Hi Harlan. In general in Japan we've found the taxi's to be similarly priced to Australia (for most of the world that's quite expensive) we use them for a short hop from station to the hotel with luggage but they are an expensive way to travel a longer distance. An option I'd consider for Kanazawa is the towns of Kaga Onsen in Ishikawa Prefecture. The Thunderbird Limited Express train takes 25 minutes to Kaga Onsen station from Kanazawa then there is the loop bus (Can Bus) that loops once an hour through the 4 onsen towns and other attractions (a bus pass is Y1200 for 2 days).

Kobe and Okayama are stops on the shinkansen train route between Osaka and Hiroshima so it is technically possible. However although I enjoy visits to all of these cities, it would be difficult for us to fit 2 into a single day given the commute time. Hiroshima itself is a full day, especially if making the crossing to the island of Miyajima. We all have different travel styles though and it would depend how much you want to see in each place.

I have assumed you are planning this by train rather than by car? The route works by train but it is around 5.5 hours of travel alone so would leave very little time to see the sites in each of the 3 destinations along the way, again it will depend what you have planned for each and how far those sites are from the stations.

Enjoy your travels, it sounds like a fabulous trip.

That's a tough one Carolyne, the weather and autumn colour can be unpredictable things. On average it's unlikely to be snowing in Kanazawa in mid-December and technically not freezing but daytime highs are around 10c and overnight lows down in the single digits so it won't be warm either. I also rains a bit in December so you wouldn't expect the snow to be built up and impeding you getting around but if there is snow it's more likely to be the slushy stuff. I'll include a link to the long-range weather forecast site I use when planning our trips, it's not perfect but I've found it surprisingly accurate for such a long distance out. https://www.accuweather.com/en/jp/kanazawa-shi/224165/december-weather/224165?monyr=12/1/2017 .For culture and gardens I think Kanazawa is better and both cities have their own strengths for food but Osaka is much closer, as little as 30 minutes depending on where you're heading.

Hi Chi, as you have already found the Kansai and JR West passes won't work for you getting to Kanazawa. As far as I know there is no pass other than the JR Pass and that makes no sense for just these fares. I am going to assume speed and using limited express / shinkansen is your intention and if so it would be cheaper and faster to go Kyoto-Kanazawa, stay the night and move on to Tokyo from there. The reason is that the time and cost to Tokyo is quite similar from either (167 minutes and Y13400 from Kyoto on the Hikari shinkansen or 152 minutes and Y13920 from Kanazawa on the Kagayaki shinkansen). Likely your room night in Kanazawa would also be lower than Kyoto, therefore, saving you the limited express fare back to Kyoto on the 26th. The downside is that you will have your luggage to contend with on the train both days (not a really big issue on these intercity trains) and you will need to drop it to your hotel or put it in a locker in Kanazawa before you go exploring but it will give you a more relaxed evening there to balance it out. Sounds fabulous, enjoy!

Hi Linda, we love Kyoto as a base and day trips are a great way to see a bit more of the country. These are our top 10 day trips we recommend if you have Kyoto or Osaka as your base. https://www.2aussietravellers.com/10-of-the-best-day-trips-from-kyoto/ Nara and Osaka are great choices as they don't involve too much travel but there are quite a few options depending on your personal preferences.