Skip to content
Travel Insights by Baskar
Mount Fuji with cherry blossoms and pagoda

Japan · Itinerary

Japan 7-Day Itinerary

Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka in one week — the classic Golden Route, paced so you actually enjoy it.

  • 7 days
  • Mid-range
  • Couple · Solo · Family

Itinerary in progress — routes and timings are structurally complete; costs and hotel picks will be added from real trips.

Seven days is the classic first trip to Japan, and this is the route almost everyone should take: three days in Tokyo, one long day trip into the mountains, then the Shinkansen west to Kyoto for temples, Nara and a final night in Osaka. It covers the Golden Route without ever doubling back, and it is deliberately paced so the two big transfer days still contain something worth seeing. Run it in reverse if your flights suit — flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka, or the other way round, saves a whole day of backtracking.

  1. Day 1

    Day 1

    Arrive in Tokyo — Asakusa & Skytree

    Ease in with old Tokyo and river views.

    Morning Narita / Haneda Airport

    Arrival and IC card setup

    • Add Suica to your phone wallet or buy a physical card
    • Take the Skyliner / Narita Express or Keikyu line into the city
    Transport:
    Train from airport (~40–90 min depending on airport)

    Add Suica or PASMO to your phone wallet before you fly — it tops up with a card and saves queueing at the airport. Haneda is far closer to central Tokyo than Narita if you get the choice.

    Google Maps
    Afternoon Asakusa

    Senso-ji and Nakamise

    • Walk through Kaminarimon gate to Senso-ji
    • Snack along Nakamise street
    Transport:
    Ginza line to Asakusa
    Food:
    Tempura or unagi in Asakusa

    Return after 8pm — the temple is lit and nearly empty.

    Google Maps
    Evening Oshiage

    Sumida River and Tokyo Skytree

    • Walk across the river
    • Optional Skytree observation deck
    Stay:
    Stay in Asakusa or Ueno for value and easy transport
    Google Maps
  2. Day 2

    Day 2

    Shibuya, Harajuku & Shinjuku

    Modern Tokyo in one big loop.

    Morning Harajuku

    Meiji Shrine and Harajuku

    • Walk the forested path to Meiji Shrine
    • Takeshita Street and Omotesando
    Transport:
    JR Yamanote line to Harajuku
    Google Maps
    Afternoon Shibuya

    Shibuya

    • Shibuya crossing
    • Shibuya Sky at sunset (book ahead)
    Food:
    Standing sushi or a ramen counter
    Google Maps
    Evening Shinjuku

    Shinjuku nights

    • Omoide Yokocho yakitori alley
    • Golden Gai bars
    • Free view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
    Transport:
    Yamanote line, 2 stops
    Google Maps
  3. Day 3

    Day 3

    Day trip: Hakone or Kamakura

    Mountains and hot springs, or temples and the sea.

    Morning Hakone

    Travel to Hakone

    • Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku
    • Consider the Hakone Free Pass
    Transport:
    Romancecar ~85 min

    The Hakone Free Pass from Shinjuku covers the round trip plus the whole loop of trains, cablecar, ropeway and boat, and almost always beats buying each leg separately.

    Google Maps
    Afternoon Lake Ashi / Owakudani

    The Hakone loop

    • Ropeway over Owakudani
    • Lake Ashi pirate ship
    • Hakone Open-Air Museum

    Fuji is most visible on clear mornings in autumn and winter.

    Google Maps
    Evening Hakone

    Onsen and ryokan

    • Soak in an onsen
    • Kaiseki dinner
    Stay:
    One ryokan night here, or return to Tokyo
  4. Day 4

    Day 4

    Shinkansen to Kyoto — Higashiyama

    Bullet train west, then Kyoto's most atmospheric slopes.

    Morning Tokyo Station

    Tokyo → Kyoto

    • Buy an ekiben for the ride
    • Sit on the right side (seats E) for Mount Fuji views
    Transport:
    Tokaido Shinkansen ~2h15
    Est. cost:
    Check current fare on smartEX

    Sit on the right-hand side heading west from Tokyo for the Mount Fuji view, roughly 40 minutes in. Reserve seats in peak season; smartEX lets you book with a foreign card.

    Google Maps
    Afternoon Higashiyama

    Kiyomizu-dera and Higashiyama

    • Kiyomizu-dera terrace
    • Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka lanes
    • Yasaka Shrine
    Food:
    Yudofu or matcha sweets
    Google Maps
    Evening Gion

    Gion at dusk

    • Walk Hanamikoji street
    • Pontocho alley for dinner
    Stay:
    Stay near Kyoto Station or in Gion
    Google Maps
  5. Day 5

    Day 5

    Fushimi Inari & Arashiyama

    Kyoto's two icons, timed to beat the crowds.

