Whats a good iternery for traveling around Japan in mid-April to end of May? Traveling alone, budget AUD$6K...

Im wanting to get out of australia for a while and love to visit Japan, I've budgeted about about 6000 for this trip, (2K which goes to plane arrangements). I'm planning to travel from 20th April to 30th of May landing in Tokyo (I go via Malaysia). Is this a good time frame? I am trying to catch the Cherry blossum period but I realise I'm also getting the Golden Week. Weather wise, what clothes should I be packing?

Some areas I've picked out so far (I bought the Lonley Planet guide):

Tokyo, Nikko, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka Kyoto, Hiroshima, temples in Kochi.

Any other places people recommend? I have approximately 6 weeks, I'm still not 100% sure if I can train all these destinations. I'd love to know if you have an itenery online somewhere. All the guided tours are < 4 weeks which is pointless to me.

This is my first time traveling alone. does anyone have any advice for lonesome travellers in Japan? Anything I should watchout for?

Thanks muchly.

All the cities you mentioned are located mid to south of Japan so you should not worry about coldness and it is warm, comfortable spring season. I think it is the best time of a year before rainy season in June, which is not comfortable. You can wear T-shirt at day time, but still need something to wear over the T-shirts when it cools down. Since I live in Hokkaido but I have lived in Tokyo in April and May so I can say this. v^^v

another place u should go is sendai in miyagi prefecture. sendai is a very beautiful place, which has many senior volunteer guides, and many foreigners visit there. matsushima is the most famous place in sendai, a bay which is one of the "three famous landscapes of japan". i recomend "finding japan" a handbook written by robert reed, though it was published in japan, i think u should get it cuz u can get to know not only places to visit but also detailed informations like history, the arts, body language, street etiquette and so on. lastly, i live in saitama pre, near tokyo. so when u want to get some local informations, please contact me.

If you want to catch Cherry blossoms, you got to go to north by the time you arrive. I am going to Nara in early Apr. and try to catch Cherry blossoms there. Mid April through the end of May might be too late for that, if you are visiting mid part of Japan. If you don't really care for the Cherry..., then it is a good time to travel anywhere in Japan, except you'll be traveling during the Golden week, which is the time a lot of Japanese people take trip everywhere. Probably, many tourists area will be packed, so be aware. I would pack some T-shirts, a few long sleeve shirts and a light jacket, good for light rain. Check japan-guide.com for more info. It is helpful.

I can only recommend you to travel when transportation is cheap (but it might drastically change if you buy a Japan Rail Pass before).

There is s traveling ticket to travel all around Japan only in local express trains of the JR Lines. It is call Seishun Juuhachi Kippu. (Juuhachi means 18).
It was a ticket meant for students that is on sale only in the mayor school holidays.
It costs about US$100 and can be used from anywhere to anywhere (excluding reserved seats/trains, Deluxe and special trains), for 5 days.
It can be used one day at a time and (1 day per person) and if you know how to use it, you could go from Tokyo to Osaka in one ride, saving a lot in transportation.
Again, you could jump all your way up to Hiroshima and come back to Tokyo with one ticket(day) left to travel somewhere else.

check this PDF file: http://www.japantravelinfo.com/plan/user_pic/transportation/Seishun_18_kippu_0703.pdf#search='seishun 18'

Good luck.