what to do in 10 days in tokyo
Final updated on December 8, 2021
Are yous looking for the perfect way to spend ten days in Japan? Hither are my peak tips for how to get the best out of the country in a perfect 10-day Nihon itinerary. Ten days is enough for a first timer, but you could hands stretch this itinerary to two weeks in Japan if y'all have a few extra days, or skip one or two places if you only have a calendar week there.
Mad, listen-boggling, and futuristic are all words that come up to mind when I think of our 10-day trip to Japan. From the Zen of the temples to the crazed sounds of a pachinko parlour, Japan is king of extremes. It topped our wish list for years, but we were always put off by the expense. We kept saving it for "a time when nosotros had coin".
Only and so we were invited to a wedding in Seoul, and after finding out it'd only price £fourscore to add a stop in Japan, we decided the time was finally right. Nosotros wouldn't exist able to stay long, just ten days in Japan would be enough to give us a taste of the country and finally see the places then many people rave about.
Nosotros spent a lot of fourth dimension researching our trip to Nippon and planning the perfect x-day Japan itinerary, so this Japan travel blog is here to help yous save time when creating your own Japan trip. Many people have replicated the trip since we did it and are always every bit happy as we were, so I call up it might only be the ultimate Japan itinerary for kickoff timers! Experience free to add your own Nihon tips and questions in the comments.
Some of the links in this post are chapter links, which means I get a small commission if yous buy something (at no extra cost to you). Information technology's one of the ways I keep this blog going. Thanks a million for your support. Yous tin can read more almost my affiliate policy here.
Japan in 10 days: A First-Timer's Japan Itinerary
Our itinerary covers Tokyo, Hakone, Shibu Onsen (to see the snow monkeys), Kyoto, Nara, Koya-san and Osaka. This provided a perfect mix of the best that Japan has to offer, from its fast-paced cities to its magnificent nature (incluidng Mountain Fuji) and captivating ancient temples.
Days 1-4: Tokyo (Stay at a Tokyo Airbnb)
Days four-5: Hakone (Stay at Mount View Hakone)
Days v-6: Shibu Onsen (Stay at Sakaeya)
Days six-8: Kyoto (Stay at Gion apartment)
Days viii-9: Koya-San (Stay at Shojoshin-In)
Days 9-10: Osaka (Stay at Hostel 64 Osaka)
As readers of this blog know, we unremarkably adopt a 'tiresome travel' approach, spending days or even months in one place, but with Nippon information technology was different. We had a limited amount of time and money, so we wanted to try and fit in as much as possible into our ten days in Nihon. This meant in that location were moments where information technology felt rushed compared to what nosotros're used to, only looking dorsum, I wouldn't modify it as those moments of busyness were worth information technology for the things we saw.
We also managed to fit in many moments of calm, which helped to balance the fast-paced travel. Of class, it would have been nice to stretch the trip and spend a few days in each place to soak everything in some more, but for the time and money we had, our Nippon itinerary worked really well, and I highly recommend information technology for start-timers to Japan.
Depending on your priorities, you might similar to skip some things and add extra fourth dimension to some of the others. And places we missed, only you might consider visiting are: Kanazawa for fine art museums, Edo-era history, and one of Nihon's near beautiful gardens; Takayama for traditional crafts and sake breweries; Hiroshima for the Memorial Park; Miyajima for gorgeous views, forests and temples; Nikko for ancient shrines, including the famous Toshogu Shrine; and Tsumago, a traditional village of wooden houses.
We've also written a storybook version of the Nihon itinerary with lots of photos to inspire you. And beside this Japan blog, as well accept a expect at our travel resources folio for lots more money- and fourth dimension-saving tips.
Japan Itinerary: Pre-travel essentials
When is the best time to go to Japan?
We went to Nihon in Dec, but that was largely because we were going to a wedding in Korea just before. The weather was cold and dry, but often sunny and we loved warming up in outdoor onsens among the cool air. Winter is also a skillful fourth dimension for snow sports if you visit the mountains.
Far and away the nigh popular fourth dimension to visit is April, which is reddish bloom flavour. And Autumn (September – November) is expert for the fall foliage. The summer is hot and humid, and ofttimes rainy up until early July.
Is Nihon as expensive as people say?
