For a relatively small island country, Japan is jam-packed with things to do, see, and eat! You could spend months exploring Japan and still not experience it all. So, how do you make the most of your trip without overwhelming yourself?
I visited Japan for 14 days last fall to view the gorgeous autumn colors, and I did a ton of research to figure out how to do just that. I had an absolutely amazing time, and you can too!
Check out my 2-week Japan itinerary to put together the best trip, full of culture, food, fun experiences, and more. While you won’t be able to see everything, you will feel connected to this beautiful country and be ready to come back again and again.
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Know Before You Go to Japan
Before I get into my Japan itinerary, there are a few things you need to know about when to visit and how to get there. It’s amazing to visit any time of year, but there are times when it’s almost too crowded to go anywhere.
So, here’s what you need to know before you start planning your Japan trip.
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The Best Time to Visit Japan
Japan experiences four distinct seasons, each with its own charm and reasons to visit:
- Spring (March to May): This is the best time to see cherry blossoms in Japan, with dates varying by region. While beautiful, it’s also the most crowded and expensive time to visit.
- Summer (June to August): Summer is a good time for festivals and hiking, but be prepared for hot and humid weather. If there’s an off-season in Japan, this is it.
- Autumn (September to November): This is the best time to visit Japan for fall foliage, with pleasant temperatures and stunning backdrops. It’s also popular, like cherry blossom season, so expect more crowds, but not as many as in spring.
- Winter (December to February): Winter is perfect for snow festivals, skiing, and enjoying the outdoor onsen (hot springs).
Overall, the best time to visit Japan is from October to May. For fewer crowds and good weather, consider visiting during the shoulder seasons in late spring or early autumn.
How to Get to Japan
Before your trip, go to the Japan Web site and register your visit with Japanese immigration. This saves time and potential confusion at the airport when you arrive. You’ll receive a QR code that can be scanned at the airport kiosks.
Japan’s major international airports include Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND) in Tokyo and Kansai (KIX) near Osaka. There are others, but these are the ones you’ll most likely fly into. If you’re coming from the U.S. or Europe, expect to see long-haul flights to Japan, at least 12 hours. So, follow my tips to prevent jet lag.
When booking flights, compare prices using comparison websites like Daily Drop Pro. You can search for the best prices, flight paths, flight times, etc., and track them over time until you find what works best for you. With Daily Drop Pro, you can even search by airline miles and save up to 80% on some international flights!
The best time to book flights to Japan is about 4-6 months in advance, especially if you’re visiting during peak seasons. It’s sometimes possible to find cheaper fares closer to your travel time, within 40-75 days, but I wouldn’t rely on that.
How to Get Around Japan
It’s very easy to get around Japan, from the Shinkansen (bullet train) and slower trains to local trains, buses, and subways. Public transportation in Japan is very efficient and reliable!
I recommend getting a rechargeable IC card like Suica or Pasmo for easy payment on public transport, like buses, subways, and local trains. These can also be used to buy things at konbini (convenience stores).
You can buy Shinkansen tickets at the train station before you travel or online in advance through Smart-ex or Navitime. I recommend buying in advance to ensure seats are available at the time you need to travel.
The Japan Rail (JR) Pass is a 7, 14, or 21-day pass that can be purchased in advance online or once you arrive in Japan. The cost has gone up in recent years, so it’s worth crunching the numbers first. For my 14-day trip, it actually would have cost more money to buy the JR Pass than to buy individual tickets for each route.
An Unforgettable 2-Week Japan Itinerary
Now, let’s get into the Japan itinerary! This is everything I did each day of my 14-day adventure. I started and ended in Tokyo as I booked a round-trip flight in and out of Haneda airport.
Again, you’re not going to be able to squeeze everything you want to do into your itinerary. So, it’s all about planning carefully and choosing the things you want to do and see the most, while leaving room for some spontaneity.
For Tokyo, I recommend choosing a few areas to explore each day. For example, start with some neighborhoods on the southwest side of Tokyo, and then explore the northeast side another day. It can take an hour or more to get from one side of Tokyo to the other!
Day 1: Flying to Tokyo
Be prepared – the flight to Japan is long! I left from New York, had a short layover in Toronto, and then it was just over 13 hours to get to Tokyo. They’re also a day ahead of the US, so you’re basically losing a day to get there.
