Japan’s Golden Route: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka in 10 Days

On arrival at Narita or Haneda airport, you are met and taken by private car to your hotel in central Tokyo. After check-in, take some time to rest. In the early evening, take a gentle walk around your neighborhood, perhaps to the lights of Shinjuku or the backstreet bars of Omoide Yokocho, where tiny counters serve grilled skewers. Your guide will contact you to confirm the plan for the coming days and give you a transport card for the trains and subway.Overnight: Tokyo

Meet your guide in the morning and travel by subway to Asakusa for Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, reached through the Kaminarimon gate and the stalls of Nakamise Street. Continue to the Meiji Shrine, set in a forest in the middle of the city, and walk through Harajuku and the elegant avenue of Omotesando. End the afternoon at the Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest intersections in the world, best seen from above. Your guide will show you how to use the trains with confidence.Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B

Start at the Tsukiji Outer Market, where small stalls sell fresh seafood, knives and snacks such as tamagoyaki, the sweet rolled omelet. Walk on to the Hamarikyu Gardens, a former shogun's garden with a teahouse on a pond, and then to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, laid out on the grounds of Edo Castle. Spend the late afternoon in Ginza, Tokyo's smartest shopping district. The evening is free to explore on your own.Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B

Send your large luggage ahead to Kyoto by courier and take the train to Hakone with an overnight bag. Visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum, with sculptures set in gardens, then ride the ropeway over Owakudani, a steaming volcanic valley. Cruise across Lake Ashi, where on clear days Mount Fuji appears above the hills, and walk to the red torii of Hakone Shrine at the water's edge. Spend the evening at your ryokan, with hot-spring baths and a traditional kaiseki dinner.Overnight: Hakone · Meals: B, D

After a Japanese breakfast at the ryokan, travel to Odawara and board the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto, about two hours. Meet your Kyoto guide and head to Fushimi Inari Shrine, where thousands of vermilion torii gates form tunnels up the wooded slopes of Mount Inari. Walk as far up as you like before returning to town. In the evening, stroll through Gion, the old geisha district, along the stone lanes of Hanamikoji and the willow-lined Shirakawa canal.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Visit Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, its gold-leaf walls reflected in a mirror pond, and the nearby Zen rock garden of Ryoan-ji. In the afternoon, head west to Arashiyama. Walk through the tall bamboo grove, then visit Tenryu-ji, a Zen temple whose garden borrows the view of the hills behind it. Cross the Togetsukyo bridge over the river and, if you like, take the short climb to Okochi Sanso villa for its garden and tea.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Start early at Kiyomizu-dera, the hillside temple whose wooden stage looks out over the city. Walk down the old stone lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, lined with tea shops and pottery stores, to Yasaka Shrine. After lunch, browse Nishiki Market, known as Kyoto's kitchen, for pickles, sweets and grilled snacks. Later, visit Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, and walk the Philosopher's Path beside a quiet canal. The evening is free.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Take the train to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital. Walk through Nara Park, where hundreds of deer wander freely and bow to visitors, to Todai-ji, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world and home to a 15-meter bronze Buddha. Continue through the forest to Kasuga Taisha, famous for its hundreds of stone and bronze lanterns. In the afternoon, travel on to Osaka, where your luggage awaits. In the evening, walk the neon-lit canal of Dotonbori.Overnight: Osaka · Meals: B

Visit Osaka Castle, rebuilt in the 20th century on its original stone walls, and walk the moats and park around it. Continue to Kuromon Market to graze on fresh seafood and fruit, then explore the retro district of Shinsekai below Tsutenkaku Tower, known for kushikatsu, deep-fried skewers. In the late afternoon, enjoy the view from the Umeda Sky Building. Alternatively, take a day trip to Himeji Castle, the finest original castle in Japan.Overnight: Osaka · Meals: B

Enjoy breakfast and some free time for last-minute shopping, depending on your flight. You are then taken to Kansai International Airport, about an hour away, for your flight home. Osaka has direct flights to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul and Shanghai, so it is easy to continue your journey to Vietnam, Korea or China with us.Meals: B