3 Full Days in Takayama - advice needed

I'd like to plan a short trip to Takayama from Tokyo and appreciate your input/critique.
We are first timers in Takayama.
Arriving from Tokyo on 23rd of Jan
24th of Jan - full Day in Takayama
25th Jan - maybe bus to Shirakawa Go and then transfer to Hida Furukawa
26th Jan - explore around Hida Furukawa or go to Okuhida for a day trip
27th Jan - travel back to Tokyo

Questions - is it worth staying in Hida Furukawa if we only have 3 full days?
Would it be easier to stay in Takayama?
Is Okuhida easy and worth going on a day trip, or staying there is better? (I am a bit onsen fan, husband not that much)
Is Hida Folklore village a solid alternative to Shirakawa go, or we should make an effort to get there anyway?

Thanks for your guidance

I would be changing hotels on a 3 day trip when all locations are an easy trip close to eachother.

I "wouldn't be changing hotels" I meant to type.

A couple of times when I stayed in that area I �gchanged hotels�h over a two- or three-night period because I got good deals on lovely ryokans but I didn�ft want to stay in a lovely ryokan the whole time. One of the ryokans was in Hida Furukawa, and it was well worth the time getting there just to spend a night there. (Of course, I arrived early enough to relax and enjoy the baths and the property�fs antiques and other special features before dinner.) I can�ft say that I did much sightseeing in Furukawa itself, but the ryokan stay was memorable.

A good Japanese ryokan (and it doesn�ft necessarily have to be a fancy or expensive one) is a lot more than just a place to sleep. The food, baths, ambience, and hospitality can make a one-night stay a high point of a trip to Japan. Two nights can also be good, but I don�ft think I�fve ever stayed in a ryokan for three nights in a row. It just doesn�ft appeal to me.

I haven�ft ever been to Okuhida, but it might be worth considering an overnight stay there if you find a ryokan that looks good. Or in Hida Furukawa. Takayama also has some nice ryokans, but you might not want to stay three nights in one.

@Kim
I'm tossing between at staying one night at Yatsusankan ryokan at Hida, OR at Yarimakan Ryokan, which is in Okuhida and 1 hour on a local bus from Takayama. Both looks pretty special, ideally would have liked to stay in both, but I think moving 3 times within 4 days will be probably too much?
Leaning towards Yatsusankan as it has raving reviews as the ultimate cultural experience thing.
Decisions, decisions. haha

Actually, the place I stayed in Hida Furukawa was Yatsusankan. It was about 10 years ago but I doubt if it has changed much. As I recall, the baths were very nice but nothing remarkable, so if you�fre particularly keen on onsen bathing the place in Okuhida might possibly be better (I don�ft know it), plus you might have other baths available there (yumeguri style). But if your husband isn�ft all that into onsen baths, maybe it wouldn�ft be worth a 1-hour bus ride (?). Maybe someone here who knows Okuhida could advise.

The food at Yatsusankan was very good, and the ambience was also good. I actually stayed there twice, two years apart, and would go back again although I don�ft know if I will get to that area again. I kind of got spoiled by visiting Takayama (and Shirakawago) before they became wildly popular tourist destinations. Pretty much everything I hear about Shirakawago these days is that it is very crowded and �gtouristy�h and I probably won�ft ever go there again myself. But if you have never been, it might be worth a look, and probably end of January is going to be one of the least crowded times. You can definitely see similar houses at Hida no Sato, though. I would probably pick that myself.

Actually, if you don�ft go to Shirakawago, you are going to have quite a lot of time in Takayama. If it were me, I would probably stay at Yatsusankan one night and go to Okuhida as a day trip, and probably book a hotel in Takayama for the other nights. It looks like you are there on a weekend? I always try to stay at ryokans on weeknights. Saturdays are usually their busiest night (and most expensive). The baths are typically more crowded, and service can be a little less attentive. Sundays are usually okay, Mondays better. Just something to think about.

Thanks Kim!
Yes, unfortunately we are locked with the dates, so it will have to be the weekend. Which is probably good I think to see the market and some sort of movements in the cold month of the year.
I have booked Ryokan Tanabe for 3 nights, it seems to be centrally located and not too crazy expensive.
Looks like it is an easy walk to the old town from there too.
Talking about Shirakawa Go, I also heard about large crowds, and was wondering if Hido No Sato would be a good replacement - so you confirmed that. I read about 2 other thatched villages - Ainokura and Suganuma - not sure if they will be a better alternatives?
I think, based on what I read, Takayama itself has quite a lot to cover on foot - i.e. old town, museums and shrines and temples, do you agree?

I don�ft know much about the other villages. I believe they are a nuisance to get to, if you don�ft have a car (and winter driving in that area is not to be recommended). I don�ft know what to say about Shirakawago. For me, seeing the houses in the physical setting they are in wasn�ft all that special, but for some people it is. I suppose it is an iconic place. If you go, apparently you have to get a bus reservation and the buses often book out. I would find that a little constraining.

There is a fair amount to cover in Takayama by foot, but it isn�ft too spread out. I guess there is a bus that goes around (I didn�ft take it). You should be prepared for snowy conditions, and for the possibility of it being pretty cold there. But I�fm not a very good source of information on this area, as I haven�ft been there for a long time. There is a lot of information online, including a lot of forum threads (half of them seem to have to do with Shirakawago and its buses). One of the forum frequent contributors, JapanCustomTours, escorts people to Takayama pretty often and he is always saying favorable things about it and the things there are to do there. I expect you will have fun no matter what you end up doing (as long as you are dressed suitably for the cold). In the winter, I would particularly enjoy the onsens, so would probably plan on going to Okuhida. I think one day would be plenty for things in Takayama itself, but I guess you can spend hours poking around the shops there, among other things,