u/helios2209

Hey all. First trip to Japan for our family (2 adults + young kid). Looking for a review of the locations and daily activities — does the flow make sense, and is there anything we'd regret missing given the pace?

Our style: one anchor activity per day, at big sites early (done by ~9:30am), afternoons deliberately unplanned. If the kid loves something we repeat it instead of moving on. Konbini meals are fine. We're following fall foliage west to east.

Kyoto — 6 nights, staying in Gion

• Nov 12: Land KIX morning, Haruka to Kyoto, check in, easy evening wander in Gion/Higashiyama, early night (jet lag)
• Nov 13: Fushimi Inari at sunrise before crowds, back mid-morning, afternoon open — maybe Nishiki Market
• Nov 14: Nara day trip — Todai-ji + deer park morning, back mid-afternoon
• Nov 15: Arashiyama early (bamboo grove + Tenryu-ji), afternoon rest, Eikando fall illumination in the evening
• Nov 16: Himeji Castle morning, Osaka on the way back — Dotonbori for dinner
• Nov 17: Kiyomizu-dera early, hands-on class in the afternoon (wagashi making or taiko), last Gion evening

Hiroshima — 1 night

• Nov 18: Shinkansen from Kyoto (~1h40). Peace Park in the afternoon, kept age-appropriate — Children's Peace Monument first, museum depends on how it's going. Okonomiyaki dinner

Miyajima — 1 night

• Nov 19: Morning ferry over, staying on the island (ryokan, kaiseki dinner). Itsukushima timed to tides, Momijidani Park maples, Mt Misen ropeway if clear, illuminated torii after the day-trippers leave

Takayama — 1 night

• Nov 20: Long scenic travel day — shinkansen to Nagoya then the Hida express through the gorge (~5h). Arrive mid-afternoon, old town at golden hour. Deliberate waypoint

Kanazawa — 2 nights

• Nov 21: Miyagawa morning market in Takayama, bus to Kanazawa with a ~3h Shirakawa-go stopover (reserved seats both legs)
• Nov 22: Kenrokuen at 8am (hoping for yukitsuri), samurai district, Omicho Market seafood lunch

Hakone — 2 nights, onsen ryokan in Gora

• Nov 23: Travel day — Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tokyo, transfer to Odawara, up to Gora. Onsen + kaiseki. It's the holiday Monday so keeping it simple
• Nov 24: The loop — Tozan cable car, ropeway over Owakudani, pirate ship on Lake Ashi, Open-Air Museum. Best Fuji season, fingers crossed

Tokyo — 6 nights, staying in Ueno

• Nov 25: Morning onsen, travel to Tokyo, check in, easy Ueno Park evening
• Nov 26: Nikko day trip — Toshogu, maybe Kanmangafuchi if energy allows (~2h each way, our one long day trip)
• Nov 27: teamLab Planets first morning slot, afternoon open
• Nov 28: Kamakura (Great Buddha + Hase-dera) — or if tired, a local Yanaka wander + sento day instead
• Nov 29: Ueno Park fall colors, kid museums (Science Museum or the zoo), possibly Ghibli if we win tickets
• Nov 30: Deliberately empty — repeat whatever the kid loved most, shopping
• Dec 1: Skyliner to Narita, fly home

Already considered and ruled out (please don't re-suggest): Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, USJ, Kyushu/Tohoku/Hokkaido, Osaka overnight (folded into the Himeji day), overnight in Shirakawa-go, JR Pass (one-way route, point-to-point is cheaper).

Questions:

1. Main one: at this relaxed pace, is there anything you'd genuinely regret not building a free afternoon around?
2. 6 nights in Kyoto — right call, or is temple fatigue real even at one anchor a day?
3. 21st Century Museum in Kanazawa — worth squeezing in with a young kid, or skip?
4. Nikko in late Nov — worth 2h each way, or keep that day local?
5. Anything on the Kanazawa→Hakone run worth breaking up the ride for?
6. One thing in Kyoto that's magic for a young kid that non-parents wouldn't think to mention?

Thanks — especially keen to hear from families who've done a similar route.

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if you were in my shoes, would you fix the valve and ride this filter until it truly dies, or go ahead with a full replacement (and if so, would you stay with 48 DE or move to a bigger DE or cartridge setup)?