What to book before you fly

Three things make Japan arrival smooth. Sort them at home, not at the airport.

Days 1–4: Tokyo

Tokyo is the right place to land — easiest airport options, biggest neighbourhood density, most forgiving for jet lag. Stay in Shinjuku or Shibuya: both have direct trains to Haneda and Narita, walking distance to dinner, and you’ll pass through them constantly anyway.

Day 1 — Arrival

Don’t plan a hero day. You’ll have lost 8 hours and won’t remember it.

• Afternoon: Drop bags, find your nearest 7-Eleven for water and a snack, walk your neighbourhood for 30 minutes to orient yourself.
• Evening: Ramen or izakaya within 10 minutes walk of your hotel. Ichiran for solo ramen, Omoide Yokocho (“Memory Lane”) near Shinjuku station for an izakaya alley experience.
• Bed early. You’ll thank yourself.

Day 2 — Old Tokyo

Asakusa → Ueno → Akihabara (north-east loop)

• Morning (before 9am): Senso-ji temple in Asakusa — Tokyo’s oldest. Get there early before the tour buses arrive. Walk down Nakamise shopping street.
• Late morning: Walk along Sumida River, see the Skytree from across the water.
• Lunch: Tempura around Asakusa (Daikokuya is the institution) or sushi conveyor at Sushiro.
• Afternoon: Short train to Ueno Park — Tokyo National Museum if it’s hot or raining, just walk it if not.
• Evening: Train to Akihabara for the electronics/anime/arcade scene. Don Quijote (chaotic discount store) is worth one walk-through if you’ve never seen it.

Day 3 — West Tokyo

Meiji Jingu → Harajuku → Omotesando → Shibuya (walkable in one day)

• Morning: Meiji Jingu shrine — forested approach, surprisingly peaceful given the location. Allow 90 minutes including the walk in.
• Late morning: Walk south into Harajuku — Takeshita Street for the chaotic teen-fashion energy.
• Lunch: Afuri for yuzu ramen (Harajuku branch). Or Maisen for tonkatsu in Omotesando.
• Afternoon: Walk Omotesando — the architectural-flagship version of Tokyo shopping. Coffee at Koffee Mameya if you’re into specialty coffee.
• Late afternoon: Walk down to Shibuya Crossing. Cross it. Then head to the second-floor Starbucks across from the station for the view.
• Evening: Dinner in Shibuya. Shibuya Sky rooftop observation deck if you want sunset views — book a week ahead as it sells out.

Day 4 — Choose your own Tokyo

Flex day for the version of Tokyo you actually want.

Pick one of these depending on your interest:

• Mt Fuji day trip: Lake Kawaguchiko via bus from Shinjuku (~2 hours each way), or join a guided day tour if you want to skip the logistics.
• teamLab Planets: immersive digital art museum in Toyosu. Book tickets a week ahead — they sell out.
• Slow Tokyo neighbourhoods: Shimokitazawa (vintage and indie cafes), Nakameguro (canal walk + cafes), or Yanaka (old-Tokyo backstreets).
• Tsukiji outer market (mornings only, the inner market moved to Toyosu) — for the eating-while-walking experience.
• Ghibli Museum (Mitaka) — if you booked tickets a month ahead. Otherwise Ghibli Park outside Nagoya is a half-day rail trip and worth it for fans.

Days 5–7: Kyoto

Day 5 — Tokyo to Kyoto + arrival evening

Travel day, then a soft Kyoto landing.

• Morning: Check out, take the Hikari Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (~2h 40m, ¥14,170). Book on Klook in AUD with English support.
• Lunch on board: Grab an ekiben (station bento) from Tokyo Station. Eki Ben-ya Matsuri on the Shinkansen concourse has 200+ varieties.
• Afternoon: Drop bags at Kyoto accommodation. Walk Higashiyama — Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, the stone-paved old streets leading up to Kiyomizu-dera (save the temple itself for tomorrow).
• Evening: Dinner in Gion. Walk Hanamikoji-dori at dusk for the chance to spot a geisha heading to a teahouse.

