Day 1 · 09:30 · before we drive 🚗
Pick up the car — Tokyo Station
Where & whenCollect at the Tokyo Station-Yaesu branch around 09:30, then drive ~1.5–2 hrs to Hakone via the Tomei Expressway (much shorter than starting from Narita — we reach Hakone with the whole afternoon ahead).
Confirm at the counter
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Studless winter tires for the WHOLE rental — Tokyo is a non-snow region so they are NOT fitted by default. Non-negotiable for this route.
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ETC toll card (~¥330) — pays expressway tolls automatically; we top up ~¥38k of tolls over the trip.
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Tire chain set in the trunk — ask for it as backup over the Alps passes.
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Bring: International Driving Permit + home licence + passport. Set the ryokan into the nav before pulling out.
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Return the car in Tokyo on Day 10 — we're car-free for the 3 Tokyo days.
Stop 1 of 9 · 1 night · Nov 29
Hakone
Your first stop straight off the red-eye — a mountain onsen resort ~3 hrs from Narita, built around Lake Ashi with its lake-standing red torii. Keep this day light and let the ryokan onsen + kaiseki reset you before the real driving begins.
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Getting aroundBy car — drive to each sight and park (the famous 'Hakone loop' is a transit circuit you can skip). Roads are snow-free in late Nov.
Hakone · where we stay & eat
Where we staySengokuhara or Gora (upper Hakone) — easier parking, quiet mountain-onsen feel, close to Lake Ashi and the museums. Pick a ryokan with free on-site parking.
Mount View Hakone — Sengokuhara, milky nigori-yu private open-air baths · 9.0/10 Booking ↗~¥25–40k/2 · free parkingYoshiike Ryokan — Yumoto, huge garden, own hot-spring source · 8.6/10 Booking ↗~¥25–40k/2 · parking · near Yumoto StnHotel Green Plaza Hakone — Sengokuhara, open-air baths with Mt Fuji views · 8.4/10 ↗~¥25–40k/2 · free parking
Eat thisHakone soba (yamaimo), Owakudani black eggs (kuro-tamago), local yudofu tofu, and the ryokan kaiseki dinner — the culinary highlight of the night.
💡Confirm STUDLESS winter tires + an ETC card + a chain set at Narita pickup — non-negotiable for this route.
💴Ryokan ~¥33–36k/night for two incl. dinner & breakfast; sights ¥500–2,200 each.
Stop 2 of 9 · 1 night · Nov 30
Fuji Five Lakes (Kawaguchiko)
The best Mt Fuji viewpoint of the whole trip. Early December has the year's clearest air and a fresh snow cap on the summit — mornings often deliver mirror reflections on the lake.
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Getting aroundBy car; free lots at Oishi Park and the Chureito base. Watch for morning road-freeze below 0°C.
Fuji Five Lakes (Kawaguchiko) · where we stay & eat
Where we stayKawaguchiko north/east shore (Oishi/Funatsu) for direct Fuji-across-the-lake views, onsen ryokan with parking, and an easy morning start toward Matsumoto.
Fuji Kawaguchiko Onsen Konansou — lakefront, rooftop foot-onsen + Fuji-view rooms · 4.7 (1.4k) ↗~¥30–45k/2 w/ meals · free parkingShuhokaku Kogetsu — north shore, all 45 rooms face Fuji, in-room kaiseki · 4.5 · 9.6/10 ↗~¥45–55k/2 · free parking · Fuji-view bathsOoike Hotel — large lakeside onsen hotel, Fuji-view bath (best value) · 4.0 · 8.9/10 ↗~¥20–35k/2 · free parking · ask for Fuji-side room
Eat thisHoutou (miso hot-pot noodles) at Hoto Fudo; chewy Fujiyoshida udon; local trout tempura; lakeside Fuji-view cafés.
💡Shoot Fuji in the MORNING before haze builds.
💴Fuji-view onsen ryokan ~¥40–55k/night for two with meals (book a weekday for the best rate); udon lunches ¥500–700.
Stop 3 of 9 · 1 night · Dec 1
Matsumoto
A compact castle town in the Nagano valley, home to one of Japan's five National-Treasure keeps. A natural, walkable overnight that breaks the drive from Fuji into the Alps.
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Getting aroundPark at the hotel and walk; the castle, both old streets and the museums are within 10–15 min of each other.
Matsumoto · where we stay & eat
Where we stayNear the castle / Nakamachi — walkable to everything, with driver-friendly hotels that have parking.
Matsumoto Marunouchi Hotel — 2-min walk to the castle · 4.5 TA ↗~¥18–28k/2 · off-site parking ¥1,000/dayOnyado Nono Matsumoto (Dormy Inn) — natural hot spring & sauna · 9.2/10 Booking ↗~¥15–25k/2 · parking ¥1,500/nightRichmond Hotel Matsumoto — central, near station & castle · 9.3/10 Trip.com ↗~¥15–22k/2 · adjacent lot ¥1,200/night
Eat thisShinshu soba (Nomugi — go early, it closes when the dough runs out), basashi (horse sashimi) and sanzokuyaki garlic chicken at izakaya Shizuka; oyaki on Nawate St.
