Must on a first trip · Good with kids
Asakusa, Ueno and Skytree: old Tokyo in one day
Senso-ji before the tourists arrive, Kappabashi's kitchen knife street, Ueno Park and the National Museum, Ameyoko Market, and a sunset fini
Detailed picks
With kids
Days built so that even a six-year-old finishes them smiling.
37 itineraries in 27 cities
- Tokyo 6
- Kyoto 3
- Osaka 2
- Nara 1
- Kobe 1
- Hiroshima and Miyajima 1
- Sapporo 1
- Fukuoka 1
- Shirakawa-go 1
- Matsumoto 1
- Nagano 1
- Kamikochi 1
- Kiso Valley 1
- Hakuba 1
- Mount Fuji and Kawaguchiko 1
- Hakone 1
- Nikko 2
- Kamakura and Enoshima 2
- Yokohama 1
- Uji 1
- Himeji 1
- Niseko 1
- Otaru 1
- Hakodate 1
- Beppu 1
- Naha and Okinawa 1
- Elsewhere in Japan 1
Tokyo
6 itinerariesMust on a first trip · Good with kids
Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Shrine: the first day in Tokyo
The day everyone starts with, in the right order: the shrine forest in the quiet of the morning, Takeshita Street before it clogs up, Omotes
Good with kids · Rain-friendly
teamLab Planets, Toyosu Market and Odaiba: the futuristic day
Morning at the new fish market, midday inside water and digital flowers at teamLab, and the afternoon on the artificial island: Gundam's off
Good with kids · Vintage
Ghibli Museum, Kichijoji and Shimokitazawa: the calm west side
Morning at Miyazaki's museum (a ticket you buy a month in advance), a park with swan boats, an alley of eateries from the black market days,
Good for a second visit to Tokyo · Night
Shinjuku: a free observatory, Gyoen garden, Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai
The district that never sleeps, from west to east: the free observatory of the Metropolitan Government Building in the morning, the national
Good with kids · Advance ticket required
Tokyo DisneySea: the day you plan like a military operation
The only park in the world with a sea theme, and by many accounts the best of the Disney parks: the new Fantasy Springs area (2024), the vol
Kyoto
3 itinerariesMust on a first trip · Good with kids from age 6
Fushimi Inari: the torii gates at sunrise, Tofuku-ji and the sake district
A day in southern Kyoto that starts before the crowds at the torii gates, continues to the checkerboard moss garden of Tofuku-ji, and ends w
Must on a first trip · Good with kids
Arashiyama: the bamboo grove at sunrise, Tenryu-ji, monkeys and the Romantic Train
Kyoto's western day.
Good with kids · Rain-friendly
Kids' day in Kyoto: the Railway Museum, the Aquarium, To-ji and Kyoto Tower
A full day within a 15-minute walk of Kyoto Station, without one temple too many: real steam locomotives, giant salamanders, the tallest pag
Osaka
2 itinerariesMust on a first trip · Food
Osaka in one day: the castle, Kuromon Market, Shinsekai and Dotonbori at night
The city that eats until it drops (kuidaore).
Good with kids from age 5 · Advance ticket required
Universal Studios Japan: Nintendo World, Harry Potter and the Minions, in the right order
The hardest park in Japan to plan, because Super Nintendo World requires a timed entry ticket that runs out in minutes.
Nara
one itineraryMust on a first trip · Good with kids
Nara: the deer, the Great Buddha and the lantern shrine
A day trip from Kyoto or Osaka to Japan's 8th-century capital: more than 1,600 free-roaming deer in the park, a bronze Buddha 15 meters tall
Kobe
one itineraryDay trip from Osaka · Food
Kobe: the herb garden by ropeway, the foreigners' houses of Kitano, Chinatown and Kobe beef
30 minutes from Osaka, a port city between mountain and sea: a ropeway to a garden and a viewpoint, the foreign merchants' houses from the l
Hiroshima and Miyajima
one itineraryMust on a two-week trip · Museum is hard for young children
Hiroshima and Miyajima: the Peace Memorial in the morning, the floating torii gate in the evening
A day that holds two extremes: the morning in the Peace Park and the museum, which you do not rush, and in the afternoon a ferry to the sacr
Sapporo
one itineraryFood · Winter: the Snow Festival in February
Sapporo: a crab bowl in the morning, Odori Park, the Beer Museum, and lamb on the grill
Hokkaido's capital is built on a grid like an American city, and revolves around food: a fish market, a long park that is the city's axis, t
Fukuoka
one itineraryFood · Good with kids
Fukuoka: Dazaifu Shrine, the National Museum, tonkotsu ramen and the yatai stalls at night
The most pleasant city in Japan according to the Japanese themselves, and the ramen capital: in the morning a shrine to the god of learning
Shirakawa-go
one itineraryMust on a two-week trip · Good with kids
Shirakawa-go: the thatched village in the valley, from the morning viewpoint to the Wada House
The village on the postcard: 59 gassho-zukuri houses with steep thatched roofs shaped like hands in prayer, in a valley between mountains.
Matsumoto
one itineraryOriginal castle · Good with kids
Matsumoto: wasabi in the field, Yayoi Kusama, the frog street and the Crow Castle
The city of the Alps, with the original black castle from 1594, a museum of the polka-dot artist who was born here, a street of white storeh
Nagano
one itineraryWinter (December to March) is best · Good with kids from age 6
Nagano: the snow monkeys in the onsen, Zenko-ji Temple and the town of Shibu Onsen
The photo everyone wants: Japanese macaques sitting in a hot-spring pool in the snow.