Regarding price, Nihon wasn't every bit expensive equally we had imagined. It's very pricy in comparison to s-east Asia, but the costs were comparable to London. For example, yous could get a coffee for about £two.fifty, and an average dinner at a mid-range eating house price effectually £30 for 2 people without alcohol. At lunchtime, we spent as little as £half-dozen each for a back-scratch.
Our accommodation price from £threescore-£150 per dark for two people, sometimes including breakfast and dinner. This was on a moderate budget where nosotros sometimes splashed out but other times stayed in a hostel or Airbnb. We never went full luxury as the prices were heaven-loftier. Details of all the places we stayed are included in the Japan itinerary beneath.
How much does a 10-day trip to Japan cost?
To replicate our 10 twenty-four hours Nihon trip, excluding flights, would price around £2400 for two people. That's around £900 for the accommodation; £500 for travel; and a budget of £100 per twenty-four hour period for nutrient and activities. You could save money past doing some self-catering or sticking to cheaper restaurants.
Where to stay in Japan
Our itinerary includes a range of Japan accommodation, including traditional ryokans, metropolis Airbnb apartments, and a temple stay. Nosotros were specially keen to feel a ryokan, which is something I'd classify as a "must" for any Japan trip.
The most we stayed in one place was three nights, and we stayed in four places for one night merely. While this meant having to alter accommodation quite frequently, we felt it was worth it for the places nosotros got to see and feel.
It gave us the chance to actually soak upwards the atmosphere in places like Koya-san, Hakone and Shibu Onsen, plus some of the most interesting places we stayed were outside of the urban center in the traditional ryokans and temple stays. If you'd prefer not to move so much, then you lot could base of operations yourself in Tokyo and Kyoto and take day trips from those cities.
Some quintessential Japanese accommodations we didn't try were capsule hotels and honey hotels, merely both are included in our guide to some of the best hotels in Japan. And we've as well written a handy guide to the best Tokyo Airbnbs.
You lot can use this link to get £25 off your first AirBnB booking.
Getting around Nihon – why yous need a Japan Rail Pass
We've added send and accommodation info to each department of the itinerary. The days overlap for each place as we often spent the morn in one place before travelling on to the adjacent.
I top tip if yous're traveling long distances is to get a Japan Rails Pass (a JR Pass). Yous have to order this before y'all enter Japan (at that place is no leeway on this) – they send you a ticket called an 'substitution club', which yous and then exchange for the pass once you lot're in Japan.
To work out if getting a pass is worth it, you lot tin estimate out how many train journeys y'all'll be taking and add up the prices using Hyperdia, which is a really useful Japanese website detailing all the ship timetables. We just saved about £twoscore by getting a rail pass, but some people salvage a lot more when they embrace longer distances than we did. Another do good of having a track pass is that you don't have to buy tickets for each individual railroad train – you just show your pass at the gate.
It's important to annotation that the pass isn't accustomed on every single railroad train in Japan – for instance we couldn't utilize it for the Hakone loop or for some of the individual local railroad train lines inside Kyoto. There's an choice on Hyperdia where you can search for trains that are only included with the JR Pass.
The passes are bachelor for 7, xiv or 21 days and you can get an ordinary pass or a green pass, which allows excellent travel. Nosotros went for the ordinary one, which toll ¥38,880 (£230) for 7 days. We now know yous can become a pass for less money by booking through this website; for example our pass costs around £201 with them.
As well think to accurately fourth dimension the 24-hour interval you activate your JR Pass so that you can make the most of it. Because we had a 10-solar day trip and only a 7-day pass, we activated it on day 4. This worked well as our showtime 3 days were in Tokyo where we could buy a subway ticket instead.
Buy your JR Pass here.
How is Japan for vegetarians?
One of the about common questions we become is: Is Nippon good for vegetarians? And the answer is kind of. We ate actually well in Japan, and with a bit of effort were able to observe great Japanese vegetarian options, but there were also times when we struggled.
Those times nosotros struggled were the evenings when nosotros decided to simply walk around a metropolis and choose somewhere without whatsoever research. Unfortunately, I don't similar nori, which means our options were express even farther.
On one of those nights, we concluded up eating pizza and the other night, we finally found an okonomayaki only to observe that the chef had covered information technology in fish flakes (this was despite united states seeing him start to practice this and reminding him we didn't consume fish. He was adamant that fish flakes didn't count!).
