Tohoku itinerary – advice and recommendations needed!

Requesting input on my itinerary please. 3 weeks in Tokyo/Tohoku region in early December. Flying to and from Tokyo, as a young couple in our 20s. Thanks in advance 🙂

Tokyo

Sendai (2 days)

• Sendai castle, Matsushima bay

Geibeiki Gorge (1 day – noted not worth the trip if not snowing)

Fukushima (3 days, might rent a car)

• D1: Hanamiya park (? not much to see in Dec) / Mt Shinobu

• D2: Lake Inawashiro, Goshiki-numa ponds

• D3: Tsuchiyu onsen, Aizu-miyashita

Yamagata (2-3 days)

• D1: Yamadera temple, explore the city

• D2: Zao? – unsure as likely not enough snow early Dec, was planned for snow monsters/ snow shoeing, and Fox village.

• D3: Ginzan onsen – might leave this out as likely not worth a day trip, and too late to book to stay overnight.

Akita (2 days) – are these places accessible by public transport?

• Nyuto onsen, Lake Tazawa

• Tsurunoyu onsen

• Gozanoishi shrine

• Kakunodate samurai distinct, Senshu park

Aomori (2 days) – are these places accessible by public transport?

• Nebuta museum, Hakkoda mountains

• Oirase gorge

• Showa Dabutsu Buddha

• Hirosaki park

• Tsugaru-han Neputa village

• Saishoin temple

Appi Kogen – ?any chance we can snowboard in early-mid Dec?

Return to Tokyo for a few days of shopping/day trips

Questions are:

1. Are the destinations I listed easily accessible by public transport/shinkansen? I am only planning to rent a car for Fukushima.

2. Seeing as it likely will not be snowing much in December, which places should I leave out from this list?

3. Does this itinerary flow in terms of route of travel?

4. What should I book in advance?

Any other input or suggestions including changes to the itinerary would be greatly appreciated.