Year-end Itinerary Assistance

I will be in Osaka from December 29 to January 3, 2016. From Osaka I would like to take a side trip to Kyoto for 2 days and another day in Kobe. The places I will be visiting in Kyoto are Kiyomizudera, Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park, Yasaka Pagoda, Gion, Kinakuji, Ginkakuji, the Philosopher's Path, and the Arashiyama Station (for the Kimono Forest). On the other hand, the places I would be visiting in Kobe are the Harborland, Kitano Injinkan and the Chinatown Area. In Osaka, I basically would like to shop, shop and shop. My question is, how do I arrange my itinerary to maximize my days? As the year comes to a close, I know some touristy place do close down, too. Are the department stores where the "Big Sale" takes place closes down on December 31 and Jan 1?

Jan 1 - 3 lots of shops, business and tourist sites are closed due to the new year and it will be hard to get on a train. Most shires and temples are open.

I'm a Japanese guy living in Tokyo. These days lots of shops in Japan tend to NOT close down even on December 31 and Jan 1. How about asking the same thing on this forum around November as they releases schedules for New Year sales so I can reply more specific.

Tokyo does not follow the closed door policy. But Osaka and Kyoto and Nagoya still follows it. For the first or last day of the year many stores are closed. Sometimes both days. In other regions, a week of no shopping...