Somewhat urgent itinerary assessment needed...

I think it might be a little ambitious,

I think it is too ambitious. You are going to be spending a lot of time on the train, heading to a train station, getting to your new hotel, checking in and checking out. You will have precious little time in Tokyo or Kyoto and comparatively long in lessor sights.

but I'll be alone, and don't mind getting up early.

Understand that things in Japan close early. The sun also goes down very early in November. Do not plan on traveling very far in the morning, or by the time you arrive in a city, everything will be closed and the sun will be going down.

I'd really appreciate any comments or insights I might have overlooked or things I should consider...

I would consider skipping a few of these places so you have time to see more things in the places you are going.

Consider doing more day trips. Some places like Hakone are a pain if you have to travel with your luggaeg. Also if a day trip you can probably move it around with Tokyo days and get better weather.(actually see Fuji maybe) I did Nikko in driving rain and it was miserable, really wish I could have swapped a clear day in Tokyo for it. Nara also makes a great day trip.

(I love cozy villages, easy-acces nature, -historical- culture more than the modern mega-cities. Although, I feel like I just NEED to spend some days in Tokyo too..; :) )

Tokyo is one of Japan's top sights, even 4 nights isnt much there.

I think this covers the "main sights" for a first time traveler to Japan.

It covers a lot, but the question is what will you actually get to see.

But if anyone could recommend any Hidden gems on or along this path, I'd love to hear from them.

I dont think you have any time for additional locations. But given that you are going from Tokyo to Nagasaki and back, rest assured you are missing a ton.

Now, the somewhat urgent matter: For this itinerary, I think a 14 days JR pass would suffice. Activating on 3 nov to leave Tokio which leaves it active up to Nara. Then Nara - Koya-San - Osaka - Kansai with regular transport. Is this correct, or should I revise?

A 14 day pass will probably pay off, if you are going all the way to Nagasaki. If you only go to Hiroshima, you would be better with a Kansai-Hiroshima pass and individual tickets. A 7 day pass and individual tickets might be better though, starting on the 8th. Takayama from Tokyo is better by bus. Takayama to Kanazawa is also fine by bus. Hakone is private railway and bus.

I think it is too ambitious. You are going to be spending a lot of time on the train, heading to a train station, getting to your new hotel, checking in and checking out. You will have precious little time in Tokyo or Kyoto and comparatively long in lessor sights.

That's what I was a little afraid of, but doing day-trips means going back and forth, which takes time too... What would you consider the lesser sights?

Understand that things in Japan close early. The sun also goes down very early in November. Do not plan on traveling very far in the morning, or by the time you arrive in a city, everything will be closed and the sun will be going down.

That's why I thought it would make sense to get up early, visit stuff, and travel in the evenings... Is that manageable?

I would consider skipping a few of these places so you have time to see more things in the places you are going.

Consider doing more day trips. Some places like Hakone are a pain if you have to travel with your luggaeg. Also if a day trip you can probably move it around with Tokyo days and get better weather.(actually see Fuji maybe) I did Nikko in driving rain and it was miserable, really wish I could have swapped a clear day in Tokyo for it. Nara also makes a great day trip.

I was thinking of using the luggage forwarding service. I can easily put everything for a couple of nights in my backpack and send my main luggage onward... This would make travelling to for instance Hakone a lot easier. About the weather and interchangeability of daytrip-days you make a very good point! Thanks!

I think this covers the "main sights" for a first time traveler to Japan.

It covers a lot, but the question is what will you actually get to see.

Preferably, I'd spend 3 weeks in each place, but, well, time and money... :) I based this itinerary on many others I found, of which some where a lot mor ambitious, and others just Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima. I understand and know I will miss out on a lot, and maybe I'll be rushing a bit too much, but as a first time trip to Japan's main land, I hoped to get a taste of many different flavours of the country. Do you think there won't be any time left to take in the experiences?

But if anyone could recommend any Hidden gems on or along this path, I'd love to hear from them.

I dont think you have any time for additional locations. But given that you are going from Tokyo to Nagasaki and back, rest assured you are missing a ton.

Haha, I was more thinking of replacing other (those lesser) places. I haven't fixed anything but my plain tickets yet, so I'd be happy to adjust this route if better sugestions are around. Nagasaki I doubted if it was worth the going back and forth. But someone else said it was. Maybe they were wrong? :)

Now, the somewhat urgent matter: For this itinerary, I think a 14 days JR pass would suffice. Activating on 3 nov to leave Tokio which leaves it active up to Nara. Then Nara - Koya-San - Osaka - Kansai with regular transport. Is this correct, or should I revise?

