14 days, the classic cities, and everything you need to know to do it right. Two weeks is the sweet spot for a first trip to Japan. Long enough to cover the major destinations without feeling rushed, short enough to keep the budget manageable. This itinerary follows the Golden Route – Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima – with honest advice on how much time to spend in each place and what to actually do when you get there.
Before you go: Get a Suica IC card at the airport on arrival. It works on almost every train, subway, and bus in Japan, and at most convenience stores. See the MileAsia Suica guide for how to set it up.
Days 1 to 4: Tokyo
Tokyo rewards slow exploration more than any other city in Japan. Four days feel generous until you are there, at which point they feel short. Do not try to cover the whole city. Pick a few neighbourhoods each day and walk them properly.
Day 1: Arrive and Orient
Most international flights arrive at Narita or Haneda. Take the Narita Express or the Keikyu Line to central Tokyo. Check in, get your Suica card if you haven’t already, and spend the first evening walking around Shibuya or Shinjuku to get your bearings. Eat ramen at a small counter shop. Sleep early.
Day 2: East Tokyo – Asakusa and Ueno
Start at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa before 88 am before the tour groups arrive. Walk the Nakamise shopping street, then explore the backstreets behind the temple where older craft shops sell kitchen knives, paper goods, and lacquerware. Afternoon at Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum. Evening in Yanaka, one of Tokyo’s last old-town neighbourhoods, for dinner at a local izakaya.
Day 3: West Tokyo – Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku
Morning at Meiji Jingu Shrine, walking through the forested approach. Then, take Takeshita Street in Harajuku for the spectacle of it, and the quieter Omotesando for design shops and architecture. Afternoon in Shibuya – walk the famous scramble crossing, look down on it from the Starbucks above, or from the Shibuya Sky observation deck if you book in advance. Evening in Shinjuku: Golden Gai for a drink in a tiny bar, then dinner anywhere on the east side.
Day 4: Day Trip to Nikko or Kamakura
Both are excellent day trips from Tokyo. Nikko (2 hours north by express train) has UNESCO-listed shrine and temple complexes set in mountain forest – genuinely extraordinary architecture. Kamakura (1 hour south) has the Great Buddha statue, bamboo groves, and a more relaxed coastal feel. Pick based on your preference: mountains and shrines versus the coast and temples.
Days 5 to 6: Hakone
Hakone is a hot spring resort town about 90 minutes from Tokyo by the Romancecar express train, set in volcanic mountains with views of Mount Fuji on clear days. It is the best place on this itinerary to stay in a ryokan and experience a proper onsen.
Spend two nights here. On the first day, take the Hakone Ropeway over the volcanic Owakudani valley (sulphurous steam vents, black eggs boiled in the springs) and continue down to Lake Ashi for a cruise with Fuji views on clear days. On the second morning, walk or cycle along the old Tokaido road through the cedar forest before catching the Shinkansen from Odawara toward Kyoto.
Fuji views: Mount Fuji is visible from Hakone on clear days, most reliably in winter and early spring. Summer is often cloudy. Do not build your entire Hakone plan around a Fuji view – enjoy the onsen and the ropeway regardless.
Days 7 to 9: Kyoto
Kyoto is Japan’s cultural capital, and the city most first-time visitors come specifically to see. It has over 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. The challenge is not finding things to do – it is avoiding the trap of moving from famous site to famous site without absorbing any of them.
Day 7: Arashiyama and West Kyoto
Start early at the bamboo grove in Arashiyama – before 8 am, it is genuinely quiet and beautiful. Walk from the grove to Tenryu-ji garden and then down to the Togetsukyo bridge—afternoon at Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion) and Ryoan-ji for the famous rock garden. The Philosopher’s Walk in the late afternoon, connecting Ginkaku-ji to Nanzen-ji, is one of the best urban walks in Japan.
Day 8: Gion, Fushimi Inari, and Central Kyoto
Morning at Fushimi Inari -arrive by 7 am to walk the torii gate tunnel without crowds. The upper mountain trail has almost no one and better views. Back into central Kyoto for lunch, then walk the Gion district in the afternoon. Gion is Kyoto’s geisha neighbourhood – the streets around Hanamikoji and Shirakawa canal are the most atmospheric. Evening: book a traditional kaiseki meal in advance or find a small izakaya near Nishiki Market.
Day 9: Nara Day Trip
Nara is 45 minutes from Kyoto by express train and absolutely worth the day trip. The deer at Nara Park are the famous draw – hundreds of sika deer roam freely among temple grounds and tourists. Todai-ji Temple houses Japan’s largest bronze Buddha inside the world’s largest wooden building. Back to Kyoto for the evening or travel directly to Osaka.
Days 10 to 11: Osaka
Osaka is Japan’s food city – louder, friendlier, and less formal than Tokyo or Kyoto. The local motto, kuidaore, translates roughly as ‘eat until you drop’, and the city lives up to it. Two days are enough to cover the main areas without rushing.
Dotonbori is the essential evening experience: the canal, the neon signs, the street food stalls selling takoyaki and kushikatsu, the mechanical crab. Walk it on both evenings you are there. During the day: Osaka Castle in the morning (the exterior and park are better than the museum inside), then the covered shopping arcades of Shinsaibashi and Namba in the afternoon. The Kuromon Market is the best place for fresh seafood and market food.
Day trip option: Kobe is 30 minutes from Osaka by express train. Worth a half-day for the Kitano foreign settlement, the harbour, and a Kobe beef lunch. Budget around 10,000 to 15,000 yen per person for a proper Kobe beef set at a teppanyaki restaurant.
Days 12 to 13: Hiroshima and Miyajima
Hiroshima is two and a half hours from Osaka by Shinkansen. The Peace Memorial Park and Museum are some of the most powerful and important sites in Japan. Allow three to four hours for the museum – do not rush it. The Atomic Bomb Dome, left standing as it was after the bombing, stands across the river from the park.
The day after, take the ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima Island. The island is home to Itsukushima Shrine, whose famous torii gate appears to float in the sea at high tide. The island also has free-roaming deer and a short hike to Mount Misen with views across the Seto Inland Sea. Return to Hiroshima for the night or take the Shinkansen back toward Osaka or Tokyo for your final day.
Day 14: Final Day in Tokyo or Osaka
Build in a buffer day at either end for jet lag, late arrivals, or missed connections. Use it to revisit a neighbourhood you liked, shop at a depachika food hall basement, or sit in a park and eat convenience store food. Some of the best memories of Japan come from the unscheduled hours.
Practical Notes
Getting Around
The Shinkansen (bullet train) connects all the major cities on this itinerary. The JR Pass may save you money if you are making multiple long-distance trips – check the MileAsia JR Pass guide to run the numbers on your specific route before buying.
Where to Stay
Tokyo: Shinjuku or Asakusa for most first-timers. See the MileAsia Tokyo neighbourhoods guide for a full breakdown. Kyoto: Stay near Kyoto Station for convenience, or in Gion for atmosphere but at a higher price. Osaka: Namba or Shinsaibashi puts you within walking distance of everything.
Budget
A mid-range trip covering this itinerary costs roughly 150,000 to 250,000 yen (around 1,000 to 1,700 USD) per person for two weeks, excluding flights. That includes ryokan nights in Hakone, mid-range hotels elsewhere, Shinkansen travel, meals, and entry fees. See the MileAsia Japan budget guide for a full cost breakdown.