    Morning Fushimi

    Fushimi Inari at dawn

    • Hike up through the torii gates before 8am
    • Go past the Yotsutsuji viewpoint for quiet trails
    Transport:
    JR Nara line, 5 min from Kyoto Station

    Fushimi Inari is free and never closes, so arrive at first light. Most people turn back at the Yotsutsuji viewpoint halfway up — go past it and the torii are often empty.

    Google Maps
    Afternoon Arashiyama

    Arashiyama

    • Bamboo grove
    • Tenryu-ji temple garden
    • Togetsukyo bridge
    Transport:
    JR Sagano line

    The bamboo grove is short and always crowded — give it ten minutes. Tenryu-ji's garden next door is the better sight and far quieter.

    Google Maps
    Evening Central Kyoto

    Nishiki Market and downtown

    • Snack through Nishiki Market before it closes
    • Dinner in the Kawaramachi area
    Google Maps
  6. Day 6

    Day 6

    Nara day trip & Osaka evening

    Deer and the Great Buddha, then Osaka's neon.

    Morning Nara

    Nara Park

    • Todai-ji Great Buddha Hall
    • Feed the deer (carefully)
    • Kasuga Taisha lantern paths
    Transport:
    Kintetsu line ~35 min from Kyoto

    Buy deer crackers only from the licensed vendors and feed nothing else. Keep tickets and maps in a bag — the deer will investigate pockets.

    Google Maps
    Afternoon Osaka

    Travel to Osaka

    • Check in
    • Osaka Castle if time allows
    Transport:
    Kintetsu line to Osaka-Namba
    Google Maps
    Evening Namba

    Dotonbori

    • Takoyaki and okonomiyaki
    • Glico sign and canal walk
    Stay:
    Stay in Namba or Umeda

    Dotonbori is at its best after dark when the neon and the Glico running man are lit. Eat standing up: takoyaki, kushikatsu and okonomiyaki are all street food here.

    Google Maps
  7. Day 7

    Day 7

    Osaka & departure

    A relaxed final morning and onward travel.

    Morning Nipponbashi

    Kuromon Market

    • Breakfast at the market
    • Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku tower
    Google Maps
    Afternoon Kansai Airport / Shin-Osaka

    Depart

    • Fly from KIX, or Shinkansen back to Tokyo
    Transport:
    Nankai Rapi:t or JR Haruka to KIX

    Use takkyubin luggage forwarding a day earlier to travel light.

Tips for this itinerary

  • Fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka or Kansai if you can. An open-jaw ticket costs little more than a return and saves you a full day of retracing the route.
  • Do the maths on the Japan Rail Pass before buying. On this route it is genuinely marginal — one Tokyo–Kyoto Shinkansen and a few local trips rarely cover the cost, so price your actual journeys first. From 1 October 2026 the pass also costs more through travel agents than on the official JR purchase site.
  • Put Suica or PASMO in your phone wallet before you land. It covers local trains, subways, buses, lockers and convenience stores nationwide, and saves queueing on arrival.
  • Reserve Shinkansen seats in advance in peak seasons and around Japanese holidays. Non-reserved cars fill up fast around cherry blossom, Golden Week and New Year.
  • Send your main suitcase ahead from Tokyo to Kyoto by takkyubin. It arrives next day, costs little, and makes the Shinkansen far more pleasant — travel with an overnight bag instead.
  • Book the headline attractions the moment tickets drop: Shibuya Sky, teamLab, the Ghibli Museum and any kaiseki dinner all sell out weeks ahead.
  • Spend one night in a ryokan with an onsen — Hakone on day 3 is the natural place on this route.
  • Japan's departure tax rose to ¥3,000 per person on 1 July 2026 and is normally bundled into your airfare rather than paid at the airport.
  • Tax-free shopping changed on 1 November 2026: you pay the full price in store and claim the refund at the airport on departure. Keep your passport and receipts together.
  • Carry some cash. Card acceptance keeps growing, but small restaurants, shrines and rural buses are often cash-only — 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs reliably take foreign cards.

More Japan itineraries

Red torii gates at Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto
3 days

Japan · Mid-range

Kyoto 3-Day Itinerary

Temples, torii gates, bamboo and deer — three well-timed days in Kyoto with a Nara half-day.

View itinerary
Tokyo skyline at night with Tokyo Tower glowing red
5 days

Japan · Mid-range

Tokyo 5-Day Itinerary

Five days to see Tokyo neighbourhood by neighbourhood, with one coastal day trip to Kamakura.

View itinerary

Keep reading

Japan guides