💡Timepiece Museum is closed Tuesdays (your day) — the Kusama art museum is open.
💴Mid-range hotel ~¥16–26k/night for two; soba ~¥1,000–1,500; izakaya dinner ~¥6–9k for two.
Stop 4 of 9 · 1 night · Dec 2
Takayama (+ Shirakawa-go)
The best-preserved old merchant town in the Hida mountains — Edo streets, a morning market, and the region's prized Hida beef. You reach it over the Abo Tunnel past Okuhida Onsen-go (the Alps' open-air-bath heartland), and leave via UNESCO Shirakawa-go on the way to Kanazawa.
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Getting aroundWalk the old town; drive ~15 min to Hida no Sato and ~50 min to Shirakawa-go on the tunneled expressway.
Takayama (+ Shirakawa-go) · where we stay & eat
Where we stayTwo ways to do the night: (a) a Takayama old-town / Sanmachi ryokan (as in the plan) — park and walk to the markets and food; or (b) swap in an Okuhida / Hirayu mountain-onsen ryokan for the famous snow-ringed open-air rotenburo, doing Takayama old town in the afternoon en route.
Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan — refined onsen ryokan by the old town (splurge) · 4.6 TA ↗from ~¥30–40k/2 w/ kaiseki · free parkingOyado Koto no Yume — modern ryokan by the station, reservable private tub · 4.0 TA ↗~¥20–30k/2 · free parkingRyokan Asunaro — folk-house ryokan, Hida beef kaiseki · 9.5/10 Booking ↗~¥20–30k/2 · parking (1 space/room)
Eat thisHida beef every way — A5 nigiri at Hida Kotte Ushi, yakiniku at Hidagyu Maruaki, hoba-miso sets at Suzuya; light Takayama soy ramen; savory mitarashi dango.
💡Do Shirakawa-go on the way out to Kanazawa (Day 5) — it sits right on the expressway, so no backtracking.
💴Ryokan ~¥22–36k/night for two (with kaiseki at the top); Hida beef dinner ¥3–6k pp; sake tasting ¥300–600.
Stop 5 of 9 · 2 nights · Dec 4–5
Kanazawa
The Sea-of-Japan castle town: samurai and geisha districts, one of Japan's three great gardens (dressed in winter yukitsuri rope cones), and a serious seafood city at the peak of snow-crab and nodoguro season.
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Getting aroundPark the car for both nights — the sights cluster tightly and it's compact on foot or by taxi.
Kanazawa · where we stay & eat
Where we stayKorinbo / Katamachi — central, walkable to Omicho, the castle and Kenrokuen, with cheap prefectural underground parking (~¥1,500/night).
Eat thisOmicho Market kaisendon (Hikariya, Kotetsu) + grilled oysters and winter crab; flame-seared nodoguro sushi; near-black Kanazawa curry; jibuni duck stew; gold-leaf soft serve.
💡Reserve the 21st Century Museum's underwater-pool slot online at 09:00 the same day — it sells out.
💴Mid-range hotel ~¥17–32k/night for two; kaisendon ¥2,500–3,500; splurge omakase from ~¥22k at Otome Sushi.
Stop 6 of 9 · 1 night · Dec 6
Yamanouchi (Shibu Onsen)
Snow-monkey country, based in Shibu Onsen — a lantern-lit historic hot-spring street where your ryokan hands you a master key to all nine public bathhouses plus yukata and geta for bath-hopping. Your base for the snow monkeys before you push on to Kusatsu.
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Getting aroundCar for the region; the monkey park is a park-and-walk (you can't drive the final closed lane). The Kanbayashi trailhead is ~15 min from Shibu.
Yamanouchi (Shibu Onsen) · where we stay & eat
Where we stayIn Shibu Onsen itself — staying on the old wooden street IS the experience (you get the nine-bath key). Park at the ryokan lot and walk in.
Senshinkan Matsuya — timber ryokan in the heart of the old street · 4.5 TA ↗~¥20–30k/2 w/ meals · free parkingShibu Onsen Kokuya — upscale, 9 private baths + the nine-bath key · 4.0 TA ↗~¥30–45k/2 · free parkingShunran no Yado Sakaeya — central family-run, 24/7 bath · 4.5 TA ↗~¥20–32k/2 · free parking
Eat thisRyokan kaiseki dinners; Shinshu soba and oyaki; Enza Café by the monkey trailhead; Nagano apple sweets.
💡Buy strap-on ice cleats before the monkey walk — Western sizes (28cm+) sell out at the trailhead.
💴Ryokan ~¥20–45k/night for two with meals; monkey park ¥800 pp (cash); casual lunches ¥1,000–1,500.
