Japan itinerary for 7, 10 or 14 days: first-trip routes that work

Which length fits

Fares are smartEX prices for a reserved seat on a Nozomi or Mizuho, regular season (as of 1 April 2025). Airport trains, city transport and day-trip fares are extra. A day-by-day plan for the capital is in Tokyo in 3 days; lodging, food and sights per day are in how much a Japan trip costs.

7 days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka

1. Day 1, Tokyo: arrive, check in, evening in Shibuya or Shinjuku. Pick a base with our where-to-stay guide.
2. Day 2, Tokyo east: Sensoji in Asakusa early, Ueno, Akihabara.
3. Day 3, Tokyo west: Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya Crossing and SHIBUYA SKY at sunset (book two weeks ahead).
4. Day 4, to Kyoto: Nozomi from Tokyo, about 2 h 10 min (¥13,970). Fushimi Inari in the late afternoon.
5. Day 5, Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera and Gion, or Arashiyama. Our Kyoto and Nara guide has the trains and opening hours, and Kyoto in 2 or 3 days plans each Kyoto day by area.
6. Day 6, Nara, then Osaka: the deer park and Todaiji, then on to Osaka for Dotonbori at night.
7. Day 7, Osaka and home: Osaka Castle in the morning, then the HARUKA from Shin-Osaka to Kansai Airport (¥1,900 visitor one-way ticket from 1 November 2026).

Flying home from Tokyo instead? Add the Shinkansen back (¥14,520 from Shin-Osaka) and drop Nara or one Kyoto day.

10 days: add Fuji or Hakone and Hiroshima

1. Days 1–3, Tokyo: as above.
2. Day 4, Mt Fuji or Hakone day trip from Shinjuku by Odakyu, highway bus or JR’s FUJI EXCURSION. See Fuji and Hakone from Tokyo.
3. Day 5, to Kyoto (¥13,970). Sit on the right-hand side (seat E) for the Mt Fuji view.
4. Days 6–7, Kyoto and Nara.
5. Day 8, Osaka: castle, Kuromon Market, Dotonbori. See Osaka in one or two days.
6. Day 9, Hiroshima and Miyajima as a day trip from Shin-Osaka (¥10,750 each way). See the Hiroshima day-trip guide.
7. Day 10, home: from Kansai, or by Shinkansen to Tokyo (¥14,520) for a flight from Narita or Haneda. Leave a good margin.

14 days: slower, with Hiroshima overnight

1. Days 1–5, Tokyo: three city days, one day to Nikko or Kamakura, one to Fuji or Hakone.
2. Days 6–9, Kyoto: four nights, with Nara as a day trip. Easy to swap one day for Kanazawa or a Nagoya stopover on the way.
3. Days 10–11, Hiroshima: Kyoto to Hiroshima (¥11,740), the Peace Memorial Park, then a full day on Miyajima. The JR ferry to Miyajima is covered by the JR Pass and by JR West’s Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass.
4. Days 12–13, Osaka: Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka (¥10,750), then two Osaka days or one at Universal Studios Japan.
5. Day 14, home from Kansai, or ¥14,520 more to fly from Tokyo.

Want beaches? Okinawa is a flight from Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka, best with three or four nights: Okinawa for a first trip covers the monorail, the car question, Churaumi, Shuri Castle and the islands.

Want Kyushu too? Hakata (Fukuoka) is about an hour beyond Hiroshima on the fastest trains: see Hiroshima to Fukuoka. Heading north instead? Swap the Hiroshima days for three or four in Hokkaido: Sapporo and Hokkaido covers the airport train, Otaru, Furano and Hakodate, and which Hokkaido pass pays off.

Rail costs and whether a JR Pass pays off

JR Pass prices: official JR Group prices for the ordinary car, bought on the official site. The pass is for consecutive days, so it has to cover every day from your first to your last JR ride. Special tickets for Nozomi and Mizuho: JR Group price table. Local JR rides (Nara, airport trains) add a little to the single-ticket side.

