09:00–10:00
1Sensō-ji Temple Sight
Tokyo's oldest temple; go in early evening light when the tour buses have thinned out.
Trips planned by Robin · Tokyo, Japan
Japan Itinerary: Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka in 10 Days.
Ten days on the golden route, done at a human pace: four nights in Tokyo moving east to west through Asakusa, Ueno's museums, Harajuku and Shibuya; the shinkansen to Kyoto for three nights of temples taken early, Fushimi Inari's torii and Arashiyama's bamboo before the crowds; then two nights letting Osaka feed you, Kuromon's stalls to Dotonbori's neon. The trains do all the work, every day stays in one part of one city, and the meals, a 1465 soba house, a Meiji-era eel garden, a 1945 okonomiyaki griddle, are half the itinerary.
Robin planned this trip forFirst visitThe classic golden routeShinkansen between citiesBalanced paceMid-OctoberChange these assumptions →
Planned by Robin
10 days · 52 stops
Every place is real, planned with the same verified data that Robin uses in the app. How these itineraries are made
10-day Tokyo itinerary at a glance
1Land in Tokyo→Sensō-ji at lantern hour→Nakamise-dori→Daikokuya Tempura
2Tokyo National Museum→Ueno Park→SCAI The Bathhouse→Yanaka Ginza→Hantei
3Meiji Jingu→Takeshita Street→Shibuya Crossing→Shibuya Sky at sunset
4Tsukiji Outer Market→teamLab Planets→Hamarikyu Gardens→Zōjō-ji & Tokyo Tower
5Shinkansen to Kyoto→Honke Owariya→Nishiki Market→Gion at dusk
6Fushimi Inari early→Kiyomizu-dera→Sannenzaka lanes→Kodai-ji
7Arashiyama bamboo at dawn→Tenryu-ji→river rowboat→Kinkaku-ji
8Shinkansen to Osaka→Osaka Castle→Kuromon Ichiba→Dotonbori→Mizuno
9Sumiyoshi Taisha→Shitennō-ji→Shinsekai→Umeda Sky at sunset
10Nakanoshima Park→a slow checkout & home
- Best for
- First visit, the classic golden route
- Car needed
- No. Trains and feet do everything; the shinkansen legs are part of the trip
- Where to stay
- Asakusa or Ueno in Tokyo, central Kyoto near the Kamogawa, Namba in Osaka
- Best months
- March–April for blossom, October–November (as planned) for clear skies and color
- Pace
- Balanced, one neighborhood cluster per day
- Robin recommends
- Reserving shinkansen seats and the teamLab and Shibuya Sky slots as soon as dates are fixed, the timed things on this plan are the only things that sell out
Your 10-day route
All stops, numbered by day order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Day 1 · Monday
Day 1: A soft landing in Asakusa
You land in Tokyo and there's no need to rush, settle into the hotel, then let Asakusa's lantern-lit evening ease you in.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
↓130 m · ~2 min walk
17:15–18:00
2Nakamise-dori Walk
The approach street to Sensō-ji, lined with centuries-old snack and craft stalls.
↓300 m · ~4 min walk
18:30–19:30
3Daikokuya Tempura Eat
Century-old Asakusa tempura house known for its dark, rich dipping sauce recipe.
Choose your first evening
If you are landing long-haulkeep it exactly this gentle, Sensō-ji in the lantern light, the Nakamise stalls, tempura, bed, jet lag is the enemy of day 2
If you arrive early and wiredwalk the Sumida riverbank before dinner, the Azumabashi bridge view across to the Skytree is Asakusa's free bonus panorama
If you want the temple without the evening crowdsask Robin to flip Sensō-ji to a 7am visit on day 4's Tsukiji morning, the courtyard near-empty at dawn is a different building
Ask Robin to personalize this day →
Day 2 · Tuesday
Day 2: Ueno's treasures & Yanaka's old lanes
A culture-and-art day around Ueno's museums and Yanaka's old backstreets, finishing with an izakaya evening away from the crowds.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–11:00
1Tokyo National Museum Culture
Japan's largest art collection; the Honkan gallery's samurai armor room rewards an unhurried visit.
↓520 m · ~6 min walk
11:15–12:15
2Ueno Park Nature
Broad promenade past temples and ponds, the everyday green space of the neighborhood.
↓350 m · ~4 min walk
12:30–13:30
3Innsyoutei Eat
Historic eel restaurant inside Ueno Park itself, in a wooden building dating to the Meiji era.
↓2.1 km · ~27 min walk
14:00–15:00
4SCAI The Bathhouse Culture
A contemporary art gallery in a 200-year-old converted bathhouse in quiet Yanaka, few tourists find it.
