See the Best of Japan in 14 Days
Wondering what to do with 14 days in Japan? This travel itinerary is a good choice for visitors making their first journey to Japan and can be done largely by train (local, express, and bullet train), with a few legs of the trip done by rental car or ferry. You’ll see urban jungles, traditional temples, gorgeous scenery, fascinating historic sites, and you’ll eat very well along the way.
If this itinerary seems a bit ambitious, you could leave off Kanazawa and the Japan Alps and give yourself a buffer day or two in Tokyo and Kyoto.
This itinerary assumes you will start exploring the day after you arrive (in either Narita or Haneda). The first night, just plan on getting to your accommodation and sleeping off some jetlag.
Tokyo
For your time in Tokyo, the western districts of Shinjuku or Shibuya or the upscale area around Tokyo Station would each be a good place to base yourself.
Day 1
Get acquainted with Tokyo’s modern side by exploring Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku. Start at Meiji Jingū, Tokyo’s most impressive shrine, then wander through the side streets of the sprawling district of Harajuku, ground zero for youth fashion in Japan. Proceed down Omotesando and its high-end shops to Aoyama, where you’ll find the Nezu Museum’s collection of premodern Asian art and a wonderful garden. Make your way to Shibuya, the beating heart of Japanese youth culture and home to the world’s busiest intersection; ascend to the top of Shibuya Sky for a bird’s-eye view of the action. Finish your night with dinner and drinks at a lively izakaya in trendy Ebisu. After you’ve eaten, go for cocktails or to one of the city’s many excellent DJ bars nearby.
Day 2
Start the day by exploring the slower, old-school neighborhoods on the east side of town. Begin with a trip to the colorful Buddhist temple Sensō-ji in Asaskusa, then head west to Ueno, famed for its massive park and the Tokyo National Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Japanese art. Proceed to nearby Akihabara, the best spot to glimpse some of Japan’s quirky subcultures, chief of them being otaku, a catch-all word for all things geek. End the day in Shinjuku, eating dinner in the smoky alleyway of hole-in-the-wall restaurants that is Omoide Yokochō, followed by a bar crawl through Golden Gai’s drinking dens.
Hakone
Day 3
Leave the mega-city of Tokyo for the hot spring mecca of Hakone, located a few hours by train southwest of Tokyo. Check into a ryokan (traditional inn) and spend the day soaking in onsen baths, donning a yukata (lightweight kimono) and enjoying Japan’s legendary spirit of hospitality (omotenashi)—all with the chance of a view of Mount Fuji if the weather is clear.
Day 4
Spend one more day relaxing in your ryokan, availing yourself of the bath. In the afternoon, venture out for a few hours to explore the area, starting with Hakone Open-Air Museum. It’s easy to spend a few hours exploring this striking mix of sculptures amid beautiful natural surroundings. Next, ride the Hakone Ropeway to Ōwakudani. If the weather is clear, you’ll catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji in the distance as you float above the volcanic landscape shrouded in sulfuric mist. Return to your ryokan and get a good night’s sleep ahead of your first big train
journey in the morning.
Kyoto
Day 5
After breakfast, head to Odawara Station to hop on a shinkansen bound for Kyoto, a 3-hour ride. Drop off your bags at your accommodation, have
some lunch, and spend the afternoon exploring a few of the city’s major sights. Consider the hillside temple of Kiyomizu-dera, the majestic Pure
Land Buddhist temple of Chion-in, and maybe Nijō-jō castle. In the evening, splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime dinner at a kaiseki ryōri restaurant, followed by cocktails or whisky at one of Kyoto’s refined bars.