Day 6 — Big Kyoto day

Fushimi Inari (early) → Kiyomizu-dera → Higashiyama → Gion. Start at 7am.

• 7am: Train to Fushimi Inari — the thousand torii gates shrine. Get there before 9am or be prepared to queue for every photo. Hike up to the Yotsutsuji intersection (~30 min uphill) for a real sense of scale.
• Mid-morning: Back to Higashiyama. Kiyomizu-dera temple — wooden stage with city views.
• Lunch: Omen for udon noodles, or matcha sweets at one of the dozens of cafes in Higashiyama.
• Afternoon: Walk through Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine. If you have energy, optional add: Nanzen-ji temple with the brick aqueduct (10 min walk north).
• Evening: Dinner in Pontocho Alley — narrow lantern-lit street along the Kamogawa river. Book ahead if you want a riverside table in summer (May–September).

Day 7 — Arashiyama + Northern Kyoto

The western side. Less busy if you start before 10am.

• Morning: Train to Arashiyama (~15 min from Kyoto Station). Walk the bamboo grove first — it’s a 10-minute walk through, busy after 10am.
• Mid-morning: Tenryu-ji temple garden (right at the bamboo grove). Iwatayama monkey park if you want to climb 20 minutes for the view + macaques.
• Lunch: Yudofu (tofu hot pot) at one of the river-side restaurants. Shoraian is the famous one.
• Afternoon options: Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) in northern Kyoto — the iconic shot, 30 min by bus. Or back to central Kyoto for Nishiki Market (Kyoto’s covered food market — try yuba, matcha soft serve, sake tasting).
• Evening: Stay central for dinner. Try Issen Yoshoku for okonomiyaki, or any of the kaiseki places near Pontocho if you want the multi-course experience.

Days 8–10: Osaka

Day 8 — Kyoto → Osaka via Nara (optional)

The deer day, plus an easy Osaka evening.

• Morning: Check out, store bags at Kyoto Station coin lockers (or send via Yamato luggage forwarding if you want a free day).
• Mid-morning: Train to Nara (~45 min from Kyoto). Walk to Nara Park — the famous deer that bow for biscuits. Buy “shika senbei” deer crackers from a stall. Todai-ji temple houses the giant bronze Buddha (Daibutsu) — worth the entry fee.
• Lunch: Kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf-wrapped sushi, a Nara specialty) near Nara station.
• Afternoon: Back to Kyoto Station, grab bags, train to Osaka (~45 min on JR Special Rapid, ¥580).
• Evening: Check into Osaka accommodation in Namba. Dotonbori for first dinner — takoyaki at Kukuru, okonomiyaki at Mizuno, and a walk under the Glico Running Man sign. Touristy, but Dotonbori is the Osaka entry point for a reason.

Skip Nara if: you’ve already seen a lot of temples by this point, or it’s a hot July/August day. The deer are cool but it’s a “do-once” experience for most people. Going straight to Osaka means an extra half-day in the city instead.

Day 9 — Core Osaka

Castle in the morning, food and nightlife the rest of the day.

• Morning: Osaka Castle — the grounds are free and worth a walk. Pay to go up if you like museums; views from the top are decent.
• Lunch: Conveyor sushi or kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) at any of the popular Namba spots.
• Afternoon: Choose:
  • Universal Studios Japan — full-day commitment. Book skip-the-queue tickets ahead.
  • Shinsekai + Tsutenkaku Tower — old-Osaka retro neighbourhood, the gritty counter to Dotonbori’s polish.
  • Umeda Sky Building floating observatory for sunset views over the city.
  • Shopping in Shinsaibashi — Osaka’s main shopping street, walkable from Namba.
• Evening: Dinner in Dotonbori or a backstreet izakaya in Hozenji Yokocho — a single narrow lantern-lit alley with the best atmosphere in Osaka.