I would recommend doing a footling scrap of research earlier yous set up out each day so you know where to find the good veggie nutrient. All of the restaurants recommended in this itinerary are vegetarian-friendly.
Staying in touch while in Nippon
When travelling, I tend to use my Iii Mobile Go Roam package, merely every bit Nihon isn't a Become Roam destination, we instead relied on mobile wifi devices and a travel SIM card while in that location. These let you brand phone calls and use the net on your phone at local prices rather than incurring hefty roaming charges. You can choose one or the other, depending on what works best for you.
Lots of the Airbnbs we stayed at supplied mobile wifi devices, but it'south a good thought to buy/hire i yourself as then you lot'll take access to the internet wherever you go/stay.
One recommended company is Sakura Mobile. It offers easy-to-use travel SIM cards and pocket wifi devices, which are preconfigured to work with any given state's phones or computers (lots of local Japanese SIM cards do not work on foreign devices). Choose the option that suits you all-time and social club the card/device online.
Yous tin can pick them up at the airport/the company's part inShinjukuor take them delivered to your hotel. Handily, the visitor offers total English language support. Order at least iii days before your arrival. Social club your SIM Carte here. Order your pocket wifi here.
Our Nihon itinerary
Days 1-4: Tokyo
Tokyo is 1 of the virtually fascinating cities we've always been to and the kind of place you could spend a lifetime getting to know. We had 3 nights there so tried to pack in as many Tokyo experiences as possible into that time.
We stayed in Shibuya, which was an ideal identify from which to explore the metropolis. It's 1 of Tokyo'due south nearly iconic areas of the urban center and is filled with bars, malls, restaurants, karaoke confined, and a hell of a lot of neon. It's too home to the globe'due south busiest intersection, which tells you a chip about how buzzing Shibuya can be.
We also explored Akihabara, which is the centre of the city's otaku culture and domicile to lots of amusement arcades and inexpensive tech shops. This is also where you lot go if you want to feel a maid café, which we decided was a step besides odd for u.s. and likely to enrage my feminist instincts.
Other areas we explored were the shopping commune of Ginza (where nosotros bought A LOT of stationery in Itoya); Jimbocho, which is home to streets of bookstores; the beautiful YoYogi Park in Harajuku; Shinjuku, the crazy entertainment commune where we went to the Robot Café (which did somewhat enrage said feminist instincts); Aureate Gai, which is an surface area with rows of tiny little bars, perfect for an evening drink; and Ebisu, an upmarket hipster area with lots of lovely boutiques and restaurants.
We tried to go to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, which looked beautiful but was airtight when we went in that location on a Monday. If you lot're into fish, there's the Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest fish market place in the earth (you could combine it with a sushi class on this tour).
And if you get during cerise blossom season, try Ueno Park and Sumida Park, which are both gorgeous crimson bloom spots in Tokyo (or you could bring together a tour of the bloom guided past a local enthusiast).
Accommodation in Tokyo
We stayed in an Airbnb flat in Shibuya. The exact one we stayed in is no longer bachelor, simply we've made a listing of the nineteen best Tokyo Airbnbs, including options for all budgets and styles. Ours cost ¥8,600 (£51) per nighttime, and included a mobile wi-fi device, which was very useful (this seems quite standard in Japanese Airbnbs). Recall to sign up to Airbnb with this link to go £25 off your commencement booking.
Food and drink in Tokyo
Nosotros ate really well in Tokyo and it was easy as vegetarians. Ane top tip if you're looking for a upkeep consume is to look for i of the many curry shops, which nearly always have a vegetarian pick. We tried one in Shinjuku (モンスナック) and another in Jimbocho (Bondi) – both were delicious.
Other highlights were a tofu eatery in Shibuya called Tofu Ryori Sorano (where they fabricated fresh tofu at your table); 板蕎麦 香り家, a soba restaurant in Ebisu; traditional vegetarian temple cuisine at Komaki Shokudo, a picayune eating place in a Whole Foods fashion market called Chabara.
We also spent one evening in an izakaya, which is a traditional Japanese bar serving tapas-manner dishes – there are tons of these in Shibuya.
