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 www.onigiro.com Copyright © 2020 Onigiro. All Rights Reserved 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). www.onigiro.com Copyright © 2020 Onigiro. All Rights Reserved 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$). www.onigiro.com Copyright © 2020 Onigiro. All Rights Reserved 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”. www.onigiro.com Copyright © 2020 Onigiro. All Rights Reserved 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. www.onigiro.com Copyright © 2020 Onigiro. All Rights Reserved 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.