Stop 7 of 9 · 1 night · Dec 7
Kusatsu Onsen
One of Japan's three great hot-spring towns, built around the steaming Yubatake 'hot-water field' at the heart of town. Fully open in winter (a year-round onsen resort, not lift-dependent), it splits the long Yamanouchi→Nikko drive in two — and it's a spectacular snow-and-steam onsen night in its own right.
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Getting aroundPark at the ryokan on arrival and explore on foot — the old center's steep, narrow, one-way lanes ice over and aren't where you want to drive.
Kusatsu Onsen · where we stay & eat
Where we stayRight by the Yubatake, in a ryokan with its own parking — Kiyoshigekan (free lot, ~10-min walk in) or Kanemidori (couples-favourite, valet). Everything's walkable from there.
Kusatsu Onsen Boun — 3–4 min to the Yubatake, own hot-spring baths · 4.0 TA (#4/95) ↗~¥25–40k/2 w/ meals · free parkingKanemidori — 5 min from the Yubatake, staff-park your car · 4.0 TA (#3/95) ↗~¥20–35k/2 · parking ~¥500/dayKusatsu Onsen Kiyoshigekan — good value, ~10 min to Yubatake · 4.0 TA ↗~¥20–30k/2 · free parking
Eat thisDinner is the ryokan kaiseki; by day graze the Yubatake streets — soba at Mikuniya, Gunma wagyu, cup onsen-tamago, and just-steamed onsen manju.
💡Park-and-walk — don't drive the icy central lanes.
💴Ryokan ~¥20–40k/night for two with meals; bathhouses ¥700–1,200 (3-bath combo ¥1,600); free public baths.
Stop 8 of 9 · 1 night · Dec 8
Nikko
A UNESCO temple-and-shrine town at the foot of the mountains. In early December you do the manageable lower shrine cluster at ~600m — not the icy highland switchbacks up to Chuzenji.
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Getting aroundPark once in the shrine-area lots and walk the whole Toshogu cluster. Skip driving up the Irohazaka hairpins in winter.
Nikko · where we stay & eat
Where we stayIn Nikko town near the shrines (lower elevation, easy parking) — e.g. the historic Nikko Kanaya Hotel. Kinugawa Onsen is an alternative if you want a full ryokan-with-dinner soak.
Nikko Kanaya Hotel — historic Western-style, walkable to Toshogu · 4.0 TA ↗~¥25–40k/2 · free parkingNikko Station Hotel Classic — value by Tobu Station, natural onsen · 3.0 TA ↗~¥18–28k/2 · free parkingKinugawa Park Hotels — riverside onsen ryokan (Kinugawa Onsen) · 8.1/10 Booking ↗~¥28–40k/2 · free parking · open-air baths
Eat thisYuba (tofu skin) — kaiseki-style at Yubatei Masudaya, yubamaki near Toshogu; hot soba-and-yuba sets; yuba manju street snacks.
💡SKIP the Irohazaka switchbacks to Chuzenji/Kegon — 48 iced hairpins, and the falls/lake don't freeze until January anyway.
💴Hotel/ryokan ~¥25–40k/night for two; Toshogu ¥1,600 (cash at the gate); yuba lunch ¥2,500–4,000.
Stop 9 of 9 · 3 nights · Dec 9–11
Tokyo
The finale — return the car and switch to trains for Disney, Pokémon, shopping and souvenirs. Mid-December is cold, dry, sunny, and the single best week of the year for winter illuminations.
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Getting aroundMobile Suica (add to Apple/Google Wallet before you land). JR Keiyo Line to Maihama for Disney; N'EX to Narita for departure.
Tokyo · where we stay & eat
Where we stayTokyo Station / Ginza — a direct 17-min line to Disney, walkable Ginza + Nihonbashi shopping, Pokémon Center Tokyo DX and Character Street on foot, a direct N'EX to Narita, and Marunouchi illuminations at your doorstep.
Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouchi — inside Sapia Tower, direct to Tokyo Station · 4.0 TA ↗~¥35–45k/2 · Keiyo to Disney + N'EXMitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier — high-floor Ginza views, top-floor bath · 8.6/10 ↗~¥30–40k/2 · walk/1 stop to Tokyo StnHotel Ryumeikan Tokyo — refined mid-range, 3-min walk to Tokyo Station · 4.0 · 9.0/10 ↗~¥23–38k/2 · Keiyo + N'EX at the door
Eat thisSplurge sushi at Ginza Kyubey; Michelin tantanmen at Nakiryu; Yurakucho izakaya Andy's Shin Hinomoto; Ichiran ramen; Tonki tonkatsu; department-store depachika for gifts.
💡Buy Disney tickets ~2 months ahead on the official app — you can't buy at the gate.
💴Mid-range hotel ~¥22–40k/night for two (December demand runs high — book early); Disney 1-day ~¥7,900–10,900 pp.