I've also heard good things most: Bon, a veggie restaurant, specialising in fucha ryori, a version of shojin ryori (veggie buddhist cuisine); T's Tantan, a vegan ramen restaurant in Tokyo station; veggie restaurant Milk Land near Shinjuku Station; tempura at Tsunahachi; and okonomiyaki at Zen.
For drinks, ane evening nosotros went to the Standard mandarin Oriental. Information technology's pricey only worth if for the incredible view beyond the city. And we too did karaoke in Shibuya, which was surprisingly brilliant (you lot pay per hour for a booth and the menu is in English language as well equally Japanese).
A top coffee recommendation is Café de l'Ambre in Ginza, which is a charming traditional coffee shop with the tiniest milk jug you ever did run into!
A skillful manner to experience Japanese cuisine in Tokyo would be to join a food bout like this half-mean solar day local food tour, or this 3-hour bout through the fish market. Or take a cooking class, such equally learning to cook tempura or doing a private cooking class in a local habitation.
Getting to and effectually Tokyo
We bought a prepaid IC card to get around Tokyo – these are bachelor in the subway stations and y'all but add credit like yous do with an Oyster carte du jour in London. There are 2 types, Pasmo or Sucia, and we used the Suica one. They are valid on both the subway and JR lines.
However, if y'all're travelling a lot in one twenty-four hour period, information technology might be cheaper to get a one-solar day laissez passer, which showtime at about ¥600. The problem with these is that they're just valid on certain lines.
At that place'south a lot of useful info almost this in this post. We didn't utilise our JR pass because nosotros activated it on day four when we started taking longer train journeys.
Twenty-four hours 4-5: Hakone
Our prime motivation for going to Hakone was to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji – a definite Japan highlight. It was a risk as the mountain spends a lot of fourth dimension hidden behind clouds, but nosotros were willing to risk it, plus nosotros as well liked the idea of spending some fourth dimension in Nihon's countryside.
It was definitely worth it as nosotros did go to run across Mount Fuji, which was a truly spectacular sight, and even without that, I think the trip would have been worth information technology for the magnificence of all the scenery and the peaceful break away from the city.
We did the Hakone Loop (run across transport section beneath) and more often than not full-bodied on enjoying the gorgeous sights. We likewise went to the Hakone Open Air Museum, which is a earth-form sculpture park and gallery featuring works by artists such every bit Picasso and Henry Moore. Sadly, the sculpture I wanted to see the most – the Forest of Net– was closed due to safe problems, but the other sculptures made up for that.
If we'd had more time, I'd take liked to go to the Museum of The Little Prince likewise. Our hotel stay in Hakone was also a highlight (meet below).
You could get to Hakone every bit a twenty-four hour period trip from Tokyo on a tour similar this one that is a 9-hour round trip. Or if you lot want to include a bullet train too, you could practice this one instead.
Adaptation in Hakone
We stayed at a ryokan called Mount View Hakone, which was our get-go ryokan experience. Our room was exactly as I imagined a ryokan to be – peaceful, sparse and calming.
Every bit with all ryokans, in that location were public onsens available for guests (ane for men and i for women), but one of the highlights of Mountain View Hakone was the private onsen that you could hire for 45 minutes for 2,000 yen. This meant that Steve and I could go in at that place together. The onsen was outside and looked out onto a beautiful bamboo woods, illuminated by green light. For me, being in warm water in a cold climate is one of the about refreshing experiences I can think of – it took me back to the saunas of Republic of finland.
Another highlight at Mount View Hakone was the food. Information technology was our first multi-dish Japanese meal and we loved the adventure of it, especially safety in the knowledge that everything was vegetarian. The food was an eclectic mixture of Japanese and Western nutrient, including ramen, tater wedges, and vegetables that nosotros grilled ourselves at the table. It sounds odd, but it worked! Meals are served in a big dining room forth with the other guests.
The hotel is correct next to the Petty Prince Museum.
Rooms cost from £100 per night, which includes breakfast and dinner. Book your stay at present.
Food in Hakone
The master food we ate in Hakone was at the ryokan, simply on day one, we had lunch at a little restaurant nigh the pirate gunkhole stop. The vegetarian choice was slim simply we ate some tempura and soba noodles. There is likewise a really beautiful coffee shop inside an airstream caravan at the meridian of the ropeway. We enjoyed some delicious hot chocolate and a block up at that place.
