How to Plan a 14-Day Japan Itinerary
Sep 4, 2025
CTA 1: Still choosing between the classic route, a slower family trip, or a honeymoon version? Ask us to shape the route around your dates
Fourteen days is one of the strongest trip lengths for Japan. A good 14 day japan itinerary gives you enough time for Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and one or two regional additions without turning every day into a luggage transfer. A 14-day Japan itinerary works best when it has a clear purpose: classic first trip, slower family trip, honeymoon, food-focused route or deeper second-trip route.
This guide gives you five ways to plan a Japan itinerary 14 days long, with the first-timer and honeymoon versions written day by day. Use it to compare pacing, train time, stay areas, route tradeoffs and cost bands before you lock in flights and hotels. Trip To Japan can then turn the route you like into a custom plan with realistic transport, vetted experience options and guide support where it adds value.
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This is the strongest default route if it is your first time in Japan: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima/Miyajima. It gives you big-city energy, temples, food, onsen, bullet trains and one deeper historical day without adding too many hotel changes.
Choose this if you want the clearest first-trip route and are comfortable with a few early train starts. Skip Hiroshima and Miyajima if you dislike long day trips or want a slower Kyoto and Tokyo pace.
Days 1-4: Tokyo. Use Tokyo as your arrival buffer and cultural reset. On day 1, keep the plan light: check in, set up an IC card if needed and eat near your hotel. Days 2 and 3 can cover the classic east-west contrast: Asakusa and Ueno on one side, Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Shrine on the other. Day 4 works as a flexible day for Tsukiji/Toyosu, Akihabara, teamLab, a private food tour or a day trip to Kamakura if you want coast and temples.
Days 5-6: Hakone. Travel from Tokyo to Hakone; the train-and-local-transfer journey usually takes around 1.5-2.5 hours depending on your Tokyo hotel and Hakone stay area. Send your large luggage ahead to Kyoto if you want the ryokan night to feel easy. Hakone is best treated as a slower break, not just a Fuji photo stop. Do the loop course, Lake Ashi, the ropeway if weather is good and an onsen ryokan dinner. If clear Mt Fuji views matter more than ryokan atmosphere, compare Hakone with Kawaguchiko before choosing.
Days 7-9: Kyoto. Take the Shinkansen from Odawara or the Hakone area toward Kyoto; expect roughly 2-3 hours of train time before hotel transfer. Three nights is the minimum that feels reasonable for Kyoto on a 14-day Japan trip. Put Fushimi Inari early in the morning, pair Arashiyama with a quieter northern Kyoto afternoon and keep one evening for Gion or Pontocho. If you want a guided cultural experience, Kyoto is where a private tea ceremony, crafts workshop or specialist guide usually adds the most value.
Day 10: Nara. Nara is easy from Kyoto or Osaka and does not need a hotel change. The one-way rail trip is usually 35-60 minutes depending on your station and train. Keep it focused: Todai-ji, Nara Park, Kasuga Taisha and a slower lunch before returning. Families may want to cut the day shorter; temple-heavy travelers may want a guide to avoid turning the day into a list of shrines with no context.
Days 11-12: Osaka. Osaka works best when you let it be different from Kyoto. Stay in Namba or Shinsaibashi if food and nightlife matter, or near Shin-Osaka if you want the easiest rail logistics. Kyoto to Osaka is usually 15-45 minutes by train depending on stations, so do not overthink the transfer. Use one day for Osaka Castle, Shinsekai and Dotonbori, and one day for a food-led plan around Kuromon Market, Ura-Namba or a guided street food evening.
Day 13: Hiroshima and Miyajima. This is the highest-value add-on if you want one more major region. Osaka to Hiroshima by Shinkansen is roughly 1.5 hours each way before the Miyajima ferry connection, so a day trip is possible but long. One night in Hiroshima is calmer. If your pace already feels full, skip Hiroshima and add one night to Kyoto and one to Tokyo. That is not a downgrade; it is a better trip for travelers who dislike early trains.
Day 14: Departure. The cleanest version is open-jaw: fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka/Kansai, or reverse it. Returning from Osaka to Tokyo on the final day can add roughly 2.5-3 hours of train time before airport transfer, so only do it if your international flights make it unavoidable.
Route tradeoff: This route is broad rather than slow. It is excellent for a first-time two week Japan trip, but it asks you to manage a ryokan transfer, Kyoto/Osaka split and a possible Hiroshima long day. If you want more depth, remove Hiroshima. If you want more nature, swap Hiroshima for Kanazawa or add a Fuji-area night.
Transport note: Main legs are Tokyo -> Hakone, Hakone/Odawara -> Kyoto, Kyoto -> Osaka/Nara and Osaka -> Hiroshima/Miyajima if included. Luggage forwarding from Tokyo to Kyoto and Kyoto to Osaka is worth considering so you can travel light through Hakone.
