Japan on a Shoestring

£2,695.00

This journey takes you through some of Japan’s most characterful regions, each offering a change in pace and atmosphere. Tokyo delivers big-city energy and endless corners to explore. Hakone brings open views, hot springs and a glimpse of Mt. Fuji on clear days. Kyoto offers temples, gardens and neighbourhoods that reward unhurried wandering. Hiroshima adds important historical context alongside easy access to Miyajima’s coastal scenery, while Osaka rounds things off with a relaxed, food-focused finale. Across 10 days, Japan’s smooth transport network ties it all together with very little effort required from you.

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Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo

Arrive in Tokyo, where shrines and high-rises sit almost side by side. At the airport, an English-speaking assistant meets you, gives you your train tickets and vouchers, and talks you through how to get around. You then make your own way to your central hotel and have the rest of the day free to adjust, wander nearby streets or find an easy dinner.

Day 2: Tokyo Highlights

Meet your local guide for a full-day city introduction using Tokyo’s trains and subways. Visit Asakusa and Sensoji Temple, walking along the lively Nakamise shopping street, then continue to Hamarikyu Garden for a matcha stop in the tea house. Later, visit Meiji Shrine, then walk down Omotesando for modern architecture and flagship stores. Finish in Shibuya for the famous scramble crossing before making your own way back to the hotel.

Day 3: Tokyo – Hakone

Travel to Hakone, part of the wider Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Make your own way to the station to board the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara in Standard Class, then continue onward to Hakone and your ryokan. Your included 2-day Hakone Freepass gives you easy use of mountain railways, cable cars, ropeways, buses and Lake Ashi sightseeing boats, so you can spend the afternoon riding the network, visiting viewpoints and museums, and then settling into the onsen at your accommodation.

Day 4: Hakone – Kyoto

Use time in Hakone to see more of the area, then return to Odawara and board the Shinkansen to Kyoto in Standard Class. On arrival, make your own way to your hotel and enjoy your first evening in Japan’s former imperial capital.

Day 5: Kyoto

Join a full-day guided tour of Kyoto’s key sites. Visit Fushimi Inari, with its long tunnels of red torii gates, then Sanjusangendo, home to 1,001 statues of Kannon. Continue to Kiyomizu-dera’s hillside terrace, then visit Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, before finishing at Kitano Tenmangu and the Kamishichiken area, a historic geisha district with a calmer feel than central Gion.

Day 6: Kyoto – Hiroshima

Make your own way to the station to board the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima in Standard Class. On arrival, make your own way to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 7: Hiroshima

Day at leisure. If you want a strong day out, Miyajima is an easy trip on public transport, with the Itsukushima Shrine torii gate, Omotesando street, and the option of the ropeway or hiking routes on Mt. Misen. Return to Hiroshima for the evening.

Day 8: Hiroshima – Osaka

Make your own way to the station to board the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka in Standard Class, then continue independently to your hotel. You will need to be at your hotel before the afternoon, as you meet your guide for a half-day Osaka highlights tour. Visit Osaka Castle and its museum, then continue to Dotonbori for the canal walk and the neon-lit dining district. Your guide accompanies you back to your accommodation by public transport at the end.

Day 9: Osaka

Make your own way to the station for a day trip to Nara. Train tickets cannot be purchased in advance, so you buy them shortly before travel. On arrival, take local transport to Nara Park and spend the day exploring at your own pace before returning to Osaka.

Day 10: Osaka

Make your own way from your accommodation to the airport for departure.

Price Includes

  • Accommodation as per the itinerary with daily breakfast included
  • Tours and transfers as specified, including entry fees
  • Train tickets as specified in the itinerary, Standard Class
  • English-speaking local guide for all included sightseeing
  • Meals as specified in the itinerary, drinks not included
  • Government tax and service charge

Price Excludes

  • International and domestic airfares and taxes, unless otherwise specified
  • Visa expenses, processing and issuance fees where applicable
  • Meals other than specified as included
  • Travel insurance and personal expenses, such as minibar, phone calls and laundry
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Drinks, personal expenses or entrance fees for extra sightseeing or optional activities
  • Luggage forwarding service

Prices vary according to season. Price is based on two people sharing a twin or double room. Please ask us for the full itinerary and add-ons.
All itineraries shown can be amended to suit your personal requirements. To find out more, give us a call or email sales@odyssey-world.co.uk

Highlights

  • Tokyo’s key districts in a full-day guided introduction, from Asakusa to Shibuya
  • A Hakone ryokan stay with onsen baths and the Hakone Freepass transport network
  • Kyoto’s headline temples and shrines in one guided day, from Fushimi Inari to Kinkakuji
  • Hiroshima with time for Miyajima Island and its coastal scenery
  • Osaka highlights with Osaka Castle and Dotonbori, plus a day trip to Nara

Japan Information

  • Capital City: Tokyo
  • Time Difference: GMT+9
  • Language: Japanese and English
  • Fly with: BA
  • Flight time: 12 hours
  • Best time to go: October to May
  • Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY)
  • Visa required: No
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