Itinerary help for 3 weeks in Spring

We are a 70 yr. old American couple who have traveled extensively, but not to Japan. We do not like cities very much. We much prefer nature, gardens and scenery. I have a tentative itinerary and would love some feedback. We will be there, unfortunately, during Golden Week; the last week of April and the first 2 weeks of May. We will be in the Nagano area during Golden week. I hope that's a good idea.
Here's what I've come up with so far:
Days 1-4 (Land at 1 pm) Tokyo. I might even choose 3 nights only in Tokyo, instead of 4.
Days 5-6 Nagano, get a rental car – Kamikochi; want to do easy walks
Day 7 – Masumoto
Days 8-9 Takayama, Sanmachi Suji, Shirakawa-go, Gokayama, Ogimachi, Suganuma, Ainokura
Days 10-11 Kanazawa - drop off car here?
Days 12-15 Kyoto
Days 16-17 Hiroshima and Miyajima - should I add another day here?
Day 18 – Kurashiki?
Days 19-21
Day 22 -depart Haneda at 6:25 pm

Not sure what to add to the itinerary. I've considered Hakone and/or Nikko at the beginning of the trip. I want to skip Osaka. I think Tokyo will be enough big city for me. I want to see a few shrines/temples but not several in every place I go. I think they will all run together in my mind after a while. I imagine it's like seeing too many cathedrals in Europe, which I've done. I know we are too late for the cherry blossoms, I considered adding Iya Valley but it seems to be too much time traveling and not enough time actually seeing, Unless you think I could eliminate another place and add that to the itinerary. I prefer to stay in a location 3 nights when possible. I don't like changing hotels constantly, but I also know that is going to have to happen to see all these locations.

I replied to your previous posts, but considering that you are in your 70s, the hiking trail in Miyajima might be too difficult.

Kamikochi is great. The scenic area around the ponds and the river is flat, with good infrastructure (wood planks). However, you cannot get into the park with your car and will have to take a shuttle from the parking lot (which takes about half an hour, maybe?).

Is there something you want to see in Nagano? Otherwise you can skip it and visit Kamikōchi from Takayama or Matsumoto instead.

Another tentative plan:
Day 1 Tokyo
Days 2-5 Kyoto/Nara (assuming this is before GW starts)
Days 6-8 Miyajima/Hiroshima (Hiroshima is a standard japanese city... large streets, concrete buildings, you might not like it)
Day 9 Kurashiki (not sure about this one, it's already very touristy outside of GW, and shopping is a major part of the enjoyment there)
Days 10-16 split your time between Kanazawa and Takayama, with day trips in the region.
Day 17 : Takayama -> Matsumoto via Kamikochi (by now you should be outside of GW?)
Days 18-22 Tokyo

A nice spot for easy hiking near Nagano city is Togakushi. The approach to the main shrine is flat and very beautiful, and there are some other trails in the area that are not too difficult, such as the trail to Mirror Lake (Kagami no Ike). You can take a bus around there if you donft want to drive. Buses might be a littele crowded during Golden Week, possibly. But in general this is not a heavily touristed site.

In Kyoto, at least consider visiting some of the splendid and serene temples and shrines that are not on the Top Ten lists. There are plenty, but you just have to do some research to find ones you might like and figure out the transit. Or go to the Kansai Tourist Information Center (the TIC in the Tower building, not the one in the station building) to get personalized recommendations. The famous sites get insanely crowded at times, and this can be very unpleasant. But there are still places in Kyoto where you can experience nature, gardens, and scenery with very few other people around.

There is nothing wrong with the places you have chosen, but they are all wildly popular, and overtourism has not improved their essential qualities. If you want to go to them, thatfs fine, but donft expect peace and quite.

Hi, just my personal view but I reckon you are doing way too much for your first trip and after over 15 trips I still wouldnt rent a car there. I would pick 5 centres for 3 days each and see how you feel, with a few shorter stays. For example, if I was going at that time for 3 weeks I would do this:

Tokyo 3 nights (I fibbed as I wouldnt stay in Tokyo more than a night, but you've never been so you should, it is quite amazing);
Kyoto 3 nights (going to be busy but cant help that);
Nara 3 nights (much nicer than Kyoto if you like peace and quiet, if you are getting bored by the third day, a day trip to Uji is in order). look at Nara Hotel;
Kanazawa 2 nights (I liked Hakuchoro there);
Takayama 3 nights, maybe a daytrip to Shirakawa-go (I like Hotel Associa there);
Kamikochi 2 nights (I like the Onsen Hotel there);
Matsumoto 2 - 3 nights (I am not such a great fan of Matsumoto though the castle is nice, but it is a good launch pad for a look at Narai in Kiso Valley);
Karuizawa 3 nights (I like the town and over-recommend it, we stay at Le Grand Kyu which is great although Tsuruya Ryokan is fantastic as well). Karuizawa is an hour from Tokyo so it means you can stay there your last night as long as it isnt an early flight.

Day 22 Haneda
u can buy Tokyo monorail 1 day pass=700yen
Or,From hamamatsucho to haneda 1way:500

Day 1 to 4:Tokyo
You can stay Hotel yae no midori Tokyo
This hotel cost 5000 yen per night,Located 10 minutes walk from JR Tokyo station

I would skip the car hire altogether. Driving in Japan is another world-the convenience it can bring to us in other places just does not apply in Japan. We've done it a couple of times for very specific targetted travel to isolated areas with limited public transport, and it's worked pretty well, but I wouldn't do it for the destinations you are looking at.

This is going to shock some readers, but if you're not so keen on cities, or lots of shrines and temples, maybe give Kyoto a miss. It's going to be really, really busy and can be very slow to get around. And the temples and shrines are the main game. It's your holiday, do what you want not what a guidebook says is right.

