Classic Japan in 14 days: Tokyo to Osaka by rail
The route that made the country famous, built so it does not feel like a coach tour. Entirely by rail, five hotel changes in fourteen days, and two full days with nothing scheduled. One ryokan night with a private open-air bath, placed where it does the most good, in the middle rather than at the en
- Duration
- 14 days
- Pace
- Moderate
- Hotel changes
- 5
- Best months
- Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov
- From
- $3,990 per person
Who it suits: first-time visitors, couples and independent travellers who want the highlights done properly rather than a checklist.
Day by day
Day 1: Arrive Tokyo. Airport transfer, hotel in Shinjuku or Marunouchi depending on how you like a city. Nothing scheduled beyond an early dinner within walking distance.
Day 2: Tokyo: the old east. Yanaka’s backstreets in the morning while jet lag has you up early, Ueno and the Tokyo National Museum, then Asakusa in the late afternoon after the tour groups leave. Evening in a Shinjuku alley bar.
Day 3: Tokyo: the modern west. Shibuya and Harajuku on foot with a licensed guide, Meiji Shrine at opening, and the afternoon free for whichever of Tokyo’s obsessions is yours: kitchenware, vinyl, denim, ceramics, stationery.
Day 4: Tokyo, free day. Deliberately unscheduled. Our suggestions in your document include a day trip to Kamakura, the Ghibli Museum if we secured tickets, or a slow day in Nakameguro.
Day 5: Tokyo to Hakone. Late morning train, luggage forwarded ahead to Kyoto. Afternoon on the lake and the open-air museum. Night in a ryokan with a private onsen and a kaiseki dinner. Fuji weather-permitting.
Day 6: Hakone to Kyoto. Morning bath, then the Shinkansen west. Afternoon arrival, an easy walk through Gion at the hour it is at its best, and dinner booked by our Tokyo office.
Day 7: Kyoto: east. Early start at Fushimi Inari before the crowds, which is not optional advice. Kiyomizu-dera, the Higashiyama lanes, and the afternoon at a pace you set.
Day 8: Kyoto: west and north. Arashiyama at opening, the bamboo grove before eight, then Tenryu-ji and a lunch in the hills. Afternoon at Kinkaku-ji or Ryoan-ji, or a tea ceremony we book privately.
Day 9: Nara. A full day rather than a rushed morning: Todai-ji, the deer park, Kasuga Taisha’s lantern paths, and the quieter Naramachi merchant quarter that almost nobody sees.
Day 10: Kyoto, free day. Markets, a cooking session, a day in Ohara north of the city, or nothing at all.
Day 11: Kyoto to Hiroshima. Shinkansen after breakfast. The Peace Memorial Park and Museum in the afternoon, which needs unhurried time. Overnight in Hiroshima or on Miyajima.
Day 12: Miyajima to Osaka. The island in the morning, ideally at high tide, then the train east to Osaka. Evening in Dotonbori and the food streets behind it.
Day 13: Osaka. Kuromon market, Osaka Castle, and an afternoon in Nakazakicho. A guided evening food walk through Shinsekai to finish.
Day 14: Departure. Transfer to Kansai airport, or continue to your next destination.
What is included
Accommodation with breakfast, all rail between cities including reserved seats and oversized-luggage spaces, airport transfers, the ryokan half-board night, three days of licensed English-speaking guiding, restaurant reservations that require a Japanese phone number, luggage forwarding between all stops, a full day-by-day document with train times, and a WhatsApp group with our Tokyo office for the duration.
What we would change, and when
- Travelling in April? We add a night and slow Kyoto down, because the city takes longer when it is full.
- Not interested in Hiroshima? Swap days 11 and 12 for Kanazawa and Takayama, an inland route through the alps.
- Want more countryside? Replace the second Kyoto free day with two nights on the Kii Peninsula.
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