Fourteen nights with long meals, quiet mornings at temples and time in each city.
14 nights from Tokyo to Tokyo
Before you fly, five things matter most: check your passport and visa, book your stays and tickets, buy an eSIM and travel insurance, and decide on a rail pass. Open the list for every step, with links.
5 nightsTokyo · AsakusaPrice level ¥Find stays
About Asakusa Stays link to partner sites. See the note under Find stays.
Old Tokyo by the river. A big temple at the front door, lower prices and early nights.
When to stay here. Stay here for a first visit with a love for temples and old streets.
Stay here if: You want the old city and a temple at sunrise. You want lower prices and big rooms.
Skip it if: You want big bars and clubs close by.
Day 1: steps for your landing time
Midday, 11:00 to 16:00
- Get an IC card. Get an IC card such as Suica or ICOCA at the airport, or add one to your phone. It pays for trains and many shops. First-day guide
- Get online. Pick up your SIM or switch on your eSIM before you leave the airport, so you have maps at once. First-day guide
- Send big bags ahead. If you have a big bag, send it from the airport to your hotel with luggage forwarding, and travel light. First-day guide
- Go to your hotel. Keep the hotel address in Japanese on your phone. If you arrive before check-in, ask if the hotel can hold your bags. First-day guide
- Drugstore run. Buy small things for the first days: wet wipes, bandages, snacks and anything that you forgot. What to buy
- A light meal or an easy walk. Keep the first day easy. Eat close to the hotel and walk around your area.
EveningConveyor-belt sushi
Why it fits you. You like food. A low-price, easy sushi meal. Take plates from the belt or order on a screen.
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MorningYanaka old town walk
Why it fits you. You like temples. Small temples, old houses and a shopping street from the old days.
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AfternoonKappabashi kitchen street
Why it fits you. Knife shops and plastic food models. They make good gifts.
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EveningAmeyoko market street
Why it fits you. A loud market under the train tracks. Dried fish, snacks, sneakers and cheap souvenirs.
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MorningHase-dera temple and sea view
Why it fits you. You like temples. A hillside temple with a garden and a view of the bay. Flowers bloom in many seasons.
AfternoonGreat Buddha of Kamakura
Why it fits you. You like temples. A bronze Buddha as tall as a building, in the open air. You can go inside.
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MorningConvenience store breakfast
Why it fits you. You like food. Egg sandwiches, rice balls and hot coffee for a low price. Many visitors love it.
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AfternoonTempura lunch
Why it fits you. You like food. Asakusa has old tempura restaurants. Try a set meal with shrimp and vegetables.
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EveningDepartment store food halls
Why it fits you. You like food. Basement floors full of sweets, bento boxes and gifts. A good rainy-day stop.
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MorningSenso-ji at opening
Why it fits you. You like temples. The oldest temple in Tokyo. Go at opening time, before the tour groups arrive.
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AfternoonEdo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum
Why it fits you. Old houses and shops from Tokyo history, moved to one park. You can walk inside many.
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EveningIkebukuro ramen and gyoza
Why it fits you. You like food. A strong ramen area with many famous shops within a short walk of the east exit.
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4 nightsKyoto · Kita: Kinkaku-ji and KitanoPrice level ¥Find stays
About Kita: Kinkaku-ji and Kitano Stays link to partner sites. See the note under Find stays.
A quiet north side with the Golden Pavilion, small shops and local food.
When to stay here. Stay here for a long trip, or when you want low prices.
Stay here if: You want a local, quiet area with low prices. You like to take buses.
Skip it if: You want rail links at your door.
Moving to Kyoto today? You can send big bags ahead. Luggage forwarding guide
AfternoonTofu or vegetarian temple lunch
Why it fits you. You like food. Quiet set meals of tofu and vegetables in a calm room. Book ahead for a popular place.
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EveningEvening temple light-up
Why it fits you. You like temples. In some seasons temples open at night with lights on the trees. Check the dates.
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MorningHome cooking class
Why it fits you. You like food. Make sushi or home dishes with a local teacher, then eat what you made.
