>>4313450This is pretty much what I did. I only planned where my accommodation would be, otherwise I just went wherever I was feeling in the moment. I coughed up the money for the 21 day JR pass, so I wasn't afraid of detours. I took the longest route from takayama to kanazawa, and it was well worth it. It was hard to not hit the touristy spots at all as I was a first timer. I've been constantly day dreaming about going back. I really want to hit hokkaido in the summer and do some hiking/backpacking. Something about summitting a 10k in the morning, then going back down the mountain for ramen is super appealing.