You can take a monorail or public transit from the airport, but we booked a private car transfer. It was just quicker to get to our hotel in Akasaka. We stayed at the B Akasaka hotel, which was a great location and had all the basics we needed. The room was quite small, but we spent most of our time exploring.
The first night, we grabbed some microwave dinners from the nearest 7-Eleven convenience store, also known as a konbini. The food at the 7-Elevens in Japan is fresh and really good! They put out fresh food daily, and it is so much better than what you’ll find in the US.
A Note About Hotels in Japan
When booking hotels in Japan, always check if you’re booking a traditional-style or a Western-style room. Many traditional rooms include tatami mats on the floor, which are more comfortable than they sound.
Also, not all hotels have air conditioning or heating year-round. We arrived in mid-November, and some of the hotels had already turned on the heat even though it wasn’t cold outside yet. Just ask the front desk for a portable fan to put in your room and crack some windows.
Day 2: Exploring Akasaka, Shibuya, and Harajuku in Tokyo
Day 2 was the first full day to explore Tokyo. We started with a quick and delicious breakfast from 7-Eleven. A lot of places don’t open until closer to 10 am, even cafes. So, 7-Eleven is your best friend if you’re an early riser. I highly recommend the frozen smoothies and pancakes!
When I visited, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was playing at the theater in Akasaka. They had a really cool installation nearby to promote it, with a giant time turner and “moving” pictures on the walls. There’s also a themed cafe and official Harry Potter store where you can buy wands, robes, jewelry, and other branded merchandise.
It’s about a 15-minute subway ride from Akasaka to Meiji Jingu Shrine. There’s a beautiful park around the shrine, and it doesn’t take long to walk through.
We then walked around Harajuku, an iconic area of Tokyo known for its eclectic fashion and style. I highly recommend stopping in for lunch at Shanti Curry! I had a curry soup here, and it was so, so good.
One thing I always recommend you do on any trip is to take a food tour. It’s a great way to get a local’s perspective and get a feel for where else you’d like to eat or explore on your trip.
We did this food tour, and our guide, Lyu, was so great! He took us to four different spots to try edamame, gyoza, Sapporo beer, udon noodles, gizzards, chicken yakitori, chicken meatballs, and taiyaki for dessert. I highly recommend this Tokyo food tour!
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Day 3: The Imperial Palace and Meguro River in Tokyo
Day 3 started with another 7-Eleven breakfast and some shopping around Akasaka. There’s a lot of great makeup and skincare products available in Japan for a lot less money than what you’ll find in the states.
Then, we walked along Chidorigafuchi Moat to get to the Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds. The walking path along here is absolutely beautiful! The leaves hadn’t turned a lot of colors yet, but it was still stunning and made for a nice morning walk.
It’s about a 40-minute subway ride from the Imperial Palce to the Meguro River Promenade. This is a popular spot to view the cherry blossoms and fall foliage. It’s a mix of residential buildings and areas with restaurants along the river.
We stopped and had some appetizers and dinner at Taco Fanatico, which was great. I recommend the guacamole and chicken tinga tacos!
Day 4: Traveling to Mount Fuji
Day 4 was an early morning to get to the Mount Fuji area and make the most of our time there. We decided to only spend one night, but I would recommend at least 2 nights to explore both Mount Fuji and Mount Hakone, a little further south.
We took the Kawaguchiko Express Bus from Shinjuku Station to Fuji Q Station. It was about an hour and a half drive with views of Mount Fuji on the way in. We were fortunate to get a great view of Mount Fuji when we arrived at our hotel, Highland Resort Hotel and Spa. It was covered in clouds the rest of our time there.
After dropping our bags at the hotel, we caught a local train to Kawaguchiko and walked to the Fuji Ropeway. I highly recommend taking the ropeway up for incredible views (if the weather is clear)! There’s also a lot to do up there. There’s a snack and souvenir shop, swings overlooking Mount Fuji, and a hiking trail. You’ve got to try the curry bread here!
After riding the ropeway back down, we walked along the lake. The path along the lake here is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful red trees along the shore. There are some swan boats you can rent to paddle out on the lake if you want.
We stopped at a fantastic izakaya for more snacks, called Taishū sakaba yotte keshi. The owner, Mikki, was so nice and sweet! We ate gyoza, kara age (fried chicken), and egg soup, with beer and a sake flight. Everything was absolutely incredible!
Mikki then kindly called us a taxi to take us to Chureito Pagoda. There’s a big hill to walk up to get to the pagoda, so be prepared for that. It was worth it, though, because the views were amazing, especially at night.