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AfternoonLocal cafe and soba lunch
Why it fits you. You like food. Small family shops serve soba noodles and coffee away from the crowds.
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EveningKyoto-style ramen near the station
Why it fits you. You like food. A ramen street on the top floor of the station building. Strong soup, thin noodles.
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MorningHimeji Castle main keep
Why it fits you. You like temples. A white castle from the 1600s. You climb through the keep on wooden stairs.
AfternoonLocal conger eel or oden lunch
Why it fits you. You like food. Himeji is known for conger eel rice bowls and ginger oden.
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MorningKinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion
Why it fits you. You like temples. A gold-covered pavilion above a pond. Go in the morning for the best light.
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AfternoonMatcha sweets and a tea house
Why it fits you. You like food. Green tea parfaits, soft serve and warm sweets. Kyoto is known for this tea.
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EveningGion evening walk
Why it fits you. Wooden tea houses in the lamp light. You may see an apprentice geisha. Keep a polite distance.
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3 nightsOsaka · Shinsekai and TennojiPrice level ¥Find stays
About Shinsekai and Tennoji Stays link to partner sites. See the note under Find stays.
Retro streets, a tower, a zoo and an old temple. Low prices and a local feel.
When to stay here. Stay here for a low-price stay with a strong local feel.
Stay here if: You want low prices and cheap food. You like retro streets.
Skip it if: You want a polished area.
Moving to Osaka today? You can send big bags ahead. Luggage forwarding guide
AfternoonTsutenkaku tower and Shinsekai
Why it fits you. A retro tower in a street of old signs and cheap grills. Touch the lucky statue on the top deck.
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EveningHozenji Yokocho lane
Why it fits you. You like temples. A stone lane with a moss-covered statue that people splash with water. A calm corner next to the noise.
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MorningShitenno-ji temple
Why it fits you. You like temples. One of the oldest temples in Japan, with a flea market on some days.
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AfternoonSeafood bowl lunch
Why it fits you. You like food. Rice bowls topped with raw fish from the nearby port.
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EveningShinsekai standing bars
Why it fits you. Cheap skewers and cold beer in old, loud bars. A very local night.
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MorningTemple lodging meal and morning prayer
Why it fits you. You like temples. Vegetarian temple meals and morning prayer. Many visitors stay one night; a day visit can include a meal.
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AfternoonKongobu-ji and Danjo Garan
Why it fits you. You like temples. The head temple with a large rock garden, and a group of halls with a red pagoda.
2 nightsTokyo · AsakusaPrice level ¥Find stays
About Asakusa Stays link to partner sites. See the note under Find stays.
Old Tokyo by the river. A big temple at the front door, lower prices and early nights.
When to stay here. Stay here for a first visit with a love for temples and old streets.
Stay here if: You want the old city and a temple at sunrise. You want lower prices and big rooms.
Skip it if: You want big bars and clubs close by.
Moving to Tokyo today? You can send big bags ahead. Luggage forwarding guide
AfternoonInokashira Park and Kichijoji
Why it fits you. A park with a pond and rowing boats, then small shops and snacks in the town next to it.
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EveningOmoide Yokocho alley
Why it fits you. You like food. Tiny grill stalls under the train tracks. You eat skewers shoulder to shoulder with locals.
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MorningTsukiji Outer Market breakfast
Why it fits you. You like food. Fresh sushi, egg omelet and seafood bowls. Go early, before the lines grow.
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AfternoonKanda curry lunch
Why it fits you. You like food. The Kanda area has many small curry shops with strong, deep flavours.
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EveningShin-Yokohama Ramen Museum
Why it fits you. You like food. A food hall built as an old street, with ramen shops from all over Japan in small bowls.
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MorningGotokuji cat temple
Why it fits you. You like temples. A quiet temple with hundreds of small lucky cat statues.
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What this trip costs, in levels. Stay price levels for your budget: ¥. These levels are relative (one yen sign is low, three is high). Live prices come from the partner sites.