A 14 day pass will probably pay off, if you are going all the way to Nagasaki. If you only go to Hiroshima, you would be better with a Kansai-Hiroshima pass and individual tickets. A 7 day pass and individual tickets might be better though, starting on the 8th. Takayama from Tokyo is better by bus. Takayama to Kanazawa is also fine by bus. Hakone is private railway and bus.

Thanks a lot! It helps to hear from someone with experience! ;)

That's what I was a little afraid of, but doing day-trips means going back and forth, which takes time too... What would you consider the lesser sights?

A day trip is a very different kind of travel for me. For starters you dont have to check out. Then you can wander towards the train station checking out 1-2 sights. Once you arrive, you just go and see the sights, rather than trying to find your hotel, checking in, and then figuring out where the sights are. On the way back it's the same, no check out, can wander here or there. Roll it up and you are spending the same amount of time when moving your bags, but with a lot less freedom.

That's why I thought it would make sense to get up early, visit stuff, and travel in the evenings... Is that manageable?

Definitely, if you are traveling alone it's not like you are going to want to invest a ot in a sitdown romantic dinner every night. Sightsee and then travel in the early evening.

I was thinking of using the luggage forwarding service. I can easily put everything for a couple of nights in my backpack and send my main luggage onward... This would make travelling to for instance Hakone a lot easier. About the weather and interchangeability of daytrip-days you make a very good point! Thanks!

You still end up carrying something and you still end up having to find/check in and out of a new hotel. But luggage forwarding does help.

Preferably, I'd spend 3 weeks in each place, but, well, time and money... :) I based this itinerary on many others I found, of which some where a lot mor ambitious, and others just Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima. I understand and know I will miss out on a lot, and maybe I'll be rushing a bit too much, but as a first time trip to Japan's main land, I hoped to get a taste of many different flavours of the country. Do you think there won't be any time left to take in the experiences?

With the amount of time you have, I think you need to choose between heading into the alps, seeing Takayama and the west coast Kanazawa or going all the way down to Nagasaki.

Even on Japan's fast trains, Kanazawa to Hiroshima is 5.5 hours. Nagasaki to Kyoto is 6+ hours(you can stop in Okayama/Kurashiki, but Kurashiki is not on the fast train so requires a transfer to slow train)

For me, I would drop Nagasaki, even though it is an interesting city. That saves you 2 days and a ton of train travel. I might put a night or two in Kyoto between Kanazawa and Hiroshima. It's nice to stay in Kyoto twice(different areas maybe) as it gives a break in all the temples.

Haha, I was more thinking of replacing other (those lesser) places. I haven't fixed anything but my plain tickets yet, so I'd be happy to adjust this route if better sugestions are around. Nagasaki I doubted if it was worth the going back and forth. But someone else said it was. Maybe they were wrong? :)

Given enough time, yes Nagasaki is worth it. When you start cutting into other places though. There is a limit.

I think you convinced me about the day-trips.. :)

Nagasaki also. Skipping it might give me more time elsewhere... Maybe Kurashiki? I read it's a nice countryside for cycling... Or indeed Kyoto.

I'm really terrible at choosing, FOMO you know :D, and since apparently lodging is something you really need to plan ahead in Japan, I actually have to force myself to make decisions... :p

Thanks a bunch!

Yes, much too ambitious in my opinion. Agree with above that you should decide between the Alps and Western Honshu/northern Kyushu.

30 oct: arrive in Tokio in the morning
4 nights in Tokio

This should be enough time for the highlights and a bit more, so I guess ok given that you don't seem overly interested in modern big city Japan.

3 nov: train to Nikko, sleep there
4 nov: train to Hakone, sleep there
5 nov: train to Takayama, sleep there

Check the time you need on transport between these places and you will realize that you will spend most of these three days on trains/buses. As mentioned above, if you want to go to Hakone, going there as day trip from Tokyo makes a lot of sense. Nikko is much better as overnight trip, giving you time to see some nature, onsen, etc.

6 nov: train to Kanazawa, sleep there 2 nights

Shirakawago/Ogimachi would be on the way if you take the bus instead of the train.

8 nov: train to Hiroshima. Sleep there 2 nights and visit Miyajima during the full day OR
sleep there one night and one night on Miyajima

Could be more efficient if you travel Kanazawa-Kyoto in the evening, spend some time in Kyoto and go to Hiroshima/Miyajima on another day (evening).

