Kyoto- 4 nights > Miyajima Island - 1 night > Osaka - 3 nights > Kanazawa - 1 night > Nagano - 1 night > Tokyo - 4 nights
Visiting Japan in the spring of 2018 and experiencing the phenomenon of ‘Sakura’ season is a travel memory that will stay with us forever. As well as the incredible cherry blossom display, Japan is a country of true variety. In one trip we saw vibrant and futuristic cities, snowy forests, peaceful islands and traditional Geisha and Samurai districts. In two weeks it is possible to scratch the surface of what is a phenomenal country and get a feel for the Japan of old and new. Read below how to construct an itinerary that takes in the best, and some overlooked gems of Japan, in just 14 nights.
Total time needed: 14 nights
Transport used: Train (Shinkansen); Ferry; Metro
Best time to go: March - April for the Sakura Cherry Blossom viewing and milder spring temperatures, October- December for the beautiful Autumn colours.
Start
Kyoto - 4 nights
For many, Kyoto is synonymous with Japan. Its vast collection of Buddhist temples, shrines, gardens and Geisha district make it rightly renowned for being the cultural and historical heart of the country. Spend your first 4 nights here and step back in time. Visit one of the 17 Unesco World Heritage sites such as Kiyomizu-dera temple, Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) Temple, Ginkaku-ji (The Silver Pavilion) Temple and Ryoan-ji (The rock zen Garden) Temple. If you’re temple-d out spend some time visiting the Gion district and if you are lucky you may see Geisha’s dressed in Kimonos, or take a walk through the thousands of vibrant red tori gates at the Fushimi Inari shrine.
Venture to the outskirts of Kyoto and visit Arashiyama bamboo grove or, for whisky lovers, head south of the city to the Suntory Yamazaki distillery where tours can be made and at the end there is a fabulous bar where drams of even the most exclusive bottlings can be sampled, at very reasonable prices.
Route: Kyoto > Yamazaki
Transport: JR Kyoto Local Line/Rapid Service
Stations: Kyoto > Yamazaki
Duration: Approx - 14 minutes
For something a little different, top off your time in Kyoto with a visit to the Ninja Dojo where you can experience authentic ninja training and sword fighting lessons. https://ninjadojoandstore.com/
If you are visiting Kyoto during cherry blossom, the Philosopher's Path, Maruyama Park and the Keage Incline - a slope lined with around 100 cherry tress, are great spots for Hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing).
Miyajima – 1 night
Today will be your first experience on Japan’s most famous mode of transport – the incredible bullet train (or ‘shinkansen’ as they are commonly known). Depending on the number of journeys you plan to take, it may be worth investing in the JR (Japan Rail) pass which covers a large portion of the country’s rail services and may be more cost effective than purchasing each journey individually. https://japanrailpass.net/en/. All transport routes noted in this itinerary are covered using the JR Rail Pass unless stated otherwise (N.B - The JR pass does not cover the fastest Shinkansen trains 'Nozomi' or 'Mizuho'). The HyperDia website https://www.hyperdia.com/ and app are also super useful for planning train routes and finding timetables through Japan.
Board the shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima. Take some time to explore the Hiroshima Memorial Park, A-dome and Museum which serve as a harrowing reminder of the brutality of nuclear warfare and the importance of peace.
Route: Kyoto > Hiroshima
Transport: Shinkansen
Stations: Kyoto > Shin- Kobe/Shin-Osaka > Hiroshima
Duration: Approx- 1 hr 40 minutes
After your visit you will continue your journey to the wonderful small island of Miyajima, where you will spend the night. The island is famed for its giant tori gate which appears to float at high tide. Miyajima also happens to be filled with wild deer and is home to a great microbrewery that is well worth checking out.
Route: Hiroshima to Miyajima Island
Transport: JR Sanyo Line Metro and Ferry (JR pass valid on JR ferry, but not Matsudai ferry)
Stations: Hiroshima > Miyajimaguchi > Miyajima
Duration: Approx- 1 hr
Osaka – 3 nights
It is time to jump back on the shinkansen. Return from Miyajima to Hiroshima and board the bullet train once again, this time bound for Osaka.
Route: Miyajima Island to Osaka
Transport: Ferry, JR Sanyo Line and Shinkansen
Stations: Miyajima > Miyajimaguchi > Hiroshima > Shin-Osaka
Duration: Approx- 2 hr 30 minutes
Osaka is a fantastic City and it is well worth spending a few days here. Osaka is kind of an assault on all the senses. The bright lights of Dotonbori, the deafening sounds of the Pachinko machine halls and karaoke bars (we liked 'the drunken clam') and of course, the incredible dining options. This place is a real haven for foodies and we ate some of the best meals of our trip here. We took a cooking class with Eat Osaka (https://www.eatosaka.com/) and as part of the class had the opportunity to prepare and taste the famous Kobe beef.
