2 Weeks in Japan: A Golden Route Itinerary With a Detour Through the Japanese Alps

Days 1–4: Tokyo

(Photo: PIXTA)

Touch down in neon Tokyo and the city hits you all at once: chatter spilling out of izakayas, 3D billboards with cute cats vying for your attention, and off-key ballads escaping from karaoke rooms at all hours, every time a door swings open. Tokyo is dizzyingly chaotic and a world of its own.

Tokyo sprawls across 23 wards (essentially each a mini-city in itself) and, I’d argue, just as many personalities. Instead of zigzagging across it in four days and losing a big chunk of your trip to train rides, tackle one side of the city per day and leave time for getting blissfully distracted. Trust me, you will get distracted.

Day 1: Old Tokyo on the East Side

(Photo: PIXTA)

Photographers, beat the tour buses to Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple by arriving before 8 AM, when lanterns glow over empty stone paths and the five-story pagoda towers toward the sky.

If you want to see the temple in full swing, come between 9 and 11 AM. By then Nakamise Shopping Street’s shutters have rolled up, and the ojisans at the snack stalls are busy frying up piping-hot age-manju. Then slip next door to Asakusa Shrine and try “nirei nihakushu ichirei”: two bows, two claps (kashiwade), one final bow.

From there, it’s a short way to Yanaka, a unique pocket of Tokyo largely spared by the wartime air raids. Get lost in its maze of wooden houses, pocket-sized temples, and cat-themed everything. Wrap up in Ueno with a lap of the park and a rummage through the rowdy stalls of Ameyoko Market, where snacking and shopping are a must!

Day 2: The West Side full of Neon

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Start with a stroll through the tall forest around Meiji Shrine, then hit the Shibuya Scramble mid-morning for the full-on crossing experience. Next, ride the Keio Inokashira Line a few minutes to Shimokitazawa, Tokyo’s gloriously scruffy vintage capital, crammed with thrift racks, record shops and indie coffee bars.

At sundown, there’s nowhere else you need to be but Shinjuku. Squeeze into a six-seat bar in Golden Gai and snack on smoky skewers in Omoide Yokocho. Then, if you’ve ever wanted to live out Tokyo Drift IRL, go to the Klook JDM car meet tour that takes you from the city to the legendary Daikoku Parking Area.

Day 3: A Day Trip Out of the City

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Your day trip outside of Tokyo depends on what you’re after.

Craving mountain air? Trade city lights for cedar forests in Nikko, about two hours north. It’s home to Toshogu, a gilded shrine from the 1600s. See our guide to Nikko here.

Visiting in the sticky summer months? Kamakura, an hour south, is where Tokyoites go to cool off. Rent a board and catch a wave at Yuigahama, then pay your respects to the 11-metre bronze Great Buddha. See our Kamakura guide here.

Hoping to see Fuji-san? A sighting is never guaranteed, but Lake Kawaguchiko is your best bet. It’s about two hours from Shinjuku on the direct Fuji Excursion train. Leave early, rent a bike, and loop the lake, stopping at the chic cafes in town for a bite. See our guide to Lake Kawaguchiko here.

Fuji is notoriously shy and tends to hide behind clouds by the afternoon, so mornings are your golden window.

Day 4: Slow Day for Wandering

Keep day four open. Maybe try out Kiyosumi-Shirakawa’s coffee roasters and its old strolling garden, or hunt down mementos in the Kappabashi kitchenware district. For the evening, stare in awe at views from the Tokyo Skytree or from the free observation decks at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. On a clear day, you might catch Mt. Fuji on the horizon.

Before bed, pack a bag for three nights and send your big suitcase to your Kyoto hotel from the front desk.

Day 5: Tokyo to Takayama

(Photo: PIXTA)

Say sayonara to the neon and ride the Shinkansen to Nagoya, then switch to the Hida Limited Express. This journey takes about four and a half hours in total. Try to snag a left-side seat for a beautiful view of the Hida River through emerald gorges. And don’t panic when the train pulls out backward; just spin your seat around at Gifu.

Arrive mid-afternoon in Takayama, a mountain town at the foot of the Northern Alps, drop your bag, and wander Sanmachi Suji, the Edo-era merchant quarter of dark timber townhouses. Cedar balls (sugidama) dangle above doorways of sake breweries, and many offer tastings. Day-trippers vanish around sunset, so spend a night in Takayama to relish the glow of lamplight softening the latticed facades.

