The complete itinerary
Japan itinerary: 86 days across Kyoto, Shikoku and Kyūshū, hotels and bookings
86 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel.
86 days €119
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Travel in Japan: day-by-day itineraries
An archipelago of more than 6,800 islands between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific, Japan holds together everything that should clash: razor-straight megacities and zen temples, 320 km/h trains and century-old inns, Shinto shrines and neon districts. Tokyo, Kyoto, the Japanese Alps, Hiroshima and the shores of Miyajima follow one another effortlessly thanks to the most punctual rail network in the world. It is the perfect destination for a first big trip to Asia as much as for a long-haul journey.
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Currency
- Yen (¥)
- Language
- Japanese
- Direct flight
- ≈ 14 hr from Paris
- Time difference
- +8 hr in winter, +7 hr in summer
Itineraries
Our trip ideas in Japan
The complete itinerary
Japan itinerary: 88 days from Hokkaidō to Okinawa, hotels and bookings
88 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel.
88 days €119
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The classic itineraries
Classic
Hokkaido in 14 days: Japan's great north from Sapporo to Hakodate
The northern island in two weeks: Sapporo, Otaru, the Furano hills, the Shiretoko Peninsula, the eastern lakes and Hakodate.
14 days €39
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Classic
Off-the-beaten-track Japan in 14 days: from the Sea of Japan to Shikoku
Japan's hidden side in two weeks: Kinosaki Onsen, the Tottori dunes, Izumo, the Shimanami Kaido and the Iya valley.
14 days €39
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Or take it one module at a time
Module
Nara and Yoshino in 6 days: itinerary and hotels
Six days in the first capital and the mountain of a hundred thousand cherry trees: the great Buddha of Tōdai-ji, the lanterns of Kasuga-taisha, the Hōryū-ji, the Kinpusen-ji of Yoshino, the painted tombs of Asuka and the Yamanobe no Michi.
6 days €39
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Module
Yakushima and Okinawa in 7 days: itinerary and hotels
Seven days in the subtropical south: the thousand-year-old cedar forest of Yakushima and the Jōmon-sugi trek, then the Ryūkyū kingdom, the potters' street of Naha, the fukugi road of Bise and the Churaumi aquarium.
7 days €39
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Module
Shikoku in 12 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels
Twelve days from Imabari to Takamatsu: the oldest bath in Japan at Dōgo, the Pacific capes, the undammed Shimanto, the vine bridges of the Iya valley and the art islands of Naoshima and Teshima.
12 days €39
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Module
Western Kansai in 14 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels
Fourteen days from Osaka to Hikone: Dotonbori and Osaka Castle, Kobe and the Akashi Kaikyō bridge, the white heron of Himeji, a night at a temple on Mount Kōya, the three shrines of Kumano and Lake Biwa.
14 days €39
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Module
Kyoto in 14 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotel
Fourteen nights in a single base to cross a thousand years of capital, district by district: Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama, the Katsura villa, Ōhara and Takao.
14 days €39
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Module
Nagoya, Fuji and Hakone in 14 days: itinerary and hotels
Fourteen days from the castles and museums of Nagoya to the five lakes of Fuji, then Hakone and its boiling valley, the great Buddha of Kamakura, Enoshima and the port of Yokohama.
14 days €39
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Module
Kantō and Tokyo in 15 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels
Fifteen days from the Edo warehouses of Kawagoe and the Chiba cliffs to ten days of Tokyo, district by district: Asakusa, Ueno, the Imperial Palace, Odaiba, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Roppongi.
15 days €39
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Module
San'in and Setouchi in 15 days: itinerary and hotels
Fifteen days on the forgotten coast of the Sea of Japan, from the seven baths of Kinosaki to the dunes of Tottori and the land of the gods at Izumo, then Hiroshima, Miyajima and the six bridges of the Shimanami Kaidō.
15 days €39
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Module
Nikkō, the Alps and Hokuriku in 17 days: itinerary and hotels
Seventeen days from the baths of Gunma to the gold of Nikkō, then across the Japanese Alps: Kamikōchi, the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, the Kenroku-en of Kanazawa, the thatched roofs of Shirakawa-gō and Takayama.
17 days €39
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Module
Tōhoku in 17 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels
Seventeen days in northern Honshū, from Aomori to Niigata: Hirosaki Castle, the cypress baths of Sukayu, the Oirase gorge, the samurai street of Kakunodate, the Fujiwara gold, Yamadera and Ginzan Onsen under gas lamps.