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Day 5: On to Kyoto
After yet another delicious breakfast from the 7-Eleven, we caught the bus to Mishima Station, where we hopped on a bullet train to Kyoto. We arrived just in time for lunch at Nishiki Market, which has a lot of food stalls and shops to buy souvenirs. You could easily spend hours at this market, and that’s just what we did!
We enjoyed fried chicken, king crab, taiyaki, sake, and some INCREDIBLE wagyu beef skewers. I definitely went back a few times for more of the wagyu; it was so juicy and just melted in my mouth. We also did some shopping and bought beautiful chopsticks and hair sticks.
Dinner was at a good ramen spot near our hotel. We spent our first two nights in Kyoto at the APA Hotel Kyoto Gion EXCELLENT, on a main street between Maruyama Park and Kamo River. Again, the rooms were a bit small, but the location is excellent and very walkable.
Day 6: Fushimi Inari Shrine and Gion in Kyoto
In the morning, we took a walking tour to Fushimi Inari shrine with a small group led by a local, Nobu. She was so knowledgeable, and took us up a “secret” path up that went through a big bamboo forest with mini shrines on the way. I highly recommend this tour!
There are a lot of stairs to get to the shrine! Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for a workout. Our group stopped at several smaller shrines on the way up and prayed and made wishes. There are shrines dedicated to health, dancing, relationships, and more.
After another lunch at Nishiki Market, we walked to three different temples in the afternoon. Kennin-ji has some amazing dragon paintings and art throughout, plus a beautiful zen garden. Yasaka Koshin-do is a smaller temple where you can buy little fabric monkeys to write a wish on, and hang it at the temple.
The third temple, Kyomizu-dera, was my favorite! There are gorgeous views of all of Kyoto from the top, and a special waterfall where you can pray for purification of the six senses and make your wishes come true.
You can’t visit Kyoto without going to Gion Corner and attending a geisha show. The geisha show was very interesting, with traditional music, dancing, and a tea ceremony. We actually booked a special ticket that included tea and cookies.
It was a little intimidating because we didn’t know we were the only ones being served, and there were special rules about how to drink the tea and eat the cookies. I do recommend going to a show and booking the special seats with the tea, if you can, though. It was a very interesting experience!
After that, we found an amazing spot for dinner with soba and udon noodles. It had traditional Japanese-style seating on the floor, where you have to take your shoes off. I can’t remember what it was called, but it was near the Gion district.
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Day 7: Arashiyama in Kyoto
The morning of Day 7, we sent our bags ahead to our Osaka hotel and moved over to a hotel in Arashiyama, in northwest Kyoto. Arashiyama is known for its bamboo forest, but honestly, I think the “secret” one near Fushimi Inari is more enjoyable and a lot less crowded. So, we skipped that and headed to Togetsuyoko Bridge.
There are beautiful views here of the fall foliage and the Katsura River. There are also several food vendors here. I highly recommend the okonomiyaki pancakes with soba noodles – they were SO yummy!
Not a lot of people know about Daihikaku Senkōji Temple. You need to walk up a winding path to get there, but the views are amazing at the top. It’s a peaceful little temple with a garden and a bell you can ring when you enter. It’s well worth the walk for the views up here.
After a leisurely lunch in Arashiyama, we walked to Nonomiya Shrine, known for making wishes for successful marriages and relationships. About a 20-minute walk from there is Giōji Temple with a beautiful moss garden. I highly recommend going here!
Then, it was back to our hotel for dinner. We stayed at a beautiful onsen hotel called Kyoto Arashiyama-Onsen Kadensho. This hotel has Western-style rooms, but overall it’s more traditional, so you’ll need to remove your shoes when walking around the hotel.
The hotel has a public onsen and private onsens, too. You can book your room with meals included or excluded. I recommend at least doing the dinner, which is multiple courses, and a great experience to enjoy after relaxing in the onsen.
Day 8: Nara
The next morning, we caught the limited express train to Nara. For the express train, you’ll want to purchase a basic fare plus an express ticket. It will save you at least half an hour on the trip. Nara is very easy to get to from either Kyoto or Osaka, and makes a great stopover on your way between the two.
After arriving in Nara, we left our day bags in a locker at the train station. Nara is known for the deer that will bow to you in exchange for crackers. They are so cute!! You can buy the special deer cookies from vendors all around the park. I definitely recommend this; it was so much fun.
