Planning a trip to Japan can be overwhelming. It is such a bucket list type of destination it seems like there are countless “MUST DO” experiences around every corner. I want to help cut through the noise as much as possible by providing you with my personal 11 day Japan itinerary.
This is meant to be more of an overview type of post, and I plan to go into more detail on each experience and each city in subsequent posts. But for the purposes of this post I want to give you an idea of how much you can realistically cram into one day, what an ideal flow or pace looks like, and what things are nearby each other so you can have a geographically efficient time.
I plan to stick as much to our actual itinerary as possible, but in some cases I will substitute based on what I wished we did. Throughout this post, I will also provide commentary on if some particular activity wasn’t actually worth it, or if there was something I would recommend doing instead.
Are ready to conquer the land of the rising sun? Let’s dig in!
Day 1- Osaka
I arrived in Osaka late Friday night (think 11:30 pm) and immediately fell asleep at the hostel. So my first official day in Japan started the next morning. My friend was set to arrive in Osaka around noon so in the am I essentially killed sometime until she actually got there.
Morning
I started off the morning at Shitennoji, a famed Buddhist temple that was a 20 minute walk from my hostel. There is so much to do at this temple so plan to spend at least an hour wandering around the grounds. Appreciate the 5 story pagoda, pay to have the monks write your name in Japanese on a scroll, pray to the large Buddha statue, or feed the sacred turtles chilling in the turtle pond. Whatever strikes your fancy. You can even grab breakfast, or a snack from one of the many vendors set up at the temple entrance. For me, the highlight of this temple was witnessing an insane turtle feeding frenzy.
From there continue your walking tour of the area checking out some other local shrines including Horikoshi Shrine and Isshinji temple.While you are in the neighborhood you could pay a visit to the Osaka City Museum of Art to beat the heat, check out the Osaka Tennoji Zoo or explore Keitakuen Garden.
Next, wander over to Shinsekai for some grub. Shinsekai is a shopping/ food district geared towards tourists filled with restaurants, arcades and souvenir shops and has an iconic tower in the center that lights up at night. I ventured into a random okonomiyaki restaurant and had the absolute best meal for 650 yen.
Afternoon
From Shinsekai, take the subway up to Osaka Castle (takes about 20-30 min by subway) and spend the afternoon wandering around the grounds. You can take a gondola boat tour around the moat if you desire and enjoy some matcha ice cream with a view. We personally decided not to pay to go inside the castle because many reviews from trip advisor claimed it was disappointing. Plus we were plenty happy with the views and pictures from the outside.
While we were at the castle, we also got lucky and happened upon a traditional Japanese dancing festival. We got to learn some new dance moves while in a kimono flash mob. So that was awesome.
Next, head to Dotonbori for dinner and night life. Dotonbori is an entertainment district that straddles a canal and is complete with neon signs, ferris wheels and street vendors. It is the perfect place to end the day, and I definitely think it is best experienced after dark.
We ate dinner at one of the many izakaya’s in the area and then tried some takoyaki (fried octopus balls) from a street vendor. We also rode the famous ferris wheel and were rewarded with panoramic views of the city. Another popular activity seemed to be taking a boat ride along the canal, although by the time we got there at 8pm, they were all sold out for the day, so be sure to get an earlier reservation.
Day 2- Osaka
Morning
Explore the tastes of “Japan’s Kitchen” by walking through Kuromon Ichiba Market. This is a large street food market about a 15 min walk from our hostel, where you can try some more local delicacies. We experimented with some soy milk, which tasted like we basically put a straw in some tofu, had some grilled eel on a stick and all the free samples of mochi we could find.
When you are ready for a caffeine fix, walk outside of the market over to Marafukus (about a 5 min walk) and get the best coffee of your life. I seriously had an out of body caffeination experience that was magical.
Once you are nice and energized, catch the subway up to the Kita Ward (Kita in Japanese means north). We decided to start off our exploration of this area with the Museum of Housing and Living, mostly as a strategy to get out of the heat.
