10 Days Itinerary

First time in Japan: 10 days itinerary

In this itinerary we take you through the best places of Japan, eating local food and doing unique activities. The schedule won’t be challenging, so every traveler can do it. Some free time have been scheduled too.

Make sure to book hotels close to main train stations, because we are going to move across many cities and walking with heavy luggage might be tiring. Also try to buy flight tickets at least 5 ~ 6 months in advance, to get lower ticket prices.

Here’s a daily Google map of the complete itinerary. Table of Contents

• What you need before travel • First time in Japan: Day 1 ~ 5 o Day 1 - Osaka o Day 2 - Himeji & Okayama o Day 3 - Hiroshima & Fukuoka o Day 4 - South/East Kyoto area o Day 5 - North/West Kyoto area & Kobe • First time in Japan: Day 6 ~ 10 o Day 6 - Nara & Nagoya o Day 7 - Hakone & Mt. Fuji o Day 8 - Tokyo time! o Day 9 - Shopping areas o Day 10 - Asakusa & Odaiba

What you need before travel

✔ 7 days Japan Rail pass ✔ 10 days Pocket Wi-Fi ✔ Passport ✔ Visa (required from some countries) ✔ Health assurance (to be foresight) ✔ Hyperdia app on smartphone

For the first 7 days, your connections are covered by Japan rail pass. Almost every train you’ll take will be included within the pass. If some train is not included, it will be noted. Depending on your landing city, the itinerary will be different. Since the major international airports are in Tokyo and Osaka, we will consider 2 itineraries.

In the following, you’ll find Japan 10 days itinerary landing in Osaka. If you arrive in Tokyo, download Tokyo landing PDF itinerary.

First time in Japan: Day 1 ~ 5

Day 1 - Osaka

10:00 ~ 12:00 Kansai international airport

We highly recommend to arrive in the morning, to get used to Japanese time- zone. 12:00 ~ 13:00 Gathering travel tools

Let’s change your JR pass voucher for the real Japan Rail pass.

At Kansai airport, the change office is located at 3F (3rd floor), more info on our Japanese trains guide.

Grab the pocket Wi-Fi, usually at airport postal offices (follow pick-up instructions received from your Wi-Fi company). 13:00 ~ 15:00 Moving to city center

Take JR Haruka train to Tennoji station (30 mins) and then a rapid service train to Osaka station (15 m). You should have reserved a hotel in the nearby, so leave luggage there and start the exploration right away! If you’re hungry, just ask to hotel staff a close good ramen restaurant, Osaka is a city where food is awesome everywhere! 15:00 ~ 17:00 Osaka castle

Time to see your first Japanese castle, but hurry up because it closes at 17:00.

From Osaka station, take Osaka loop line (Outer loop) for Tennoji and exit at Osakajokoen station, you’ll be in front of castle garden’s entrance (Osaka loop line is included within JR pass).

Follow the crowd of tourists that daily visits this incredible attraction and you’ll arrive at Osaka castle in 15 minutes. 17:00 ~ 20:00 Osaka street food

After the visit, let’s see how beauty is Osaka at night heading to Dotonbori street. When the sun goes down, this street fires up with hundreds of restaurants lights and decorations. Moreover, Osaka is famous in all Japan for its delicious street food, so do not hesitate to try different restaurants, tasting takoyaki and kushikatsu. Just remember: NO double dipping!

Day 2 - Himeji & Okayama

8:00 ~ 11:00 Himeji castle

Take a Shinkansen train from Shin-Osaka station to Himeji station (1 hour). Himeji castle is the only Japanese castle that has never been destroyed, neither by bombing or fire. From train station, walk north for 1 km and you’ll reach it.

The “white egret castle” visit takes from 1 to 2 hours, depending on crowds. During cherry blossom season it can be very crowded, because gardens are full of sakura and plum trees. 11:00 ~ 12:00 Koko-en garden

Close to Himeji castle, you can also visit the marvelous Koko-en garden. The visit is about 1 hour and is mandatory during spring! 12:00 ~ 14:00 Moving to Okayama

After a quick lunch, move to Okayama station with Shinkansen (30 m). On bullet trains is possible to buy bento lunch boxes (ekiben in Japanese) to eat while riding the train. 14:00 ~ 18:00 Okayama garden and castle

After Hotel check-in, let’s visit one of top 3 gardens in Japan, Koraku-en, where events are held every season, from summer food stalls to autumn colorful illuminations.

