8 Day Trip with Children

My wife, three children (ages 8 through 13) are making a somewhat spontaneous trip to Asia for Spring Break. Our children are well behaved and appreciate foreign culture. We are in Hong Kong from 4/2 to 4/6, then Japan from 4/6 until 4/14. We fly into Osaka arriving at 8 pm 4/6, and have a place to stay in Kyoto. We fly out of Tokyo late in the evening of 4/14. We are interested in exposing our family to the best that Japan has to offer, as we do not know when will be the next time we would visit Japan. I have reviewed the www.japan-guide.com site proposed itinerary, which have been quite helpful. What do people think of the following tentative itinerary.

4/6 - Take evening train from Osaka Kansai to Kyoto, stay in Hotel In Kyoto.
4/7 - Visit Kyoto
4/8 - Visit Kyoto
4/9 - Visit Kyoto (perhaps take late afternoon train to Osaka to see Dontobori at night and have dinner, then return to Kyoto)
4/10 - Check out of Kyoto hotel in AM, then half day trip to Nara. Take bullet train from Nara to Tokyo, stay in traditional ryokan in Tokyo.
4/11- Visit Tokyo Stay in traditional ryokan in Tokyo
4/12 - Visit Tokyo.
4/13 - Visit Tokyo or possible day trip to Nikko or Kamakura or Hakone (is it feasible/preferrable to visit Nikko in a day with kids)
4/14 - Visit Tokyo. Plane leaves Hareda airport around 11 pm.

Would be very much interested in your thoughts about whether we are allocating our time efficiently. Is there some other Japan location that we should make the time to see? (Nikko, Himeji, Kamakura, Hakone, etc). Is 4 days too much in Tokyo? Understand that Japan Guide says allocate an extra day in Kyoto but have some concerns kids will be "templed out" so to speak. Thank you very much in advance,

There is no direct Shinkansen train from Nara, so you could possibly plan a day trip from Kyoto to Nara while you are staying Kyoto (just to save having to take luggage around with you).

For accommodation, possibly Kyoto might be a better place to stay in a "traditional ryokan." There are more hotels in Tokyo than traditional ryokan (unless you mean the budget inn type ryokan - there are inns with Japanese style rooms, meaning more easily accommodate a big family).

Nikko, Kamakura, or Hakone depends on your interests: Nikko is about ornate temples and the lake/waterfals, Kamakura is more town-walkin and stark Zen style temples and the Big Buddha, and Hakone is a combination of nature, some history, boat across the lake, etc. Both Nikko and Hakone would need an early morning start.

Thank you for the response.
1. Re: Nara, we may just do a day trip there on 4/9 then try to see Osaka Dontobori for the evening, then double back to Kyoto.
2. Re: a traditional Ryokan in Kyoto--we already looked. No availability.
3. Do you think that spending 4 days in Tokyo out of an 8 day Japan trip is too much? If so, where else would you suggest we spend some of that time (day trip to Nikko/Hakone, an extra day in Kyoto, somewhere else?
Thanks in advance!

I would pick Hakone for a day trip with kids.
There are lots of different forms of transport train, cable car, boat.

The Hakone open air museum was fantastic for our 5 year old with lots of cool things to see and to climb on or in. There is an outdoor foot onsen. The stop where you view Mt fuji is great as you get to see steaming pools and taste the black eggs. We also did Nikko and our son prefered the Hakone trip. It would be a long day trip but get some dinner for the train and it will be fine.