Most Japan itineraries start you in Tokyo and work their way south. This one runs the other direction, a Japan itinerary from Osaka to Tokyo, because that’s exactly how my trip actually happened. I flew in from Busan as part of a longer Korea trip, so Osaka was my entrypoint into Japan, and Tokyo ended up being the last stop before flying back to South Korea. If you’re putting together a Japan route that doesn’t start in the capital, or you’re just curious what a week long itinerary looks like when it combines 5 different cities without feeling rushed, this is the exact path I took.

If you’re coming here from my South Korea itinerary, welcome to the second half of the trip. This picks up right after Busan, where I flew into Osaka to start the Japan leg. If you haven’t read that part yet, here’s the full South Korea itinerary covering Seoul, Suncheon, and Busan.

 

Quick Overview: Osaka to Tokyo in 7 Days

 

 

Where I Stayed

Quick overview and booking links to everywhere I stayed:
I stayed at the Tokyu Hotel in Osaka, which put me right in the middle of the shopping districts, then the Yumoto Fujiya Hotel really close to the train station & bus stop at the entrance to Hakone, followed by a night at Nazuna Onsen for the private onsen experience, and finished the trip in Tokyo. 

 

 

 

Day 1: Landing in Osaka

Stay:  Mercure Tokyu Hotel Osaka

 

 

Take a direct flight from Busan into Osaka. I flew with Eastar Jet and it was a great experience for a low-cost airline. On landing, you’ll need to take the Nankai Rapi:t or the Nankai Airport Express train into central Osaka, both run from Kansai Airport to Osaka Namba (the city center). The Nankai Rapi:t requires a Limited Express ticket and a seat reservation, for the Airport Express train, you can tap in to the platforms with your bank card or suica card. I highly recommend using Google Maps for this, Japan’s railway system can be complicated, especially for first timers.

This Japan itinerary starts the moment you land arrive in Osaka Namba, because you’re rewarded with food almost immediately. After checking into your hotel, get an early lunch at a restaurant nearby, there are so many restaurants within walking distance of Namba or Dotonbori that you can’t really go wrong no matter what time you land.

Spend the afternoon exploring Osaka’s shopping districts, Dotonbori especially. You’ll pass the canal, the giant crab and running man signs, and see endless food stalls along this area. This is also the place to shop for vintage bags, some of the shops I went to and loved are Kingram, Ginza Paris Beauty, and Komehyo. The insta popular stores tend to have lines, but as you walk around, you’ll find a lot of stores in alley ways and with great deals on vintage goods. I kept this day intentionally light on sightseeing and heavy on just walking within Osaka, since the rest of the week outside Osaka gets busy.

When it’s time for dinner, find an Izakaya for a proper Japanese dining experience, the way locals actually eat out. I went to Sumibiyaki Wakon (it’s on the street beside Mercure), and ended up in conversation with both the owner and the people sitting next to me, that’s kind of the whole point of an Izakaya.

 

Day 2: Nara in the Morning, Kyoto in the Afternoon

Start in Nara. Take the early train from Osaka. Before the tour buses arrive, the deer are calmer, and you’ll have most of the park to yourself. Asides the deer, there are other things to see in Nara: Todaiji Temple and its Great Buddha, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, the pond near Ukimido Pavilion, and Isuien Garden, its very easy to spend a full day here. But grab breakfast at a cafe in Nara before going onwards with the train to Kyoto.

Head to Kyoto for Fushimi Inari. This was the only stop I made in Kyoto on this trip, since the rest of the time was already accounted for. Ideally you want more time in Kyoto, but when you have fewer days, you make the most of your time. The higher you go up to the Torii gate tunnel, the less crowded it gets, because most people turn back at Yotsutsuji (30 to 45 minutes up), so if you keep going toward the actual summit (20 additional minutes), you’ll have the upper sections almost entirely to yourself. I highly recommend going all the way up, it is not a difficult walk.

Back to Osaka for dinner at a proper Wagyu or Kobe beef restaurant.