You can also head to Dotonbori, which has some phenomenal street food on offer (who knew Tempura egg was a thing?? A lightly battered egg with a still runny yolk.. delicious!) including top grade Wagyu steak. You can also try Japanese baked cheese tarts at places like Pablo and during cherry blossom there are often Sakura themed tarts.
Another must try dish is Okonomiyaki. Referring to this as a ‘savoury pancake’ doesn’t really do the dish justice. It is a concoction of ingredients including eggs, flour, white cabbage, some form of meat protein and spring onions topped with okonomiyaki sauce, all cooked fresh in front of you on a teppan grill. This dish took us by surprise and ranks as one of our top meals of all time.
If you can drag yourself away from the menagerie of incredible food options in Osaka there are some great places to visit only a short distance away. Nara can be visited from either Osaka or Kyoto and is only an hour away by train. Spend some time feeding the local four legged inhabitants (more deer!) rice cakes, wander through the impressive Todai-ji temple and visit the Harushika Brewery for a sake tasting session.
Route: Osaka to Nara
Transport: JR Yamatoji Line
Stations: Osaka > Nara
Duration: Approx- 50 minutes
From Osaka it is also very easy to visit the stunning Himeji castle. Less than an hour on the train will take you to one of the best preserved castles in all of Japan, renowned for its distinct white outer façades. Koko-en Garden, next to Himeji castle, is also worth seeing as part of a trip out to the Hyogo prefecture. Once back in Osaka, after you have eaten your way through the city, spend your evenings at Karaoke or visiting a video gaming bar.
Route: Osaka to Himeji
Transport: JR Special Rapid Service or Shinkansen
Stations: Osaka > Himeji/ Shin-Osaka > Himeji
Duration: Approx- 60 minutes using the JR Special Rapid Service/ 30-40 minutes by Shinkansen
Kanazawa – 1 night
After the modern architecture, nightlife and intensity of Osaka it is time to slow the pace and journey on to your next destination – Kanazawa. We stayed for one night here, taking an early morning train from Osaka and departing after lunch the following day.
Route: Osaka to Kanazawa
Transport: Ltd Express Thunderbird
Stations: Shin-Osaka > Kanazawa
Duration: Approx- 2 hours 40 minutes
Kanazawa will almost certainly not be the first place you think of when planning a trip to Japan, but it really should be. This City borders the sea of Japan and thanks for its privileged location is renowned for its incredibly high quality seafood. This historic and well-preserved city is home to Nagamachi – the Samurai district, where you can visit the Nomura family’s Edo-era home, garden and stop for matcha green tea in the team room.
Kanazawa also has a Geisha district, and we found Higashi Chayagai to be not quite as touristy as Gion in Kyoto. We picked up a fantastic bottle of Daijingo sake here from the Fukumitsuya Sake Brewery https://www.fukumitsuya.co.jp/english/index.html. A visit to Kanazawa should also include Kenrokuen Gardens – one of the ‘three great gardens’ of Japan and it is especially beautiful during cherry blossom. Other highlights of our stay here were the Myouryuji (Ninja Temple) which had a number of fascinating and deceptive defences built into it, and Kourin sushi restaurant, a small and un-assuming building housing the best (and reasonably priced!) sushi we have ever eaten.
Nagano - 1 night
Route: Kanazawa to Yudanaka
Transport: Shinkansen to Nagano and then Ltd Express Snow Monkey service (Snow Monkey service not covered by JR Pass)
Stations: Kanazawa > Nagano > Yudanaka
Duration: Approx- 2 hours 30 minutes
After spending 24 hours in Kanazawa, you will jump back on the Shinkansen after lunch and make the 1 and a half hour journey to Nagano.
Nagano is a stop on the Shinkansen route between Kanzawa and Tokyo and we took the opportunity to spend a night in one of the more affordable Ryokans (traditional Japanese hotels) in the Onsen town of Yudanaka, before visiting the 'Jigokudani' Snow Monkey Park the following morning. We took a train from Nagano to Yudanaka, which took around 40 minutes, and stayed at 'Yudanaka Onsen Seifuso' https://www.yudanaka-seifuso.com/english/ which was only a couple of minutes walk from Yudanaka Station. Here we slept in one of the Japanese guest rooms, complete with tatami mats a futon to sleep on and complimentary use of the inn's onsen baths. Staying in a Ryokan was a great experience and in the morning we feasted on a traditional Japanese breakfast. After breakfast the owners of the inn gave us a lift to the entrance to the Snow Monkey park.