For a typical Takayama specialty dinner, order Hida beef, grilled on skewers or draped over sushi. Vegetarians can order hoba miso roasted on a magnolia leaf (minus the beef), or smoky, savoury mitarashi dango.

Day 6: Takayama Mornings, Shirakawa-go Afternoon

(Photo: PIXTA)

Set an alarm, because you absolutely must drop by the Miyagawa Morning Market. From 7 AM (8 AM in winter) until noon, a 700-metre section of riverside stalls sells savoury snacks, sweet Japanese treats and homemade pickles. Pick up a sarubobo, Takayama’s faceless good-luck doll; it makes a memorable souvenir.

Then climb aboard the 50-minute bus into the mountains to Shirakawa-go, the storybook-perfect, UNESCO-listed village of steep thatched farmhouses. Head up to the Shiroyama observation deck first for the classic panorama, since it closes mid-afternoon. People still live in these homes, so please stay out of private gardens and keep your voice down.

While slightly touristy, it’s a stunning, dreamlike place worth your time. Around late afternoon, catch the onward bus to Kanazawa, about an hour and a quarter away. Book both bus rides in advance, one from Takayama to Shirakawa-go and another onward to Kanazawa. Seats are reservation-only, and there’s no single ticket covering the stopover.

With your suitcase already en route to Kyoto, your backpack brimming with keepsakes is the only thing to carry.

Day 7: Kanazawa

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If Takayama called for hiking boots, Kanazawa is where you swap them for a rented kimono and walk through its historic streets. This former castle town poured its wealth into gardens, crafts, and tea, and it shows.

Beat the throngs (and the ticket fee) at Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s three great gardens. Early visitors enter for free, as long as they leave 15 minutes before paid hours begin.
・April 1 – August 31: 4:00 AM to 6:45 AM
・September 1 – October 15: 5:00 AM to 6:45 AM
・October 16 – October 31: 5:00 AM to 7:45 AM
・November 1 – February 28: 6:00 AM to 7:45 AM
・March 1 – March 31: 5:00 AM to 6:45 AM
Note: During the free hours, only Zuijinzaka Gate and Renchi-mon Gate are open.

Then play samurai for an hour in Nagamachi before eating through Omicho Market, Kanazawa’s 300-year-old kitchen, piled high with seafood. Next, cross the river to Higashi Chaya, the old geisha district, for a soft-serve crowned with an entire sheet of gold leaf.

End the day at The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, where Leandro Erlich’s Swimming Pool lets you peer up from the bottom of a pool.
Note: It’s closed on Mondays and entirely closed from May 2027 to March 2028 for renovations.

Days 8–11: Kyoto + Nara

Take the Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Tsuruga, transfer to the Thunderbird, and you’ll arrive in Kyoto about two hours later, reunited with your suitcase at last!

Kyoto loves early risers and punishes us late sleepers, so for the next three days, fake being a morning person even if you aren’t.

Higashiyama: Be at Kiyomizu-dera when the gates open at 6 AM, then head down to Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka before the souvenir shops open and the hordes arrive.

Arashiyama and the northwest: Walk the bamboo grove at first light to avoid tripping over tripods and dodging selfie sticks. If time allows, make a detour to Otagi Nenbutsuji; it’s my favourite temple in Kyoto. In the afternoon, bus across to Kinkaku-ji, where the Golden Pavilion gleams brightly in the pond’s reflection.

Fushimi Inari: The shrine never closes, so save its vermilion torii tunnels for dawn or dusk.

Nara day trip: Under an hour away by Kintetsu train, Nara is famous for its bowing deer, who will absolutely mug you for crackers. Pay your respects to the colossal bronze Buddha of Todai-ji, then go south into Naramachi, a tangle of latticed merchant houses turned cafés and craft shops.

Days 12–13: Osaka, Plus Himeji or Koyasan

When you take a 30min train from Kyoto to Osaka, the change of atmosphere is instant. Kyoto’s rowdier, food-obsessed sibling, Osaka slaps you on the back and hands you a plate.

