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.
Itineraries
The classic itineraries
Classic
Four days in Tokyo, one night in Hakone, five in Kyoto with a day trip to Nara, and a last one in Osaka, by train, subway and on foot.
See the itinerary
Classic
The northern island in two weeks: Sapporo, Otaru, the Furano hills, the Shiretoko Peninsula, the eastern lakes and Hakodate.
See the itinerary
Classic
Japan's hidden side in two weeks: Kinosaki Onsen, the Tottori dunes, Izumo, the Shimanami Kaido and the Iya valley.
See the itinerary
The complete itinerary
86 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel.
See the itinerary
The complete itinerary
88 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel.
See the itinerary
Or take it one module at a time
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Module
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.
See the itinerary
Choosing a length
| You have | Our itineraries |
|---|---|
| 1 week |
|
| 2 weeks |
|
| 3 weeks |
|
| 1 month |
|
| 5 to 6 weeks |
|
| 3 months |
The right season
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.
To read before you go
Japan
An AI gives a good first draft of a Japan itinerary, not a guarantee. Hotels, timed tickets, closures, driving license: the checklist to follow.
Japan
Allow two days, one per island, between Wednesday and Sunday: Naoshima closes on Mondays, Teshima on Tuesdays. Ferries, tickets to book, where to stay.
Japan
Five days to cross Shikoku, eight with the upper Iya valley and the art islands, twelve for the full loop. By car, in April, May or November.
Quick guide
Each of our two long itineraries uses the shinkansen only once: Hakodate to Aomori on the 88-day trip, Tokyo to Osaka on the 86-day one. The rest is by rental car, by plane for the long jumps, and by metro or bus in the cities, with an IC card such as Suica. The nationwide JR Pass costs ¥50,000 for 7 days when bought online on its official site: with a single train journey, it does not pay off. To drive, see the driving licence question below.
The yen (¥). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but keep some cash: Tōdai-ji in Nara, for instance, only takes cash. Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven stores accept foreign cards, up to ¥100,000 per withdrawal. For tax-free shopping, the threshold stays at ¥5,000 before tax per store per day, but for purchases from 1 November 2026 you pay the tax in store and get it refunded after the customs check when you leave Japan. No tipping.
Japanese, with three writing systems. English remains basic outside the big cities, but station signs are bilingual. If something goes wrong, the Japan Visitor Hotline of the Japan National Tourism Organization answers 24 hours a day on 050-3816-2787 (+81-50-3816-2787 from a foreign phone), in English, Chinese or Korean.
Google Maps gives train times to the minute; add Japan Travel by Navitime for complex connections. Before you arrive, fill in Visit Japan Web, the Japanese government's free service: its QR code replaces the disembarkation card and the customs declaration. The standard Suica card has been on sale again since March 2025, with a ¥500 deposit refunded at the end minus a ¥220 fee; the Welcome Suica Mobile app is iPhone only.
From efficient business hotels to ryokan with hot springs and kaiseki dinners: spend at least one night on tatami. Also budget for the accommodation tax. In Tokyo it is ¥100 per person per night when the night costs ¥10,000 to ¥14,999 per person, ¥200 above that, nothing below; from 1 April 2027 it becomes 3% of the nightly rate from ¥13,000. Kyoto has its own scale, from ¥200 to ¥10,000 (see the budget).
Take your shoes off wherever the floor rises by a step, keep your voice down on trains and don't eat while walking. Suitcases have rules too: on the Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen, luggage whose three dimensions add up to more than 160 cm needs a reserved seat with an oversized baggage area, at no extra cost. Without that reservation you pay ¥1,000, and luggage over 250 cm is refused.
Budget
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Hotel night for two, cheapest to most expensive of the 10 hotels checked in our travel books (Booking, night of 2 to 3 March 2027) | ¥12,400 – ¥105,720 ≈ €69 – €588 |
| Hotel night for two, median price of those 10 hotels | ¥21,726 ≈ €121 |
| Kyoto accommodation tax, per person per night, depending on the room rate Source: city.kyoto.lg.jp (new tab) | ¥200 – ¥10,000 ≈ €1.11 – €56 |
| Compact rental car (Toyota, C1 class), 24 hours off-peak, insurance extra Source: rent.toyota.co.jp (new tab) | ¥10,340 ≈ €58 |
| Regular petrol, per litre, national average on 14 September 2026 Source: enecho.meti.go.jp (new tab) | ¥169.9 ≈ €0.95 |
| Shinkansen Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on the Nozomi, one way, reserved seat Source: railway.jr-central.co.jp (new tab) | ¥14,720 ≈ €82 |
| Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (Kyoto) Source: shokoku-ji.jp (new tab) | ¥500 ≈ €2.78 |
| Tōdai-ji, Great Buddha Hall (Nara), cash only Source: todaiji.or.jp (new tab) | ¥800 ≈ €4.45 |
| Peace Memorial Museum (Hiroshima) Source: hpmmuseum.jp (new tab) | ¥200 ≈ €1.11 |
| Himeji Castle, non-resident rate since 1 March 2026 Source: himejicastle.jp (new tab) | ¥2,500 ≈ €14 |
| Saihō-ji (Kyoto), by reservation: minimum donation, plus a ¥110 online fee Source: intosaihoji.com (new tab) | ¥4,000 ≈ €22 |