Since it’s almost 2 km from train station, you might take a taxi to get here (the cost should be around 7$).

After sunset, the nearby “black crow castle” is fired up with lights, definitely deserves some Instagram pictures if you are good at it! 18:00 ~ 20:00 Dinner walk

In the evening, have a walk through cozy Okayama streets looking for a good local restaurant.

Day 3 - Hiroshima & Fukuoka

8:00 ~ 12:00 Hiroshima Peace Memorial park

Take bullet train from Okayama to Hiroshima station (1 h). To reach the Peace Museum, take taxi or bus and you’ll arrive in 15 minutes. Get ready for strong emotions, because facing World War II stories will be hard.

After the museum, let’s move into the park, walking until the Peace Memorial Building. 12:00 ~ 13:00 Hiroshima-yaki

Brace yourself, one of tastier food of Japan is coming: hiroshimayaki! It’s Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, and every restaurant has its own version. There is even a 4-floor building, named Okonomimura, where tens of restaurants make this dish. 13:00 ~ 18:00 Fukuoka

Hop-on Shinkansen again, heading Hakata station (1 h) (Hakata is the old name of Fukuoka). After checking-in to your hotel, enjoy some free time in this colorful city. For shopping and entertainment, we suggest Canal city mall. 18:00 ~ 21:00 Yatai dinner

Fukuoka is the last big city where you can eat at yatai, having dinner at food stalls in front of the owner. Ingredients are on the counter, just order and the chef will start cooking!

Enjoy oden, grilled meat and famous Hakata ramen while having fun with Japanese diners.

Also, every ramen lover should consider to visit Ramen Stadium, where 8 restaurants are gathered inside Canal city 5F. For your first time in Japan, this day was really oishii, Japanese term to say “delicious food”.

Day 4 - South/East Kyoto area

8:00 ~ 12:00 Arriving in Kyoto

Let’s head back to central Japan, with bullet train from Hakata to Kyoto station (3 h). Quickly drop your luggage at your hotel and start exploring Kyoto’s south-east points of interest. 12:00 ~ 14:00 Fushimi-Inari hiking

Take JR Nara line from Kyoto station and exit at Inari JR station. After a small walk, you’ll be in front of a giant Torii gate, entrance of this famous shrine.

Here starts your journey, through thousands of red Torii on Mt. Inari. The hike takes 1 hour to the top, and during summer is really challenging! 14:00 ~ 17:00 Kiyomizu-dera temples

At Fushimi-Inari station (not the Inari station where you arrived before), take Keihan train to Kiyomizu-Gojo station. On this private railway, JR pass cannot be used, but still it’s the fastest connection.

Head east for 1,5 km to visit Kiyomizu-dera temples, and drink from one of the three pure water streams: choose between love, health and success!

The way to Kiyomizu-dera is full of souvenir shop and rental kimono, where you can dress like a local.

If you’re not tired, you may visit Kodai-ji temple and its garden, 1 km north of Kiyomizu-dera. Otherwise, take your time and move to nearby point of interest. 17:00 ~ 18:00 Gion & Kamo river

A hundred meters north-west from Kodai-ji, you reach the ancient Gion area and Kamo river. Enjoy the calm sound of water while walking through wooden shops and tea houses, where Maiko and Geisha are entertaining guests. At this time, if you’re lucky, you might run into them. 18:00 ~ 21:00 Free time

For some shopping and relax, we suggest Kyoto station’s mall, with dozens of restaurants to choose from for dinner. In this area, you can take night pictures of colorful Kyoto tower or enjoy the great staircase led show inside the station.

Day 5 - North/West Kyoto area & Kobe

9:00 ~ 11:30 Nijo castle

Since this Kyoto area is not covered by subway or trains, the only ways to move are taxi and bus. A single bus ride costs around 2$, while taxi 7 ~ 10$. For a detailed bus map, check official transportation website of Kyoto.

Nijo castle is an important historical site. The fortified complex presents amazing gardens and majestic interior decorations that saw the end of Edo period in 1868. 11:30 ~ 14:00 Kinkaku-ji pagoda

Heading north from Nijo castle, reach the famous golden pagoda that reflects on surrounding pond. Kinkaku-ji is often very crowded, so be patient and wait for a nice Instagram picture. 14:00 ~ 17:30 Arashiyama bamboo forest

After the golden pagoda, let’s move to Arashiyama, the most famous bamboo forest in the world. Bamboos are so high that you can barely see the sky up there!