10 nov: train to Nagasaki, sleep there 2 nights.

Nagasaki is interesting but rather far, IMO too far for the little time you have.

12 nov: train to Kurashiki/Okoyama, one night. (worth it?)

For me, there are more interesting places in Japan or even between Kyoto and Hiroshima, such as: Bizen, Naoshima, Himeji, Onomichi,... but I guess it depends on what interests you.

13 nov: train Himeji, then Kyoto. Sleep in Kyoto for 3 nights.

Makes sense to see Himeji and something else in one day. Himeji in the morning and Kyoto in the afternoon seems like not such a good idea to me as by the time you are at any temple in Kyoto it would be rather late.

3 days Kyoto is rather little given your interests. Kyoto is not only good for temples/shrines, but also for easy-access nature, cozy villages in the suburbs, traditional crafts, etc

16 nov: train to Nara, one night

If you only have one day in Nara, make that a day trip from Kyoto. Also access to Koyasan is equally good from Kyoto.

17 nov: train to Koya-San, sleep there. (any recomendations there? I prefer traditional experience over 'modern monks')

In my experience, they are all "modern", which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a good way to experience present day Buddhism in Japan.

Shirakawa-go and Gokoyama (not so hidden, I know), are they worth going to?

If you go to Takayama and Kanazawa , I'd definitely include Ogimachi/Shirakawago as it is on the way and will only cost a couple of hours for sightseeing. With little time there is not much point heading to the other, more remote villages as they are more or less the same (smaller, with fewer tourists).

Same for Ise. I don't mind losing some big-city-time for the "real Japan", but it should be worth it... :)

Unless you have a particular interest in history or Shintoism, I would not recommend it with little time in Japan, as there is not all that much to see for the average tourist.

I'd love to do the Alpen route once, but I think early november is just too late (this year) for the autumn season at its best, and I can spend my time in better ways now. Leave something to go back to, eh.. :D

You should certainly be able to see autumn foliage somewhere, either in Tokyo/Kyoto or low altitude hills around them.

What exactly interests you about Japan? (please don't say "culture" or "everything", because that doesn't give us anything to go on, in order to offer advice)

I planned a similar trip ages ago (21 cities, 23 days on Honshu and Shikoku), but I was already somewhat familiar with the country because I'd worked in Tokyo a little. If this is your first trip, don't rush things.

Thank you bamse! I will review my itinerary tomorrow and your ideas will most certainly help!

What exactly interests you about Japan? (please don't say "culture" or "everything", because that doesn't give us anything to go on, in order to offer advice)

I planned a similar trip ages ago (21 cities, 23 days on Honshu and Shikoku), but I was already somewhat familiar with the country because I'd worked in Tokyo a little. If this is your first trip, don't rush things.

Well, what doesn't interest me a lot (or at all) is: shopping, gadgets, karaoke, manga/anime,... Not too fond of overly crowded venues or blazing nightlife either. :-)
If I can't say 'culture' I'll stick with 'the historical and social aspects of everyday Japan'. Living in quite a touristic city myself, I've always been intrigued by the kind and disciplined nature of the Japanese, and would love to see how this translates to the country they live in. Some postcard-worthy scenery along the way won't hurt... :-)

Also as a photographer I'm always interested in seeing anything noteworthy or typical in a country, but this will be more in my own opinion than what I can gather from others I guess.. :-)

Friday Nov. 3 is a national holiday making that a three day weekend. You might want to decide that part of your trip soon and make sure you can book accommodations.

Thanks, Thomartin,

Frankly your description is still a bit vague for me, but I'll let others tackle their opinions on what you should see. "Anything noteworthy" for photography is way too nebulous. People? Fashion? Architecture? Shops? Museums? Monoliths? Mountains? See what I mean? Anyway...

For historical aspects of Japan, the further south you go, the more you will see. That doesn't discount places like Sado Island, of course. "Social aspects of everyday Japan" also covers a wide ground.
Electronic toilets? (everywhere)
pit / squat toilets? (everywhere)
entryways for shoes (everywhere)
polite queues of people at bus stops? (everywhere)
traditional clothing? (not as common as you might think, and usually only on older women or during holidays)
plastic food displays in front of restaurants? (everywhere)

Maybe these will give you ideas. Maybe not. Enjoy whatever you see and do!