Itinerary check: 12 days in Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto

Hi all – My wife and I are taking our first trip to Japan in November after having to cancel in 2022. We are splitting our time between Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto, using Kyoto as a hub for some day trips to Nara, Himeji/Kobe, and Osaka. We understand that no time is ever enough in Japan and that some of the days may be unrealistic and too packed (I’m looking at you 11-26). We’ve already accepted that we’ll be going back and can visit anything we miss this time around. We are planning a couple dinner reservations which is unusual for us but the value seems too good to pass up. We would love  any advice or feedback on our itinerary. Thanks for reading!

Accommodations

Tokyo – Sotetsu Fresa Kanda

Hakone – Hakone-Ginyu (fingers crossed)

Kyoto – Oakwood Hotel Oike Kyoto

Restaurants

Kyoto – KOKE

Kyoto – Gion Maruyama lunch (may not do this if we stay at the ryokan in Hakone)

Kyoto – Ryō-shō and/or Takayama

Kobe – Ishida

Tokyo – Sushi Miyuki

Questions

• Should we plan on dinner in Nara or Kyoto the day we go to Nara?
• Anything skippable in our itinerary?
• I hear teamLab borderless is the better of the two in Tokyo, is that correct?