Route. Haneda or Narita → hotel → dinner nearby. Choose the train or bus by your hotel’s nearest station. If the room is ready later, ask the hotel to hold your bags and take a short walk nearby.
Stay. Choose Ueno or near Tokyo Station for four nights. Ueno suits the Skyliner from Narita. Tokyo Station is handy for the train to Kamakura and the Shinkansen to Kyoto.
Route. Kaminarimon (雷門) → Nakamise (仲見世通り) → Senso-ji (浅草寺) → Ueno Park (上野公園). After the temple, walk to Ueno Park or take the orange Ginza Line from Asakusa to Ueno. If it rains, check whether the Tokyo National Museum is open.
Stay. Return to your hotel in Ueno or near Tokyo Station. If you’re based in Ueno, finish with dinner nearby.
Route. Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) → Takeshita Street (竹下通り) in Harajuku for lunch → Shibuya (渋谷) for the crossing and dinner. Walk south from Harajuku or take the JR Yamanote Line one stop to Shibuya.
Stay. Return to your hotel in Ueno or near Tokyo Station. Tomorrow’s trip to Kamakura starts on the JR Yokosuka Line.
Route. Take the JR Yokosuka Line to Kamakura (鎌倉駅), then the Enoden to Hase (長谷駅). Walk from Hase Station to Hasedera Temple (長谷寺), then see the Great Buddha at Kotokuin (高徳院). Finish at Yuigahama Beach (由比ヶ浜) and return to Tokyo via Kamakura.
Route. Take the morning Shinkansen from Tokyo or Shinagawa to Kyoto. Drop your bags, then walk from Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) via Sannenzaka (産寧坂) and Ninenzaka (二寧坂) to Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社) in Gion. If you arrive late, start in Gion and finish by the Kamo River.
Stay. Choose Kyoto Station or Shijo-Kawaramachi. The station makes train travel with bags easier. Shijo-Kawaramachi puts dinner and the riverside within walking distance.
Route. From Kyoto Station, take a local JR Nara Line train to Inari Station (稲荷駅). Walk to the main shrine, through Senbon Torii (千本鳥居) and on to the Okusha prayer hall (奥社奉拝所). Turn back there for a shorter visit, or climb to Yotsutsuji (四ツ辻) for the view. Head back to central Kyoto for lunch.
Route. Take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama (嵯峨嵐山駅). Start at the Bamboo Grove (竹林の小径), enter Tenryu-ji’s garden (天龍寺) via its north gate, then walk south to Togetsukyo Bridge (渡月橋) and the Katsura River.
Route. Take the JR Kyoto Line from Kyoto Station to Osaka Station. For Namba, change at Umeda to the red Midosuji Line. After dropping your bags, stop at Kuromon Market (黒門市場) while shops are open, then walk through Hozenji Yokocho (法善寺横丁) to Dotonbori (道頓堀) for dinner.
Stay. Use one hotel for two nights in Namba or Umeda. Namba keeps Dotonbori, the Kintetsu train to Nara and the Nankai train to Kansai Airport close together.
Route. From Osaka-Namba (大阪難波駅), take a Kintetsu train to Kintetsu-Nara (近鉄奈良駅). Walk through Nara Park (奈良公園) via Todaiji’s Nandaimon Gate (南大門) to the Great Buddha Hall (東大寺 大仏殿), then visit Nigatsudo Hall (二月堂) and Kasuga Taisha (春日大社). Return to Osaka in the evening.
Route. Check out → take Nankai from Namba or compare JR and airport buses from Umeda → reach your departure terminal. For an evening flight, leave bags at your hotel and spend the morning near your departure station. Check the airline’s deadline and allow time for the terminal shuttle if you need it.
Stay. Check out of your Namba or Umeda hotel or airport-area hotel for today’s flight. If you fly tomorrow, choose an extra night based on your departure time.
Allow ¥25,000–¥27,000 per adult for transport and ¥108,000–¥225,000 for one room shared by two adults over 9 nights. Budget separately for flights, taxis, meals outside the room plan and attraction tickets.
Transport with individual tickets
This example uses Narita’s Skyliner on arrival and Nankai’s Airport Express to Kansai Airport. Use the Tokyo airport route finder if you fly into Haneda, or the Kansai Airport guide if you leave from Umeda by JR.
Rail fare sources checked . Smart EX examples use regular-season adult ordinary reserved seats on Hikari, Kodama or Sakura. Reprice for your dates and chosen train.
Accommodation
Use ¥12,000–¥25,000 per city-hotel night as a planning allowance for two adults sharing.
Individual tickets cost ¥32,910 less than the 7-day pass for the JR rides shown. Days 1–3 are outside the 7-day window. Pay for any rides on those days separately.
Same itemized transport, per adult
Ticket option
Cost
Individual tickets
¥22,640
Nationwide 7-day pass and separate fares
¥55,550
The 7-day pass is ¥50,000 for Days 4–10. The same covered rides cost ¥17,090 when bought individually. All options use the same itemized rides above. Add the local allowance to plan your full transport budget.
Keisei, Nankai, city subways, Enoden and Kintetsu cost extra with a nationwide pass. The pass prices are for adult ordinary class bought on the official website. Overseas agents charge ¥53,000 for 7 days. Nozomi and Mizuho require a separate special ticket with the nationwide pass.
As soon as you know your dates. Book four nights in Tokyo, three in Kyoto and two in Osaka. Keep the same hotel for each day trip. Check the first train to Kansai Airport before committing to your last night.
One month before each Shinkansen ride, at 10 a.m. Japan time. Reserve Tokyo → Kyoto for Day 5. Smart EX offers limited earlier bookings for eligible seats.
On the day. Buy regular Enoden and Kintetsu fares on the day. If you choose a Kintetsu Limited Express for Day 9, book its reserved seat separately. Buy the Tenryu-ji garden ticket at the gate.
Add length, width and height. For a case over 160 cm and up to 250 cm total on the Tokaido Shinkansen, reserve a seat with oversized baggage space. For hotel-to-hotel forwarding, confirm both hotels accept it and ask for the delivery date. Carry a change of clothes and valuables with you if delivery is later.