Getting to and around Hakone
Hakone is a popular mean solar day/weekend trip from Tokyo and it merely takes about an hour to get there on the shinkansen bullet train. The classic thing to do there is the 'Hakone Loop', a journey effectually the area that takes you on v types of ship: motorcoach, railroad train, pirate gunkhole(!), ropeway and cable car. If yous leave early enough, y'all can do the whole loop in a daytrip from Tokyo, but we split the journeying into ii days.
You buy a pass chosen the Hakone Complimentary Pass, which allows you to continue all the different transports in the loop over 2 or three days, depending which one you buy. The 2-day pass costs ¥4000, or ¥5,140 including the train from Shinjuku.
Our hotel was about ¾ of the way around the loop and so we went in an anti-clockwise direction and did the kickoff ¾ on day one, and the remaining quarter the next forenoon. This worked well every bit information technology meant we could exist finished in Hakone by most 11am and make the most of our adjacent destination. However, our journey around Hakone was definitely the most rushed part of our Japan trip and I wish nosotros could accept added an extra day or at least a few more hours.
1 key thing to bear in mind is that the ropeway sometimes closes early. On the day nosotros went, it closed at about 3pm, just every bit we arrived. They wouldn't let us on, which meant we missed that part of the trip and had to take a bus upwardly the mountain instead.
This was a big disappointment as it's from the ropeway that you become the all-time views of Mount Fuji. Had we known this earlier, we would simply have left Tokyo before in the morn. Don't brand the same mistake!
Day v-6: Shibu Onsen and the Snow Monkeys
Shibu Onsen was not a user-friendly end on our Japan itinerary, and it would have made much more sense to become straight to Kyoto on the high-speed shinkansen from Tokyo, only we were fixated on going in that location so we decided to brand it work. The main motivation for our trip in that location was to see the snowfall monkeys, which were made famous in the movie, Baraka.
These monkeys have overtaken an outdoor onsen in the mountains of Nagano and spend their days taking respite from the common cold and bathing in the warm water while grooming each other. It's like a little monkey spa.
Despite our by run-ins with monkeys, nosotros were desperate to run into these creatures for ourselves and, for us, it was worth information technology. The monkeys were much more peaceful than the ones we encountered in Bali (I recollect because people weren't feeding them) and it was fascinating seeing how human-like their behaviour was in the onsen.
One thing to acquit in heed is that the setting of the monkey spa isn't as idyllic equally information technology looks in some photos. The firsthand surrounding area of the pools the monkeys breast-stroke in is quite dishevelled and resembles a edifice site, but the 30-minute walk to the snow monkey area is beautiful, through a deep pine forest.
I had heard that the walk can exist treacherous, only it felt very rubber to me (and I am terrified of heights and cliffs). That said, it was but snowing lightly when we went, and in icy conditions, the path would probably exist unsafe as, despite being broad, it does have a large drop on one side.
And information technology is, of course, very touristy, then don't await to exist the only ones in that location! All that said, we withal enjoyed it and were pleased we made the trip.
Aside from the snow monkey park, our trip to the region was likewise made worth it for our time in Shibu Onsen, a niggling spa-town, about fifteen minutes away from the snowfall monkey park. There are nine onsens in the town and it's said to bring expert luck if you visit every ane. Merely one of the onsens is open up to the public, simply yous are given a key to the other eight if you lot stay in i of the ryokans in Shibu Onsen, which we did.
Steve and I had an amazing evening, walking effectually the town in the snow, dressed in our robes and wooden clogs, visiting all of the nine onsens. They are split into male person and female person rooms and nosotros both encountered enough of villagers taking their evening bath and giggling at us equally we struggled with the high temperatures of the baths.
Each onsen has a postage stamp that you can print on a towel provided past your ryokan. Traditionally, you're supposed to offer this towel to the temple in Shibu Onsen, but we couldn't resist keeping ours as a souvenir!
Snowfall monkey tours
If y'all don't want to stay in Shibu Onsen, y'all could do a day trip to the snow monkeys from Nagano station. Become Your Guide offer this 1 that also includes a visit to a temple; this ane that runs in winter and besides includes a visit to the snow fields; and this one that takes you to see the blossom during cherry blossom flavour.
