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Do I Need a JR Pass?
Let's look at this age old question with an updated lens. While the JR pass used to sometimes be worth it depending on your itinerary, with the price increase that happened in October 2023, it's now rarely worth purchasing. If a blog is recommending buying the pass and hasn't been updated after this time, make sure to re-check the prices and take it with a grain of salt 😅
For any combination of the itinerary I'm recommending below, you do not need a JR pass! Buying tickets at the station or online is easy enough, and you will save a lot of money by just purchasing tickets individually.
And while I don't recommend the JR pass, you will still be using trains to get everywhere. So you will need some data (trust me on this one, lots of the maps don't have English, and you'll want to be able to look up times and best routes!).
I recommend getting an e-sim. It's way more convenient than having to buy a sim once you get there. Plus, I find the wifi around the cities here is just not reliable enough, which can make exploring really difficult unless you really know your way around. Even just for quick access to Google Translate, you'll want some data! I usually use Airalo when I travel, it's super easy, the rates are pretty good, and the service quality is good too!
Now that that's out of the way, on to the itinerary!
Days 1 - 6: Welcome to Tokyo!
Tokyo is a behemoth of a city just waiting for you to explore it. It can be overwhelming, but knowing the charm of my current home city, I’m confident that Tokyo will steal your heart. And as it’s really 23 cities mashed up into one, there’s a little something for everyone here!
For my day by day recommendation, check out my blog on the ultimate 5 day (or more) itinerary! But for a first trip in Tokyo, my favourite recommendations are:
- Eating and drinking in Omoide Yokocho
- Catching the perfect view of Shibuya from the viewing deck in the Fukuras building (it's free!)
- Finding your fortune at Sensoji Temple
- Searching for second hand games and anime merch in Akihahabara
- Thrift shopping and cafe hopping in Shimokitazawa
- Eat everything at the Tsukiji Outer Market
- Check out the Japanese knives and pottery at Kappabashi (Kitchen street!)
Or if you need help deciding where to stay, check out my where to stay in Tokyo guide. After 5 days of eating, shopping, visiting museums and cultural sites, experiencing the nightlife, meeting cool people and more, you’ll have a hard time leaving after only 5 days. But don’t worry—we’ll be back!
Days 6 - 7: Overnight trip from Tokyo (Kamakura, Hakone or Nikko)
On the morning of your 6th day, you get to choose your own adventure between 3 of my favourite places near Tokyo.
Kamakura
Kamakura (and you can also visit Enoshima near by, or Yokohoma on your way) is a historic beach town about an hour and a half from Tokyo. It has temples, breweries, old shopping streets, a gorgeous coastline and absolutely fantastic cafe options. If you’re here in summer and want to go to a beach, you can also go here! Though I recommend one more stop on the train and hitting Zushi instead if it’s just a beach you’re after.
Hakone
Alternatively, you can head to Hakone. Hakone is famous for its onsen (and has a fantastic tattoo friendly onsen to visit!) as well as for hiking, Mt Fuji views, and being the setting of Evangelion (Lake Ashi!). If you’re looking for a relaxing nature escape and trying to see Mt. Fuji is on your list, this is the spot.
Nikko
And lastly, my personal favourite, Nikko. You can spend your days exploring the nature around Ryogoku Gorge, visiting some of the most beautiful shrines in the country at Toshogu, marveling at waterfalls and soaking in relaxing hot springs. I recommend staying in a Ryokan (Japanese style hotel) while you’re here to make the most of it!
Can't decide between Kamakura, Hakone and Nikko?
Can’t decide? If I were you, I’d play it seasonally. If you are here in summer, particularly in June when it’s hydrangea season, go to Kamakura. If you are here in fall, go to Nikko as it’s a very famous spot for its fall foliage (and for good reason!). If you’re here in winter of spring, go to Hakone to make the most of the hot springs! And in spring, there are some amazing cherry blossom spots.
Alternatively, if budget is your biggest factor, go to Kamakura as Hakone and Nikko are both on the expensive side!
Days 7 - 10: Osaka
From Nikko, head back down through Tokyo and all the way down to Osaka and get ready to eat. Osaka is one of my favourite cities in the world, and it’s hard to explain exactly why until you can feel it for yourself. This is the place to eat and drink to your hearts content! Talk to locals, make some friends, find a tiny bar down some little alley and do karaoke all night—this is the spot.
You can also visit USJ while in Osaka! Beware it is incredibly busy, and in my opinion not worth going unless you buy the fast pass (otherwise you will spend 3 hours in line for every ride). But at the same time, USJ can be a lot of fun and while I haven’t made it there yet, I’ve only heard good things about Nintendo world.
