The Golden Route of Japan

1. ~9:00a◆Sensō-ji, Asakusa

   Tokyo's oldest temple — the great Kaminarimon lantern, the Nakamise shopping street, and old-Edo atmosphere. Go early before the crowds.

2. ~11:00a✦Sumida River & Tokyo Skytree

   A riverside walk or boat to Skytree, the world's tallest tower, for the city laid out to the horizon.

3. ~1:00p●Sushi or tempura lunch

   A first proper Tokyo meal — an Edomae sushi counter or a tempura specialist.

4. ~3:00p◇Ginza

   The flagship boutiques, the depachika food halls, and Itoya's stationery emporium — Tokyo's grand shopping district.

5. ~6:00p✦An Edomae sushi counterBook ahead

   The quintessential first-night Tokyo dinner — omakase nigiri at a serious counter. Book ahead; this is the trip's first marquee table.

6. ~8:30p✦Tokyo by night

   The lights of the Ginza, or a first drink in a tiny bar — ease into the city after the flight.

Keep day one flexible for jet lag — Asakusa and Ginza are forgiving, and an early sushi dinner suits an early-to-bed first night.

1. ~9:00a◆Meiji Shrine

   The forested shrine to Emperor Meiji in the heart of the city — vast torii gates and a hush a minute from the chaos of Harajuku.

2. ~10:30a→Harajuku & Omotesandō

   Takeshita Street's youth fashion and the designer architecture of Omotesandō, Tokyo's Champs-Élysées.

3. ~12:30p●Lunch in Shibuya

   Ramen, tonkatsu, or a depachika picnic before the crossing.

4. ~2:00p✦Shibuya Crossing & Sky

   The world's busiest crossing from street level, then the Shibuya Sky rooftop for the view over the scramble.

5. ~5:00p→Shinjuku & Omoide Yokochō

   The neon canyons of Kabukichō and the lantern-lit 'Memory Lane' alley of tiny yakitori counters.

6. ~7:00p●Izakaya dinner

   Grilled skewers, small plates, and beer or sake in a Shinjuku izakaya — the social heart of Japanese dining.

7. ~9:00p✦Golden Gai (optional)

   A nightcap in the warren of six-seat bars — one of Tokyo's most atmospheric corners.

Tokyo's west side is the modern, fashionable city — pace it as a long stroll from Meiji's calm to Shinjuku's neon, eating your way along.

1. ~8:00a✦Romancecar to Hakone

   The scenic limited express from Shinjuku into the mountains (~85 min) — the classic Fuji-and-onsen day trip.

2. ~10:00a✦The Hakone loop

   The mountain railway, cable car, and ropeway over the volcanic Ōwakudani valley (black eggs boiled in the sulphur springs), then a pirate boat across Lake Ashi.

3. ~12:30p◆Hakone Shrine torii

   The red torii gate standing in the lake water, with Mt. Fuji behind it on a clear day — the iconic shot.

4. ~2:00p✦Hakone Open-Air Museum

   Sculpture in the mountains — Moore, a Picasso pavilion, and a hot-spring footbath among the art.

5. ~4:00p✦An onsen soak (optional)

   A day-use hot spring with a Fuji view before the train back — the Hakone ritual.

6. ~7:30p●Dinner back in Tokyo

   Return to the city (~90 min) for a relaxed final-area dinner.

Hakone is the Golden Route's Mt. Fuji day — buy the Hakone Free Pass for the whole loop. Fuji is shy: mornings and clear winter days give the best odds, so don't bank the trip on the view.

1. ~8:00a✦Shinkansen Tokyo → Kyoto

   The morning bullet train (~2 hr 15 min) — sit on the right (D/E) for a chance at Mt. Fuji. Drop bags and straight out.

2. ~10:30a◆Kiyomizu-dera

   The great wooden stage temple over the hillside, reached up the lantern-lit lanes of Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka.

3. ~1:00p●Lunch in Higashiyama

   Yudofu (hot tofu hotpot), soba, or obanzai home-style cooking in the temple district.

4. ~2:30p→Gion & the geisha quarter

   The wooden machiya teahouses of Hanami-kōji and Shirakawa — Kyoto's atmospheric geisha district, best in late afternoon.

5. ~4:00p◆Fushimi Inari Taisha

   The mountain of thousands of vermilion torii gates — go late afternoon as day-trippers thin, and climb at least to the first viewpoint.

6. ~7:00p✦A kaiseki dinnerBook ahead

   Kyoto's refined multi-course cuisine, built on the seasons — the city's signature meal and the trip's Kyoto marquee table. Book ahead.

Kyoto rewards early starts and late-afternoon temple visits when the day-trip crowds fade. Buy an ICOCA card and use taxis between clusters — the temples are spread out.