17 days €39
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Module
Hokkaidō in 18 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels
Eighteen days on the northern island: Sapporo and Otaru, Cape Sōya at the far end of Japan, the climb up Rishiri-Fuji, the hills of Biei, Daisetsuzan, Shiretoko and its brown bears, then the volcanoes of the south down to Hakodate.
18 days €39
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Module
Kyūshū in 25 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels
Twenty-five days on the island of volcanoes and baths, from Fukuoka to Nagasaki, from the ghost island of Hashima to the crater of Aso, from the hells of Beppu to the Takachiho gorge and on to Sakurajima.
25 days €39
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The right season
When to go in Japan?
The spring (March-May) of the cherry blossoms and the autumn (October-November) of the red maples are the two great windows, with stable skies and mild temperatures. Summer is heavy and humid, punctuated by typhoons in August-September; June brings the short rainy season. Winter, dry and luminous on the Pacific coast, offers Hokkaido powder to skiers and cities without crowds.
- January : In-between
- February : In-between
- March : Pleasant
- April : Ideal
- May : Ideal
- June : In-between
- July : Avoid
- August : Avoid
- September : Pleasant
- October : Ideal
- November : Ideal
- December : In-between
- Ideal
- Pleasant
- In-between
- Avoid
To read before you go
Our articles about Japan
Japan
The San'in coast and Shikoku: Japan without the crowds
Two hours from Miyajima, the Sea of Japan coast lines up seven village baths, sixteen kilometres of dunes and a shrine where you clap four times instead of twice.
Read the article
Japan
How many days do you need for Hokkaidō?
Fourteen days are enough to loop Hokkaidō from Sapporo to Hakodate. You need eighteen to add the far north and the climb up Rishiri-Fuji.
Read the article
Quick guide
Understanding Japan
Getting around
The Shinkansen links Tokyo to Kyoto in 2 hr 15, and the Japan Rail Pass pays for itself from a single long-distance return. In town, an IC card (Suica or Pasmo) pays for metro, buses and konbini.
Money
The yen (¥). Cards now work almost everywhere, but keep cash for small restaurants, temples and the countryside. The ATMs in 7-Eleven konbini accept foreign cards. No tipping.
Language
Japanese, with three writing systems. English remains basic outside the big cities, but station signage is bilingual and Japanese patience does the rest.
Useful apps
Google Maps gives the trains to the minute. Add Japan Travel by Navitime for complex connections and load your Suica into your phone's wallet.
Accommodation
From the efficient business hotel to the ryokan with onsen and kaiseki dinner: sleep at least one night on tatami. Book months ahead for the cherry blossoms and the maples.
Etiquette
Take your shoes off whenever a floor rises by a step, keep quiet on the train and do not eat while walking. Tattoos are still covered up in some onsen.
The iconic places
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Kyoto
Thousands of vermilion torii climb the sacred hill of Inari. Set off at dawn to have the tunnels of gates to yourself.
Mount Fuji
Fujiyoshida
The country's perfect cone, 3,776 m, is best admired from the Chureito pagoda or the five lakes. Climbing possible in July-August.
Senso-ji
Tokyo
Tokyo's oldest temple, its giant lantern and the Nakamise shopping street. The atmosphere of Edo in the heart of Asakusa.
Genbaku Dome
Hiroshima
The concrete skeleton left standing beneath the bomb, UNESCO-listed. With the Memorial museum, a shattering history lesson.
Miyajima's floating torii
Itsukushima
The great red gate set on the sea in front of the Itsukushima shrine. At low tide, you can walk right up to its base.
Todai-ji
Nara
The great 15 m bronze Buddha under one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, surrounded by the free-roaming deer of Nara park.
Tap a dot, or browse the list below the map.
- Senso-ji : The great temple of Asakusa, Tokyo
- Shibuya Crossing : The most famous crossroads in the world
- Nikko : The Toshogu shrine in the forest
- Mount Fuji : Japan's sacred summit, 3,776 m
- Takayama : A preserved old town in the Japanese Alps
- Kanazawa : The Kenroku-en garden and the samurai districts
- Fushimi Inari : Kyoto's thousands of torii
- Kinkaku-ji : Kyoto's golden pavilion
- Todai-ji : The great Buddha of Nara
- Osaka Castle : Hideyoshi's fortress
- Genbaku Dome : The peace memorial, Hiroshima
- Miyajima : The floating torii of Itsukushima