Japan - where do I start

[Therugbymum]

DH has a big birthday next year and we are looking for somewhere special. I have suggested Japan but where do I start?
We would probably go for at least 2 weeks between the beginning of July and mid August.
We have experience of booking DIY flights and hotels in the USA but are out of our comfort zone with Japan.
Could you please recommend places to stay, to visit and things you’ve seen which you feel are a must.
We will also have our 15 year old DS with us.
Any other information you think would be useful.
I will be the main researcher and DH will sit back and enjoy my efforts.

We have been to Japan in late March this year
Luckily we caught some early cherry blossom
We stayed solely in Tokyo
The previous visit was to Kyoto in September 3 years ago

Avoid July and August it's really awfully hot.

Two weeks in Easter sounds good. I’d go to Tokyo, the Alps and Kyoto in that time. In Tokyo don’t miss the Studio Ghibli museum - you’ll need to book in advance as tickets sell out quickly. And the Team Lab exhibitions. Try and have at least a couple of nights at a Ryokan (traditional inn) and plan some time in for the Onsen (hot baths). In Tokyo and Kyoto you will want to look at staying near a main station to make travelling easy - Tokyo is obviously massive but even though Kyoto is smaller, several of the most famous shrines and temples are outside of the city so require a train trip. In Kyoto don’t miss Nara! It’s a beautiful area and has lots of deer wandering around (you can feed them and they bow to you).

You could go to Okinawa if you want some seaside time, it has quite a different atmosphere to the rest of Japan.

Korea are currently boycotting Japan, and as Koreans make up the main tourist base of Japan, prices have dropped a little in some areas so it may be a little cheaper than usual.

Easter would absolutely be the best time to go, or autumn, outside that, it's freezing or boiling.

Autumn is Japan is massively overlooked in favour of cherry blossom but the autumn leaves are really gorgeous too, far superior to any we have in the UK.