1. ~8:00a→Arashiyama bamboo grove

   The towering bamboo of Sagano, transcendent early and a scrum by mid-morning — be there at dawn.

2. ~9:00a◆Tenryū-ji & the Ōigawa

   The Zen temple's pond garden against the western hills, and the riverside with its boats and the Togetsukyō bridge.

3. ~11:30a◆Kinkaku-ji

   The Golden Pavilion mirrored in its pond — Kyoto's single most famous sight.

4. ~1:00p●Lunch & Nishiki Market

   'Kyoto's Kitchen' — the covered market of pickles, tofu, sweets, and skewers; graze your way through for lunch.

5. ~3:00p◆Nijō Castle

   The shogun's Kyoto palace with its 'nightingale floors' that chirp underfoot to warn of intruders, and painted screens.

6. ~5:00p✦A tea ceremony or sake tasting

   A formal matcha service in a machiya, or a tasting in the Fushimi sake district — Kyoto's contemplative side.

7. ~7:30p●Pontochō dinner

   The narrow lantern-lit alley along the Kamogawa — kaiseki, yakitori, or riverside dining on the summer terraces.

This day sweeps the western and northern highlights — start in Arashiyama at dawn, work back toward the center. Nishiki Market is the lunch-and-souvenir stop; Pontochō is the dinner atmosphere.

1. ~9:00a✦Train to Nara

   Japan's first permanent capital, ~45 min from Kyoto — a compact day among temples and free-roaming deer.

2. ~9:45a◆Tōdai-ji & the Great Buddha

   The world's largest bronze Buddha in the world's largest wooden building — genuinely awe-inspiring in scale.

3. ~11:00a✦Nara Park & the deer

   Over a thousand sacred deer roam free, bowing for shika-senbei crackers — a delight, and the image of Nara.

4. ~12:30p●Lunch in Naramachi

   The old merchant quarter — kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi) or a tea-house lunch among the lattice-front townhouses.

5. ~2:00p◆Kasuga Taisha

   The vermilion shrine in the forest, famous for its three thousand moss-covered stone and bronze lanterns.

6. ~3:30p◆Isuien Garden (optional)

   A serene strolling garden with borrowed-scenery views of the hills — a quiet finish before the train back.

7. ~6:30p●Dinner back in Kyoto

   A final Kyoto dinner — or carry on to a last evening stroll along the Kamogawa.

Nara is the Golden Route's great half-day add — Tōdai-ji's Buddha and the bowing deer are unmissable. It's an easy train from Kyoto or en route toward Osaka.

1. ~9:00a◆Osaka Castle

   The grand reconstructed keep in its moated park — the symbol of the city, with a museum inside and city views from the top.

2. ~11:30a●Kuromon Ichiba Market

   'Osaka's Kitchen' — the covered market of grilled scallops, fresh uni, wagyu skewers, and fugu; graze for an early lunch.

3. ~1:30p✦Shinsekai & Tsūtenkaku

   The retro-neon old downtown under its lit tower — gloriously kitsch, with kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) the local specialty.

4. ~3:30p◇Shinsaibashi & Amerikamura

   The grand covered shopping arcade and the youth-culture 'Amemura' district — Osaka's retail heart.

5. ~5:30p◆Dōtonbori at dusk

   The neon canyon along the canal — the running Glico Man sign, the giant crab, and the roar of Osaka's most famous strip as the lights come on.

6. ~6:30p✦Eat Osaka — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsuBook ahead

   The city's street-food trinity, done crawl-style through Dōtonbori — octopus balls, savory pancakes, and fried skewers. Osaka's whole soul is 'kuidaore' — eat till you drop. The trip's final feast.

7. ~9:00p✦A Dōtonbori nightcap

   A canal-side bar or a tiny counter in the alleys — Osaka's warm, unbuttoned nightlife.

Osaka is the anti-Tokyo — loud, friendly, food-obsessed. Dōtonbori is the must, best at night; come hungry and eat your way along the canal.

1. ~9:00a✦Option: Himeji Castle

   ~30 min by Shinkansen — Japan's finest original castle, the brilliant-white 'White Heron,' a UNESCO masterpiece never destroyed or rebuilt.

2. ~9:00a✦Option: Kobe

   ~30 min away — the elegant port city for world-famous Kobe beef, the Nada sake district, and Mt. Rokkō's harbor views.

3. ~1:00p●A final Japanese lunch

   Kobe beef if you've gone west, or one last Osaka favorite before heading out.

4. ~3:00p✦Last shopping & onward

   Final souvenirs (KitKats, knives, sake), then to Kansai International Airport (~50 min from Namba) for the flight home — Osaka is the natural exit point of the route.

Ending in Osaka puts you beside Kansai Airport for an easy departure, and within Shinkansen reach of Himeji's spectacular castle or Kobe's beef. Pick one as a final flourish, or keep a relaxed last day in Osaka itself.