It was actually a pretty cool museum experience, which is coming from someone who usually cringes at the word museum. We got to walk through an authentic reconstruction of a Japanese village from the edo era with plenty of tactile audio and visual stimulation to keep me entertained. A popular thing to do here was rent a kimono during the museum tour, which I think would be a genius way to avoid the whole sweating in a kimono conundrum. If I was planning to rent a kimono, I think this would have been the place to do it.
Afternoon
After the museum walk on over to the Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street which is the longest shopping arcade in Osaka. This thing literally goes on for over 2 km and has hundreds or stores.
Grab some lunch at one of the many restaurants, we decided to experience conveyor belt sushi at a place near the beginning of the arcade where each plate was only 120 yen. After you eat, you can spend the rest of the afternoon wandering through the arcade. Pick out some souvenirs for your loved ones, stop and play Pachinko (if you can figure out how in the heck to to play!) and indulge in every free sample you can find.
About 3/4s of the way through the arcade peel off and stop at Osaka Temmangu Shrine for a change of pace and some serenity.
Once you’ve had enough of the shopping street take the subway over to Harukas 300 Observation Deck to watch the sunset over Osaka from the 60th floor. There are plenty of restaurants around the Tennoji area to grab some dinner, but we decided to wander back to Shinsekai and eat some tankatsu, which is essentially friend everything on a stick.
Day 3- Travel to Tokyo.
Travel days we didn’t expect much out of ourselves site seeing wise. Our only mission for the day was to make it to our next destination (Tokyo), alive.
We took the subway to go to Shin-osaka station to activate our JR pass and from there caught a bullet train to Tokyo. The bullet train itself took about 3 hours and was such a pleasant experience. It was almost like being on an airplane with larger seats and no rules about when you can have your tray table down or seat leaned back.
After settling into our hostel we decided on a night out in Akihabara, which was within walking distance from our hostel. Akihabara is one of the more famous neighborhoods in Tokyo known as essentially the anime and electronics district.
There are many ways to enjoy a night out in Akihabara including dinner and drinks at a Maid cafe, gaming your night away in one of the many arcades and having a full on photo shoot in a Purikura (Japanse photo booth). If you like to geek out on electronics you can also browse through some of the many multi story electronics stores in the neighborhood and there are plenty of themed anime cafes to visit as well.
Day 4- Tokyo
Start the morning off in Harajuku which is a very touristy shopping district in Tokyo. Walk down Takeshita street, the main tourist drag for some next level shopping. This area essentially specializes in anything sparkly, rainbow, unicorn and platform shoes related.
This was also the busiest and most hectic area so if large crowds are not your jam, you may want to skip this part entirely.
When you are ready for a sugar rush or mid-morning snack grab a matcha and oreos crepe from one of the street vendors, which is considered one of the specialty foods of this area.
Check out one of the many themed cafes. The Kuwaii Monster Cafe is probably one of the most famous, and therefore most expensive option. IMO, the table charge, plus the cost of the drinks wasn’t really worth it. The decorations were cool, but the experience overall wasn’t worth the price tag and was pretty underwhelming. There are also plenty of exotic animal cafes lining the streets including places to play with hedgehogs and owls.
When you’ve had enough of the hustle and bustle of Harajuku head on over to Yoyogi park for some nature and a much needed escape from all the crowds and craziness. Walk through the park, check out the Meiji shrine and the surrounding gardens and enjoy the tranquility.
At this point you could head down to Shibuya to check out the legendary Shibuya crossing. It would be a 15-20 min walk or just one subway stop on the JR line. After witnessing the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, and who knows maybe participating in the madness, it’s time to grab some dinner.
Walk over to Ichiran Shibuya for some unique isolation dining. The crazy part of this restaurant is the complete lack of human contact, and definitely something to check out while you’re in Japan.
Once you are fed, it’s time for a night out in Shinjuku. Ride the subway over to the OSLO Batting Center for some athletic fun. Take out any frustrations from the day at this large indoor batting cage.
Once the clock strikes 8-9pm walk over to Golden Gai which is the main event for the night. Golden Gai is a bar/nightlife experience like no other. There are about 200 mini bars spanning 6 small alleyways all crammed into the size of a football field. Each bar is so tiny they can fit maybe 6-8 people.Since they are all so close together, it is the perfect place to go on a Tokyo bar crawl .
