One month in Japan: the ultimate itinerary

I’ve wanted to go to Japan for as long as I can remember and I don’t know why it took me so long to finally get there. We flew in from South Korea towards the end of three months travelling, and when we arrived we hadn’t even fully planned our itinerary.

In the end, we stayed four weeks, travelling around the key spots on Honshu as well as some lesser-explored areas and ending with a week in Okinawa. 

We visited:

• Osaka

• Kyoto

• Nara

• Nagano

• Shibu Onsen

• Kiso Valley

• Hakone

• Tokyo

• Okinawa Honto

• Ishigaki

This is our full 4-week Japan itinerary (and here’s what to pack). 

Days 1-4: Osaka

We flew into Osaka from Seoul and stayed for three nights at Hotel The Flag in Shinsaibashi. It was a great spot as the area is really buzzy, and is only a short walk from Dotonbori and Namba. The city is easy to travel around using the subway and train. 

Our favourite places we visited were:

• Dotonbori – the entertainment district famous for its billboards. 

• Osaka Castle - a historic site with large grounds that you can explore for free. 

• Hep Five - a large shopping mall with Japanese shops. 

• Osaka Tenmangu Shrine - a small, active place of worship in Umeda. 

• Hankyu - Japanese Harrods with an amazing food hall. 

• mipig cafe 大阪店 - the best place in Osaka to hang out with micro pigs. 

• Animal Cafe Fairy Room - a cat cafe with lots of different breeds, as well as two dogs, a genet, and a fennec fox!

• Shin Sekai - a vintage entertainment district in central Osaka. 

Find out more about our four days in Osaka, including our favourite places to eat and drink, here. 

Days 5-8: Kyoto

We caught the train from Osaka to Kyoto, which takes about 50 minutes. We stayed in the Sanjo area of Kyoto, which is in the centre not far from the river.

Our favourite things to do in Kyoto were:

• Nishiki Market

• Kiyomizu-dera temple

• Walking along the Kamo river

• Kōdai-ji Temple and bamboo grove

• Glanta ring workshop

• Giōji Temple

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

• Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple

• Fushimi Inari

• Nara deer park 

Find out more about how we spent three days in Kyoto here. 

Days 9-10: Nagano

A lot of our trip to Japan was spent in cities. So we chose to spend a few days in the forest near Nagano for a bit of fresh air and to relax at an onsen before eventually heading to Tokyo. 

These were our highlights from our time in Nagano.

• Shibu Onsen

• Snow monkey park

• Joshinetsu Kogen National Park

• Hokusai Museum

• Matsumoto Castle

• Matsumoto City Museum of Art

• Narai-juku 中山道 奈良井宿

Find out more about how we spent two days in Nagano here. 

Days 11-12: Mount Fuji

During our visit in May, Mount Fuji wasn’t yet open for hiking. But we stayed on the lake in the beautiful Fujikawaguchiko and spent two days exploring the Five Lakes area. These were our highlights:

• Oshino Hakkai 

• Aokigahara Forest

• Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine and Chureito Pagoda

• Lake Kawaguchi

• Oishi Park

• Fujikawaguchiko

Find out more about how we spent two days in Fujikawaguchiko here.

Days 13-14: Hakone

The town of Hakone isn’t far from Mount Fuji. So we only had to drive about an hour from Fujikawaguchiko. We came to Hakone because it’s famous for its onsens. But having just spent two days relaxing at Shibu Onsen we decided to spend more time exploring the area instead. 

We spent two nights at the beautiful Hakone Resort Före, which has two gender-separated onsens (which you can’t enter with tattoos that are too large to cover with a 10x10 cm plaster) as well as a cafe with free coffee, amazing buffet-style dinners and breakfasts, and free wine in the terrace area between 3-6pm every day. 

On our only full day in Hakone we did the Hakone loop circuit which took us to:

• Lake Ashi - which you cross on a pirate-style ship that sails between Hakonemachi-ko, Motohakone and its floating torii gate, and Togendai.

• Owakudani - a geothermal area 1,044 metres up Mount Hakone, where you can buy black eggs cooked in the natural hot springs. It’s accessible by road or ropeway.

• The Hakone ropeway and cable car - which we caught between Togendai, Owakudani, Souzan, and Gora.

• Hakone Open Air Museum - this is definitely the best stop on the Hakone round course. The rest of the loop feels like being carted around from place to place, but this was a proper activity. We spent about 2 hours exploring every exhibit, from the large outdoor sculptures to the Picasso gallery. We were lucky with the weather as the gardens wouldn’t be as fun to walk around in the rain. But even if you don’t do the loop, the Open Air Museum is a highlight of Hakone.

Days 15-21: Tokyo

Tokyo needs no introduction. The capital of Tokyo is more than just a city. It’s a sprawling metropolis that’s made up of six large prefectures and home to more than 14 million residents. 

To see Tokyo in a week is impossible. But these were the highlights from what we were able to fit in:

• Go to see a sumo tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena.

• Watch the iconic Shibuya Crossing from above.

• Check out the bright lights of Shinjuku.

• Go shopping in Harajuku.

• Wander through Akihabara Electric Town.

• Take in the view from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

• Explore a suburb like Meguro City.

• Visit the French area of Kagurazaka. 

• Experience the blend of modern and traditional Japanese culture in Asakusa. 

• Relax at the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. 

• Shop at the flagship Uniqlo and Muji stores in Ginza. 

• Go to a gig at O-East or one of Tokyo’s other famous clubs.

Find out more about how we spent a week in Tokyo here.

Days 22-23: Hiroshima

We were supposed to spend two nights in Hiroshima, but ended up extending our time in Tokyo by one night to fit in a show. This meant we had less than 24 hours in Hiroshima, which is a shame as it’s a city with such a deep and interesting history.

We would have liked to go to Rabbit Island and explore more of the city if we had more time. But with less than 24 hours to make the most of what Hiroshima has to offer, this is what we did:

• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a harrowing but amazing history of the city 

• Atomic Bomb Dome and the Aioi Bridge which was the original target for the bomb

• The Hypocenter, which is fascinating in how understated its monument is. 

Days 24-26: Okinawa Honto

We spent four nights on Okinawa’s main island at the end of our Japan trip. This meant we were there right at the start of the rainy season, at the end of May. But that didn’t stop us from having fun! 

These were our top things to do in Okinawa, even when it’s raining:

• Gorilla Chop and Sakimobotu Green Space

• Cape Manzamo

• Kokusai-dori in Naha

• Busena Marine Park Underwater Observatory 

• AEON MALL Okinawa Rycom

• Sesoko Island

• Manza Beach Ocean Park

• Bise-Fukugi Tree Road

Read more about our rainy week in Okinawa here. 

Days 27-29: Ishigaki, Yaeyama Islands 

I finally lived my dream of visiting the Yaeyama Islands at the very end of our Asia adventure. We spent three days in Ishigaki in May, which is the start of the wet season. And while the weather wasn’t on our side we still had fun exploring the islands and beaches. 

Here’s what we did:

• Yonehara Beach

• Taketomi Island

• Kabira Bay

• Sukuji Beach

• Osaki Beach

• Yoneko Yaki Kobo Shisa Farm

• Ishigakijima Village

Find out more about how we spent three days in Ishigaki here.