Itineray Check 14 days in November – any feedback is appreciated

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and I are planning our second trip to Japan, and we'd love some feedback on our itinerary. We visited last year and had the chance to explore Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Hakone, and Enoshima. This time, we’re thinking of focusing on smaller towns, with a good balance of hiking since we both enjoy it. We’ll be in Japan during the first two weeks of November, and our plan is to spend most of our time in the Japanese Alps with some days in Tokyo.

Here’s what we’ve planned so far:

1. Arrival in Tokyo

We’ll arrive in Tokyo and, depending on how we’re feeling, we might do some camera shopping. We plan to keep this day relaxed with no set goals other than finding the gear we want.

1. Mt. Takao

We’re planning a day trip to the west side of Tokyo to hike Mt. Takao.

1. Tokyo to Kanazawa

We’ll travel from Tokyo to Kanazawa via the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

1. Kanazawa

We plan to explore Kanazawa, focusing on the old town, Kenrokuen Garden, Omicho Market, and Kanazawa Castle.

1. Kanazawa to Takayama

We’ll be traveling to Takayama. We’re excited about this leg of the trip because we’ve heard great things about the scenic JR Hida line. In Takayama, we want to visit the Showa Museum(s) and check out the local market.

1. Shirakawa-go (Day Trip from Takayama)

We’ll take a day trip to Shirakawa-go to explore the village and do some light hiking in the area.

1. Takayama to Okuhida Onsen

We’ll be heading to the Okuhida/Hirayu Onsen area. We haven’t decided exactly where to stay yet, but we’re planning to stay in a ryokan for a traditional experience.

1. Shinhotaka Ropeway or Kamikochi

We’re debating between a day trip to Kamikochi for hiking or taking the Shinhotaka Ropeway. We’ve seen that early November might be past the peak autumn colors in Kamikochi, so we might choose based on the weather—Kamikochi if it’s clear, or the Shinhotaka Ropeway if the views are good.

1. Okuhida to Kiso (Nakasendo)

We’ll be traveling from Okuhida/Hirayu to the Kiso Valley. We’re not sure yet where we’ll stay, but we’re planning to hike part of the Nakasendo.

1. Nakasendo

We’ll spend the day hiking part of the Nakasendo, depending on where we stay.

1. Kiso to Tokyo

We’ll head back to Tokyo.

1. Fuji Five Lakes (Day Trip from Tokyo)

We’re planning a day trip to the Fuji Five Lakes area, though we haven’t detailed what we’ll do there yet.

1. Tokyo

2. Tokyo (Kamakura Maybe)

3. Tokyo

4. Departure

We’d really appreciate any feedback, suggestions, or alternative ideas that we might not have considered. Thanks in advance for your help 🙂