 

Day 3: First Day in Hakone

Stay: Yumoto Fujiya Hotel & Onsen

Tip: Get the Hakone Free pass

 

 

Take the fast train from Osaka to Odawara, then transfer to the Hakone Tozan train or a Taxi to arrive in Hakone Yumoto (entrypoint to Hakone). I stayed here at the entrance to this Hot Springs (Onsen) region because it was close to the major train station and bus stop here, and also had a lot of shops around it, and is the natural starting point before moving deeper into the Hakone on Day 2. In retrospect, I’d book a hotel further in instead, the bus ride back to the entrance area only takes about 30 minutes, so staying deeper into Hakone and using the bus back out to explore the entrance points also works.

 

Spend the afternoon at Odawara Castle, Visit Tamadare/Hien Falls and the nearby shops. Take the bus to Odawara castle, entry is 500 yen, but the surrounding castle grounds are free, and you’ll also see some staff dressed up as samurai on the grounds. I saw a lot of people taking pictures with them. Close to the entry point of Hakone, you’ll also find Hien Falls and Tamadare Falls, two sister waterfalls tucked behind a Ryokan garden, with Koi fish swimming in the pools and barely any tourists around. There are also plenty of shops nearby for food, Japanese snacks, and souvenirs. My best food spot here was a restaurant with smoked fish and chicken, you can find it on Google Maps with Kinosuke Hakone-machi.

 

Consider renting a car. The buses in Hakone are reliable, but not very frequent – usually every 20 – 30 minutes.

If you use only public transport, get the Hakone Free Pass, it covers the Tozan Railway, cable car, ropeway, and the Lake Ashi sightseeing cruise, plus buses, so you’ll save money overall and gives you discounted entry to several of the attractions you’ll go to on Day 2 in Hakone.

 

Day 4: The Hakone Loop & Mt Fuji View

Stay: Nazuna Ryokan, Miyanoshita.
A luxury stay for sure, but I chose it specifically for the private onsen. I can’t put into words the peace I felt here, totally worth the money spent.

 

 

Arrange your luggage transfer first thing in the morning. In both Japan and South Korea, you can book a service that transfers your bags between hotels for you, so before you head out for the day, get this sorted with your first hotel so that your bags are already waiting at Nazuna Ryokan by the time you arrive. It means you get to spend the whole day through Hakone hands free, and can go straight to your next hotel.

Start early at Hakone Shrine to beat the crowds. I arrived at 8am and still had to wait 30 minutes to take a picture at the picturesque Torii gate below, the later you arrive, the longer the line. After this, begin the Hakone Loop route for the day.

From the shrine, walk a few minutes to Moto-Hakone Port and take the Lake Ashi sightseeing cruise across to Togendai. From Togendai, ride the ropeway up toward Owakudani, this direction gives you such great views; on a clear day, you’ll see Mount Fuji along with the whole Lake Ashi as you climb.

Stop at Tamago Chaya in Owakudani, there’s a tourist shop at the ropeway station where they sell the black eggs famed to give you immortality. The sulfur vents here are the actual reason the eggs turn black, and even if you skip eating one, it’s worth going to the view point to see the steaming valley floor up close, this whole area sits on active volcanic ground.

Continue on to the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Gora, and even further to the Hakone Gora Park. From there, make your way back to the station near the entry point.

Around 3pm, head to your Onsen Hotel and enjoy the Hot Springs and dinner at the Ryokan.

 

 

Day 5: Arriving in Tokyo & Disney Sea

Stay: Tokyo Prince Hotel

 

 

Enjoy another spectacular breakfast morning at the Ryokan, then check out from the hotel, transfer to Odawara station and take the JR Shinkansen (fast train) to Tokyo. The train journey is less than an hour, and we were allowed early check-in at the hotel, so after a quick settling in, it was onward to the fish market.

Have lunch at the fish market from around 2pm to 4pm.

