Hi, I'm planning an itinerary with 3 friends. This will be our first time in Japan and we will be doing a 5 day Tohoku tour with the JR East Pass in early November. The idea was to experience the autumn leaves in Japan. In the end we really struggled to put this together because there is just too much amazing stuff in this region. I have included an itinerary that we came up with but I have a few key concerns:

• Are we spending too much time traveling around between cities?
• Could the sequence of cities that we stop in be shuffled around in a more "streamlined" way that would minimize going back and forth? Ideally we would start by Tokyo to Aomori then make our way back south.

I wrestled with the idea of including Ginzan for a while. Also disappointed that I couldn't include staying at either Nyuto or Zao Onsen in this. Mount Zao in the fall or the outdoor pools at Nyuto Onsen would have been amazing but the buildings at Ginzan just seem too unique to miss.

Thank you for reading and any feedback is appreciated!

Day 1: Tokyo to Aomori

Morning – Tokyo to Aomori on the Shinkansen. Arrive around noon

Afternoon – Check in, have lunch, Nebuta Museum, Aomori Museum of Art, A Factory

Stay in Aomori

Day 2: Aomori to Kakunodate via Resort Shirakami, then Morioka

Morning – Depart Aomori by Resort Shirakami to Akita. I need to book this a month in advance right? Arrive around 1pm

Afternoon – Akita to Kakunodate (train). Samurai District, enjoy the autumn foliage. Can I squeeze in Dakigaeri valley here?

Evening – Leave Kakunodate to Morioka and stay the night

Day 3: Morioka to Yamadera, then Ginzan Onsen and Yamagata City

Morning – Depart Morioka by train to Yamadera, climb the steps to Risshakuji Temple, lunch in Yamadera village

Afternoon – Leave Yamdera to Ginzan (Train and then Bus). Explore Ginzan

Evening – Leave Ginzan and head to Yamagata City to stay the night

Day 4: Yamagata City to Geibikei Gorge, then Hiraizumi

Morning – Depart Yamagata City by train then bus to Geibikei Gorge. River tour, lunch

Afternoon – Leave Geibikei Gorge by train to Hiraizumi. Chusonji Temple, Takkoku no Iwaya, Motsuji Temple (if there is time? Takkoku no Iwaya seems cooler)

Evening – Stay in Hiraizumi

Day 5: Hiraizumi to Sendai, then Tokyo

Morning – Spend some time exploring any remaining sites in Hiraizumi (?). Take train to Sendai. Zuihoden, lunch upon arrival. Other suggestions?

Afternoon – Explore Sendai city

Evening – Catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo

Chillax 🙂

Once again, thank you for reading and any feedback is appreciated!