Accommodation in Shibu Onsen
We stayed in a traditional ryokan in Shibu Onsen chosen Sakaeya. We opted for one of the newer rooms, which came with a kotatsu, which is essentially a table with a blanket table cloth and a heater underneath – it's wonderfully cosy and perfect for the common cold atmospheric condition. We likewise had a balcony that looked out over the town.
Food at Sakaeya was served in a private dining room, only for Steve and I, which felt actress special. The food here was of a higher quality than at Mount View Hakone and entirely Japanese. Nosotros tried a lot of things we'd never seen before and loved the variety of flavours. We told the hotel we were vegetarian beforehand, and they were happy to accommodate us. The only affair we couldn't stomach was a raw egg that came with our breakfast!
Nutrient in Shibu Onsen
We only ate at our hotel only at that place are a few little restaurants in Shibu Onsen as well.
Getting to and effectually to Shibu Onsen
As we said earlier, Shibu Onsen was an out-of-the-way stop on our trip in Nippon. To go there from Hakone, we had to take a train back to Tokyo from Odawara station (fourscore minutes); a shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano (100 minutes); a train from Nagano to Yudanka (50 minutes); and a autobus from Yudanka to Shibu Onsen (x minutes). It took about four hours in total.
Days half dozen-8: Kyoto
If Tokyo is Japan's futuristic center and then Kyoto is its ancient center. The urban center is filled with thousands of temples, shrines and gardens and , if you're lucky, yous'll encounter some geisha walking to their secret rendezvous through the atmospheric cobbled streets.
Nosotros merely had ii nights there and one full-day so nosotros had to heavily prioritise what nosotros wanted to see. You could easily spend weeks in Kyoto, exploring all the sights, and it's a must for any Japan itinerary.
The things we chose to come across were: Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavillion; Kiyomizu-dera, a temple with a balcony that overlooks the city and is the perfect place for sunset; and Fushimi Inari Shrine, a place you've likely seen photos of with its iconic paths lined with red tori gates.
To save fourth dimension and for some added data, you lot tin can encounter all of these and more than on this individual guided tour of Kyoto. We also stayed in Higashiyama, which is filled with mannerly wooden buildings and picturesque streets.
It'south next to Gion, the famous geisha commune and dwelling house to the Yasaka Shrine, which we strolled through on our first night. Information technology's not guaranteed that you'll run into any geisha, simply we did see a few throughout our trip.
We didn't accept photos of the geisha as this is frowned upon in the city. We did, however, have photos of the many Japanese tourists who come to Kyoto on a historical pilgrimage and wearing apparel up in traditional costumes for the day. There are lot of shops offering this service, and every bit such a lot of colourfully-dressed people, around the Kiyomizu-dera temple.
If yous're neat to encounter geisha, it'd exist worth doing this guided night walk of Gion as the guide is more likely to know where to spot them. Some other good spot in Kyoto was the Nishiki Marketplace – it'd be fun to combine a trip there with a cooking lesson like this one.
Although we loved Kyoto, we were surprised by how seedy information technology sometimes felt at night. At around 7pm in Gion, hostesses fill the streets, making their way to hostess confined. This was a recurring element of our time in Nippon; although futuristic in many senses, its attitude towards women – from the culture of hostess bars to the maid cafes in Tokyo, and the tendency to infantilise women –often felt uncomfortable.
One thing we wished we could have seen in Kyoto bit didn't take time to visit is the bamboo forest. Next time!
Adaptation in Kyoto
We stayed in a studio apartment in Kyoto that we found through Booking.com. It was inside a building filled with apartments gear up upward for concern travellers with a minor kitchen, washing machine and bathroom. It wasn't anything special, but information technology was clean, well located and reasonably priced for Kyoto.
As with our apartment in Tokyo, nosotros were simply given a lawmaking to enter and didn't run across the owners at all. We were likewise given a mobile wi-fi device. This particular apartment is no longer available, only in that location are plenty more than like it available on Booking.com. A studio apartment costs around 11,000 Yen per night (£66).
As e'er, I also recommend checking out Airbnb.
And here's a mail service by Broke Backpacker with more ideas for where to stay in Kyoto.
Food in Kyoto
Kyoto is famous for its kaiseki-ryori cusine, which is unfortunately not vegetarian-friendly. Nonetheless, you lot can also notice lots of shojin-ryori food, which is traditional Buddhist temple food and entirely vegetarian. Considering we'd already tried some in Tokyo and would be eating more than in Koyasan, nosotros didn't try whatsoever in Kyoto, but nosotros heard skilful things about Shigetsu, which is in the Tenruji temple in the Arashiyama neighbourhood (also home to the bamboo forest).