Day 5- Tokyo
Start the morning off at Toyosu Wholesale Fish Market. If you want to be there to see the tuna auction you need to get there by 5-6am, otherwise you can just walk through the stalls gawking at all the fish and eat some of the freshest sushi of your life. Sushi for breakfast is encouraged here.
**Note this is the new location of the Tsukiji fishmarket which closed in October 2018.
Spend the afternoon exploring the world of digital art at TeamLab borderless. This is an unparalleled art museum experience. The art moves around from room to room, flowers grow up around you if you stand still long enough. You can design art works yourself that will be incorporated into the museum. There is even a digital art playground called “The Athletic Forest” where there are trampolines, slides, rock climbing walls etc.
This was by far my favorite experience in Tokyo and one that you absolutely must do. Be sure to buy your tickets about a week in advance, most of the tickets are sold out the day of.
Teamlab is located in an upscale, indoor shopping mall called Palette town. It has the classiest food court I’ve ever seen, a large ferris wheel, and tons of clothing boutiques for shopping. You can easily spend the rest of the evening wandering around this complex and exploring to your heart’s content.
Day 6- Day trip to Hakone
Hop on the bullet train headed towards Hakone. It takes about 90 min to get to hakone from tokyo and was a very easy and lovely day trip from the craziness of the city.
Hakone is known for its hot springs, it’s shrine on the lake and it’s views of Mt. Fiji. The day we went there was an impending typhoon so we weren’t able to see Mt. Fiji, but the rest of the experience was so incredible that we weren’t too disappointed with the lack of mountain views.
Once you arrive at Hakone’s train station, take a 10 min bus ride to the Tenzan onsen, which is your quintessential onsen experience. It consists of open air, rock lined pools which were semi covered w/ straw roofs. The bamboo landscape and mini waterfalls cascading into the pools added to the tropical and tranquil ambiance.
After you’ve soaked away all your troubles, take a nap on one of the large bean bags in the loft above the women’s changing rooms. Or you could use one of the massage chairs to further enhance your relaxation experience.
The onsen actually has several traditional Japanese style restaurants to choose from for lunch.
Next, take a 20 minute bus ride out to Lake Ashi and stroll along the beautiful lakeside path to check out the torii gates and shrines along the water. If you want to spend more time on the water, you could take a riverboat cruise or rent a paddle boat. Due to the impending typhoon, we decided not to mess with any water activities.
Hop on the bus back to the train station, and if you are feeling up for some afternoon tea stop off at Amazake-chaya Tea House. This is a quaint, traditional style tea house which is famous for it’s amasake, a delicious warm, rice drink.
Then hop on the bus back to the station for your 90 minute trek back to Tokyo.
Day 7- Travel to Kyoto.
Pack up all your belongings and say goodbye to Tokyo because today you are headed off to Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan. Head to Tokyo station and catch the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. It takes about 2.5 hours to traverse the 457km which is truly incredible. It would take almost 6hrs to travel that distance by car.
We never really planned much on travel days, so when we got to town that night we just went out to an okinomiyaki restaurant in the Gion district and then wandered around the main drag of Gion. We stumbled upon Maruyama park which was full of various shrines and temples and ended up doing a little nighttime sightseeing which was really just a pregame for all the shrines and temples that were to come.
Day 8- Day Trip to Nara
We were trying to strategically get the most out of our 7day JR pass so we squeezed in yet another day trip. This time to Nara which is a little town about 45 min outside of Kyoto. (You could also make this a day trip from Osaka too).
We took the rapid express JR line straight out to Nara and from the train station we hopped on a bus to take us out to Todaiji temple.
I suggest starting your morning exploring the grounds of Todaiji temple and I do think this particular attraction it is definitely worth it to pay the 600 Yen to go inside. Walk around the grounds, snatch up a free English speaking volunteer tour guide to show you around. Check out the giant Buddha inside. Seriously this one is worth seeing. It is unbelievably giant
Afterwards, wander around Nara park and hang out with the sacred deer. You can buy some crackers from some of the street vendors and feed the deer if you dare. But only if you don’t mind being swarmed by hungry monsters who are willing to head butt and bite you for some crackers.