Tokyo is an extraordinary place, and while it is a big city there are many opportunities to escape from the hustle and bustle, or to find a spot from which to people watch without getting too drawn in to the general busy-ness. Again, 'seeing' Tokyo is a great ambition to have, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot if you decide what it is you want to do/see/experience and make the most of that. Or just pass through for a night or two before heading into the trip you really want.

We were in Kurashiki earlier in the year, I could not see what all the fuss is about. We visited from Okayama, where we very much enjoyed a couple of days. One of the highlights was a day at Ritsurin Koen in nearby Takamatsu.

I haven't been to Takayama or that general area, so can't comment.

I quite like Nagano, and if you like the look of the walks in Kamikochi that sounds good.

I'm a big fan of Kanazawa-art museum, castle park, beautiful big garden, samurai district, Noto Peninsula day trip-for a fairly small place it packs a lot of punch. We've been a couple of times, I'd go again like a shot.

Hiroshima is very interesting and well worth a day or two, Miyajima I think would be a nice place to stay for a night or two, so you can enjoy it (and the walking there) before and after the main tourist traffic arrives.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time in Japan.

Well first, if you prefer to see the countryside, that is perfectly fine. Though for all the criticism Tokyo gets for being a "concrete jungle", it also has over a dozen traditional gardens, and some of them are the finest in Japan. You could certainly go see Rikugien, Koishikawa Korakuen, and Kiyosumi for starters. There are other good ones too like the Showa Kinen Park and Jindai Botanical Garden.
https://goo.gl/tAECfM

Golden Week, by the way, is one of the most beautiful times to be in Japan. Please disregard any screaming nightmares from first and second-timers howling about never going to Japan at that time. If you are not going where everybody else is at the same time, it is not that bad. This year I was in Tokyo and Kansai for Golden Week, and I got to see the shibazakura near Mt Fuji, the wisteria at the Ashikaga Flower Park, and nemophila at the Hitachi Seaside Park all in their full glory. Something the screamers will never see.
BTW, for seeing the gassho zukuri houses, pick one place like Shirakawago or Gokayama - you don't need to go to all of them. Shirakawago has way more people, but also much larger with more to see. It still only takes a few hours though.
https://youtu.be/lvtACNNuLUs

For Hiroshima, you could add a 3rd day if you like. You could see Iwakuni, the Sandankyo Gorge, or Onomichi.
Also, for Kansai, be sure to take at least half a day and see Nara.

Japan Travel:

1- BTW, you didn't say anything about it, but you don't need a RailPass. Expensive unless you are on a train every single day.

2- Hotels. Non-Western Brand hotels often (90%) of the time have very, very firm mattresses. Not a big deal for some but it is for me.

3 - Travel Light- You mentioned you are a seasoned traveler. My wife and I are also 70 and traveled recently to Japan for almost 4 weeks with a 21 inch roller board carryon and handbag/small backpack. You can buy anything in Japan and it is cheap- socks, tshirts, etc. Its difficult to move around dragging large pieces of luggage.

Tokyo is a big concrete city and not my favorite so of course, I think 3 nights is plenty. The Richmond Hotel Asakusa International (be careful there are 2 hotels here) is a good place and centrally located.

Golden Week – There are Pluses and Minuses- Just remember in the beginning the week, the Japanese are streaming out of the big cities and streaming in at the end. So go against the flow and go to the big cities during GW.

You donft really need a rental car. I do everything by train/ferry/bus. Instead of Nagano, which is btw 2hr20min by train vs 3.5hours by car, I would go to the Mt Fuji Lakes area and walk/climb Mt Fuji after.

Takayama is a very nice small town (we built a while trip around the Spring festival there) but rather than go to Shirakawago which is a not close, you can go to Hida Folk Village in Takayama.

Go to Takayama by train from Nagoya. If you spend the day and night in Nagoya, you can see the Nagoya castle.

Alternative to Kanazawa - you can go the other direction to Ise Jingu. Lots of walking and no foreigners. Just donft go there during GW. The Futamiokitama Shrine and Kashikojima are nice side trips – just not at GW.

Kyoto is a good place to go during GW as it is always crowded. Draw a 2 km circle around Kyoto station and avoid it like the plaque. So full of tourists and looks like the H&M/Zaras/Sephora complexes in any other major city in the world. Dhawa Yura Kyoto by Banyan Tree is an excellent hotel in an excellent location. Big shrines like Heian and Sanjusangendo can easily handle big crowds. My favorite shrine is Nanzenji. Packed in the day but not crowded and beautiful at night is Yasaka Shrine. You could easily spend 4+ days in Kyoto.

Kurashiki is a small area and can easily be seen in 2-3 hours. Consider Himeji and itfs beautiful castle which you can climb to the top off, which is along the way. Richmond Hotel Himeji is a good place.

Check out Naoshima on the web. Itfs a full day trip from Okayama and well worth it. Itfs a beautiful place with long walks.
Regarding Hiroshima, you can definitely see the city and Miyajima in 2 days. Hiroshima is a beautiful city so you could spend another day here. I didnft think the castle was worth it but Peace Park is beautiful. The small Shukkeien Garden is worthwhile.

When you leave Haneda, stay at a hotel near between the airport and Hamamatsuchō Station which is on the monorail route so it is very easy travel to Haneda and taxis are also more convenient than in central Tokyo.

IMO renting a car can be great.
I wouldnft rent one to go from city to city (the public transport is too good, and a lot quicker than driving in most cases).
I would definitely use car rental for the odd 2 or 3 day periods to travel from cities into countryside areas, returning the car to the same city (or another city in the same prefecture- thereby reducing or eliminating the one-way drop-off fee) and then using trains to get to my next base.