This version keeps the core Japan highlights but slows down the parts couples usually remember most: ryokan time, private cultural experiences, design hotels, art and food. It is a better honeymoon route than simply adding luxury hotels to the classic plan.
Choose this if you want fewer rushed sightseeing days and a more deliberate hotel-and-experience sequence. Skip this version if contemporary art, island logistics or museum schedules sound like friction; in that case, keep the classic route and add a better ryokan or extra Kyoto night.
Days 1-3: Tokyo. Start with three nights, not four, unless you arrive late or want a strong shopping/design focus. For couples, Tokyo works well when it is curated by neighborhood: Ginza and Marunouchi for polished dining, Omotesando and Aoyama for design, Yanaka for slower old-town texture and Shibuya for nightlife. A private food walk on night two is a good way to get oriented without overloading the first day.
Days 4-5: Hakone. This is the honeymoon hinge. Choose a ryokan for the room, meal, bath access and transfer logic, not just the most dramatic photo. If privacy matters, ask for a room with an open-air bath or a property with reservable private onsen. Send your main luggage to Kyoto and travel with an overnight bag. Tokyo to Hakone usually takes 1.5-2.5 hours door to door, so do not stack a major Tokyo morning onto the transfer day.
Days 6-9: Kyoto. Four nights in Kyoto gives the trip room to breathe. Do one early temple morning, one cultural experience, one garden or craft-focused day and one flexible day for Nara, Uji or a quiet neighborhood walk. If you want a geisha dinner or private tea ceremony, book early and avoid stacking it onto a long sightseeing day.
Days 10-11: Naoshima. Naoshima replaces Hiroshima in this route because it gives couples a slower, more distinctive two-day break. It is best for travelers who like architecture, contemporary art and coastal quiet. Kyoto to Naoshima requires a combination of rail and ferry, often around 3-4 hours depending on the connection, so treat it as a real transfer day. It is not a fit if you want nightlife or if museum closures fall on your dates; use these nights for Kanazawa or more Kyoto instead.
Days 12-13: Osaka. End with food and easy airport access. Osaka keeps the trip from becoming too temple-heavy and gives you a more relaxed final shopping and dining base. A private food tour works well here because the best evening plan is often not obvious to first-time visitors.
Day 14: Departure. Depart Kansai if possible. If you must return to Tokyo, build the transfer into day 13 rather than risking a same-day long-distance transfer before an international flight.
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For families, the best 14 day Japan itinerary usually has fewer hotel changes than the classic route. The goal is not to see less; it is to protect energy, sleep and luggage sanity.
Choose this if you are traveling with children, teens or a multigenerational group and want fewer transfers. Skip this version if everyone in your group is comfortable with early trains, temple-heavy days and one-night stops.
A strong family version is Tokyo for 5 nights, Hakone for 1-2 nights, Kyoto for 3 nights and Osaka for 4 nights with Universal Studios Japan. Tokyo can carry teamLab, Odaiba, Ueno, Ghibli Museum if tickets are available, character stores, parks and flexible food options. Kyoto should be lighter than an adult itinerary: one temple-heavy morning, one hands-on activity and one Nara or Arashiyama day. Osaka earns extra time because it gives families USJ, aquariums, easier food and less pressure to be quiet and temple-ready every day.
Approximate train time is one reason this route works: Tokyo to Hakone is usually a half-day door to door; Hakone or Odawara to Kyoto is roughly 2-3 hours by train; Kyoto to Osaka can be under an hour. The friction is not the rail time itself. It is station navigation, luggage, tired children and hotel check-in windows. Build transfer days with one main plan, not three.
Use luggage forwarding between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and consider private transfers for airport arrival or any day with tired children and large bags. Strollers are manageable in major cities, but stations can still add friction; choose hotels close to a direct station line rather than chasing the most charming neighborhood.
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Choose this route if food, markets, craft and smaller cities matter more than checking off every first-time landmark. The route works well as Tokyo -> Kanazawa -> Takayama -> Kyoto -> Osaka.
Choose this if you would rather compare regional food cultures than add another famous temple stop. Skip it if this is your only Japan trip and you would regret missing Hiroshima, Miyajima or a more standard Golden Route sequence.
In Tokyo, give yourself time for Tsukiji/Toyosu, Yanaka, Kappabashi and a neighborhood food walk outside the most obvious nightlife districts. Kanazawa adds Omicho Market, Kenroku-en, samurai and geisha districts and a strong seafood/craft layer. Takayama brings morning markets, Hida beef, sake breweries and traditional townscapes. Kyoto then becomes less about racing through temples and more about kaiseki, machiya dining, tea, ceramics and sake. Osaka ends the route with street food and a very different dining personality.