Spend Day 12 living by the local motto, kuidaore, roughly “eat until you drop.” Graze your way along Dotonbori beneath the Glico running man and a giant mechanical crab, stopping for takoyaki, okonomiyaki and deep-fried kushikatsu. End with a nightcap or two in one of the many bars. After the whirlwind of a trip so far, you’ve earned it.

On Day 13, pick one:

Himeji (half-day trip):

About an hour west by JR Special Rapid, Himeji Castle is one of Japan’s few original castles, a white fortress nicknamed the White Heron. Set aside 2,500 yen for entry, as prices for non-residents more than doubled in 2026.

Koyasan (overnight swap):

Trade your last Osaka night for a temple lodging (shukubo) or a comfy guesthouse on sacred Koyasan, about two hours from Namba by train, cable car, and bus. If you opt for shukubo, dinner will be shojin ryori, the monks’ plant-based cuisine, which makes it a rare vegetarian jackpot. After dark, wander Okunoin, a lantern-lit cemetery of moss-cloaked tombstones beneath towering cedars, then wake early for morning prayers.

Your suitcase stays behind: stash it in a locker at Nankai Namba or forward it straight to Kansai Airport.

Day 14: Departure

From Namba, the Rapi:t whisks you to Kansai Airport in as little as 34 minutes. Coming down from Koyasan? Allow about three hours: the cable car, the train to Tengachaya, then the airport line.

Before you go, do the last-day konbini run: an egg sando, a salmon onigiri, and all the candy you forgot to buy at Don Quijote.

The Logistics

Luggage forwarding (takkyubin)

Japan’s takkyubin service is the trick that makes this perfect itinerary work without a headache. On the evening of Day 4, hand over your big suitcase to your Tokyo hotel’s front desk, address it to your Kyoto hotel, and pick Day 7 as the delivery date. It costs around 2,600 to 3,200 yen per large case. Meanwhile, you breeze through Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and Kanazawa with a daypack. Before booking, email your Kyoto hotel to confirm they’ll accept a suitcase ahead of your check-in.

Rail passes

Consider skipping the national JR Pass for this itinerary. This route’s JR legs add up to well under even the 7-day pass price, and the Nohi buses, Kintetsu and Nankai trains aren’t covered anyway. The Hokuriku Arch Pass doesn’t cover Takayama either. Buy point-to-point tickets as you go.

Our Recommendation
Single tickets are likely the way to go for this route. The Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass costs a smidge more but bundles every Alps leg into one ticket. The Hokuriku Arch Pass suits a different trip: a Tokyo–Osaka loop back to Tokyo within seven days. Please note that passes are for foreign tourists on Temporary Visitor status only, and fares change often, so double-check before booking.

When to Go

The Alps blush with autumn colour weeks before Kyoto catches up, so late October to November lets you chase the leaves down the route. Time it for October 9–10 and you’ll catch Takayama’s autumn festival floats; April 14–15 brings its spring twin.

Winter turns Shirakawa-go into a snow globe, but its famous light-up is reservation-only. Regular buses leave before it begins, so you’ll need a booked tour or a farmhouse stay.

Alternative Itineraries

・10 days: Tokyo 3 nights, Takayama 1, Kanazawa 1 (via Shirakawa-go), Kyoto 3 with Nara, Osaka 1.
・7 days: Tokyo 2, Takayama 1, then straight to Kyoto for 3.
・16 days: Add two nights in Hiroshima after Osaka.

Japan’s Golden Trinity & Gorgeous Side Trips

So, no more guilt about missing Japan’s offbeat spots. With this mix of classics and countryside, you’ve got neon and thatched roofs, bullet trains and morning markets, and you’ll arrive home rested enough to start daydreaming about your next trip to Japan.

Written by:

Himanshi is a seasoned travel writer, photographer, and graphic designer. After graduating from Ecole Intuit Lab in 2015, she began designing for global brands. Drawn by Japan’s landscapes and culture, she traveled extensively—from Tokyo’s neon-lit streets to the peaks of Hokkaido. She’s also lived in the Seto Inland Sea and volunteered in Fukushima. Through her blog, Nomadic Travelscapes, Himanshi uncovers stories rooted in authenticity instead of influencer-led experiences. Her work has been exhibited at Nox Gallery, Tokyo.