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Trip library · Japan · 35.00° N, 135.50° E

Japan

Big-city food in Osaka and Tokyo, temples and gardens, and onsen towns a bullet train away.

Language
Japanese
Currency
Japanese yen (¥)
Fly into
Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT)
Good months
March to May or October and November
Feels like
Calm, precise, delicious

Explore itineraries

8 days · Planned by Trippy Days

Japan for the first time

Day 1Asakusa and Ueno
9:00 AMSenso-ji temple · Sensō-jiCome back after dark, when the crowds are gone and the temple is lit.
10:30 AMSnacks along Nakamise street · Asakusa
1:00 PMUeno Park and the Tokyo National Museum · Tokyo National Museum
4:00 PMAkihabara
Day 2Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, and Shibuya
9:00 AMMeiji Jingu
10:30 AMTakeshita Street and Omotesando · Harajuku
3:00 PMShibuya Crossing from Shibuya Sky · Shibuya SkySunset slots sell out first.
7:00 PMYakitori in Shinjuku's Omoide Yokocho · Omoide Yokocho Memory LaneBring cash. Most counters have a small cover charge.
Day 3Tsukiji and teamLab
8:00 AMBreakfast at Tsukiji Outer Market · Fish Market Tsukiji Outer Market
10:00 AMHamarikyu Gardens
1:00 PMteamLab Planets (book ahead) · teamLab Planets TOKYO DMMYou wade through knee-deep water, so wear something that rolls up.
Day 4Hakone
8:30 AMTrain to Hakone-Yumoto · Shinjuku Station
11:00 AMHakone Open-Air Museum · The Hakone Open-Air Museum
1:00 PMRopeway over Owakudani's steaming vents · Owakudani Information Center
3:00 PMCruise across Lake Ashi · Lake Ashi
6:00 PMRyokan dinner and an onsen soak · Hakone
Day 5On to Kyoto
9:30 AMShinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto · Odawara StationSeat E, on the right, for Mount Fuji.
1:00 PMFushimi Inari's thousand gates · Fushimi Inari Taisha
5:00 PMGion at dusk · Gion
7:00 PMDinner in Pontocho alley · Pontocho
Day 6Kyoto's temples
7:30 AMKiyomizu-dera
9:00 AMSannenzaka and Ninenzaka · Sannenzaka
1:00 PMKinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion · Kinkaku-ji
3:00 PMArashiyama Bamboo Grove · Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Day 7Nara, then Osaka
9:00 AMTrain to Nara · Kyoto Station
10:00 AMTodai-ji and the deer of Nara Park · Tōdai-jiBuy the deer crackers and bow. The deer often bow back.
3:00 PMOsaka Castle
6:00 PMStreet food in Dotonbori · Dotonbori
Day 8Osaka
10:00 AMKuromon Market
12:00 PMShinsekai and Tsutenkaku Tower · Tsutenkaku
3:00 PMTo Kansai Airport · Namba Station
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Field notes

The lay of the land

What a friend who lives there would tell you. Tick what sounds good and it goes on your trip’s Ideas board.

  1. 1TokyoNeighborhoods that feel like townsBase
  2. 2KanazawaGardens and old teahouse streets≈ 2½ hr
  3. 3KyotoTemples, with Osaka's food next door≈ 2¼ hr
  4. 4HiroshimaPeace Park, and Miyajima nearby≈ 4 hr
  5. 5FukuokaRamen and yatai stalls≈ 5 hr
  6. 6SapporoHokkaido's capital≈ 1½ hr by air

By train from Tokyo

Known for
Eat and drink

Where to stay

Tokyo: Shinjuku or Shibuya

Big stations, so day trips and late nights are easy.

Kyoto: near the station

Less charm, but the trains and buses start there.

Osaka: Namba

Dotonbori on foot, and a direct train to the airport.

Day trips

3 ideas ticked

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