↓180 m · ~2 min walk
15:30–17:00
5Yanaka Ginza Walk
An old-fashioned shopping street that escaped the bombings; wander till the lanterns switch on.
↓1.2 km · ~16 min walk
18:00–19:00
6Hantei Eat
Nezu kushiage counter serving skewers one course at a time in a wooden Meiji-era house.
Day 3 · Wednesday
Day 3: Forest shrine to Shibuya's neon canyon
Forest quiet at Meiji Jingu gives way to Harajuku's energy and Shibuya's neon, end above it all at Shibuya Sky as the city lights up.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–10:15
1Meiji Jingu Sight
A forest shrine planted from 100,000 donated trees, the gravel approach hushes the city instantly.
↓970 m · ~12 min walk
10:30–11:30
2Takeshita Street Shopping
Harajuku's teenage-fashion artery, loud and unmistakably local youth culture in motion.
↓380 m · ~5 min walk
12:00–13:00
3Afuri Ramen Harajuku Eat
Yuzu-shio ramen, lighter than the Tokyo norm, the citrus broth is the shop's signature.
↓1.6 km · ~20 min walk
13:30–14:15
4Shibuya Scramble Crossing & Hachiko Sight
The world's busiest crossing; watch one cycle from the Starbucks window above, then join the flow.
↓180 m · ~2 min walk
17:00–17:40
5Shibuya Sky Sight
Open-air rooftop deck 230m up, book the sunset slot so the crossing lights up right below you.
↓360 m · ~5 min walk
18:00–19:00
6Uobei Shibuya Eat
Fast conveyor-belt sushi with tablet ordering, the fun, unpretentious flip side of a kaiseki trip.
Day 4 · Thursday
Day 4: Market morning, art you wade through & Tokyo Tower framed in temple gates
Tsukiji's morning bustle, an immersive art world at teamLab, then a garden and a temple with Tokyo Tower framed behind it at golden hour.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–09:30
1Tsukiji Outer Market Eat
Wander the stalls for grilled skewers and tamagoyaki, arrive before 9 to beat the day-trip crowds.
↓3.7 km · a short ride
09:45–12:15
2teamLab Planets Toyosu Culture
You wade through water and mirrored rooms barefoot, a hands-on, immersive art world, not a museum to view from outside.
↓3.9 km · a short ride
13:00–14:15
3Hamarikyu Gardens Nature
A tidal garden with a 300-year-old pine and a teahouse on an islet reached by wooden bridge.
↓1.7 km · ~21 min walk
15:30–16:10
4Zōjō-ji Temple & Shiba Park Sight
The temple's main gate frames Tokyo Tower behind it, best photographed as the sky turns orange.
↓2.7 km · a short ride
18:00–19:15
5Rangetsu Ginza Eat
Long-running Ginza tempura and sukiyaki house, a proper sit-down close to a full day out.
Day 5 · Friday
Day 5: The move to Kyoto, soba first
Travel day to Kyoto, leave the hotel by 05:00 for your 09:00 train (a firm buffer, no exceptions), and once you land, ease into Kyoto with palace grounds and Gion at dusk.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
06:00–08:45
1Travel to Tokyo Station Transit
Leave the hotel by 05:00–06:00 to allow buffer for your 09:00 Shinkansen, missing it costs the whole morning.
↓482 km · ~487 min drive
12:20–13:35
2Honke Owariya Eat
Kyoto's oldest soba house, serving noodles since 1465 near the Imperial Palace.
↓1.3 km · ~16 min walk
13:49–14:49
3Nishiki Market Shopping
Kyoto's 400-year-old covered market, good for browsing pickles and knives even just after lunch.
↓2.9 km · a short ride
15:19–16:19
4Kyoto Imperial Palace Park Nature
Wide gravelled grounds where locals jog and picnic beneath the old palace walls.
↓3.4 km · a short ride
16:34–18:04
5Gion District Walk Walk
The old geisha quarter along Hanamikoji-dori, dusk is when the machiya lanterns come on.
↓450 m · ~6 min walk
18:30–19:30
6Gion Karyo Eat
Riverside Kamogawa dining room, casual enough for a travel-day dinner with a view of the water.
Robin's tip. Send your big luggage ahead by takkyubin from the Tokyo hotel the night before; it will be waiting in Kyoto (and again in Osaka) for a few hundred yen per bag, and the shinkansen with only a day-pack is a different experience. Every hotel front desk arranges it.
