Thanks Daniel for the suggested itinerary. No doubt everyone has own interest and preference. Ideally, one should not rush thru, touch-n-go with no time to appreciate local culture and soak the atmosphere. Using rail pass and/or area pass somewhat dictate travel pace or limit interests. For instance, period block of 5 or 7 days for the pass means planning itinerary to maximize its usage. Spending more time at each place would not be utilizing the pass fully. A 7-day JR pass cost 4160 yen per day.
I have taken your suggestion and indicate the number of days at each place. There are some different passes (Osaka, Kyoto, Takayama, Koyasan, etc) to consider and to combine but calculating their value vis-a-vis per journey fare may be difficult for me. Could you help?
Osaka 2 days
Kyoto 3 days
Kanazawa 2 days
Shirakawago 1 day and travel on to Takayama
Takayama 2 days (please suggest alternate/nearest place to stay should all budget accommodation sold out)
Toyama 1 day
Alpine route 1 day
Matsumoto 1 day
Nagano 2 days
Nagoya 2 days
Nara & Koyasan 2-3 days
[** to include from and to KIX]
Thanks again