How should I plan a 25 day itinerary if I’ve already been to central japan?

Hello, I am planning a 25 day (Dec 14th – Jan 7th) trip to Japan. This will be my second trip, and I am unsure about how to plan my itinerary since I've already been to the following cities: Sapporo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Kanazawa and Tokyo.

While a lot of these cities still have some stuff I haven't seen, I've been to their main attractions so I would like to focus on different cities.

My current idea is to spend the first day or two in Tokyo since I don't know in which plane I will arrive because a really short layover – I will either arrive at 6am or at noon in HND, then spend 12-14 days in Tohoku and then Fly to Kyushu, spend 7-10 days there, and then the last few days would involve a stop in Kobe to try a5 beef since I couldn't afford it during my last trip, and then a day or two back in Tokyo so I can be sure I don't miss my return flight which is a bit after midnight on Jan 8th from HND

There are a few things that will influence my itinerary:

1. I would like to spend a night or two in a Ryokan, preferably with a private onsen I could rent for a night or two without breaking the bank too much
2. I can't drive, so I will be limited to trains (and probably a Tohoku-Kyushu flight)
3. I aim to keep my budget between $3,000 and $3,500 USD, excluding flights. I'm comfortable with small, inexpensive private hotel rooms and am ready to book early to save money. I'm willing to splurge on unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like trying authentic A5 beef in Kobe or staying at a ryokan, but otherwise, I prefer budget-friendly options.
4. My main interests are the following
   1. Food
   2. Historical stuff / Nature – My favorite places of my last trip were probably Nara, Itsukushima (Both the shrine and the hike to the observatory) and Nikko (This one a bit less since it was way too touristy)
   3. Nightlife – I quite enjoyed both Osaka (I stayed in Dotonbori) and Shinjuku
   4. …
   5. Meanwhile I don't usually care for art, with the exception of Teamlab Borderless

Currently I am just looking for tips on where to go and how much time to spend there so I have something to base my final plans off of