Then head to Tokyo Disney Sea for an evening entry slot. The tickets for the evening slot is discounted, and even though it is a shorter window than a full day at the park, it is enough to go on a couple of rides and do watch the nighttime show. I have never heard Disney songs in Japanese, so when I say this was quite THE EXPERIENCE, believe me.

 

Day 6: Temples, Kimono, and Shibuya

This is the busiest day of the whole Japan trip, so start early. Get to Sensoji Temple as early as possible, the crowds here are overwhelming and from 8:30, its already extremely busy. Rent a kimono for the day, I booked a package with photography through GetYourGuide and I enjoyed the experience. The photographer took me round the temple grounds and chose the best spots for photography.

Link to book Kimono Rental & Outdoor Photo Shoot below,

Kimono Rental

 

After the photoshoot, do either a Tea Ceremony or A short food tour through Asakusa; there’s a popular a strawberry pastry you’ll see in multiple shops, waffle with ice cream, and matcha at Hatoya cafe. If you want matcha without the long line at Hatoya, there is a quieter, equally good spot just around the corner; Chotto Matcha.

Link to book Tea Ceremony below:

Kimono Tea Ceremony

 

From noon to around 2 or 3pm, head to the Anime district – Akihabara, or any other district that fits your interests. There’s Harajuku for eccentric street fashion and cute trends,  and Ueno for it’s park, several museums and temples. Feel free to skip this entirely if you’d rather save the time for shopping later in the day.

Make your way to Shibuya for the popular Shibuya Crossing and a giant 3D Akita dog. There isn’t much to actually do here beyond the crossing itself and the cafes overlooking it, but it’s worth the stop for the sheer scale of it. Shibuya Sky is a solid add if you want an elevated view of the city. At the neighbouring Shinjuku, there is also the popular 3D cat (a.k.a Shinjuku Higashi-guchi no Neko or The Cat of Shinjuku East Exit).

Close the day shopping at Ginza Six. Before you leave the area, find a Don Quijote for souvenirs and gifts, it’s the easiest one-stop shop for everything you didn’t plan on buying but somehow end up needing. Here you’ll find the Japanese KitKats with unique flavours like Matcha and Sakura.

 

Day 7: TeamLabs Museum & Departure Day

Start with breakfast at the hotel, then walk 10 minutes to Zojoji Temple and Shiba Park, both are only a few minutes from the Tokyo Prince Hotel. The temple grounds are surprisingly uncrowded for a location this close to Tokyo Tower.

From there, head to teamLab Borderless or teamLab Planets before checkout. teamLab Borderless is in Azabudai Hills, Minato City, close to the Tokyo Prince Hotel, which is why I chose it over Planets.

After exploring, take the limousine bus to the airport, there’s a busstop at Prince Park, and it’s the easiest way to get there from Tokyo without navigating multiple train transfers or paying for an expensive taxi. Once you’re through security, make sure to find the best chocolate you will ever try: Royce Nama Chocolate, it’s sold at both Narita and Haneda, and the airport is one of the few places you can find it in Japan. It’s the perfect souvenir for a loved one, and they’ll give you a cold pack so that it survives the flight.

 

 

Final Thoughts

That’s the full Japan leg of an 17-day trip that also included two weeks across South Korea. Osaka for the food and the easy pace, Nara and a slice of Kyoto for the calm despite the crowds, Hakone for the mountains and the onsen reset, and Tokyo for a burst of everything all at once.

Not everyone has 6 weeks to travel Japan, so if you’re short on time, this route gives you a good glimpse into the country, and Hakone works even as a one-night stop or Day trip if the onsen stay isn’t a priority for you.

 

If you followed the South Korea leg of this trip first, this is where the story picks back up after Busan. And if you’re reading this before Korea, here’s the full South Korea itinerary covering Seoul, Suncheon, and Busan, the two posts can be read in either order. Comment below if you have any questions.

And if you end up following (parts of) this route, tag me, I’d love to see where you go and what you add to it.

 

— Nma