Japan trip in April. Where to go?

I'll be going for 12 days in April. Was thinking of using the rail pass for a week. Which places should I visit? Looking to eat great food and some great sightseeing. Knife shops would be a bonus

I was thinking of going south West and then within the week travel around then back to to Tokyo.

Depends on when you come. If coming for cherry blossoms WAY too many tourists at most sight seeing spots so be prepared. I'm in the west and recommend staying in Osaka and taking day trips to Nara and Kyoto. Those places are dead in the evening but opposite in Osaka

Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama, Tokyo. In days, 3,4,2,3.

Just did this trip in April 2017 and saw cherry blossoms everywhere! Would do the same again every year.

Knives: in Kyoto Shigeharu and Kikuichi-monji.
Tokyo: have to wait for others to chime in, or search KKF on the same topic for many suggestions.

Have a great trip (you will!)

So the itinerary is : Tokyo, ise, kyoto, osaka, kanazawa then back to kyoto
I'm pretty well booked at some restaurants, but I'm looking for more casual suggestions
Also where are the knife places In those cities? I'm after instant noodle shops as well especially in Tokyo so I can bring them home with me [emoji16]

Currently in Osaka. Don’t bother. Travel to Himeji from Kyoto. Kyoto is excellent. Osaka is not.

Himeji is incredible btw

If looking for tourists locations, yes don’t look to Osaka. If eat drinking and enjoying conversation with people is what you are looking for Osaka beats all.

Himeji castle is amazing and recommend all to go see it.

Yeah I love going to Osaka to eat and drink but we have friends there.
Stylish Grill Tyu is one of my favorite dining experiences anywhere!

Also like walking Sennichimae Doguyasuji for knives and cooking utensils and Shinsaibashi for fashion and people watching.
We usually Airbnb in Shinsaibashi or Namba.

My favorite neighborhood to walk in Tokyo is Naka-Meguro along the river and Daikanyama.

In Kyoto I try to stay at least one night with kaiseki dinner at Hiiragiya Bekkan, which is the less fancy annex to one of Kyoto's grand old Ryokans.
It's in a great neighborhood and walking distance to Shigeharu and Nishiki Market

If you have a rail pass, it's easy to stay in Osaka and day trip to Kyoto...get a rail pass!

Kanazawa is cute but a bit touristy. The Omicho Fish Market is great though! Gotta get kaiten (conveyer belt) sushi in Kanazawa!

If you are looking for cheap and cheerful hotels, we like Dormy Inn.
Their hotels have pretty nice onsen baths on the roof and serve some sort of local soup noodle dish for a free evening snack at 9:00pm in the restaurant.
They have properties in most cities.

We are already booked with hotels.
We are only spending one night in osaka, 3 in kyoto so I think so far so good there!

wife and i were in Taipei. we quickly realized a month in Taipei was gonna suck.

so she said..should we visit tokyo? i said, "yea, why not?" and fell asleep. when i woke up she was packing..we were off! (i love my wife)..she got us a great hotel in Shinjuku. .that was all. we landed and played the entire trip on the fly. no rules..7 days. i kid you not..it was the best time EVER!! and we barely left the neighborhood!

the underground rail was daunting. i wanted a compass..i couldnt even tell what direction i was facing!! but it was the best kinda lost. we found great places to eat that we could never re-find. we were 80% lost the entire time.

i think Japan is the country of sensory overload. there is so much to see and do that we didnt want to go running amoke everywhere..focus on place by place.

it blew the top of my head off the second we landed.

In addition to feasting at Omicho Market, we had two interesting dinners in Kanazawa:

Nabe Tarou serves a "kaiseki" seafood hotpot set meal in an old shop house on the Asano River.
A kimono clad woman cooks your meal for you in private rooms.
http://www.nabe-no-tarou.com/index.html

Utatsu is a serves a modern kaiseki meals in stunning property in the hills above Kanazawa. We sat at a bar facing a panoramic view of the city.
http://www.utatsukanazawa.com/index.html

i would only eat ramen and try to hit up every place the locals love in each city lol