Onigiro advice: since the forest is far from your position, use Randen train from Kitanohakubaicho station to Katabiranotsuji station, and then Randen tram to Arashiyama Randen station. The ride costs like 2$.

After the visit, let's head to Kyoto central station from JR Saga-Arashiyama station (not the Arashiyama Randen station you used before) for some rest, before moving to Kobe. 17:30 ~ 20:30 Kobe beef

From Kyoto station, take a Shinkansen train to Shin-Kobe station (1 h).

Onigiro advice: some days in advance, try to reserve a table for a good Kobe beef restaurant, because the best ones are often fully booked! Some of them accepts online English reservations (e.g. on Facebook or email) 20:30 ~ 23:00 Kobe port @ night

In the evening, Kobe port fires up with lights. From Sannomiya JR station, take a local line to Kobe station and head to Takahama quay to take your own Instagram picture!

Then, get back to Kyoto from Shin-Kobe station, the last Shinkansen trains are departing around 23:00.

Are you enjoying the trip? Let us know on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook how this first time in Japan is going through the hashtag #Onigiro! First time in Japan: Day 6 ~ 10

Day 6 - Nara & Nagoya

8:00 ~ 12:00 Nara morning

From Kyoto station take JR Nara line to Nara station (1 h), then head east towards Nara park where you’ll find the first temples.

Keep heading north-east and you’ll start encountering some deer. They’re very cute, but if you have some food, you’d better start walking… fast!

Jokes apart, they are very kind, bowing to ask for food! Still walking, you should arrive at Todai-ji, with a giant Buddha statue inside. The temple is the biggest building in the world made only with wood.

The whole Nara park requires hours to be explored, with the marvelous Kasuga Taisha shrine inside, but time is short and for a first visit this should be enough. 12:00 ~ 14:00 Heading Nagoya

Nagoya gets often ignored by other Japan tours, but this big city is full of events all year-round! Upon arriving at Nagoya station (less than 1 hour with Shinkansen), you might want to have lunch with a local delicacy: miso-katsu. Inside station main building, Yabaton is the most famous restaurant chain. After a good lunch, head to your hotel for check-in and move to the castle. Hurry up because closes around 16:30. 14:00 ~ 17:00 Nagoya castle or Toyota museum

This white castle is surrounded by a park full of plum and sakura trees, a must-see attraction during spring. Moreover, golden interior decorations of reconstructed Honmaru palace are truly remarkable.

Alternatively, you can make a tour of Toyota Commemorative Museum: here is possible to admire how the industrial effort of Japanese engineers, leaded by Kiichiro Toyoda, transformed a textile industry into a major car industry.

The tour is recommended to everyone, but in particular to motoring enthusiasts.

17:00 ~ 20:00 More local food

Enjoy some free time to make souvenir shopping or relax inside parks or hotel.

For dinner, Nagoya offers another local food: unagi donburi. A “donburi” is a bowl of rice topped with various food, and Nagoya is famous for unagi, a delicious and expensive roasted eel.

Day 7 - Hakone & Mt. Fuji

7:00 ~ 10:00 Moving to Hakone

This day will be the most challenging for train connections. From Nagoya station take Shinkansen to Odawara station. Here, buy Hakone Free Pass for 2 days (~ 35 $) and take Hakone Tozan sightseeing line to Gora station. The Hakone free pass includes a lot of services: cable car, ropeway and the expensive Hakone sightseeing boat on lake Ashinoko. At Gora station, take cable car to reach Hakone hotel area, or ask your hotel if a pick-up service is available. This area is full of onsen and almost every hotel is a ryokan (Japanese style hotel) with natural hot spring bath. 10:00 ~ 17:00 Hakone visit

After check-in, let’s get back to cable car until Souzan terminal. Once there, take ropeway to Owakudani boiling valley to try black eggs cooked in sulfuric water. On bright days, you might see Mt. Fuji on the horizon.

Upon arriving at the end of the ropeway, you can take a pirate boat at Togendai port for a lake tour.

Alternatively, you can take the bus to Hakone-en, where another ropeway (not included on Hakone Free Pass) brings you on top of Mt. Komagatake. From here, you have a stunning view of Mt. Fuji… but you have to be lucky with clouds… 17:00 ~ 21:00 Onsen chilling

Once back at your hotel, enjoy natural hot spring water and typical dinner. Since this is a mountain area, restaurants are difficult to reach.

Day 8 - Tokyo time!