Day 6
Discover Kyoto’s less-crowded side on your second day in the city. Head to Arashiyama’s famous bamboo grove after first exploring the
beautiful gardens of neighboring Tenryū-ji, and be sure to visit the less-crowded Ōkōchi Sansō Villa, once home to a Japanese movie star and famed for its sublime gardens and traditional architecture. The atmospheric temples of Jōjakkō-ji, Nison-in, Giō-ji, and Adashino
Nenbutsu-ji are all within 20 minutes’ walk north of the villa, with a fraction of the crowds that visit the grove. Backtrack to the Katsuragawa
and have lunch at one of the eateries lining the river. Make your way to Ryōan-ji to check out the temple’s rock garden and some of the other
famous sights in the area, such as the gold-leaf-covered Kinkaku-ji. Plan on having dinner in the Gion district, followed by a stroll down the
dreamy, lantern-lit alleyway of Ponto-chō.
Day 7
In the morning, make your way north to visit some of the spiritual gems of the Higashiyama neighborhood, from important Zen temple Nanzen ji to Ginkaku-ji, the silver companion to golden Kinkaku-ji, and the contemplation-inducing Philosopher’s Path. Be sure to check out low-key, moss-drenched Hōnen-in when you’re in the area. After lunch,
make your way to Fushimi Inari-Taisha, one of Japan’s most bewitching shrines and a sight that you’re sure to remember your whole life. If time allows, shop for traditional souvenirs. Kyūkyodō, a one-stop shop with an artsy bent, is a great starting point and your best bet if you’re
strapped for time. Spend your last evening in Kyoto enjoying dinner at one of the city’s elegant eateries.
Day 8
Leave Kyoto early in the morning, taking the shinkansen east to Himeji (2 hours). Visit Himeji-jō, easily Japan’s best castle. Spend a few hours on its extensive grounds and inside the structure itself, marveling at its construction and scale. Eat a quick lunch in Himeji, but save the bulk of your appetite until the evening, after you’ve made the journey to Osaka, 1 hour east on the JR line. Once in Osaka, spend the afternoon as a flaneur in the districts of Shinsaibashi, Amerika-mura, and Namba. For an early dinner, indulge in a food crawl through Osaka’s Dōtombori, where options include takoyaki (fried dough balls stuffed with octopus), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes—note the difference between Hiroshima’s spin on the dish), and kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers of meat, seafood, and veggies). Return to Kyoto.
Days 9-10
Whether you’d like to venture into the mountains or plant yourself on a beach, there are two compelling options with very different flavors for the next two-day stop. If you lean toward the former, opt for hiking a section of the Nakasendō Trail, set in the mountains of Central Honshu and easily accessible from Kyoto and Osaka by train. For the latter, fly to subtropical Okinawa in Japan’s far southwest.
Nakasendō Trail Option
Hop on the shinkansen to Nagoya (35-50 minutes), where you’ll then transfer to a limited-express train to Nakatsugawa (50 minutes) in Central Honshu. From Nakatsugawa, take a local bus (30 minutes) to the nearby medieval post town of Magome, your base for the next two nights. Spend the remainder of the day ambling through the town center with its Edo period (1603-1867) ambience. Get a good night’s rest in one of the charming local inns so that you’re ready for the next day’s hike along a section of the Nakasendō Trail. This path, which cuts through the lush Kiso Valley, was once traversed by lords and their samurai retainers as they moved between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo).
The next morning, strike out on the Nakasendō Trail, starting from Magome and bound for Tsumago, 8 km (5 mi) to the north. This walk, which takes around 3-4 hours, follows a gently descending path against a backdrop of distant mountains. Once you’ve reached Tsumago, linger for a bit at some of its inviting shops and then return to your inn back in Magome. You can either return on foot, backtracking along the same stretch of trail, or take the local bus from Tsumagobashi bus stop, near the historic town center of Tsumago, back to Magome (5 buses daily; 30 minutes). Enjoy one more evening relaxing at your inn before returning to Tokyo the next day.
