Japan in 10-12 days
Updated: Aug 11
Our full Japan itinerary was eleven days split between Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. If you have one week, I would shoot for 4 days in Tokyo and 3 in Kyoto or 3+3 and 1 day in Osaka. Given the convenience of the Shinkansen (bullet trains) you could land in Tokyo and immediately hop a train for Kyoto and get there in a couple of hours and leave your Tokyo part until the end of the trip. You can do Tokyo first and fly home from Osaka area (Kansai airport). Multi city flights are more convenient than backtracking but usually more expensive. The alternative is to split Tokyo into two parts. We’ve done trips both ways and I usually decide based on the premium you pay to do a multi city flight.
For this trip we split Tokyo into 2 days coming and 3 days on the back end.
There are obviously many things to see in Japan outside of the central island of Honshu which is home to all of the spots we visited. Someday we hope to do a ski trip to Hokkaido and Kyushu sounds awesome as well, but with less than two weeks, Honshu has more than enough. There were side trips we could not leave out (Mount Fuji, Nara) and some we just couldn’t fit in (Hiroshima, Nikko- both just a little too far).
We had 11 days and I chose 5 days in Tokyo, 4 in Kyoto, and 2 in Osaka. I wanted to prioritize Kyoto as I felt it would be the most sure thing for me: history, old architecture- more like our European vacations. Osaka sounded cool and is 15 minutes by bullet train from Kyoto and two days was just perfect.
For day trips from Tokyo, we did Hakone,
hoping for views of Mout Fuji and providing a break from the urban, crowded Tokyo scene. This was worth it given our 4-5 days in Tokyo. I wanted to go to Nikko but it takes 2 hours so that would need an overnight for me. If I had a week in Tokyo, I would do it. We should have snuck in Kamakura which is just across the bay (less than an hour by train), but I thought the crew may have had enough of temples and giant buddhas after Kyoto.
From Kyoto, we did a little over a half day in Nara. Nara is famous for its semi tame deer that wander through the park surrounding Todai-ji Temple. You can get there in 40 minutes from either Kyoto or Osaka.
Transportation: Book the Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets in advance if you know your schedule. We did this via their app (EX) which is one of several apps to download for Japan. Google translate- locals will occasionally use this to communicate with you or vice versa.
Tabelog is a restaurant recommendation app that has reviews of locals. We used this a few times with good results. Get a digital SUICA card for all the local trains. If you have an iphone, go to your wallet and it is easy to add from there. The Uber of Japan is TaxiGo- really just a taxi app, but it worked great, with one exception. We could always get a cab quickly with the app, including a van for when we needed space for our luggage.
First stop (and last): Tokyo
We booked the right side of the Shinkansen as this may give you a peek at Mt. Fuji along the way. We did actually get a brief view that I hate to say was better than anything we were afforded on our day trip to see Fuji. Also try for the last row as it allows extra space for your bags.
Stop two: Kyoto
My favorite part of the trip. Likely 80% of my photos came from Japan's early capital. I planned a regular train to Osaka which is quick but given the luggage, opted for a last minute Shinkansen ticket- 15 minutes.
Stop three: Osaka
If you have more than a week, consider a quick stop in the 'kitchen of Japan'. Street eats and shopping was very popular in our group. It was voted favorite city by 3 out of 4 of the family- I went with Kyoto.
We took the bullet train back to Tokyo and had a great last few days before flying back to Seattle. Flight left at 4 pm and got in at 9 am, same day. Jet lag lingered for days after but it felt great that day. I got to eat 5 meals.
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