Japan

Japan, in a few days

From electric Tokyo to the temples of Kyoto, a rail itinerary built around the Japan Rail Pass: the map, the experiences worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Tokyo

Days 1-3

Fourteen million people, temples and neon in the same street. From ancient Senso-ji to the Shibuya crossing, the old city and the new one never stopped sharing the ground.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Guided walk: Asakusa to Shibuya3h · from €45
  Two faces of Tokyo in a day, from the old temple district to the busiest crossing on earth.
• Sushi workshop with a chef2h · from €60
  Make your own sushi alongside a chef, and learn why the rice matters more than the fish.

✦ Free to visit

• Meiji Shrine
• Shibuya crossing
• Senso-ji Temple
• Yoyogi Park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Nui. Hostel ↗ (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Mitsui Garden Ginza ↗ (€165 a night) · Luxury: The Peninsula Tokyo ↗ (€600 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Tokyo on GetYourGuide

2

Hakone

Day 4 · 🚆 Train 1h30

A hot-spring town on the old Tokaido road, known for its onsen and, on a clear morning, its view of Mount Fuji.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Lake Ashi cruise and ropewayHalf day · from €30
  A crossing of Lake Ashi, then the cable car over the steaming volcanic valley of Owakudani.
• Traditional onsen2h · from €25
  The Japanese hot bath, outdoors and facing the trees. A ritual, not a spa treatment.

✦ Free to visit

• Mount Fuji viewpoint
• The Hakone torii standing in the lake
• The old Tokaido trail

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: K's House Hakone ↗ (€55 a night) · Mid-range: Yumoto Fujiya Hotel ↗ (€150 a night) · Luxury: Fujiya Hotel ↗ (€300 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Hakone on GetYourGuide

3

Kyoto

Days 5-7 · 🚄 Shinkansen 2h15

The imperial capital for a thousand years, and spared by the bombs. Sixteen hundred temples, among them the gold-leafed Kinkaku-ji and the vermilion gates of Fushimi Inari.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Tea ceremony1h · from €40
  An hour inside the slowest art in Japan, where every gesture is fixed and nothing is hurried.
• Guided tour: Fushimi Inari and Gion3h · from €50
  The ten thousand torii gates of Fushimi Inari, then the wooden lanes of the geisha district.

✦ Free to visit

• Fushimi Inari
• Arashiyama bamboo grove
• Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (from outside)
• Gion district

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Piece Hostel Kyoto ↗ (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Granvia Kyoto ↗ (€150 a night) · Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto ↗ (€690 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Kyoto on GetYourGuide

4

Nara

Day 8 · 🚆 Train 45 min

Japan's first permanent capital, in the eighth century. Deer roam free and the Todai-ji still shelters its Great Buddha.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Guided visit of Todai-ji2h · from €25
  The temple that holds a fifteen-metre bronze Buddha, inside one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.

✦ Free to visit

• The deer park
• The Great Buddha (from outside)
• Kasuga Shrine

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Guesthouse Nara ↗ (€38 a night) · Mid-range: Nara Hotel ↗ (€190 a night) · Luxury: JW Marriott Hotel Nara ↗ (€280 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Nara on GetYourGuide

5

Osaka

Days 9-10 · 🚆 Train 1h

The country kitchen, and the country party. A historic castle on one side, the neon canal of Dotonbori on the other.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Dotonbori food tour3h · from €55
  Takoyaki and okonomiyaki along the canal, in the district Osaka calls its own kitchen.

✦ Free to visit

• Osaka Castle grounds
• The neon of Dotonbori
• Kuromon Market

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Osaka Guesthouse Nest ↗ (€26 a night) · Mid-range: Cross Hotel Osaka ↗ (€155 a night) · Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka ↗ (€450 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Osaka on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

The Japan Rail Pass · Unlimited travel on JR trains between cities. It has to be bought before you land, so decide early.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Sushi and sashimi: raw fish at its freshest, eaten at the counter.
• Ramen: noodles in a deep broth, the comfort food of the country.
• Tempura: vegetables and prawns in a batter light enough to see through.
• Okonomiyaki: a savoury pancake piled with filling, the pride of Osaka and Hiroshima.
• Matcha and wagashi: green tea and the delicate sweets made to go with it.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Never stand your chopsticks upright in rice, and do not blow your nose at the table.
• Tipping does not exist and can embarrass: leave nothing.
• Eating while walking down the street is frowned upon.
• Get an IC card (Suica or Pasmo) rather than buying single tickets.

Words that help

English ↔ Japanese

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/japan

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos: Pexels and Wikimedia Commons (Syced, CC0 ; Kentagon, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Details are indicative, check before you leave.