TL;DR
14-day first trip to Japan in early December covering Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Osaka, then back to Tokyo.
Highlights were Mount Fuji day trip, Kiyomizu-dera at night, Miyajima ryokan stay, and Osaka food tour.
Biggest challenges were crowds and navigating large stations (especially Shinjuku).
Shinkansen and luggage forwarding were easy. Convenience store breakfasts are elite. Would absolutely recommend this route and season.
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Trip Report: 14 Days in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Osaka)
Time of year: Early December
Type: First-time visit (honeymoon)
Pace: Moderate (around 15k steps per day)
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Tokyo (Days 1–5)
Day 1
• Arrived at Narita Airport around 11:45
• Narita Express to Shinjuku
• Hotel Gracery Shinjuku check-in
• Ichiran ramen
• 7/11 for snacks and breakfasts
• Walked around Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho
Thoughts:
Shinjuku is extremely busy and slightly seedy in places but we never felt unsafe. It is a great base for transport, but Shinjuku Station is genuinely confusing, especially with luggage. Best tip is to get outside at any exit close to your destination and navigate from street level.
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Day 2
• Walk to Meiji Shrine
• Gardens
• Harajuku shopping
• Lunch at Menchirashi
• Shibuya Sky at sunset
• Dinner at Gyukatsu Motomura
Thoughts:
Shibuya Sky was worth doing but very influencer heavy. Escalators get clogged with people filming, so something to keep in mind.
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Day 3
• Tsukiji Market in the morning
• Itoya stationery store
• Lunch at Ginza Kagari
• Wandering around Ginza
• Dinner at Burger Revolution
• Mori Tower and garden walk
• Keyakizaka illumination
Thoughts:
This was a big shopping day. Burger Revolution was a surprise highlight. Not Japanese food, but really nice if you want something Western.
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Day 4
• Senso-ji Temple
• Asakusa Sumo Show with lunch
• Kappabashi Street
• Ueno Park
• Ameya Yokocho Market
• Dinner at Sushiro
Thoughts:
The sumo show was good fun. Very touristy but it was a laugh & included lunch. There was audience participation and the sumos were retired professionals who seemed to love their job.
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Day 5
• Luggage forwarded to Kyoto
• Mount Fuji day trip with GoGo Days
• Chureito Pagoda and Fuji Asama Shrine
• Oishi Park
• Bus back to Tokyo
• Relaxed evening
Thoughts:
Mount Fuji day trip was incredible and a great break from city life. Highly recommend if the weather is clear. Not sure if it would have been worth it if there was no view. You can check the visibility in advance and we only booked on the day before.
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Kyoto (Days 6–8)
Day 6
• Early Shinkansen to Kyoto
• Wagyu lunch in Gion
• Nishiki Market
• Check-in at Candeo Hotels Kyoto
• Pontocho Alley
• Evening walk in Gion
Thoughts:
Kyoto felt much more traditional than Tokyo but noticeably more crowded. I can see why locals are annoyed by the level of tourists as it just isn’t big enough to cope in the way Tokyo can. Still beautiful and worth it. We had a Wagyu omakase (Bungo) which was amazing and a nice treat.
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Day 7
• Kintetsu train to Nara
• Nara Park
• Todaiji Temple and Great Buddha
• Return to Kyoto
• Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka
• Kiyomizu-dera in the evening
• Convenience store dinner
Thoughts:
This was our busiest day by far but well worth it. Kiyomizu-dera at night was stunning and my top Kyoto recommendation. Nara Park was great but the deer can be a little bit excitable so don’t wear anything nice as they can headbutt or bite.
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Day 8
• Fushimi Inari Taisha
• Small bamboo grove near Fushimi Inari
• TeamLab Kyoto
• Ramen near hotel
Thoughts:
Very busy at the start of Fushimi Inari but thins out quickly. There’s a small bamboo grove just off it and it was so quiet when we were there – just difficult to find. TeamLab Kyoto is pretty new so not talked about much but it’s well worth doing.
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Hiroshima & Miyajima (Days 9–10)
Day 9
• Luggage forwarded to Osaka
• Shinkansen to Hiroshima
• Train and ferry to Miyajima
• Itsukushima Shrine at high tide
• Check-in at Iwaso ryokan
Thoughts:
Miyajima was calm and scenic. Ryokan stay was a highlight, although the food is very traditional and not for everyone. My husband barely ate while we were there but I enjoyed it! Something to bear in mind if you’re not too much of an adventurous eater as there isn’t really anywhere open on the island at night for dinner.
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Day 10
• Itsukushima Shrine at low tide
• Ferry back to Hiroshima
• Peace Memorial Park and Museum
• Shinkansen to Osaka
• Check-in at Voco Osaka Central
• Evening in Dotonbori
Thoughts:
Peace Museum was intense and emotionally heavy. Not essential if you’re struggling to find the time, but very impactful. If you’re visiting Miyajima there’s a ferry directly from the island to the Peace Park. Dotonbori was a great contrast after Miyajima.
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Osaka (Days 11–12)
Day 11
• Slow morning
• Osaka Castle and gardens
• Amerikamura
• Shinsaibashi shopping
• Shinsekai food tour
Thoughts:
Osaka felt similar to Tokyo but more relaxed. Food tour was a highlight and totally worth booking. We tried some very strange looking restaurants but they had some great food!
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Day 12
• Namba Shrine
• Aquarium & Universal CityWalk
• Arcades
• Evening walk around Dotonbori
Thoughts:
Chaotic but fun. Namba shrine isn’t worth it much. We visited Osaka Aquarium which is huge but not really sure on the welfare of some of the animals – the tank for the dolphins seemed quite small.
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Tokyo (Days 13–14)
Day 13
• Shinkansen back to Tokyo
• Check-in at Mitsui Garden Hotel Ueno
• Donki souvenir shopping
• Sake at a small local bar
• Ramen near Ueno Station
Thoughts:
Ueno was much calmer than Shinjuku and a great final base as it’s on the Skyliner route back to Narita.
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Final Tips
• Every city in Japan feels genuinely different. Tours were great to get a feel of how the locals live in different areas.
• Crowds were the hardest part, especially poor spatial awareness. This really did get to me by the end of the trip. As someone used to big cities, Japan felt awful for this with people walking into you, staring at their phones, blocking the pavement… Someone was even playing on their Nintendo Switch walking around Shinjuku.
• Shinkansen is very easy to use and well signposted. Just give yourself enough time to get to the platforms.
• Book the Shinkansen early if you want specific seats or luggage space.
• Convenience store breakfasts are underrated and very good. Saves time and the maple syrup & margarine pancakes were amazing.
• You do not need much cash, ATMs are everywhere. We took a couple of hundred £ worth of ¥ and “had to” use up the final bits in the arcades.
• Luggage forwarding is great but requires planning for early departures. Sometimes Yamato offices or hotel desks might not be open early enough so may need to be sent a day prior. Also check in advance with the recipient hotel how early they’ll take the luggage.
• Flying home from Osaka would have avoided the final long train ride, but returning to Tokyo worked fine. It was much cheaper for us to do it this way but if you only need to pay slightly more to fly back from Osaka then it’ll save time (& maybe money when factoring in the Shinkansen).
by Lynberi