Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka — the complete 14-day plan
| Days | City | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | Tokyo | The future. Neon, food, pop culture. |
| 6 | Travel | Shinkansen → Kyoto. Half-day in each city. |
| 7–10 | Kyoto | The past. Temples, gardens, geisha districts. |
| 11–13 | Osaka | The appetite. Street food, nightlife, energy. |
| 14 | Departure | Fly from KIX (Kansai Airport). |
Fly INTO Tokyo (Narita or Haneda). Fly OUT of Osaka (Kansai). No backtracking. This one-way routing saves a full day of travel.
Use the 5-day Tokyo itinerary from this site. It's already built, timed, and audited:
That's 23 stops, 30 food picks, and every train timed.
Morning: final Tokyo stop. Tsukiji for one last market breakfast, or revisit your favorite neighborhood.
Kyoto's itinerary will be fully detailed on kyotoitinerary.com (coming soon). Here's the framework:
Kiyomizu-dera Temple (iconic cliff terrace), Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka lanes (photogenic stone steps), Gion evening walk
Bamboo grove (go at 7 AM), Tenryu-ji Temple garden, monkey park (great views), tofu lunch at Sagano
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Ryoan-ji (zen rock garden), Daitoku-ji (sub-temples with tea). Nishiki Market for dinner.
Todai-ji Temple (one of the world's largest wooden buildings), friendly deer park (over 1,400 free-roaming deer), Kasuga Taisha shrine. 45 min from Kyoto by JR.
Key Kyoto tips:
Temples open early (8–9 AM) and close by 5 PM. Start early.
Rent a bicycle — Kyoto is flat and bike-friendly. Better than buses.
Buses are the main transit (unlike Tokyo's trains). Get a Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass (¥1,100).
Kyoto is much smaller than Tokyo. 2–3 temples per day is plenty.
Take the JR Special Rapid from Kyoto to Osaka (29 min, ¥580). Osaka is Japan's food capital — specifically its street food capital.
Glico Running Man sign, canal walk, takoyaki crawl, Shinsekai (retro district, kushikatsu), Osaka Castle
Kuromon Market (Osaka's kitchen), Amerikamura (Osaka's Harajuku), Umeda Sky Building (floating observatory), Shinsaibashi shopping
Revisit favorites, Namba Yasaka Shrine (lion head shrine, great photo), Tennoji area, or half-day trip to Kobe (30 min) for Kobe beef
Key Osaka tips:
Osaka people are friendlier and louder than Tokyo/Kyoto. They'll actually joke with you.
Eating while walking IS acceptable in Dotonbori (unlike most of Japan).
Osaka is cheaper than Tokyo: budget ¥5,000–8,000/day for food.
Stay in Namba or Shinsaibashi — walking distance to everything.
Fly from Kansai International Airport (KIX).
| From | Train | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namba | Nankai Rapi:t express | 34–40 min | ¥1,490 |
| Osaka Station | JR Haruka | 50 min | ¥1,800 |
Both accept Suica/ICOCA. Budget 2.5 hours from hotel to gate (Japanese airports are efficient but international security still takes time).
Last-minute souvenirs: KIX has an excellent duty-free section with Japanese whisky, Kit-Kat flavors, and beauty products.
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights (round trip) | ¥100,000–150,000 | ¥150,000–200,000 | ¥200,000+ |
| Accommodation (13 nights) | ¥40,000–80,000 | ¥130,000–260,000 | ¥300,000+ |
| Food (14 days) | ¥50,000–70,000 | ¥110,000–170,000 | ¥210,000+ |
| Transport (JR Pass + local) | ¥55,000–65,000 | ¥55,000–65,000 | ¥70,000+ |
| Activities | ¥10,000–20,000 | ¥25,000–40,000 | ¥50,000+ |
| Total (excl. flights) | ¥155,000–235,000 | ¥320,000–535,000 | ¥630,000+ |
| In USD (approx) | $1,030–1,570 | $2,130–3,570 | $4,200+ |
Japan is remarkably affordable at the budget level. The ¥155,000 ($1,030) budget tier is genuinely comfortable — you're staying in clean hostels, eating incredible ¥800 ramen and ¥500 konbini meals, and seeing everything.
For the full Golden Route (Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka, one-way), let's do the math on the 14-day JR Pass (¥80,000):
| What It Covers | Cost Without Pass |
|---|---|
| Tokyo → Kyoto (Hikari shinkansen) | ¥14,170 |
| Tokyo local JR rides (5 days) | ~¥3,000 |
| Kamakura day trip (Day 5) | ¥1,900 |
| Kyoto → Nara (Day 10) | ¥720 |
| Kyoto → Osaka (Day 11) | ¥580 |
| Osaka local JR rides (3 days) | ~¥1,500 |
| Osaka → KIX (Haruka) | ¥1,210 |
| Total JR cost without pass | ~¥23,080 |
Wait — that's only ¥23,080 vs ¥80,000 for the pass. The 14-day pass doesn't make sense for this one-way route.
The 7-day pass (¥50,000) timed for the Kyoto → Osaka → departure leg doesn't cover enough either.
Verdict: Skip the JR Pass for this specific route. Buy individual tickets. The pass only pays off if you add Hiroshima (¥20,000+ RT from Osaka) or double back to Tokyo.
Japanese hotel rooms are tiny. A 40L backpack or small rolling carry-on is ideal.
Almost every hotel has coin laundry (¥200–300/load). Pack 5 days of clothes, wash mid-trip.
Non-negotiable. You'll walk 15,000–25,000 steps/day. Break them in before the trip.
A compact rain jacket or small umbrella. Konbini sells transparent umbrellas for ¥500.
Japan uses Type A plugs (same as US). Voltage is 100V — most modern electronics handle this fine.
A small pouch for yen coins. You'll accumulate a lot of change.