Day 6 · Saturday
Day 6: Ten thousand torii & the Higashiyama lanes
Fushimi Inari's torii gates are best early, before the light and the crowds arrive; the afternoon winds through Higashiyama's lanes and gardens.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–09:40
1Fushimi Inari Taisha Sight
Climb through the vermilion torii to the Yotsutsuji viewpoint, arrive by 7:30 and you'll have the gates nearly to yourself.
↓4.3 km · a short ride
10:30–11:30
2Kiyomizu-dera Sight
Wooden temple stage built without a single nail, jutting out over the hillside.
↓290 m · ~4 min walk
12:00–13:00
3Okutan Kiyomizu Eat
A 350-year-old tofu-kaiseki restaurant just below the temple, serving yudofu the traditional way.
↓390 m · ~5 min walk
13:30–14:45
4Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka Walk
Stone-stepped lanes of preserved wooden shops leading down from Kiyomizu-dera.
↓650 m · ~8 min walk
15:30–16:30
5Kodai-ji Temple Culture
A quieter Zen garden nearby, its raked gravel and pond especially calm in the late afternoon.
↓170 m · ~2 min walk
18:00–19:00
6Omen Kodaiji Eat
Udon in a warm sesame-based dipping broth, a Kyoto original recipe.
Day 7 · Sunday
Day 7: Bamboo at dawn, a rowboat, and the Golden Pavilion
Arashiyama's bamboo, a temple garden, and a slow boat on the Katsura River, before Kinkaku-ji's gold catches the afternoon light.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–09:45
1Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Nature
The path is at its most atmospheric before 9am, when the stalks creak and the crowds haven't arrived.
↓400 m · ~5 min walk
09:50–10:50
2Tenryu-ji Temple Culture
UNESCO Zen garden designed to frame the mountains behind it as living scenery.
↓1.0 km · ~13 min walk
11:01–12:16
3Katsura River Boat Ride Nature
Hire a rowboat at the Togetsukyo Bridge dock and drift beneath the bamboo-covered hills.
↓90 m · ~2 min walk
12:30–13:30
4Arashiyama Yoshimura Eat
Soba restaurant right on the riverbank with a direct view of Togetsukyo Bridge.
↓7.5 km · a short ride
14:30–15:10
5Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Sight
The gold leaf pavilion doubles in the pond below it, the reflection is sharpest with no wind, early afternoon usually calmest.
↓6.6 km · a short ride
18:00–19:00
6Pontocho Alley Dinner Eat
A narrow lantern-lit lane of tiny restaurants along the Kamogawa, pick a counter spot with a river-facing window.
Day 8 · Monday
Day 8: To Osaka, castle to canal glow
Another travel day, leave Kyoto by 06:00 for your 10:00 train, but Osaka welcomes you fast with its castle grounds and Dotonbori's glow by evening.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
06:00–09:45
1Travel to Kyoto Station Transit
Leave by 06:00 for your 10:00 Shinkansen to Osaka, the firm buffer matters more than a quiet last morning.
↓51 km · ~56 min drive
11:35–13:05
2Osaka Castle Sight
Rebuilt keep with a moat and stone walls, the park's ginkgo-lined approach is worth the walk in.
↓4.0 km · a short ride
13:30–14:30
3Kuromon Ichiba Market Eat
Osaka's kitchen market, grab grilled scallops and wagyu skewers straight from the stalls.
↓940 m · ~12 min walk
15:00–16:00
4Dotonbori Canal Walk Walk
Neon signs and the Glico running-man billboard reflected in the canal, walk it both directions.
↓660 m · ~8 min walk
16:30–17:30
5Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping
A covered shopping arcade running parallel to Dotonbori, mixing old shops with new.
↓730 m · ~9 min walk
18:00–19:00
6Okonomiyaki Mizuno Eat
A Dotonbori institution for the savory pancake since 1945, layered with tender pork and cabbage.
Day 9 · Tuesday
Day 9: Old shrines, retro Shinsekai & the floating garden
A deep dive into old Osaka: ancient shrines, retro Shinsekai, and the city spread out gold below you from Umeda Sky at sunset.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–10:00
1Sumiyoshi Taisha Sight
One of Japan's oldest shrines, in a distinctive pre-Buddhist architectural style with a steep vermilion bridge.
↓6.5 km · a short ride
11:00–12:00
2Shitennō-ji Temple Culture
Founded in 593, Japan's oldest officially administered Buddhist temple, rebuilt but faithful to the original layout.
↓1.2 km · ~15 min walk
13:00–14:00
3Zuboraya Dotonbori Eat
Historic fugu (pufferfish) specialist, the giant lantern out front a Shinsekai-area landmark.
14:30–15:45
4Shinsekai & Tsutenkaku Tower Walk
A retro-futurist district frozen since the 1950s, built around its own small Eiffel-style tower.