Places nosotros can recommend in Kyoto include: おかるcurry in Gion; deserts at Nana'due south Light-green Tea; and the street food snacks around Fushimi Inari Shrine. There was a vegetarian modern izakaya called Onikai that we would have loved to attempt, merely it was fully booked during our stay. We too ate at a tiny piffling vegetarian restaurant chosen Unhurt in the Nishiki Market place, which was atmospheric and cosy only the tofu-skin dish was a little slimy for our taste. The card changes daily so I'd still recommend going in that location. We besides ate adept pizza one night at Pizza Salvatore, which was a nice niggling break from all the Japanese nutrient.
We found an amazing, cosy cocktail bar in Kyoto called The Sodoh, which is next to a fancy Italian eating house of the aforementioned name. It was a swell identify to try some Japanese whiskey and they made an excellent Old Fashioned. It was our perfect type of bar – intimate, quiet and serving astonishing drinks.
Simon and Erin at Never Ending Voyage have a skilful guide to vegetarian restaurants in Kyoto.
Kyoto also has some good food tours and cooking classes, including: an evening food tour in Gion; a Nishiki market tour and lunch; how to make ramen from scratch; and a Japanese bento cooking class.
Getting to and aroundKyoto
We got to Kyoto from Shibu Onsen by post-obit the aforementioned route dorsum to Nagano and then getting a train from there to Kanazawa (90 minutes) and another train from at that place to Kyoto (130 minutes). A train directly from Tokyo to Kyoto takes 140 minutes.
In one case in Kyoto, our JR pass worked on some trains, but for the 2 subway lines – Tozai and Karasuma – yous demand a different ticket. If you buy a ticket for one, it tin't be used on the other, unless you lot buy a solar day pass. The autobus network is also expert and useful forgetting to places such every bit the Kinkaku-ji Temple.
Passes for both the motorbus and subway cost ¥1,200 for one day and ¥2,000 for two days.
Days 8-9: Nara / Kōya-san
Nara and Kyosan were another two stops on our trip to Japan that required a bit of effort and planning to get to, but they were at the top of our list of "must sees" so nosotros managed to fit them into our Nippon itinerary.
Nara was Nihon's kickoff uppercase and is dwelling to lots of temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had our eyes set on one temple in item – Tōdai-ji, which houses Daibutsu, a giant statue of Buddha. Because we were brusque on time, we merely stopped in Nara for a couple of hours en route to Kōya-san and headed straight to Tōdai-ji.
The temple is in a beautiful park filled with tame deer, which unfortunately seem to have become reliant on the tourists for food. You could likewise try this walking tour of Nara, which gives a corking overview of the metropolis, including street food, temples and machiya houses.
From Nara, we made our way to Kōya-san, the middle of Shingon Buddhism. It's a modest boondocks situated on the sacred Mount Koya and is filled with more than 100 temples, many of which offer lodging for the dark. It'southward a magical place to spend some fourth dimension in the company of monks while exploring the sacred sites.
A highlight is the atmospheric graveyard, situated in a huge forest lit by lanterns. The graveyard too houses Oku-no-in, the mausoleum of Kukai who started Shingon Buddhism.
We arrived in Kōya-san in the tardily afternoon and left at midday and so didn't have a huge corporeality of fourth dimension to explore, but nosotros loved soaking in the atmosphere, walking through the cemetery, and seeing some of the temples, including Garan, the town'southward central temple complex.
Accommodation in Koya-san
We stayed in Shojoshin-In temple which was a beautiful experience, getting an insight into the life of the Buddhist monks. The temples in Kōya-san vary in quality and Shojoshin-In was ane of the most beautiful we saw. Equally such, it was a little more than pricey than some of the others, but for u.s.a., it was worth it.
The temple is also right next to the cemetery, which is convenient for an evening walk. Our room was clean, warm and comfortbale with a balcony looking onto the mountain.
Dinner and breakfast was included and everything was vegetarian as the temples only serve shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian) food.
A highlight was the early-morning service where we woke upwards around 5:30am to heed to the monks chanting.
