{"id":53905,"date":"2026-11-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/check-in-out.com\/?p=53905"},"modified":"2026-11-03T03:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T01:00:37","slug":"japan-itinerary-osaka-kyoto-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/check-in-out.com\/en\/japan-itinerary-osaka-kyoto-tokyo\/","title":{"rendered":"A Japan Itinerary: Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Japan is an archipelago in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, east of China, in Asia.
Japan<\/a> is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The main islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu, make up 97% of Japan’s land area.
Most of the main cities and hubs are on the largest island, Honshu.\u00a0
On this Japan itinerary I focused on Honshu.<\/p>\n

Japan was a closed country for a very long time and was hardly visited by tourists until it began opening up to the outside world a few decades ago, which led to a steady rise in the number of tourists visiting each year. People who visited in the past can compare and say that places that were barely touristy 20 years ago are bustling with visitors today.<\/p>\n

Its isolation led it to develop an extraordinary culture, very different from what Westerners are used to: the strictness of its workers, the rules of behavior, the order, the cleanliness and the Japanese “crazy” leisure culture. All this and more makes for an extraordinary experience for the casual tourist.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The posts in this series on a trip to Japan were written by Eyal Elron.\u00a0
Eyal is an architect interested in special cultures, museums, cartoons and cherry blossoms.
Feel free to follow his Instagram page<\/a> And ladies, he’s single.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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General Information<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Everything you need to know before a trip to Japan.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Local currency in Japan<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The local currency in Japan is the yen (JPY).
Cards are accepted in many places, but cash is still widely used, so it’s worth carrying some. ATMs are easy to find, for example at 7-Eleven stores and post offices.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Local time in Japan<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Local time in Japan is GMT\u200e+9\u200e<\/span>.
Japan doesn’t use daylight saving time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When to visit Japan<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Japan has two popular tourist seasons.
Autumn, September to November:<\/strong> characterized by pleasant weather.\u00a0
In this season the humidity, typhoons and rain decrease and the leaves change color. Japan’s autumn foliage is among the most beautiful in the world, especially in its gardens.
Spring, March to May: <\/strong>This period has various blooms, the main one being the cherry blossom, which paints the landscape in shades of pink and white.\u00a0The bloom across the country lasts about six weeks, but in each area it lasts only a few days.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every January the Japan Meteorological Agency issues an update with estimated blooming dates.
For the forecast click here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Japan Itinerary<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The trip to Japan was planned carefully a few months before the flight.\u00a0
The island I traveled on is Honshu. The trip started in southwestern Japan and ended in northeastern Japan.
In this post I’ll share the itinerary in general, and in the following posts in the series I’ll go into more detail about each area I visited.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 1<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Flights and arrival in Japan.
The first day of the trip was devoted entirely to the flight to Japan. Since there were no direct flights from Israel to Japan at the time, I had to take a connecting flight.
I landed in Osaka and set off from there on my trip in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 2: Arriving in Osaka<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Arriving inOsaka<\/a> Chuo Ward: the Namba district
Nakanoshima island: the city hall
Bank of Japan, Dotonbori: a shopping and food hub<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 3: Osaka<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Osaka Castle
Osaka Business Park
Joto Ward: residential
Kita Ward: the north of the city, malls and offices<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 4: Kobe<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kobe: Kobe Port, the waterfront, promenade, Kobe Tower, the Maritime Museum, the children’s museum, boat trips
East Kobe park
Memorials to the Great Hanshin Earthquake
The city center: Flower Road, malls, the Sannomiya pedestrian street
Sorakuen Japanese garden
Mount Suwayama: a walking trail, a Shinto shrine, the Venus Bridge and a view over the city
(Places I didn’t see but are worth it: the earthquake museum, the Kobe City Museum, the Rokko housing complex.)
For the post on our Kobe itinerary: click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 5: Himeji<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Himeji Castle, the White Heron
Senhime botanical garden
Koko-en Japanese garden
The park around the castle grounds
Himeji Piole mall
(Places I didn’t visit: the Himeji City Museum of Art and the Hyogo Prefectural Museum.)
For the post on our Himeji itinerary: click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 6: Nara<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Deer Park: including lots of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, gardens and small ponds
Kofuku-ji Buddhist temple and pagoda
(Places I didn’t go into: the Nara National Museum (in the park grounds), the Buddhism museum, the toy museum, and Mount Wakakusa with its view over the city.)
For the post on our Nara itinerary:\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 7: Osaka and Arrival in Kyoto<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Umeda Sky Building viewpoint
Shin-Osaka station complex
Namba Yasaka Shrine
Den Den Nipponbashi
Tsutenkaku observation tower
A Japanese garden in the area of the zoo and the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts
(Worth seeing, but I didn’t go in or didn’t get there: Abeno Harukas, at the time the tallest building in Japan; the National Museum of Art (a strange, cool building); the science museum; the Port of Osaka and Japan’s largest aquarium.)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 8: Kyoto<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Shimogyo lower ward area
Shosei-en Japanese garden
Higashi Hongan-ji temple complex
The area around Kyoto’s main train station
Kyoto Tower viewpoint and Umekoji Park (near the Kyoto Aquarium)
To-ji pagoda complex\u00a0
Wandering the streets of the central Nakagyo ward<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 9: Kyoto<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The central Nakagyo ward area
Nijo Castle complex and the upper Kamigyo ward
The Kyoto Imperial Palace gardens complex
A visit to the State Guest House in the gardens
Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
Hirano Shrine complex (a cherry blossom event)
The Pok\u00e9mon Center Kyoto<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 10: Kyoto<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kyoto \u00a0
Arashiyama bamboo forest
Temples and Japanese gardens (there’s also a monkey park, but I didn’t go in)
The Kyoto International Manga Museum
The Museum of Kyoto<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 11: Kyoto<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Fushimi Inari complex\u00a0
Tofuku-ji temple complex\u00a0\u00a0
Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion\u00a0
Honen-in temple\u00a0
The mausoleum of Emperor Reizei
The Philosopher’s Path
Yoshidayama hill
Kyoto University
Kimeiji temple
The Jingu torii gate\u00a0
The complex of the municipal art museum and the National Museum of Modern Art (I didn’t go into the museums)
Minami-za kabuki theater<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 12: Kyoto and Arrival in Nagoya<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Maruyama Park: a large complex of temples
The Gion district; Nagoya: a research center
Prostho Museum
The southern part of Naka, the central ward<\/p>\n