Cheaper for the western part: JR West’s Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (¥17,000 for 5 days) covers the Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima, the HARUKA and the Miyajima ferry. A Hiroshima day trip from Osaka alone is ¥21,500 in single tickets. Details in JR Pass vs regional passes, and for any other route, run the JR Pass checker.

Moving between bases

• Big suitcases on the Shinkansen: on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags over 160 cm (length + width + height) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area, at no extra cost. Without one there is a ¥1,000 fee (JR Central).
• Or send them ahead: Yamato’s TA-Q-BIN goes hotel to hotel if both hotels accept it; send it so it arrives at least a day before you do. Prices and timings in our luggage guide.
• Checkout before a late train: leave bags at the hotel desk or a station locker for the afternoon.

What to book ahead

Most of these routes need nothing booked except beds. The things that do sell out (Ghibli Museum, Tokyo Disney, SHIBUYA SKY at sunset, Shinkansen seats at busy times) each open on a fixed day: see what to book before your trip, and when, or put your dates into the trip planner to get each release time in your own time zone. The busy times are Golden Week, Obon and New Year: the 2026–2027 dates are in the best time to visit Japan.

When a tour helps

Every day above works on public transport. A guide adds most on:

• An evening food walk in Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka, where someone orders for you.
• Fuji and Hakone in one day without changing trains and buses yourself.
• Hiroshima’s history, with a guide at the Peace Memorial Park.

Not worth it for Sensoji, the Kyoto temples or Osaka Castle, which are simple to do alone.

Quick answers

Is 7 days enough for Japan?

Enough for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with a Nara day trip, if you fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka (Kansai). With a return flight from Tokyo, drop one Kyoto day or Nara.

What is the best order for a first trip?

Tokyo first, then west by Shinkansen to Kyoto and Osaka. Flying into Narita or Haneda and out of Kansai saves the ride back to Tokyo and half a day.

Do I need a JR Pass for a 7, 10 or 14-day trip?

Usually not for these routes. The Shinkansen rides of our 7-day route cost ¥13,970, against ¥50,000 for a 7-day pass. The 10-day route that returns to Tokyo is about break-even (¥49,990). Check your own route with the JR Pass checker.

How many nights should I spend in each city?

At least three nights in Tokyo, two or three in Kyoto and one or two in Osaka. Hiroshima works as a day trip from Osaka or as one night on the way.

What about Mt Fuji and Hakone?

Do them as a day trip from Tokyo (Odakyu Romancecar or highway bus), or stay one night in Hakone on a 10 or 14-day trip. Our Fuji and Hakone guide has the routes and fares.

Sources

Checked against these pages on 24 October 2026. Official pages take precedence over this summary.

1. JR Central / JR West (smartEX): smartEX prices, reserved seat in ordinary cars, as of 1 Apr 2025 (PDF)
   Railway operators.
2. JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Group): Types and prices
   Official JR Group site.
3. JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Group): Use of NOZOMI/MIZUHO trains: special ticket prices
   Official JR Group site.
4. JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Group): Scope of validity: lines, trains and non-JR sections
   Official JR Group site.
5. JR West: HARUKA One-way Ticket (prices through 31 Oct and from 1 Nov 2026)
   Railway operator.
6. JR East: N’EX (Narita Express)
   Railway operator.
7. Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central): Luggage information: oversized baggage on the Shinkansen
   Railway operator.
8. Yamato Transport: Is it possible to send luggage from one hotel to another?
   Delivery company.
9. JNTO: Asakusa: Sensoji and access
   National tourism organisation.
10. JR West Miyajima Ferry: Fares (JR Pass and IC cards accepted)
    Ferry operator.
11. Osaka Castle Museum: User guide: opening hours and admission (from 1 Apr 2025)
    Museum run by Osaka City; page partly in Japanese.
12. Odakyu Electric Railway: Hakone Freepass: prices from Shinjuku and Odawara, what it covers
    Railway operator.

General information. Fares and timetables change; the railways’ own pages are always right. JapanBenri is not affiliated with JR or any tour company.