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Then, we walked about 20 minutes to see the giant Buddha statue at Todai-ji Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall). That was a very cool experience; the architecture and statues are incredible. Lunch was a delicious chicken katsu curry dish at a restaurant in the shopping mall near the train station. We walked around there until it was time to catch the local train to Osaka.
Day 8: Osaka
After arriving in Osaka late afternoon, we checked into our hotel. We stayed at Miyako City Osaka Hommachi, which might have been my favorite hotel of the whole trip (after the Arashiyama hotel). The rooms were a good size, with nice amenities, and a wine and sake machine in the lobby.
For dinner, we walked to Dotonbori Street, known for its many food vendors and bright lights. There’s a canal here that looks really cool when it’s lit up at night, too. We jumped around from vendor to vendor, trying different foods, like wagyu, cheese gyoza, Kara age, and yaki soba. This is a very lively area at night; you can also find some karaoke spots here if that’s your thing!
Day 9: Osaka
By this point in the trip, just over halfway through, our energy was starting to go down. So, we decided to have a fairly lazy morning and slept in. It was also time to do some laundry. The hotel conveniently had washers and dryers on-site. Because it can take up to a full day for a luggage transfer, we went ahead and sent our suitcases to the next stop, Kurashiki.
Then, we went back to Dotonbori for a late lunch before wandering around the area for a while. It was nice to have a slower day after all the activities. That night, we went to a fantastic comedy show at ROR Comedy Club, which is actually one of the few English-speaking comedy spots in Osaka. Everyone was so funny!
Day 10: Kurashiki
It was an early morning the next day to catch the train to Kurashiki, with one transfer in Okayama. It was too early to check in, so we dropped our day bags at the hotel, The OneFive Garden Kurashiki. This was a great hotel and very close to the historical quarter.
We ended up at Kurashiki Ramen Masuya for some absolutely delicious ramen and gyoza (and sake)! This was definitely a local spot as we seemed to be the only tourists. Get there early for lunch!
Then, we walked around the Bikan Historical District, which is absolutely gorgeous!! We stopped in some shops, bought some sake, asked a gallery about pottery making, and saw Kurashiki Ivy Square. This spot is known for having beautiful autumn-colored ivy leaves, but they weren’t all colorful when we were there.
Before dinner, we stopped at Inter Bridge for a sake tasting paired with a cheese dish. Dinner was at Trattoria Musica, which had absolutely delicious Italian food. We shared a salad and a prosciutto and cheese platter, and then I had the four cheese risotto; it was all so good! And the owner, Sachiko-San, was so sweet and nice! It’s a very local restaurant; I highly recommend you go for dinner.
After dinner, we walked to the Kurashiki Observatory, where we had booked a star-gazing experience. It was too cloudy to see anything but the moon through the telescope, but our guide was so nice and showed us the older telescopes in the old observatory building.
Then, it was back to 7-Eleven for dessert and breakfast snacks. This was basically our nightly routine! Don’t underestimate the konbini snacks; whether it’s 7-Eleven, Family Mart, or Lawson’s.
Day 11: Kurashiki
It was another slow morning before going out for an early lunch of udon and soba noodles at Onishi in this historical quarter. It was so good! Then we bought some sake from a sake shop on the canal and drank it on a bench outside. Apparently, you can’t drink it in the shop, but you can drink it in public outside!
After, we walked up to Kanryuji Temple and Achi Shrine for great views of the city. I then went to Atelier & Gallery to learn how to make my very own sake cups. Yoshihiro-San, the owner and artist, was very nice and patient. He kept the cups I made to glaze them and finish the process, which took several months. (I got my sake cups in the mail about 3 months after the trip, and they look great!)
The fall foliage is a truly spectacular event in Japan. The landscape transforms into a breathtaking canvas of reds, oranges, and golds. Read my other post for the best spots to admire the fall foliage!
Yoshihiro-San recommended a sake bar, so we stopped at Suiyobi Sake Bar before dinner. It was so cute and so good! The owner was adorable and very nice; he loves practicing his English with customers. We had two sakes of his recommendation, and he gave us an appetizer of boiled chicken meatballs in miso with celery, cabbage, tofu, and onions.
We tried to go back to Trattoria Musica, but they were full of reservations only, so we ended up at Cono Foresta, another Italian place. It was good, too, but I definitely recommend Trattoria Musica first.