Day 10 — Departure

Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the easy departure.

• Morning: Last neighbourhood walk. Coffee. Buy any final omiyage (souvenir snacks) at the convenience store.
• Midday: Nankai Rapi:t express train from Namba to KIX (~45 min, ¥1,490). The orange retro-futurist train is half the experience.
• Afternoon: Fly out from KIX.

Open-jaw flights: The cleanest version of this itinerary flies into Tokyo (Haneda or Narita) and out of Osaka (KIX). Saves a 3-hour Shinkansen back to Tokyo on the last day. Most airlines treat this as a “multi-city” booking and it’s usually the same price or cheaper than a return.

Where to stay in each city

Variations on this route

Want more Kyoto, less Osaka: 4 nights Tokyo / 4 nights Kyoto / 2 nights Osaka. Use the extra Kyoto night for a day trip to Hiei-zan temple, more of Arashiyama, or just slower mornings.

Want more food, less culture: Drop a Kyoto night, add it to Osaka. 4 nights Tokyo / 2 nights Kyoto / 4 nights Osaka.

Want to add Hiroshima: Drop one Tokyo or Osaka day, take a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka to Hiroshima (~1h 40m Shinkansen). Combined with Miyajima island, it’s a long but rewarding day. At this point the JR Pass math starts to look better — see the JR Pass guide.

Want Mt Fuji properly: Add a 2-night stop at Lake Kawaguchiko between Tokyo and Kyoto (or as a 2-day side trip from Tokyo). Skipping a Kyoto day or extending the trip to 12 days both work.

Trip cost estimate

Per person, mid-range, excluding flights (May 2026 prices):

Flights from Australia: AU$800–1,500 return depending on city and season. Cheapest direct: Jetstar Melbourne/Sydney → Narita.

FAQ

Is 10 days enough for Japan?

For a first trip, yes. Ten days covers Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka properly with one Nara day trip. Trying to add Hiroshima, Kanazawa, or Hokkaido stretches it thin — better to come back for those.

Best time of year for this route?

Late March to mid-April for cherry blossom (busy and expensive but stunning). October-November for autumn leaves (similar caveats). May and early June are the underrated sweet spots — mild weather, fewer crowds, no rainy season yet. Avoid July-August (hot and humid, especially Osaka and Kyoto) and Golden Week (29 April – 5 May, prices spike).

Should I get the JR Pass for this trip?

No. The 7-day pass costs ¥50,000; this route’s Shinkansen + local trains total ~¥17,000. Buy individual tickets on Klook and pocket the difference. Full analysis in the JR Pass guide.

Should I stay longer in Kyoto or Osaka?

Kyoto. Osaka can be done in 2 days; Kyoto rewards 3 because the temples are spread out and the city benefits from slower pacing. The only exception is if you care more about food and nightlife than culture — then flip the split.

How much cash should I bring?

Withdraw ¥30,000–50,000 on arrival from a 7-Eleven ATM (they accept foreign Visa/Mastercard reliably, 24/7). Top up as needed. Japan is more cash-reliant than most developed countries — many small restaurants, shrines, and IC card top-up machines need cash. Use a no-FX-fee card like Wise or Up to avoid 3% + $5 charges that Big Four Australian banks and most US/UK debit cards add. The ATM machine itself takes a small ¥110 fee regardless of card.

Do I need to speak any Japanese?

No. Major cities have enough English signage and Google Translate’s camera mode handles menus. Learning “sumimasen” (excuse me) and “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you) goes a long way. The bigger ask is being patient when there’s no English at all — bow, point, smile, you’ll be fine.

Is teamLab Planets or teamLab Borderless better?

Planets is more immersive (you walk through water, lie under projections) and more accessible from central Tokyo (Toyosu). Borderless is bigger and more maze-like. Most first-timers prefer Planets. Both sell out — book a week or more ahead.