs as much as you can.

To me, Kanazawa is not "outshined" by Kyoto. They are both cultural cities, both Kyoto's main sites are temples and shrines while Kanazawa's main sites are its garden and historic districts. Kanazawa's chaya districts are overall better-preserved than Kyoto's. There is overlap, of course, for example they both have castle sites. They also both have markets. I guess I agree that Omicho is better, but neither are particularly interesting. I don't think Kyoto's Nishiki Market is affected by "overtourism", though. It has always been overcrowded and unpleasant.

As far as the question, "Are 3 days enough in Kyoto", that depends on your travel plans. Nearly everything in Kyoto has history, so it's possible to spend weeks in Kyoto and still not see it all. However, most travelers aren't interested in "seeing it all".

What are your must-see sites? If you list them, we can see if three days is enough time to see them.

Just my take on Nishiki Market: I disagree that it has galwaysh been overcrowded and unpleasant. On trips I took there years ago it really wasnft crowded, and the merchants were friendly and welcoming. For example, I was able to take a lot of pictures there, which is pretty much impossible now. (I think there are even signs up telling people not to take photographs.) It used to have what I consider a nice atmosphere, but I wonft even go near the place anymore. If I were a Kyoto resident who used to shop there, I would be sad about what has happened to it. (The residents are also unhappy about what has happened with the city buses, which is apparently the reason why the one-day bus pass has been discontinued.)

Places like Nishiki Market get popular with tourists, and they get on Top Ten lists, and then throngs of visitors go there, and the experience is changed but they still stay on the Top Ten lists. This happened to Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. When I went there for the first time it was actually still Showa Era (!), and it was a phenomenal place to visit as a tourist. Boy, did that change over the yearsc

I do think that it is a good idea to go to one or more of the places where ordinary people in Japan shop, just for the experience. Nishiki Market no longer fits the bill, but there are other places (sadly, the Yanagibashi Market in Nagoya, which used to be my favorite replacement for Tsukiji, closed a couple of years ago). Besides places that sell mostly food items, a visit to an old-fashioned shotengai (basically a covered shopping arcade with lots of different types of stores and restaurants) can also be a fun experience.

We have a travel planner who will help us with the sites. We are interested in everything - historical and cultural sites, parks, gardens, markets, museums.... as long as there aren't a lot of steps. (no dedicated shopping for us, we travel for the experiences).
After reading all the helpful posts (really), I've decided that a longer visit to Kyoto (instead of Kanazawa) with at least one side trip (Nara) and maybe even an additional short one suits us most. I researched the possibilities and there's also a trip to Kibune and Kurama if we have "extra" time. However, I'm not sure if that requires a lot of hiking. Anyone knows?
We'll be travelling to Hiroshima from Kyoto. Are there any places that could be a half day trip on the way (not Osaka, that's where we're ending our trip.).

Between Kyoto and Hiroshima there would be
- Okayama —> famous Japanese garden. And a station on the main Shinkansen line
-Kurashiki —> old merchant town (a bit overrated in my eyes. Itfs nice but essentially one long street
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/11/day-45-kibi-plain-and-k...
- Inujima —> this would be my suggestion but the island itself is walking. Itfs flat though. This is an art island and VERY different from everything else you are going to see in Japan.
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/11/day-47-inujima-art-proj...
- Himeiji —> a very impressive castle but you need to be fine with climbing a lot of stairs

Other options are available

Kibune to Kurama is definitely a hike. If you start at Kurama there is a ropeway that goes part of the way up, but there is still some climbing, and in places the trail is a little steep. Also, the footing is not terribly smooth (lots of tree roots, rocks, etc.) in places. It is very beautiful, but I would maybe look into it more closely if you are concerned about it being too challenging. As an alternative, possibly look into Hieizan.

Correction: itfs not a ropeway, itfs a gfunicularh (cable) transit system at Kurama, but anyway it takes you part of the way up the mountain. One thing I donft like about it is if you take it, you miss Yuki Jinja, which is a nice shrine. One time I took the cable ride up, then walked part of the way farther up the trail but not all the way to Kibune, and then I turned around and walked down. This made for an easier hike and also allowed me to enjoy Yuki Jinja.

Herefs Japan Guidefs page on Kurama (the hot spring there is currently closed, by the way):
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3933.html

But you can find plenty of other descriptions if you want to know more about the hike.

For a rural experience that is quite accessible from Kyoto and doesnft require too much walking, consider Ohara. Very beautiful placec.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm not looking for a real hike - my husband can't manage long walking or any steep terrain. I guess I'll look for a place to stop off for a half day either from Tokyo on the way to Kyoto or from Kyoto to Hiroshima.

It's not really a hike, but if you stop at Hikone on the way to Kyoto (shinkansen stop is Maibara, Hikone is 5 minutes away by train or taxi) you can go up to the castle there. It is kind of on a hill but not too steep, it is a nice original castle with views over Lake Biwa, then you go down through the castle grounds and the gardens are very pleasant. Hikone is a really nice town, it could be what you are looking for.