Pro tip for USJ: You can’t buy tickets in advance without a Japanese credit card, but you need to buy in advance to reserve your timeslot to go to Mario World. The only workaround for this is going through a travel agent. Since USJ is insane and the lines are 10x as long as Universal in the US, you'll want an express pass for all the rides you want to go on.
I recommend the 7 ride Express Pass you can buy through Klook. This one includes the new Mario ride, so it's the best option if you don't want to be stuck standing in lines for 3+ hours (last time I went I stood in line for 3 hours for the Harry Potter ride then another 3 hours for the rollercoaster then the day was over, it's no joke), or missing the Mario World entirely.
Day 10: Nara
To start day 10, as soon as you’re up and ready get on the train to Nara!
Nara is really close to both Kyoto and Osaka, so it’s the perfect little addition for the day you move between cities. Visit the giant Budda and feed some cute (yet kind of aggressive, they will try to eat anything you have!) deer!
You have the option to either stay here over night, or once the sun starts to set, make your way on to Kyoto for Day 11!
Days 11 - 15: Kyoto
Kyoto is one of the most famous destinations in Japan, and it’s easy to see why. It’s always busy, with some streets so packed you can’t even move from the walking traffic, but people come back again and again because it’s just that lovely.
Going to Kyoto let’s you step back in time, explore the tiny streets, old Japanese style houses, and enough temples and shrines to be set for a lifetime. But even within Kyoto there are some place that aren’t busy, so definitely take your time to explore!
For my full guide to Kyoto, check out my top 20 things to do in Kyoto blog! But here's a quick rundown of my favourite spots:
- Explore Kiyomizudera and its surrounding area (so many cute tiny streets!)
- Hike to THE TOP of Fushimi Inari (the bottom is crazy crowded! But most people drop off after the first bit and you can climb in relative peace for most of the way)
- Go bar hopping in Pontocho Alley (or for dinner here, make sure to make a reservation!)
- Try sake tasting at the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum
- Make a day trip to Arashiyama and see the snow monkeys!
Days 15 - 16: Kinosaki Onsen
On the morning of day 15, hop on the train and head to Kinosaki Onsen! It takes about 2 and a half hours, and you can book train tickets in advance. Visiting an onsen town in Japan is one of my highest recommended activities, and Kinosaki is one of the best!
Spend your day visiting each of the public onsen's, all 7 of which are tattoo friendly, and eat some amazing seafood.
If you're looking for somewhere to really ball out on, I recommend the Nishimuraya Honkan, but there are plenty of options just make sure you book in advance as onsen towns can book up pretty quickly, especially at popular times!
Days 16 - 19: Choose your own Adventure - Hiroshima or Kanazawa
And it’s choose your own adventure time again! This time your choice matters a little more, so let’s go through both and figure out which is best for you.
Hiroshima Option
Hiroshima has a lot to offer, from great food (Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki!), to castles and island escapes, you can easily spend a couple of days here. Visiting the Peace Memorial Park and Museum and seeing the Atomic Bomb Dome are other must see’s in this area.
Make sure to save one day for visiting Miyajima. The view of the floating tori gate from Itsukushima shrine is rated one of the top 3 best views in Japan.
If you choose Hiroshima, your next spot will be the island views from the Shimanami Kaido instead of the historic town Narai-Juku.
Kanazawa Option
The other option is to head back up to Kanazawa! Kanazawa is sometimes called a mini Kyoto, but to me I think it’s a lot different. It has the historic Chaya districts with the old tea houses and geisha experiences, but that’s just a small (but beautiful!) part of what Kanazawa has to offer.
Some must visits are the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kenrokuen (one of Japan's most beautiful landscaped gardens) taking a stroll through some really well preserved samurai houses, and a really good local market with fantastic seafood. There’s also some cute little bar areas with tiny izakaya's for those who are looking for some nightlife opportunities as well!
If you choose Kanazawa, also make sure to save one day to go to Shirakawa-go, a gorgeous old town famous for it’s thatched roof houses. You can book a bus ticket for 1,850 yen each way (3700 yen total or about $25 USD) at the Kanazawa Station Transport Information Center, or if you want to book a tour with an English speaking guide, it's not too much more expensive than just booking the bus tickets yourself (just over $50 USD) and some of them (like this one!) include lunch. If you also want to go to Gokayama or Hida Takayama in the same day, a tour is the easiest option or else renting a car.
And like I said above, if you choose Kanazawa, your next stop will be Narai-Juku instead of the Shimanami Kaido. So let’s look into these options a bit more to help you decide!
Days 19 - 20: Shimanami Kaido (Hiroshima plan) or Narai-Juku (Kanazawa plan)
Shimanami Kaido Option
The Shimanami Kaido is a road/cycling path that goes between six different islands connected by over ocean bridges. And it’s not just any cycling path, it’s one of the best in the world. So good, America’s CNN travel information website rated it as one of the “Seven Best Bike Routes in the World.” I don’t know how much that means to anyone, but it’s not just me telling you to go here!
