Visiting Japan could not get any easier

Japan can feel surprisingly difficult to plan, not because travelling around is hard, but because there is simply too much to choose from. For a first trip, you don’t need to see everything. Give yourself around ten days and follow one of Japan’s easiest routes: Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka.

You get three very different sides of Japan without constantly changing hotels. Tokyo gives you the huge modern city, Kyoto brings temples and historic neighbourhoods, and Osaka finishes the trip with nightlife and some very good reasons to forget about your diet.

Already want the route planned out?

Japan in 10 days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, 9 nights, Rp39.527.000 for two before flights and tours; with flights at Rp7.734.842 each, the typical fare, about Rp54.996.684; the tours in the plan are Rp21.472.436 on top, optional

Start with Tokyo

Give Tokyo around three days. You won’t see everything, so don’t try.

Start in Asakusa with Sensō-ji, one of Tokyo’s most famous Buddhist temples. Walk through Kaminarimon and Nakamise Shopping Street before exploring the surrounding neighbourhood. It’s an easy first day, especially if you’ve just arrived in Japan.

For modern Tokyo, head towards Meiji Jingu, then walk through Harajuku and Shibuya. You’ll go from a quiet forested shrine to one of the busiest parts of Tokyo within the same afternoon. Finish around Shibuya Crossing or head towards Shinjuku for the evening.

Use your last Tokyo day for whatever you’re actually interested in. Anime and games? Explore Akihabara. Art? Visit teamLab Planets. Parks and museums? Try Ueno or Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

Then it’s time for the Shinkansen.

Slow down in Kyoto; After Tokyo, spend around three days in Kyoto.

Start with Fushimi Inari Taisha, famous for the thousands of red torii gates climbing through the forest. Go earlier in the morning if you want a quieter experience, then spend the afternoon exploring Kyoto rather than trying to squeeze five more temples into the same day.

The next day, visit Kiyomizu-dera and walk through the historic streets around Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka. Continue towards Yasaka Shrine and Gion in the afternoon and stay around for dinner.

For your final day, you could visit Arashiyama, explore another temple, join a tea ceremony or simply spend more time around the neighbourhoods you liked.

Finish in Osaka. Kyoto and Osaka are close, so the final part of the trip is an easy move.

Start with Dotonbori in the evening. Walk along the canal beneath its enormous signs and arrive hungry. Try takoyaki, find some okonomiyaki, and accept that dinner may turn into several dinners.

For your next day, choose one of Osaka’s bigger attractions. Osaka Castle is the classic choice, while Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is one of the city’s most popular attractions. If theme parks are more your thing, Universal Studios Japan can easily take an entire day.

Leave your last day relatively open. Explore Shinsekai, go shopping around Shinsaibashi, try a kendo or cooking experience, or return to Dotonbori because you somehow still haven’t eaten enough.

When should you visit Japan? There really isn’t one perfect time.

March to April is popular for cherry blossoms, while October to November brings cooler weather and autumn colours. Winter is worth considering for snow and skiing, while summer brings festivals but also hotter and more humid weather.

Your budget can help make the decision too. Instead of choosing dates first, see how fares change between different periods. You can also explore fares and destinations for Tokyo or Osaka.

Ten days. Three cities. Done.

You don’t need to visit every temple or squeeze another city into every empty afternoon. For a first trip, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka already give you an excellent introduction to Japan.

Start with Sensō-ji and Shibuya in Tokyo, move on to Fushimi Inari and Gion in Kyoto, then finish with Dotonbori and Osaka’s food scene.

And if you’d rather not build all of that yourself:

Japan in 10 days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, 9 nights, Rp39.527.000 for two before flights and tours; with flights at Rp7.734.842 each, the typical fare, about Rp54.996.684; the tours in the plan are Rp21.472.436 on top, optional

Use the itinerary, change whatever you don’t like, and make the trip yours.