Kamikochi
one itineraryNature walk · Good with kids
Kamikochi: the Japanese Alps valley, from Taisho Pond to Hotaka Shrine
Japan's most beautiful valley, at 1,500 meters, closed to private cars: a pond with the reflection of a volcano, a wooden bridge facing 3,00
Kiso Valley
one itineraryNature walk · Good with kids from age 8
The Nakasendo trail: Magome to Tsumago, 8 km on the samurai road
A 3-hour walk between two Edo-period post towns, on the road that linked Kyoto to Tokyo 400 years ago: a village on a slope with water mills
Hakuba
one itineraryWinter (December to April) · Good with kids
Hakuba: skiing the Olympic runs of Happo-One and an alkaline onsen
A valley with 10 ski resorts on one ticket, which hosted the 1998 Olympics: the downhill course, powder bowls above the tree line, a terrace
Mount Fuji and Kawaguchiko
one itineraryDay trip from Tokyo · Clear skies only
Fuji from Kawaguchiko: Chureito Pagoda, the ropeway, the boat to Oishi Park and hoto noodles
The day you really see Fuji, provided the sky is clear: the pagoda with the mountain behind it (the photo of Japan), a ropeway to a viewpoin
Hakone
one itineraryDay trip from Tokyo · Good with kids
Hakone: the ropeway loop, sulfur eggs, Lake Ashi and an onsen
The classic loop from Tokyo: a mountain railway, a ropeway over a volcanic valley with black eggs, a pirate ship on a lake facing Fuji, a to
Nikko
2 itinerariesDay trip from Tokyo · Good with kids
Day trip to Nikko: Toshogu, Shinkyo bridge, the imperial villa and Kegon Falls
The compact version of Nikko in one day from Tokyo: an express train in the morning, the gilded mausoleum, a red bridge, a yuba meal, an emp
Day trip from Tokyo · Good with kids
Nikko: the gilded Toshogu Shrine, Shinkyo Bridge and Kegon Falls
A day trip from Tokyo to the mountains: the shogun's mausoleum with 500 gilded wood carvings (including the three monkeys), the red bridge o
Kamakura and Enoshima
2 itinerariesDay trip from Tokyo · Good with kids
Day trip to Kamakura and Enoshima: the Great Buddha, Hase-dera, the tram and the caves
The classic order, an hour from Tokyo: the bronze Buddha in the open air, a temple with a candle cave and a sea view, shirasu on rice, the g
Day trip from Tokyo · Good with kids
Kamakura and Enoshima: the Great Buddha, the hydrangea temple and the coastal train
An hour from Tokyo to the 12th-century samurai capital: a bronze Buddha in the open air, a temple with caves and a sea view, a shopping stre
Yokohama
one itineraryGood with kids · Day trip from Tokyo
Yokohama: Japan's largest Chinatown, the Cup Noodles Museum and the harbor at sunset
30 minutes from Tokyo, a port city with room to breathe: eat baozi in Chinatown, walk along the water, make your own cup of ramen, ride a Fe
Uji
one itineraryHalf-day trip from Kyoto · Good with kids
Uji: the Phoenix Hall, the matcha capital, and the Nintendo Museum
Half an hour from Kyoto, the town on the coin: the Phoenix temple from 1053, drinking matcha where it has been grown for 800 years, the rive
Himeji
one itineraryDay trip from Kyoto or Osaka · Original castle
Day trip to Himeji: Mount Shosha, the Koko-en gardens and the White Heron Castle
Japan's largest original castle, half an hour by shinkansen from Osaka and about 45 minutes from Kyoto.
Niseko
one itineraryWinter (December to March) · Good with kids (ski school in English)
Niseko: a ski day in Hirafu powder, apres-ski in a fridge, and an onsen in the snow
The resort that became Asia's international ski destination: 15 meters of dry snow a season, 4 resorts on one mountain on one ticket, Mount
Otaru
one itineraryDay trip from Sapporo · Good with kids
Otaru: the canal, the glass street, the music boxes, sushi and the cheesecake
The port town that survived from the 19th century with stone warehouses along a canal, 40 minutes from Sapporo.
Hakodate
one itineraryGood with kids · Food
Hakodate: live squid at the morning market, the church slopes, the star-shaped fort and the night view
The first port city opened to the West, at the southern tip of Hokkaido: a market where you fish a squid out of the tank and eat it, a distr
Beppu
one itineraryOnsen · Good with kids
Beppu: the seven hells, a sand bath, food steamed in volcanic vapor and onsen on every corner
The city with the most hot springs in the world (2,000 sources, steam rising from the drains): boiling pools in blue and red that you only l
Naha and Okinawa
one itineraryOkinawa · Good with kids
Naha: Shuri Castle, Kokusai Street, Makishi Market, the potters' district and a beach in the city
Okinawa is not Japan, it is the Ryukyu Kingdom: a red castle that burned down in 2019 and is being rebuilt before your eyes, a market with b
Elsewhere in Japan
one itineraryFirst trip · 7 days
The Golden Route in a week: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka, day by day
The skeleton of a first trip to Japan, built from verified days on the site: two days in Tokyo, a night in a ryokan in Hakone, three days in