H3: Day 12: Hiroshima
From Kurashiki, we took a train back through Okayama, and then further south to Hiroshima. We took our suitcases with us this time because it would have taken at least two full days for our luggage to be shipped from Kurashiki to Tokyo. It was surprisingly easy to navigate the train with all our bags, even with a transfer stop.
Most of the major train stations in Japan have luggage lockers, so we left our bags in one once we got to Hiroshima. Personally, I think visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum when you come to Japan is a must, especially as someone from the US. However, be aware of the emotional toll you may experience and do what you feel most comfortable with.
It took us about two and a half hours to walk through the whole museum, reading a lot (but not all) of the plaques. There’s also a nice outdoor area with some memorials, garden spaces, and a bell you can ring for peace. The other sight here is one of the remaining building structures that was left as is after the bombing.
We got lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby called More Than… Hiroshima. It was so good! Italian food is actually really popular in Japan. We had a prosciutto and cheese platter, carbonara, and wagyu pasta. Then we caught a train back to Tokyo, which took about 4.5 hours, direct with no transfers.
Day 12: Tokyo
We got into Tokyo around dinner time and went straight to check in at our hotel, APA Hotel Ueno Inaricho-Eki-Kita. This was another small room, but the location is fairly good, close to Ueno Park and lots of shopping and restaurants.
For dinner, we stumbled upon an amazing place called Toranoko, which is a very local spot! We made friends with the table next to us, and they recommended dishes and helped us order. We got several kinds of sake, tsukune (chicken meatballs), yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), fried tempura veggies (eggplant and a leaf of some kind), and kara age. This was one of my favorite dinners of the whole trip!
Day 13: Tokyo
Day 13 was our final full day! We grabbed some coffee and tea and walked around Ueno Park. This is a gorgeous, massive park; it’s pretty similar to Central Park in New York. There are food vendors, museums, gardens, and even a zoo. You could easily spend several hours exploring Ueno Park.
Lunch was at sake tasting restaurant called Premium Sake Club Gashue, where we each tried four sakes based on the five senses. I had the chicken curry set meal, which was amazing! The set meals came with miso soup and a small tofu and ginger side dish. I definitely recommend this place.
We walked around some more, checking out the shops and markets in the area. We found a good spot for some gyoza and noodles for dinner before heading back to the hotel to pack up our bags.
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Day 14: Last Day in Japan
For our last morning in Japan, we slept in before holding our bags at the hotel, grabbing some coffee, and walking back around Ueno Park. We went to the food vendors there for lunch and ate tsukune meatballs, yakisoba, kara age, and spiral potato chips. Then it was time to head back to the hotel to get our bags and an Uber to the airport!
The flight back to the States wasn’t as long as the flight to Japan; it was actually about three hours shorter. It was bittersweet leaving!
Other Tips for Traveling to Japan
Luggage Forwarding
Something really, really cool about Japan is how easy it is to get your luggage from one place to the next. There are several luggage forwarding services you can use, and most hotels will help you do this. It can take 24-48 hours to “ship” your luggage to your next destination, depending on the distance.
So, we would typically pack an overnight backpack and send our suitcases ahead the day before we planned to leave for the next city. Our luggage always arrived by late afternoon or evening when we checked into our next hotel, so it was perfect.
At the end of the trip, we needed to travel from Hiroshima in the south to Tokyo, which is 4.5 hours away by bullet train. The luggage forwarding does not travel by bullet train! So, that distance would have taken two days and wouldn’t have arrived in time for our flight. Just be careful about the timing, and always check with the hotel to confirm the estimated arrival date.
Learn Some Basic Phrases in Japanese
While many people in tourist areas speak some English, learning a few basic Japanese phrases can make a big difference in your travel experience. It shows respect for the local culture and can help you navigate various situations more easily, especially in smaller towns where fewer people speak English.
If you’d like to learn some of the language before you go, including how to read Japanese characters like kanji and hiragana, start learning now with Rosetta Stone!
Are you ready to plan your own Japan itinerary?
This was such an incredible trip! I absolutely loved every minute of it and cannot wait to go back to Japan. There is so much to see, do, eat, and drink; I could visit again and again. I hope my 2-week Japan itinerary gave you some ideas to build your own!
Remember, you’re not going to be able to see it all in one trip. So, think about what you want to experience the most, and leave room for some spontaneity and stumbling on hidden surprises.
Have you been to Japan before? Let me know your favorite things in the comments below!
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