After an early breakfast at your shukubō, leave Kōya-san and begin your journey west, toward the “art island” of Naoshima. This picturesque island in Japan’s gorgeous Inland Sea has developed a reputation for its eclectic modern art museums, sculptures dotting the landscape, and charming villages. But first, take the local train to Shin- Osaka, then hop on the bullet train to Himeji, 3.5 hours into your journey, to pay a visit to Japan’s greatest fortress, Himeji-jō (aka “White Heron” castle). Have lunch before continuing west to Okayama by shinkansen (20 minutes), transfer to the JR Uno-port line, and ride until the port of Uno (45 minutes). There, board a 20-minute ferry to Naoshima.
Okinawa Option
Catch an early-morning flight from Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Naha (2 hours 15 minutes), the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. After you check into your hotel, take the monorail to Shuri-jō, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the hilltop castle was damaged in a fire in 2019, visitors could still stroll its grounds at the time of writing—not to mention get a great view of Naha below. Full reconstruction of the former seat of power of the Ryūkyū Kingdom is slated for completion in autumn 2026. Eat a traditional Okinawan lunch nearby at Shuri Horikawa, then peruse the island’s technicolor textiles at Shuri Ryusen. Ride the monorail 10 minutes into Naha’s downtown, where you can pore over pottery on Tsuboya Pottery Street, then stop for a cup of whisked tea known as bukubuku cha at Nuchigafu. Proceed on foot through the city’s lively Makishi Public Market as you make your way to Yūnangī, an izakaya with a menu built around the island’s classics. Be sure to try Okinawa’s potent booze, the spirit known as awamori.
On your second day in Okinawa, it’s all about the beach—take a jet foil to Zamami-jima, one of the islands in the Kerama island chain, less than an hour west of Naha, to while away the day on Furuzamami Beach. Snorkeling gear is available for rent at the beach. As the afternoon wears on, hop on a jet foil from Zamami-jima directly back to Naha, then return to your hotel to freshen up. For dinner and a traditional musical performance of Okinawa’s three-stringed instrument, the sanshin, head to Live House Shimauta. Return to your hotel and get a good night’s rest before your flight to Tokyo the next day.
Tokyo
Day 11
After flying from Naha to Tokyo (roughly 2 hours 15 minutes), check into your digs where you’ll stay for the rest of your trip. Head to the suburb of Kichijōji, 15-20 minutes west by train from central Tokyo. Enjoy a visit to the Ghibli Museum (advance reservations required), a quirky ode to anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s fictional universe set in the tranquil green space of Inokashira-kōen. Enjoy lunch at Café du Lièvre before making the leisurely trip back to the train, perhaps picking up a coffee and window-shopping along the way. Then, head to the hip enclave of Shimokitazawa. Here, you’ll find plenty of vintage clothes and atmospheric restaurants, and you can end your night with a drink or even some live music.
Day 12
Eat breakfast and then head south about 1 hour by train to Kamakura, which served as feudal capital for a time. The seaside town is awash with spiritual heritage, including the temple of Kōtoku-in, home to the imposing Daibutsu (Great Buddha). Reach this bronze marvel via the recommended 3.4-km (2.1-mile) Daibutsu Trail, which runs through the green hills just west of town. Also visit Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, the city’s grandest shrine. Be sure to peruse the charming shops hawking local artisans’ crafts in Kamakura’s center, clustered along Komachi-dōri, before heading roughly 30 minutes north by train to Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city. For dinner try Araiya, serving the city’s hearty beef hot pot. After dinner, sample some of Yokohama’s best craft beer haunts before returning to Tokyo, arriving in time to unwind before bedtime.
Day 13
For your last full day, take the express train to Nikko, a UNESCO World Heritage Site just 2 hours north of Tokyo. Entering the heritage area, you’ll cross the famed Shin-kyō, or Sacred Bridge, where it crosses the Daiya River. When you’ve worked up an appetite wandering the forested temples and shrines, break for a lunch of locally made yuba (tofu skin) at Shiori. Back in Tokyo, sample your way through a culinary alley and top off the night by barhopping in Golden Gai.
Day 14
Today your Japan journey comes to an end. You’ll fly out of Narita International Airport (NRT), a 1-hour ride from downtown on the Narita Express.
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