This route is slower in feeling but slightly more complex logistically than the classic plan. Tokyo to Kanazawa is roughly 2.5-3 hours by Shinkansen. Kanazawa to Takayama often uses a bus or mixed rail/bus routing, and Takayama to Kyoto can take roughly 3.5-4.5 hours depending on connections. That makes this route a better fit for travelers who do not mind one more complex transfer in exchange for smaller-city depth.
If this is your first Japan trip and you worry about missing Kyoto or Hiroshima, choose the Golden Route and add one food-led private experience instead.
This route is for travelers who have already done Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka once, or who know they do not want a standard Golden Route trip. A workable structure is Tokyo -> Nikko -> Tohoku or the Japanese Alps -> Kanazawa -> Kyoto -> Osaka.
Choose this if you want mountain towns, hot springs, rural scenery or a stronger second-trip feeling. Skip it if you want the simplest first-time route, easy luggage movement or a plan that works with minimal rail research.
Nikko gives you Toshogu Shrine, Lake Chuzenji, waterfalls and a mountain setting without going too far from Tokyo. From there, choose one deeper region rather than trying to do all of northern Japan and the Alps at once. Tohoku suits travelers interested in rural landscapes, hot springs and seasonal scenery. The Japanese Alps suit travelers who want mountain towns, ryokan and routes through Nagano, Matsumoto or Takayama. Kanazawa then acts as a refined cultural gateway before you finish in Kyoto and Osaka.
This is the most active version of the five. Tokyo to Nikko usually takes about 2 hours one way, while Tohoku and Alps routing varies widely by city pair. The planning caveat is simple: choose one anchor region and build around train times, hotel availability and luggage movement. Do not try to bolt together Nikko, Aomori, Matsumoto, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Osaka in one two-week trip unless you want the transport to become the trip.
If you want a repeat-visitor route with more built-in structure, compare this with your second trip to Japan: 14-day deeper itinerary.
Do not buy a 14-day JR Pass just because older Japan guides say to. Since the 2023 JR Pass price increase, it is only clearly worth it when your long-distance rail legs add up. The classic route with Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima/Miyajima and a return to Tokyo may justify it; an open-jaw route that ends in Osaka may not. The honeymoon route with Naoshima also needs a proper fare check because island access and non-JR segments complicate the math.
Approximate planning logic:
Use Suica, Pasmo or another IC card for local trains and convenience-store payments. Use luggage forwarding, or takkyubin, between major hotels when changing cities, especially if your route includes Hakone, Naoshima, Takayama or family travel. When possible, fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka, or the reverse, so you do not spend your final full day backtracking.
For a deeper pass decision, read the Japan Rail Pass essentials guide before buying.
Keep this section as a decision pointer, not a hotel list. The dedicated where-to-stay pages should carry the detailed neighborhood comparisons.
Costs vary by season, exchange rate, hotel style, restaurant choices and how much private guiding you add. Use the ranges below as planning bands, excluding international flights. For broader context, see our Japan travel costs guide.
Approximate EUR, GBP and AUD equivalents are available on request when you send an inquiry, because exchange rates and hotel pricing can move between planning and booking.
These are not package quotes. A family trip, honeymoon ryokan stay, cherry blossom departure or private guide-heavy route can change the numbers quickly. The value of custom planning is not just finding hotels; it is matching your budget to the right route, season, pace and experience mix.
CTA 5: Want the cost range for your actual route, not a generic average? Ask for a 14-day Japan estimate
Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons for a first-time two week Japan trip. Cherry blossom season from late March to mid-April is beautiful but expensive and availability-sensitive, so plan at least six months ahead. Autumn from October to November gives strong weather and fall foliage with slightly less pressure than peak sakura weeks. Summer is hot and humid, but it can work better if you add Hokkaido, Tohoku or mountain areas. Winter is strong for fewer crowds, illuminations, clear Fuji views and ski or snow-country add-ons.
For seasonal planning, compare the broader best time to visit Japan guide and the Japan cherry blossom forecast.
Trip To Japan is operated by Takanawa Travel K.K., a Japan-based travel company in Tokyo. The site identifies Trip To Japan as a registered travel agency and displays Japan travel agency trust information in its footer. That matters for a custom 14-day route because the hard part is not only choosing cities; it is coordinating hotels, ryokans, long-distance rail, luggage movement, private experiences and guide/provider availability into a plan that still feels realistic when you land.
Bring us the route you like, or ask us to choose one based on your dates, pace, hotel style and must-see places. We can help turn the outline into a realistic two-week Japan plan with the right city order, transfer days, stay areas and guided experiences where they make sense.
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