21 days in Tokyo, Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen, Osaka and Kanazawa itinerary check + advice on rail passes

We’re traveling as a couple. I’ve been to Japan before, but it’s been a while (2015), and my wife has never been. We both like eating, drinking tea, more slow and mindful activities, as well as contemporary art (TeamLab is definitely on our itinerary!). My wife is also a huge Pokemon fan. I’m a planner, and she’s not so we’re going with a rough plan especially in the cities where we’re spending more time and we’ll just see which neighbourhoods to explore from there.

The first part of the trip is scheduled to be a bit more relaxed and discovery-based, and the second half has a bit more travel in smaller towns. This wasn’t really by choice, but mostly by what accommodation was available at the time (last min planning + New Years D:)

**Current itinerary looks like this:**

|*Date*|*Location + Plans*|*Transport & Rail Passes*|
|:-|:-|:-|
|15 Dec |Arrive. Will be jet lagged, going to just chill & go to TeamLab Borderless||
|16 Dec|Tokyo, Tsukuji Outer Market, Pokemon cafe, explore Ginza||
|17 Dec|Tokyo, explore Shimokitazawa||
|18 Dec|Tokyo, either Shibuya or Shinjuku (undecided, maybe something else entirely).||
|19 Dec|Tokyo, trip to DisneySea||
|20 Dec|Tokyo > Kyoto, stay in a ryokan|Buy tickets, \~13,000 yen|
|21 Dec |Kyoto, transfer to a regular hotel. Kiyomizu-dera and the area||
|22 Dec|Kyoto, Kinkaku-ji.||
|23 Dec|Kyoto (Day trip to Nara maybe)|Kansai Wide Pass (10,000 yen, valid 5 days)|
|24 Dec|Kyoto, undecided. |Kansai Wide Pass|
|25 Dec|Kyoto > Kinosaki Onsen, spend the day exploring the onsens, super excited about the crab-themed kaiseki meal at the ryokan!|Kansai Wide Pass|
|26 Dec|Kinosaki Onsen > Osaka. Dotonbori at night, try to find somewhere to eat okonomiyaki. |Kansai Wide Pass|
|27 Dec|Osaka, Namba Yasaka Shrine, Umeda Sky Building||
|28 Dec|Osaka > Koyasan, stay overnight at a temple stay|Koyasan Pass (Valid 2 days)|
|29 Dec|Koyasan > Osaka. Go to the Okunoin Cemetery in the morning before heading to Osaka.|Koyasan Pass|
|30 Dec|Osaka. TeamLab Botanic Gardens in the evening. ||
|31 Dec|Osaka > Kanazawa. Eat ramen for New Years!|Hokuriku Arch Pass (24,300 yen, valid 7 days)|
|1 Jan|Kanazawa. Omicho market, find a chill tea house. ||
|2 Jan|Kanazawa. Castle, Kanazawa Civic Arts District. ||
|3 Jan|Kanazawa > Tokyo. Go to one of the viewpoints in the afternoon|Hokuriku Arch Pass|
|4 Jan|Tokyo, buy souvenirs, anything else we want to see||
|5 Jan|Flight home (early morning)|Hokuriku Arch Pass for airport transfer|

​

**The main questions/concerns I have are:**

1. We’ve planning quite a bit of travelling over the new year period, which I’m now reading is a super busy time to be getting on trains. I was thinking of getting the Hokuriku Arch Pass, so won’t be able to make reservations til it’s activated (particularly worried about Kanazawa > Tokyo on Jan 3 and Osaka > Kanazawa on Jan 1). Do we risk not getting seats on the train?
2. Also worried that there’s way too much time in Kanazawa. Thinking of instead spending an extra day in Tokyo, which will mean traveling from Kanazawa to Tokyo on 2 Jan instead. Wondering if this is a worse decision though because it’s still the new year holiday.
3. Wrote down the intended rail passes to use, hoping to have someone check if these are the best options!
4. As I mentioned, my wife is a huge Pokemon fan lol. I’m going to book the Pokemon Cafe, as well as a find a Pokemon Centre we can go to. I also want to see if we can find all the Pokemon-themed manhole covers haha. Is there anything else I’m missing out on/ anything crucial to add that’s Pokemon-related?
5. Would also love recommendations for tea-related things to do! Wondering if a day trip to Uji could be a good idea for this.

Thanks in advance all 🙂