You can do the cycle in one day (it's about 70 Km's) but if you’re not an avid cyclist, this might be a bit tough. And worse, it might not give you any time to stop and enjoy the views and little beaches you find along the way!
I recommend doing the trip over 2 days. You can start in Onomichi, renting a bike here, and then stopping at one of the cyclist friendly spots along the way over night.
As for cycling level, it’s nothing too difficult so if you know how to ride a bike and give yourself enough time, any level of cycler should be able to do it!
Narai-Juku Option
Narai-Juku is special. This place was on my bucket list for a long time, and it did not disappoint. If you are looking for a perfectly preserved little town that is even more gorgeous in real life than it is in the pictures, this is the spot.
However, it is a little inconvenient to get to. But you can train there from Kanazawa in about 3 and a half hours, and also train from Narai-Juku back to Tokyo in just under 4 hours, so it’s doable. I went as a part of a road trip so I didn’t stay overnight, but seeing the little town light up as the sun went down made me really wish I did. So I definitely recommend sticking around if you can!
Days 20 - 21: Return to Tokyo for your Final Night in Japan!
For your last full day in Japan, make your way back to Tokyo for your final night in the city! I recommend staying somewhere with easy access to the airport, but that still has some fun things to do for your final night such as in Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Asakusa.
You could also go all the way to Narita and stay there, especially if you have some time in the morning on your 21st day as Narita is more of a day time place to visit in my opinion!
What is the Best Season to Visit Japan?
The best season to visit Japan really depends on what you want to do while you’re there! But for me, I like fall the best. It has the best weather, the changing leaves are gorgeous, and fall flavours are my favourite. But each season does have its own pro's and con's, so let's run through a quick overview.
Spring in Japan
Spring runs from mid-March to mid-June and has temperatures in the low teens in March reaching high 20's by the start of June. The cherry blossoms bloom somewhere around the end of March to the beginning of April (changes every year with the weather!), so March and April are some of the busiest times to visit Japan. Expect crowds and higher prices, but the flowers are truly gorgeous so if it’s a bucket list item for you, then it’s worth it to plan your trip around this time!
For more information on where to see the Cherry Blossoms, check out my blog on Tokyo Cherry Blossoms! You can also try to hit other floral seasons in spring such as Wisteria (mid-April to mid-May), Azaleas (also mid-April to mid-May)and Hydrangeas (June). May has the best weather for Spring, but be sure to avoid the first week as this is a holiday week for Japan (Golden Week) and things can get pretty busy!
Summer in Japan
Summer in Japan is HOT. With temperatures already hitting the 30’s in June, July to September expect some pretty extreme heat (40’s) and humidity. It can be difficult to tour outside during this time, but if you are a fan of beaches or summer festival, it can still be a good time to go! I recommend September as the heat is usually at its worst in August and June and July can be quite rainy (rainy season usually lasts 2-3 weeks and happens sometime in June or the beginning of July).
Fall in Japan
Fall is my favourite season in Japan! Fall runs from October to mid-December, but you really don’t get the fall weather (daytime temperatures dropping below the 20's) until the end of the October or November. The best time to come to see the changing leaves is the end of November and into December (Kyoto is usually peak viewing in December!) but any time in fall will give you great weather and delicious fall specialty flavours! If you come in October, you can also still see some summer festivals and fireworks, so it can be a great compromise if you want to do some ‘summer’ activities but with cooler weather!
Winter in Japan
Winter in Japan can be really magical, and also offers some of the best deals and the least crowds! Cities are all lit up with illuminations (not just over Christmas!) and it’s the perfect season to snowboard and experience onsen culture. February is a bit of a hidden gem month to come for the least crowds and cheapest prices if budget is your biggest concern. It is the coldest month of the year, but in cities like Tokyo and Kyoto the weather is still quite mild around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius in the day!
Need More Help Planning your Japan Trip?
Planning a trip to Japan can be overwhelming, but don't worry! I have plenty of guides to help plan your perfect trip. Check out my 5 days in Tokyo guide for an in depth Tokyo itinerary, as well as my guide on where to stay in Tokyo for area and hotel recommendations for every budget.
Do you have more than three weeks? No need to choose your own adventure, do it all! And if you have a lot of time, consider adding some more off the beaten track places from my itinerary addition guide (all easily accessible from this three week guide!). Or if you're like me and have decided you have too many places to see in Japan and may as well move here, then check out my guide on how to move to Japan instead!
Stick around for more Japan itineraries and life in Japan content (also on YouTube, if you feel like hanging out there too) and until then, wander on friends✨