For the full Nagoya itinerary: click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 13: Nagoya and Arrival in Kanazawa<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Hisaya Odori Park central area \u00a0
Oasis 21, a shopping center with a glass roof and a pool
Nagoya TV Tower viewpoint
Nagoya government offices
Nagoya Castle complex; Kanazawa
A short wander through the streets near the Asano River<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 14: Kanazawa<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Omicho, the main market
Kanazawa Castle complex
Kenroku-en Japanese garden
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
The samurai districts
The teahouse and geisha district (a geisha performance in the evening).<\/p>\n

For the full Kanazawa itinerary: click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 15: Takayama<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The old government complex, Takayama Jinya
The Nakabashi park area: the middle bridge
Shoren-ji temple on a hill with a view over the city
The Sakurayama shrine complex, where the high point of the spring festival takes place<\/p>\n

For the full Takayama itinerary: click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 16: Tokyo<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shinjuku Ward<\/strong>
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
The area around the main train station
The government buildings area
Tokyo City Hall: north and south observatories
Central Park: a picnic in the evening<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 17: Tokyo<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shinjuku Ward<\/strong>
The ward center
The city hall area and Central Park by day
Shibuya Ward<\/strong>
Shibafu Park and Meiji Shrine
Part of Harajuku Street
Aoyama Avenue
Jingu Gaien avenue and the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
The Imperial Palace complex
Chiyoda Ward<\/strong>
The Tokyo Imperial Palace gardens complex (I didn’t have time to go in)
The Ginza district
A kabuki play at the Kabuki-za theater<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 18: Hakone<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0The Yumoto area (a central area with caf\u00e9s and hot springs, or onsen)
The Gora area (a little less central)\u00a0
Gora Park: including a teahouse and a botanical garden
The Hakone Open-Air Museum and the Picasso Pavilion
Tenyu Onsen bathhouse
A cable car climbs up the ridge to a viewpoint
You can go down to the foot of the ridge and take a boat on Lake Ashi<\/p>\n

For the full Hakone itinerary: click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 19: Tokyo<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shibuya Ward, the ward center.
The main crossing, malls and shops<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 20: Tokyo<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shibuya Ward<\/strong>
Yoyogi Park
The rest of Harajuku Street and the nearby streets
Between Mitaka and Musashino
Inokashira Park
The Ghibli Museum (I didn’t go in).
Nakano Ward<\/strong>
The Nakano Broadway area: lots of anime shops
The center area<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 21: Tokyo<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sumida Ward<\/strong>
Tokyo Skytree viewpoint (it was foggy, so I didn’t go up)
Sumida Park
Koto Ward<\/strong>
Kiba Park
Chuo Ward
The capsule tower
Hamarikyu Gardens
Minato Ward<\/strong>
Shiba Park and Zojo-ji temple
Tokyo Tower viewpoint\u00a0
Roppongi: the Tokyo Midtown area
The National Art Center, Tokyo
Koto Ward<\/strong>
The artificial island of Odaiba
The teamLab Borderless digital art exhibition
Shibuya Ward
Wandering the southern districts<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Day 22<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Flights back to Israel.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Japan Itinerary: Where I Stayed<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To keep the trip’s costs down, I chose to stay in hostels for most of the trip.
A little in general:<\/strong> At many hostels in Japan you’ll be asked to take off your shoes at the entrance and put them in a nearby locker, then walk around in slippers provided by the hostel. The hostel has a common area with a seating corner and a dining corner with a kitchenette, then the men’s and women’s restrooms and then the bedrooms. The men’s restroom has several urinals and several toilet stalls (I’ll write about the Japanese toilet another time), two long stations for brushing teeth and shaving, and several shower stalls.<\/p>\n