Prices checked on September 27, 2026 on the sources shown, not money we spent. Conversion: €1 = ¥179.7, European Central Bank reference rate: ecb.europa.eu (new tab)
Plan ahead
| What | Book |
|---|---|
| A night at Ekō-in temple (shukubō) Mount Kōya Official site: ekoin.jp (new tab) | 11 months before the month of your stay, on the 1st |
| Katsura Imperial Villa, guided tour (lottery if oversubscribed) Kyoto Official site: kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp (new tab) | 3 months before the month of your visit, on the 1st from 5 a.m. (Japan time) |
| Saihō-ji, the moss temple Kyoto Official site: intosaihoji.com (new tab) | From 2 months ahead until the day before |
| Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Urayasu, Tokyo Bay Official site: tokyodisneyresort.jp (new tab) | 2 months ahead to the day, at 2 p.m. (Japan time) |
| Chichū Art Museum and Teshima Art Museum Naoshima and Teshima, Inland Sea Official site: benesse-artsite.eventos.tokyo (new tab) | 2 months before the month of your visit, on the 2nd Friday at 10 a.m. (Japan time) |
| Shibuya Sky Tokyo Official site: shibuya-scramble-square.com (new tab) | 2 weeks ahead, at midnight (Japan time) |
| Takachiho Gorge rowing boats Kyūshū Official site: takachiho-kanko.info (new tab) | From 2 weeks to 2 days ahead, at 9 a.m. (Japan time) |
| Arakawa shuttle bus to the Jōmon-sugi, March to November Yakushima Official site: yakushima-tozan.com (new tab) | Ticket by the day before at the latest, no seat reservation |
| Five Lakes ground paths with a guide, 10 May to 31 July Shiretoko, Hokkaidō Official site: goko.go.jp (new tab) | As soon as your dates are set, 10 people at most per departure |
Booking windows checked on September 27, 2026 on the official sites. These are site rules and they change: check again before paying.
What to book in advance for a trip to Japan, and whenMust-sees
Kyoto
Thousands of vermilion torii climb the sacred hill of Inari. Set off at dawn to have the tunnels of gates to yourself.
Day 2 · Kyoto in 14 daysFujiyoshida
The country's perfect cone, 3,776 m, is best admired from the Chureito pagoda or the five lakes. Climbing possible in July-August.
Day 5 · Nagoya, Fuji and Hakone in 14 daysTokyo
Tokyo's oldest temple, its giant lantern and the Nakamise shopping street. The atmosphere of Edo in the heart of Asakusa.
Day 6 · Kantō and Tokyo in 15 daysHiroshima
The concrete skeleton left standing beneath the bomb, UNESCO-listed. With the Memorial museum, a shattering history lesson.
Day 11 · San'in and Setouchi in 15 daysItsukushima
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.
Day 12 · San'in and Setouchi in 15 daysNara
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.
Day 1 · Nara and Yoshino in 6 daysPick a point on the map, or browse the list below.
Also on the map
FAQ
Allow two weeks for one region seen without rushing: that is the length of our Hokkaido and San'in-Shikoku tours, and most of our stages run 12 to 18 days, up to 25 for Kyūshū. The whole country does not fit in a single stay: our two complete itineraries last 88 and 86 days, each within the 90-day visa-free stay Japan grants most passports. The “How many days do you have?” table above matches each length to an itinerary.
Across the 10 hotels from our travel books checked on Booking for the night of 2 to 3 March 2027, a night for two costs ¥12,400 to ¥105,720, with a median of ¥21,726 (about €121). Add the compact car, ¥10,340 per 24 hours off-peak at Toyota, petrol (¥169.9 per litre, national average) and admissions from ¥200 to ¥4,000. Details and sources are in the budget table.
For a tourist stay, citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand need no visa for up to 90 days. British and Irish citizens can stay up to six months, provided they apply for an extension at a regional immigration bureau before the 90 days run out. For any other passport, check the visa exemption list of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking.
Not on our itineraries. The nationwide pass costs ¥50,000 for 7 days when bought online on its official site, and each of our two long trips includes a single shinkansen ride: Hakodate to Aomori on the 88-day trip, Tokyo to Osaka on the 86-day one. That Tokyo to Shin-Osaka ride costs ¥14,720 on the Nozomi with a reserved seat in the regular season. The rest is by car, plane and city transport. For an all-train trip, do the maths ticket by ticket.
With a licence from the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Australia, Canada or New Zealand, you need your national licence plus an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format, obtained before you leave. It is valid for one year from your arrival, or less if your licence expires sooner. Holders of a French, Belgian, Swiss, German, Monaco or Taiwanese licence need an official Japanese translation instead.
Most sites need no booking, but some sell their places from a fixed date: 11 months ahead for a night at Ekō-in temple on Mount Kōya, 3 months ahead for Katsura Imperial Villa, 2 months ahead for Saihō-ji, Disney or the Naoshima museums, 2 weeks ahead for Shibuya Sky. The “What to book in advance” table gives each booking window with a link to the official site.
This site uses Google Analytics to measure its audience and improve its content. No advertising use. You can refuse and nothing changes for you. Learn more about cookies