Japan Itinerary: Time Allocation & General Tips

My friend and I are planning a trip to Japan for 23 days under the assumption travel restrictions will be completely lifted by then. This will be our first time in Japan and we wanted input on how realistic our current itinerary is as well as advice on the most efficient methods of travel. We leave the U.S. on Dec 14th and arrive at Haneda airport on the 15th at 3:30 PM (we fly back Jan 6). From there we will take the Shinkansen to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (perhaps the 19:20 train), spend the night in Hokuto, then to Sapporo the next morning. We plan on traveling from north to south.

These are the places we want to travel to (north to south):

## Hokkaido

* Sapporo Snow Festival
* Sapporo White Illumination
* Sapporo TV Tower
* Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art
* Odori Park
* [Noboribetsu Hot Spring](https://noboribetsu-spa.jp/en/)
* Hill of the Buddha

## Akita

* Nyuto Onsen
* Kakunodate

## Akihabara (Tokyo)

* Don Quijote Akihabara (Japanese Souvenirs)
* Akihabara UDX
* Kotobukiya
* Mandarake
* The Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan
* Kanda Myojin Shrine

## Shibuya (Tokyo)

* Scramble crossing
* Togo Shrine
* Shibuya 109
* Yoyogi Park
* Labi
* Hikarie

## Shinjuku (Tokyo)

* VR Zone
* Shinjuku Gyoen Park
* Godzilla located at Hotel Gracery
* Hie Shrine
* Ikebukuro Station

## Asakusa (Tokyo)

* Street food at Nakamise
* Sensoji Temple
* Kimono Rental
* Nishisando
* Sumida Park
* Hidden backstreet food
* Gate Hotel

## Nakano (Tokyo)

* Nakano Broadway

## Ginza (Tokyo)

* Uniqlo
* Mitsukoshi (Department Store Food)

## Ebisu (Tokyo)

* Ebisu Station; One stop away from Shibuya
* Gelato Pique Cafe

## Mitaka

* Ghibli Museum

## Nagano

* Yudanaka

## Toyama

* [Shirakwago & Gokyama](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html#section_hotels)
* [Kurobe Gorge](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7575.html)

## Nara

* Todai-ji Temple
* Bowing Deer

## Kyoto

* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
* Nishiki Market
* Fushimi Inari Shrine
* Kimono Tea Ceremony
* Restaurant Tempura Endo Yasaka

## Hyogo (Right Next to Kyoto)

* Himeji Castle

## Osaka

* Osaka Castle
* Tenoji Park
* Shinsekai food district
* Kuromon (shopping district)
* [Illumination ](https://jw-webmagazine.com/best-winter-illumination-spots-in-osaka-d19f1d509a4e/)

## Hiroshima

* Momijidani Park
* Itsukushima Shrine

## Fukuoka

* Kawachi Fujien Wisteria Garden
* Canal City
* Shofukuji Temple

## Okinawa (Maybe)

* Shuri Castle
* Pokemon Center
* Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
* Okinawa Peace Memorial Park
* Cape Manza

Can you give advice on how many days we should allocate to each of these areas (if it’s even feasible) and some general tips for lodging? If this is too much, which places are worth cutting out?