14-ish Days Second trip to Japan late fall/early Winter Itinerary Questions

Hey folks,
Looking for some recommendations/possible reworking of my itinerary. My first trip was 3 weeks on the golden route (Tokyo->Hakone->Kyoto->Osaka->Nara*->Kobe*->Hiroshima->Miyajima*->Tokyo->Kamakura* *=day trips) last December where I was incredibly lucky and saw almost everything I'd wanted to see. The second trip I want to be similar but hitting spots I missed, and thoughts of going to Kyushu. Dates will likely be right after thanksgiving to mid-December. Here's the itinerary so far:

Total days: 14 ideally.
Tokyo 3 nights – Shinjuku

  • Day 1: Arrive ~6pm: Spirits bar Sunface/Golden Gai
  • Day 2: Kawagoe, or Nikko – will depend on foliage
  • Day 3: Mt Takao, Teamlabs in the evening
  • Day 4: Get luggage forwarded to Osaka – Suginami city in morning – Head to Lake Kawaguchiko/Fuji

Lake Kawaguchiko 1 night (maybe 2?)

  • Day 4: Check in, go to lake, Arakurayama Sengen Park, Kawaguchi Asama Shrine maybe Oshino Hakkai – probably leave one of these for the next morning
  • Day 5: Leave on Express Mishima Kawaguchiko Liner to Mishima, get Shinkansen to Osaka

Osaka 2 nights

  • Day 5: Depending on how much time stop at Yamazaki museum for tour, otherwise Dotonbori and Mittera Kaikan
  • Day 6: Katsuoji, Cup Noodles Museum, Umeda Sky tower
  • Day 7: Head to Miyajima

Miyajima 1 night

  • Day 7: Hit shrines/hikes I missed last time, stay in ryokan onsen
  • Day 8: Early morning hike, Itsukushima full tide, Head to Kyushu:

Fukuoka 2 nights

  • Day 8: Hakata ramen, Sumiyoshi jinja, Kushida, Nanzoin, Yatai for dinner
  • Day 9: Day trip to Kumamoto? Kumamoto castle, Kamishikimi Kumanoza Shrine?
  • OR Day 9: Day trip to Arita, land of porcelain
  • Day 10: Head to Kitakyushu

Kitakyushu 2 nights

  • Day 10: Mojiko, Karato Market, Sarakurayama Cable Car
  • Day 11: Day trip to Beppu? Seven hells, Jigoku-muji?
  • Day 12: Fly to Tokyo

Tokyo 2 nights – Ebisu

  • Day 12: Arrive hang out in Ebisu and hit up the secret bars
  • Day 13: Asakusa in the morning, Sky tree, hit anything missed
  • Day 14: Tsukiji morning, fly home.

My main concern is I know I'm not going to Kyushu long enough. I'm also not renting a car as I'm a nervous driver at the best of times, and driving alone on the different side of the road sounds like a nightmare for me. But if I'm going all the way down to Miyajima again it seems silly not to try to hit Kyushu? Curious to hear people's thoughts.

by spellingcunts

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