While you are wandering through the park be sure to check out the other beautiful shrines and gardens peppered throughout including Kofuku-ji, Yoshiki-en gardens, and Nigatsu-do. The views from Nigatsu-do’s balcony are incredible and definitely worth climbing up the many stairs.
Before leaving Nara stop by Higashimuki Shopping Street for all the deer themed souvenirs you could possibly imagine. This shopping area was about a 15 min walk from the main Nara park area and also has plenty of restaurants and dining options.
If you are on a tight schedule, you could see all of the main sites in a half day, but otherwise I would plan to spend most of the day in Nara hanging out with the romping bambis and their sacred shrines.
Day 9- Kyoto
Spend the morning strolling around Nishiki market, curating an interesting breakfast of grilled eel, sushi, and matcha ice cream. This is your time to try out any of the local delicacies you haven’t yet tried. This market is very similar to Kuromon Ichiba in Osaka, but with more of an emphasis on awesome handcrafted souvenirs.
Once your tummy is full its time for a DIY bike tour of the temples. Kyoto is super famous for its insane amount of temples and shrines and IMHO the best way to see all of these is via bike. We rented a bike for the whole day for 1000 Yen from our hostel and crafted our very own tour.
We started off at Nishiki Market and biked up the Kamo river trail to our first stop, Higashiyama Jisho-ji also known as the silver temple. From there we biked down to Eikando temple and then Nanzenji temple. Nanzenji temple was my favorite surprise with beautiful aqueducts and a hidden waterfall and grotto that hardly anyone else trekked out to.
From there we carried on Shoren-in Monseki, Kodaji Temple and finally made it out to Kiyomizu-dera in time for sunset.
I loved our particular tour and felt like we really hit the main highlights without over doing it. However the cool thing is, it is a DIY tour so you can pick and choose whatever temples call out to you most. I do very much recommend the freedom and mobility that bikes bring. Plus, overall the city was very bike friendly and easy to navigate on wheels.
After you’ve had your fill of temples, return the bikes and head out to Pontocho for a night out on the town. Pontocho alley is the small alleyway that runs right next to the Kamo River and is allegedly famous of Geisha sightings. It also has plenty of jazz bars, hole in the wall speakeasy type bars, and upscale restaurants and makes for the perfect place for a classy night out.
Day 10- Kyoto
Catch the train out to the Arashiyama area, it’s about a 45 min train ride from Kyoto’s city center. Walk around the famous Arashiyama bamboo grove with all 500 of your best friends. As in, this is a very crowded, very touristy attraction.
Once you’ve gotten that perfect Instagram shot walking among the bamboo giants, head on over to the see the monkeys! Walk over to the entrance for Iwatayama Monkey Park which is about a 15 min walk from the bamboo grove.
Hike about 20-30 minutes up a mountain to see the monkeys at the top. The interactions with the monkeys is not the same as the sacred deer, as in, you aren’t really supposed to pet the monkeys or touch them at all. You can get pretty close to them however, and the monkeys are super cute and hilarious to watch. We got to see several baby monkeys interacting with their parents which was precious. The view from the top of mountain is an awesome panoramic of Kyoto as well.
Take a slight detour on your way back to Kyoto to see the Golden temple, Kinkaku-ji. This temple is very much out of the way and difficult to get to. I personally didn’t feel like it was worth it. But if you are dying to see it, checking out the temple on the way to or from Arashiyama would be your best bet for efficiency.
If you want to see a less crowded and touristy bamboo forest, check into Osawa no Ike pond.
Day 11- Kyoto
We saved the best for last. Spend the morning hiking through the 10,000 torii gates and 12,000 steps that make up Fushimi Inari Shrine. In order to enjoy this and have some solitude and decent pictures, I recommend getting there before 7:30 am. I pinky promise you, it is worth it. Click here to read more about this special experience, and why it was one of the highlights of my trip.
Spend the afternoon sorting through pictures at a cafe, relaxing and enjoying your last day in Japan. Or go out and do whatever else you haven’t done yet that is on your Japanese bucket list. The afternoon is your oyster.
Have you been to Japan or are you planning a trip there soon? Is there anything here I missed that you would have added? Do you have any questions about getting around or experiences that I would recommend?
Comment below and share any questions, observations or additions! I’d love to hear your feedback.