Note<\/b> that in the tourist seasons in Japan most hotels and hostels are fully booked, so it’s best to book accommodation as far in advance as possible.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hostel in Osaka: Iloha Hostel Namba Shinsaibashi <\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The hostel I stayed at had only two bedrooms: one with two bunk beds (four people) and another with what looked like (!) 40 bunk beds. In fact, the room looked as if it were split in two, because in the middle there was a wall with ten bunk beds on each side, and along each of the two long walls of the room there were another ten bunk beds, with a narrow corridor between the row along the outer wall and the row along the inner wall.
The beds aren’t really bunk beds but single beds arranged in a zigzag: one bed up, then the one opposite and the one next to it down, and vice versa, so a person sitting on a lower bed won’t see another person opposite, because the person in the bed opposite will be on an upper bed. Beyond that you have a small curtain you can draw for complete privacy.
On the day you have to leave the hostel, you can ask them to store your luggage if you want to keep exploring the city and come back to pick it up later, when you want to move on to your next destination.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hostel in Kyoto: Centurion Cabin & Spa Kyoto<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This hostel, like the previous one, also has several very large rooms with many bunk beds. The rooms are on the upper floors, while on the ground floor, besides reception, there’s a counter selling various food and drinks that you can eat and drink in the nearby seating area. There’s also a basement floor with the showers and the shared hot bath.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hotel in Nagoya: Hotel Silk Tree Nagoya<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The first time on the trip that I stayed in my own hotel room rather than a shared room.
The hotel is on <\/span><\/span>Nishiki<\/span><\/span> right in the city center, a 5-minute walk from the train station.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Guesthouse in Kanazawa: Ryokan Yamamuro<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A kind of guesthouse whose rooms<\/span><\/span> are designed to resemble <\/span><\/span>a Ryokan,<\/span><\/span>a traditional Japanese inn<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span>Inns like these were very common in Japan in the past; today there are far fewer, mostly in more rural areas. There are some in the cities too, but few, and the alternative is hostels or hotels whose rooms are designed like these<\/span><\/span> guesthouses<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span>The inn where I stayed was in a very central area, so I could reach different places in the city within \u00a0<\/span><\/span>10-20<\/span><\/span>minutes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hotel in Takayama: Hodakaso Yamano Iori<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The hotel I stayed at is less than a ten-minute walk from the train station and close to the various tourist sites.
This hotel also resembles a traditional inn to some extent, but only a little: the wooden floor and the yellow-green paper covering the walls in the entrance hall and corridors. There are two floors with corridors of guest rooms, and the room is a kind of hybrid between a hotel room and a ryokan, in that it has various elements reminiscent of a ryokan, such as the tatami, the futon and the wall coverings, but beyond that it’s a hotel room in every way. So if you want to experience staying in a traditional inn, this isn’t the right place, since it only resembles one to some extent.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a suitable place when I was looking for accommodation, because I booked about a month before the flight. Ideally, in a popular period like spring, it’s best to book several months ahead.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Capsule hotel in Tokyo: Capsule Hotel Transit Shinjuku<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In Tokyo I decided to stay in a capsule hotel, a very common type of hotel in Japan designed to provide minimalist accommodation for a large number of people in one place, who usually come to the city for work and stay a night or two before finishing their business and returning home. The hotel is a building of several floors. The first floor has the reception and the hotel’s various facilities: showers, toilets, washing machines and computer stations for personal use, as well as small lockers where you can store your gear (if it’s a small bag and limited gear, enough for someone coming for a day or two). The upper floors have the sleeping rooms, with one large room on each floor containing many capsules used by the hotel’s guests, and a few restrooms. The particular hotel where I stayed also had lots of shelves of manga that guests can take to read and of course return afterwards.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hotel in Hakone: Hotel Hakone Terrace Annex<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The hotel is some way from Gora train station. Because the area is hilly, walking there from the station is difficult and strenuous, but you can take the cable car one stop up to the park area, from where the walk is a bit shorter. But if you’re staying in Gora anyway, it’s better to be as close as possible to the train station.<\/p>\n

The hotel itself is made up of two buildings, one with rooms, reception and a restaurant, and the other with rooms only, where I stayed. They’re a three-minute walk apart, which is a bit awkward if you need to talk to the reception staff and then go back to your room, and vice versa.<\/div>\n
The room itself is actually an apartment with two rooms that can be used for sleeping and another small living room with an equipped kitchen, which suits a long stay in the area. The price was relatively cheap for an apartment of this size, and fair given the hotel’s less than ideal location relative to the main sights and the train station.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Hotel in Tokyo: APA Hotel Shibuya Dogenzakaue<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pleasant, nothing special. I was in a single room that was small (as befits Japan) but pleasant. A large, roomy bed on which a folded yukata (the traditional robe) was waiting for me, and on top of it a small origami crane that put a smile on my face. There was also a TV where I could channel-surf and enjoy the crazy Japanese shows.
The hotel is in the southern part of Shibuya, about a 7-minute walk from the train station.
It’s on a street packed with shops, caf\u00e9s and other attractions.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Map of the Japan itinerary<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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