Food in Koya-san
In Kōya-san Kōya-san we ate at our temple lodging (detailed above), and in Nara we grabbed a quick snack at the Mos Burger in the railroad train station, which luckily, and surprisingly, had a veggie option.
Getting to and around Koya-san
There are trains to Nara from Kyoto that take round an 60 minutes. To go to Tōdai-ji from the station, we took a taxi as we were short on time, merely at that place are also regular buses.
Nosotros knew nosotros would be passing back through Nara on our way dorsum from Kōya-san so we left nigh of our baggage in the railroad train station lockers so we wouldn't have to conduct so much to Kōya-san (nosotros bought a lot of stuff in Nihon!).
Nosotros got a train from Nara to Hashimoto (90 minutes) and a railroad train from there to Gokurakubashi, which is a beautiful breathtaking journeying through the mountain valley. From there, yous go a trivial funicular train up to Kōya-san, which is also a lovely ride up the side of the mountain. In that location are three charabanc networks in the town and you can option upwards a map at the charabanc station at the top of the funicular. We got a bus straight to the temple we were staying at.
If yous just desire to run across Nara, y'all could also do that as a day-trip bout from Kyoto or Osaka, which is a ix-hr round trip.
Days nine-10: Osaka
We were simply in Osaka for an afternoon/evening so we didn't get to see much of Japan's third largest metropolis, but information technology'southward a worthwhile stop on a Japan itinerary. We mostly just did some last-minute shopping in the Umeda area.
We were specifically looking for the pottery and the famed flavoured Kit Kats. Unfortunately the shop that used to sell all the flavours in Namba station no longer stocks Kit Kats and then it was a bit of a wild goose chase. In the finish, nosotros simply got some multipacks in a local supermarket.
Nosotros also went to the Namba area in the evening, which was bustling and neon-filled like Tokyo. We did one final night of karaoke there.
Accommodation in Osaka
We stayed in a individual room in a not bad retro-style hostel called Hostel 64 Osaka. The staff are really friendly and the hostel has put together useful guides to Osaka, including where to detect the best nutrient and shops. It was a five-infinitesimal walk from Shinsaibashi Station.
Food in Osaka
Nosotros had curry for lunch at a little identify called Camp, which was at the bottom of a department store in Umeda. For dinner, nosotros tried to discover an okonomiyaki, but information technology was served with fish flakes despite our protests (run across vegetarian section above)! Let us know if you ever find a purely vegetarian one!
To go deeper into the nutrient culture in Osaka, you could do this nighttime food walk or this street nutrient hopping tour.
Getting to and around Osaka
From Koya-san, we took the same route dorsum to Nara and got a railroad train from there to Shinimamiya (37 minutes) and from there into Osaka (xv minutes).
Osaka has a good subway system made up of viii lines. Nosotros were but at that place for a short amount of time so just bought single tickets for our journeys, simply you can likewise buy an IC card similar in Tokyo. We got to the airport via a railroad train from Namba, which took almost 35 minutes.
Top travel tips for Japan
The best fashion to salve money travelling around Japan is to get a Japan Track Pass. Yous can purchase yours here.
Don't forget your travel insurance! We recommend World Nomads or True Traveller who both offer reliable, comprehensive cover, including medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities. You tin can buy both True Traveller and World Nomads insurance fifty-fifty when you've left home, which is unusual for travel insurance companies.
I've written some other post with a guide to the well-nigh unique and all-time hotels in Japan. We booked our accommodation through Airbnb and Booking.com. If you lot sign upward to Airbnb using this link, you lot'll become £25 off your first booking.
I travelled with the Samsonite Spark suitcase and a small Case Logic backpack, which had plenty room for everything I needed. Steve used the same suitcase and a ThinkTank Shapeshifter Haversack for all his photographic camera equipment.
We've also written a storybook version of this itinerary with lots more photos from the trip.
If you determine to hire a automobile, book with Rentalcars.com. They ever take the best deals.
And check out more of our detailed itinerary posts hither, including a one-calendar month California road trip itinerary; Florence to the Amalfi Coast road trip; and 5 days in Iceland.
Save time and coin on your next trip
See our travel resources page for all our best travel tips, including how to save money with the best cards, what insurance to choose, and all our favourite tools and tricks.
Source: https://bridgesandballoons.com/japan-itinerary-10-days/
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