The park is home to wild monkeys who just love taking a dip in the natural hot springs. We really enjoyed our visit here, watching the monkeys bathe and run around was really good fun - one even jumped on a man's shoulder! The park is also located in a really pretty area, with a gorgeous walk through a forest from the entrance to reach it. We found the Ryokan in this area to be much more affordable than in some of the more touristic locations in Japan, so Nagano is well worth a one night stop off if you want to see the cheeky monkeys, stay in a Ryokan and try the Onsen hot springs bathing for yourself!
Tokyo - 4 nights After visiting the snow monkey park in the morning, it is time to return to Yudanaka, collect your bags and take the train back to Nagano. Grab some lunch at the station (we found the tonkatsu at Meijitei within Nagano station was pretty good!) before boarding the Shinkansen for the final stop of your trip, Tokyo! Tokyo is Japan's capital city and has so much to offer.
Route: Yudanaka to Tokyo
Transport: Ltd Express Snow Monkey service then Shinkansen (Snow Monkey service not covered by JR Pass)
Stations: Yudanaka > Nagano > Tokyo
Duration: Approx- 3 hours
You can dine at every type of themed restaurant you could ever dare to imagine - Pokemon Cafe (Book in advance this is extremely popular!) hedgehog cafe; owl cafe; vampire cafe; a monster cafe; a moomin cafe!!; a prison themed restaurant (the Lockup) a Robot restaurant and a 'catch your own dinner' fish restaurant (Zauo) to name but a few!
Like Kyoto, Tokyo has many temples and shrines you can visit (Sensoji Temple is one of the oldest and grandest-looking temples in Tokyo) and if you are lucky enough to be in the city during cherry blossom season, you should also make time to visit the gardens such as Shinjuku Gyoen for a spot of Hanami viewing, as the garden has over 400 somei yoshino trees that blossom between late March and early April.
If you are up for an off-piste way to see the city, tour the streets of Tokyo in a Go Kart dressed as Mario and Luigi. You will need to have a valid Japanese Licence or an International Drivers Permit to be able to do this activity as you do actually drive on the roads amongst traffic, but be assured you are just stopping and starting and following your group leader. It is THE MOST FUN way to see the city. We did the tour at night and zooming over Tokyo's Rainbow suspension bridge with the city lit up all around you is just incredible.
Take in a Sumo wrestling match if your visit coincides with one of the tournaments at the Ryoguku Kokugikan (sumo Hall) or go and watch a sumo wrestling practice through the window of the stable in Arashio-beya. Whilst this may not have the same excitement and gravitas as a match, it does give you an authentic glimpse into the practice of aspiring sumo wrestlers. (Please note although this is interesting to observe, you must be respectful of the practice, do not take photos with flash through the window and be courteous if the sumo do come outside for you.)
Visit the Toyosu Market early in the morning to peek in on the fish auctions, dine at one of the City's many Michelin star restaurants (Tokyo is the world's most Michelin starred city, with 226 restaurants receiving stars) meet a Bonsai master at Shunkaen Bonsai garden and be sure to cross the World's busiest intersection - Shibuya Crossing.
Head to Takeshita Street to see the Harajuku street fashion in full force and visit the Akihabara district for electronics and Anime culture.
If you wish to take a day trip from Tokyo, consider visiting one of the Tokyo Disney theme parks - Disney Sea exists only in Japan and we found it to be far more adult orientated. Alternatively you could visit the Fuji five lakes and Chureito Pagoda (The often photographed, five storied pagoda on the mountain side overlooking Mount Fuji). Another option would be to visit Nikko, a town at the entrance to Nikko National park, famous for the lavishly decorated Toshogu Shrine.
Lastly, one of the newest, and now most popular, attractions of Tokyo is the teamLab borderless exhibition- This is the World's first digital art museum and offers an immersive experience. Although it opened just after our visit in April 2018, it looks like an incredible and unique place to visit.
End
And so concludes an epic 14 night tour around mainland Japan. It is time to return home. Japan has so much to offer and we felt this trip gave a really good balance of places to see, but you could easily spend weeks here exploring. With more time, you may wish to add-on a visit to one or some of the islands- Japan apparently has over 6000 islands in its archipelago, ranging from some more well-known such as Okinawa, often described as the ‘Galapagos of the East’ to others such as Ao Island – more commonly known as ‘Cat island’ due to reports that felines outnumber human residents by a ratio of 6:1!! If we are lucky enough to return one day, we definitely hope to visit some of these places!