↓7.9 km · a short ride
16:30–17:45
5Umeda Sky Building Sight
Twin towers joined by a floating rooftop garden 173m up, go for sunset over the whole Osaka plain.
↓750 m · ~9 min walk
18:00–19:00
6Ichiran Ramen Umeda Eat
Solo-booth ramen counter, quick, quiet, and satisfying after a long day of walking.
Day 10 · Wednesday
Day 10: Nakanoshima's riverside goodbye
A gentle last morning by the river at Nakanoshima before you head home, no rush, just one quiet, real place to say goodbye to Osaka.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–10:15
1Nakanoshima Park Nature
A river island park between Osaka's two waterways, the old Central Public Hall's brick facade reflects in the water at this hour.
↓560 m · ~7 min walk
10:30–11:00
2Overnight in Osaka. Checkout Rest
Pack up and check out before heading onward; nothing else scheduled so you can move at your own pace.
Bucket-list foods in Tokyo
Temple-town soba & udon
Buckwheat noodles from a house that has served them since 1465, and Kyoto's sesame-broth udon original.
On this trip: Honke Owariya, day 5 lunch; Omen Kodaiji, day 6 dinner
Osaka's griddle food
Okonomiyaki layered and pressed since 1945, takoyaki on the canal, the city's konamon (flour-food) religion.
On this trip: Okonomiyaki Mizuno, day 8 dinner, Dotonbori
Market grazing
Tamagoyaki and grilled scallops eaten standing, Japan's best breakfasts have no chairs.
On this trip: Tsukiji Outer Market, day 4; Nishiki Market, day 5; Kuromon Ichiba, day 8
One-course-at-a-time kushiage
Skewers arriving singly at a wooden counter in a Meiji-era house, the meal as a slow ceremony.
On this trip: Hantei, day 2 dinner, Nezu
Proper sushi
The plan keeps sushi playful (a conveyor counter in Shibuya). For the omakase version, ask Robin to book a counter for one of the Tokyo nights and it will match the neighborhood you are sleeping in.
Where to stay for this itinerary
Stay in Tokyo: Asakusa or Ueno if…
- you want this plan's east-side mornings (Sensō-ji, the museums, Yanaka) on your doorstep
- old-Tokyo streets and an easier airport run beat nightlife at the window
Stay in Kyoto: downtown, near the Kamogawa if…
- you want Nishiki, Gion and Pontocho within a night walk
- you accept that temple mornings start with a short bus or cab, which they do from everywhere
Stay in Osaka: Namba if…
- you want Dotonbori's glow and Kuromon's breakfast stalls in walking range
- your last-morning airport run should be one train, Namba does that
Before you go
Do I need a Japan Rail Pass?
For this route, usually not anymore: Tokyo to Kyoto to Osaka point-to-point tickets generally cost less than the national pass since its price rise. Buy reserved-seat shinkansen tickets a few days ahead (or at the machines), and use an IC card, Suica or ICOCA on your phone, for everything inside the cities. Check current prices before you fly; Robin will do the math for your exact dates if you ask.
What must be booked ahead?
teamLab Planets and Shibuya Sky's sunset slot sell out days early, book both when you book flights. Reserve shinkansen seats for the two travel mornings. The temples need nothing, they need you early instead.
How do you get in from the airport?
From Narita, the Skyliner to Ueno puts you 10 minutes from the Asakusa hotels; from Haneda, it is one train even quicker. At the far end, Namba to Kansai airport is a single express, which is why the last night is there.
Is ten days enough for Japan?
For the golden route, done properly rather than at a run, yes, and this plan proves it by never leaving a city mid-day. What it saves for next time: Nara's deer and great Buddha (an easy Kyoto add), Hiroshima and Miyajima, an onsen night in the mountains.
How much walking is this, really?
A lot, 15,000-step days are normal here, but always in one cluster at a time: the plan never crosses a city twice in a day, and the two travel mornings are deliberately light. Shoes you trust matter more than any ticket.
12–14 days
Have 12–14 days?
First, break the Tokyo-Kyoto leg at Hakone
An onsen ryokan night in the mountains, dinner in a yukata, Fuji over Lake Ashi if the sky cooperates, turns the travel day into a highlight rather than a transfer.
Add Nara from Kyoto
The Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji and the bowing park deer are 45 minutes from Kyoto Station; it slots cleanly between days 6 and 7 without moving hotels.
Then Hiroshima & Miyajima from Osaka
Ninety minutes down the Sanyo shinkansen: the Peace Memorial in the morning, the floating torii at Miyajima for the afternoon tide. Doable as a long day trip; better as an overnight, ask Robin which your dates favor.
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