Kanazawa and Takayama in December

We initially planned to spend two days in Kanazawa and two days in Takayama in late November or early December, but we have a couple of questions. We've read that this season is quite rainy—would it still be worthwhile to visit despite the weather?

We noticed that the drive to Tokyo or Hakone—our next destination—takes over five hours, which would take up almost an entire day of our 14-day trip to Japan. Because of this, wefre considering alternative options.

Wefd like to explore interesting villages and nature beyond Kyoto and Tokyo. Could you suggest a four-day itinerary in relatively drier areas?

Thank you :)

Nara is relatively dry in November/December.

https://www-data-jma-go-jp.translate.goog/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.p...

Hiroshima is also dry,

https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=67&b...

as compared to Kanazawa.

https://www-data-jma-go-jp.translate.goog/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.p...

which is 4-5 times more rainy in these two months.

Many thanks Frog1954

December - Japan climate is cold/dry in winter. While Kanazawa is known for its rain, it doesn't rain nearly as much as you might think. Many times it might be over-night or a brief period during the day. Yes, I have had wet days in both Kanazawa and Takayama, and also during winter (Takayama might be snow), but that's also a feature of having visited both places more the 100 times.
Going in winter - I certainly would, and you can't control the rain - that happens everywhere at some stage.
As for the long drive to Hakone - that's the downside of going to Hakone and travelling by car. It just takes a long time.

Thank you, JapanCustomTours.

Wefve decided to use public transportation instead of renting a car, but the journey to Tokyo/Hakone still takes over five hours. Given the high likelihood of rain in Takayama and Kanazawa, wefre considering adjusting our plans—spending two days in Hiroshima and Miyajima, and two days in Hakone instead.

Thanks again for your help!

You will have similar likelihood of rain in other parts of the country too. People looking at rain often do not distinguish between a brief shower and heavy rain. Most "rainy" days are of short duration. For example, my current guests look at their weather app and say today (in Hiroshima) 100% chance of rain. In reality, it rained overnight, and it will stop in around an hour, so the daytime will be fine - heading to Miyajima soon - I won't even bother with an umbrella. Looking at a more accurate hourly forecast and the low percentage chance of a shower translates to "raining all day" for some, but that simply isn't the case.