What do I do for one week in Japan?

I'm going to Japan for three weeks in August and I will have one week to travel around. This is my seventh trip to Japan but I've spent most of my time in Tokyo/Kyoto/Shiga prefecture area before. I'll be spending the first 2 weeks in Shiga and then I'm on my own and going south because I've never been south of Himeji. I've been to Himeji at least 3 times and Kobe and Osaka 2x so I want to concentrate on further south. I'm going to Hiroshima first to take cranes from my school district's students. Since I've never been south and I want to see all I can see that's worth it, I'm asking for help. I have from the morning of Aug. 3 when I head out of Osaka to the morning of Aug. 9 (afternoon flight out of Osaka so I'll spend the night of the 8th in the area). I'm going to buy a Rail Pass. I speak Japanese reasonably well, don't mind staying in smaller and cheaper places and I'm travelling alone here for the first time. I have the LP guide but I've mostly travelled on a set itinerary with a group when here before. Here are my questions:

1. What should I absolutely not miss south of Himeji other than Hiroshima?
2. Is Miyajima worth staying overnight on the island and if so where?
3. Is it worth it to go to Beppu and do I have time?
4. Is there anything on Shikoku I should absolutely not miss or should I just avoid it because I only have six days?
5. I want to spend one night in a Buddhist monastery. Any suggestions on where?
6. Will I have any problems I should be aware of travelling alone (and a woman)?
7. Should I make my hotel reservations ahead of time or can I do it day by day?

If anyone can suggest an itinerary I'd be grateful for the suggestions. I like Japanese food, history, culture, you name it, other than martial arts. Thanks for the suggestions in advance.

1. No, don't stay overnight. A few hours is enough.
   3. Yep - I loved Beppu! You have got to try the hot sand bath. Also try and do a stop-over at Mt Aso, an active volcano, on your way there or back.
   6. No, i travelled alone around Kyushu, Hiroshima, etc.
   7........mmm......I booked a couple of days ahead, but you are travelling around the time of summer vacation, so I am not sure what the accommodation status is like then in that area.

Miyajma was beautiful in the evening after all the day tourists had left the island but it is very expensive to stay there. If you're going for just the day, I would suggest that you check the tide report as you'd probably want to see the torii gate during high tide. During low tide, the gate is surrounded by mud. If you decide to stay overnight, you'll have the opportunity to see the island beautifully lit up during the night. You'll see other guests in their yukata (kimono like bath robes) wandering the streets with cameras in tow. They also have this extraordinary boat cruise that takes you under the torii gates in the evening. We stayed at Iwaso Ryokan (traditional kaiseki meals included) which ran us $200USD each per person. To us it was worth the experience.

Takayama (accessible from Nagoya) was also very nice. There are streets lined with traditional Japanese houses that sell all sorts of crafts and foods. It is a very picturesque town set amongst the mountains. If you're overnight, be sure to check out the morning market (asa ichi).

Have a great time.