8:00 ~ 10:00 Onsen wake up

Enjoy your breakfast and take your time with one last onsen bath. This is a restorative journey in Japan, you have to regenerate yourself! 10:00 ~ 13:00 Moving to Tokyo

Take Tozan railway from Gora to Odawara (1 h) and then Shinkansen to Tokyo (30 m). At day 8 of this 10-day itinerary, your Japan rail pass is expired, so you’ll need to buy Shinkansen ticket (around 25 $ for unreserved seats). From here on, you can follow our more detailed 3 day Tokyo itinerary on onigiro.com.

Onigiro advice: in Tokyo, your hotel should be close to subway entrance to move faster. The cheapest way to use underground railway system is Tokyo subway ticket for 3 days (12 $): buy it at Tokyo metro pass offices.

Bring always with you a map of Tokyo subways together with “Tokyo subway navigation” app, downloadable on your smartphone or tablet. 13:00 ~ 17:00 Akihabara

Take subway and get to Akihabara station. This area is famous for tech and anime culture, with hundreds of shops selling action figures, videogames, tech-items and manga.

For a break, you might take into account either Gundam or Square-Enix café, serving thematic dishes and selling gadgets. 17:00 ~ 21:00 Tokyo sky tree

Back to subway, head north to Oshiage Station and Tokyo Sky Tree. You can explore Solamachi shopping mall while waiting for night, the best time to get on first sightseeing level of the tower (350 meters). Before returning to your hotel, have a dinner at one of many restaurants inside Solamachi 6F. For example, Rokurinsha’s tsukemen is a real delicacy!

Day 9 - Shopping areas

9:00 ~ 13:00 Shibuya fashion

Take subway to reach Shibuya station. Smile at Hachiko statue and walk through the world busiest crossing, while heading to Center Gai street for shopping and a quick lunch.

Ladies might want to visit Shibuya 109 too: this mall is a fashion reference for all Japanese girls! 13:00 ~ 16:00 Harajuku extravagance

Take subway to Harajuku station and let's visit the colorful Takeshita Dori, full of young people and candy shops. Keep walking until Omotesando shopping street, it’s time for souvenirs at Oriental bazar!!

On your way back to subway station, take a picture below the giant wooden gate, entrance of Yoyogi park and leading to famous Meiji Jingu shrine. 16:00 ~ 21:00 Shinjuku

Back to subways, reach Tochomae station to visit the nearby Government building: at 45th floor you can get panoramic view on Tokyo sunset from its Observatory deck (free entrance).

Then, let’s have a walk through Omoide Yokocho street, an area full of izakaya (Japanese style pub). Keep walking through Kabukicho red light district but be careful: someone spotted Godzilla in the nearby!

To call the day, Golden Gai area has many cozy pubs where you can relax.

Day 10 - Asakusa & Odaiba

9:00 ~ 14:00 Asakusa

Exit at Asakusa subway station and visit the information point, where you can take pictures from its observatory deck. Then, head north through Kaminarimon gate and Nakamise doori to reach the most famous temple of Tokyo, Senso-ji. Looking for a sweet break? Asakusa district has got two must try sweets: melon pan (simple or filled with ice cream) at Kagetsudō Kaminarimon, and one of the oldest dorayaki shop in Tokyo, Kamejuu.

With our stomach filled, let’s head to Odaiba with a cruise from Asakusa pier. More information about Sumida river cruises on the official website of Suijo Bus.

Take the boat and enjoy the view of Asahi building, its golden cloud and the red Tokyo tower. The panoramic cruise takes 1 hour to get to Odaiba. 14:00 ~ 18:00 Odaiba

Upon arrival, let’s move to the Liberty statue replica to take some Instagram pictures with Rainbow bridge in the background.

After that, head to 20 meters high Gundam statue, that performs animated shows at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00.

Enjoy some shopping at Venus fort, a mall built to reproduce an old Italian city, and after sunset take pictures of both colorful Pallet Town’s panoramic wheel and Rainbow bridge.

Let’s go back to Tokyo from Daiba station with Yurikamome Monorail, direction Shimbashi station. 18:00 ~ 21:00 Dinner in Ginza

Shimbashi is located in Ginza, a luxurious area of Tokyo full of trendy shops. For your first time in Japan’s last dinner, choose a very good restaurant that you’ll remember until your return… next year!

Frequently asked questions about traveling in Japan are on our section F.A.Q. & additional content on onigiro.com.