A 10-day Japan itinerary: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka
By Ganesh ·
Ten days in Japan for a first trip from India, day by day: four nights in Tokyo, one in Hakone, three in Kyoto with a half day in Nara, and two in Osaka. Train choices, where to stay and rough costs in rupees.
For ten days, split it like this: four nights in Tokyo, one in Hakone, three in Kyoto (with half a day in Nara) and two in Osaka. Fly into Tokyo and home from Kansai Airport in Osaka. You move west the whole time and never lose a day going back.
The route
| Days | Base | Nights | Main sights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Tokyo | 4 | Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, a day out to Nikko or Kamakura |
| 5 | Hakone | 1 | Lake Ashi, the ropeway, a ryokan with an onsen |
| 6-8 | Kyoto | 3 | Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Gion, Nara |
| 9-10 | Osaka | 2 | Dotonbori, Osaka Castle, then the airport |
Day by day
Day 1, arriving in Tokyo
At the airport, switch on an eSIM or pick up pocket Wi-Fi, and add a Suica or PASMO card to your phone. Stay near a Yamanote Line station (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno or Tokyo Station) so most sights are one ride away. If you still have energy, walk through Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku and go up to the free viewing floors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
Day 2, Asakusa to Shibuya
Get to Senso-ji early, before the tour groups, and eat your way down Nakamise street. Then Ueno Park and the Ameyoko market. Spend the afternoon in Akihabara if you like electronics or anime, and finish at Shibuya Crossing. Shibuya Sky is best at sunset, and those slots go days ahead.
Day 3, Meiji Jingu and Harajuku
The walk through the woods to Meiji Jingu takes about 15 minutes and is quiet even on busy days. Takeshita Street is the opposite. In the afternoon, book a teamLab museum slot. Dinner in Ginza, or at a sushi counter around Tsukiji Outer Market.
Day 4, a day trip
Pick one. Nikko is about two hours away, with lavish shrines in cedar forest and waterfalls nearby. Kamakura is about an hour, with the Great Buddha and temples a short walk from the sea. You sleep in Tokyo again.
Day 5, Hakone
Go by train to Odawara and on into Hakone. The usual loop is a mountain railway, a cable car, a ropeway over the steaming valley at Owakudani, and a boat across Lake Ashi. Book a ryokan for the night. Dinner and breakfast are usually included, and the hot bath is half the point. Mount Fuji hides in cloud a lot, so don't plan the day around seeing it.
Day 6, on to Kyoto
The shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto takes about two hours. Drop your bags and head to Kiyomizu-dera, then walk down the old lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka into Gion. Hanamikoji and Shirakawa are lovely after dark.
Day 7, Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama
Be at Fushimi Inari by 7 am. The lower gates are packed by 10. You don't need to climb to the top; the views open up about 40 minutes in. Then take the train to Arashiyama for the bamboo grove and Tenryu-ji. Nishiki Market and Pontocho for the evening.
Day 8, Nara
Nara is under an hour from Kyoto. Todai-ji's bronze Buddha is enormous, and the deer in the park bow for crackers (they also nip, so watch small kids). Be back in Kyoto by mid-afternoon for Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion.
Day 9, Osaka
Osaka is 15 to 30 minutes away by train. See the castle in the daytime and go to Dotonbori at night for takoyaki and okonomiyaki. With children, give this day to Universal Studios Japan instead.
Day 10, flying home
Shop in Namba or Umeda in the morning. Kansai Airport is about an hour from the city, so leave early.
JR Pass or single tickets
The national JR Pass got much pricier in October 2023. On this route it rarely pays off now. A single shinkansen ticket from Odawara (or Tokyo) to Kyoto, plus an IC card for everything else, usually costs less. Price your exact trip on the official fare search before you buy a pass.
Rough cost per person
| Item | Budget (₹, approx.) | Mid-range (₹, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Return flights from India | 45,000-65,000 | 65,000-95,000 |
| Stays, sharing a room, 10 nights with 1 ryokan | 40,000-60,000 | 75,000-1,20,000 |
| Trains and city transport | 18,000-25,000 | 22,000-30,000 |
| Food | 15,000-22,000 | 25,000-40,000 |
| Entry tickets | 6,000-10,000 | 12,000-20,000 |
| Visa, insurance, eSIM | 3,000-5,000 | 4,000-6,000 |
| Total | 1,27,000-1,87,000 | 2,03,000-3,11,000 |
These are rough figures. Cherry blossom (late March to early April) and the autumn colour weeks in November cost more and book up months out.
Before you go
- Indian passport holders need a visa. The Embassy of Japan in India lists the current documents and process.
- Send big suitcases from Tokyo to your Kyoto hotel by luggage courier (takkyubin) and take a small bag to Hakone.
- Vegetarians should look for shojin ryori, the Buddhist temple food, in Kyoto, and carry a note in Japanese listing what you don't eat. Dashi (fish stock) turns up in a lot of dishes.
- Cards work almost everywhere in cities. Keep some cash for small shrines, markets and rural buses. 7-Eleven ATMs take most Indian cards.
Questions people ask
Is ten days enough?
For Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, yes. Hiroshima and Miyajima need two more days.
Should I fly into Tokyo or Osaka?
Either, as long as you leave from the other one. Search for a multi-city ticket.
What's the best month?
April and November have the best weather and the biggest crowds. Late May and early October are a good compromise. July and August are hot and sticky.
Does this work with parents?
Yes, but drop the day trip on Day 4 and give Kyoto an extra half day. Big stations have lifts, though some exits are a long walk.
Photo: Water reflection of Kinkaku-ji Temple a sunny day, Kyoto, Japan by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Read in: जापान में 10 दिन: टोक्यो, हाकोने, क्योटो, नारा और ओसाका