I have a week -- where should I go?

I have to be in Tokyo for business Oct 1-5 and Oct 15-19. Rather than buying two round-trip fares from the US, my client has agreed to pay my room and food for the middle week. So I have the opportunity to travel in Japan for a week!

I was just in Tokyo and Kyoto for a week last January, so I have already seen a few of the highlights of Japan. (My wife is into temples shrines &etc so we visited lots of those.) I'm trying to figure out if there are "must-see" places in Japan that I could visit in a week, or if I should come home, spend the week with my family, and suffer continuous jet lag for a month. :-)

I speak and read a tiny bit of Japanese. I'm willing to go off the beaten path, but I need SOME English speakers to get by. I'd rather stay in a ryokan or onsen than at the Hilton. I'm 50, male, semi-athletic, interested in both cultural and natural sights. Spending time in Tokyo or other big cities doesn't interest me much, unless there are particular interesting things to see.

If you had this opportunity, where would you go? Spend a week hiking through parks & viewing the fall foliage in Hokkaido? Go to Hakone and see Fuji-san? Visit Kyuushuu? Rent a car and drive around or get a JR pass or an air pass or...? Remember my room & board is covered so I don't have to stick to low-budget joints, but I can't stay in a $300 ryokan every night. I **could** stay in a place like that for a night or two, though!

Go nuts! Inspire me to take advantage of this chance instead of flying home in the middle! :-)

Doomo arigato gozaimasu,
Gary

Here are some ideas. I think it comes down completely to personal interests:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html