Bus or Train in December/Winter?

Hi,

Our itinerary is as such:
Tokyo - Matsumoto - Takayama - Nagoya - Kyoto

Between Tokyo-Matsumoto-Takayama, is it more advisable to take train or is bus feasible? We are concerned about possible delays or worse, cancellation of bus schedules due to bad weather/traffic conditions such as heavy snowfall. Will such senarios be a frequent occurrance in December since it is wintertime?

Anyone travelled by bus from Matsumoto to Takayama? Is the journey very winding with lots of twists & turns as my girlfriend has very bad motion sickness.

Lastly, are Azusa & Super Azusa trains from Shinjuku-Matsumoto covered by JR Pass?

Thanks all for all advice.

is it more advisable to take train or is bus feasible?

Tokyo-Matsumoto is good by either train or bus. The bus is slower but cheaper.

Matsumoto-Takayama is much faster by bus than by train. By train, you have to make a big detour via the Nagoya region.

We are concerned about possible delays or worse, cancellation of bus schedules due to bad weather/traffic conditions such as heavy snowfall. Will such senarios be a frequent occurrance in December since it is wintertime?

I don't think that it occurs frequently, but it is not unheard of, either. I think the risk is small and would plan the Matsumoto-Takayama section by bus. If the bus should not be running, you can take trains, after all.

Anyone travelled by bus from Matsumoto to Takayama? Is the journey very winding with lots of twists & turns as my girlfriend has very bad motion sickness.

Yes, there are lots of twists and turns.

Lastly, are Azusa & Super Azusa trains from Shinjuku-Matsumoto covered by JR Pass?

Yes, they are covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

Thanks Uji for the detailed advice. We are now considering buying JR Pass and forgoing Matsumoto to allay the possible delays in snow conditions.

Problem is we now have a free day in between our plan after taking Matsumoto out.

Should we forgo Matsumoto for a ryokan onsen stay with delicious sashimi kaiseiki? Some ryokan areas we can think of - Izu Shimoda, Gero and Kawaguchiko. Or just stay one more night in Tokyo?

Currently our itinerary is:
Day 1 - 5 Tokyo
Day 6 - ???
Day 7 - 11 Takayama & Shirakawago
Day 12 - 16 Kyoto

Kindly advise possible places to go between Tokyo & Takayama that is covered by JR Pass.

Ryokan recommendations are most welcomed!

Thank you very much!

Should we forgo Matsumoto for a ryokan onsen stay with delicious sashimi kaiseiki?

Sounds good to me. Hakone (some non-JR transportation required), northern Izu (around Ito or Atami; southern Izu is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass) and Gero are some potential ryokan stops that come to mind. Kawaguchiko is less along the way and not fully accessible by Japan Rail Pass.