7N / 8D
Japan Golden Route
Tokyo • Hakone • Kyoto • Osaka
Suits A first visit
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
Japan
Two cities, a mountain between them, and the train that links them.
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. Hotels, transfers and sightseeing included.
VisaVisa required for Indian passport holders, applied for in advance through an authorised agent
Best seasonLate March to April for blossom; October to November for autumn colour
Typical length7 to 10 nights
CurrencyJapanese yen (JPY)
Flying time
- Delhi
- About 8 h direct to Tokyo
- Mumbai
- About 9 h 30 m with one stop
- Bengaluru
- About 10 h with one stop
- Chennai
- About 10 h with one stop
- Kochi
- About 11 h with one stop
- Kolkata
- About 7 h 30 m with one stop, usually Bangkok
Visa rules and flight schedules change. We confirm both for your passport and your dates before you pay anything.
About this trip
What a Japan trip looks like
A first trip to Japan is usually Tokyo and Kyoto with the Hakone or Fuji area in between, joined by the shinkansen. That is about a week, and it is enough to understand the country without spending the trip on trains.
Tokyo is the arrival city and takes three nights minimum. Kyoto is the counterweight: temples, gardens and the old streets of Gion. Osaka sits half an hour beyond Kyoto and is where the food is.
Two things decide the price: the season, and whether you take a rail pass. Blossom and autumn weeks are booked months ahead and cost roughly double. We quote the pass against your actual route, because it is not always worth it.
Designed for you
Japan packages
Three shapes we build most often. Each is a starting point. Change the nights, the stops or the hotel category and we requote it.
9N / 10D
Japan in Depth
Tokyo • Hakone • Kyoto • Nara • Hiroshima • Osaka
Suits Travellers with time
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
5N / 6D
Tokyo & Kyoto
Tokyo • Kyoto
Suits A shorter first trip
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
11N / 12D
Japan in Full
Osaka • Hiroshima • Kyoto • Hakone • Tokyo
Suits A once-in-a-decade trip
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
Explore locations01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Where you actually go
Tokyo
Senso-ji at Asakusa, the Meiji shrine, and Shibuya crossing after dark, the old and new city in one day.
Kyoto
Fushimi Inari’s tunnels of gates, Kinkaku-ji on its pond, and Gion in the hour before dinner.
Arashiyama
The bamboo grove west of Kyoto, with Tenryu-ji temple and its garden beside it. Go at opening.
Hakone
Hot springs, the Lake Ashi cruise and the ropeway over the sulphur vents at Owakudani.
Mount Fuji
Seen from Hakone or the Kawaguchiko lakes; climbed only in July and August.
Nara
A half-day from Kyoto: Todai-ji’s great bronze Buddha and a thousand deer in the park around it.
Osaka
The castle, Dotonbori’s canal of neon, and the best street food in the country.
Shibuya Sky
An open-air deck above the crossing, and the best view in Tokyo at sunset.
teamLab
Digital art you walk through, in Tokyo. Timed tickets, and they go weeks ahead.
The shinkansen
Tokyo to Kyoto in a little over two hours. Fuji is on the right for the first twenty minutes.
What is in it
Highlights of the trip
Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto
Tokyo city day with Asakusa, Shibuya and Shinjuku
Hakone ropeway and the Lake Ashi cruise
Kyoto temples: Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji and Arashiyama
Nara half-day with the deer park
Rail pass quoted against your actual route
Day by day
The itinerary
This is the shape of the trip. Every day of it can be changed before you book.
The shape we build most often.
Day 01Arrive TokyoMet at Narita or Haneda and transferred in. The airport train is long; nothing is scheduled after.+
Highlights
- ·Airport transfer
- ·Check in
- ·First evening in Shinjuku
Stay
Tokyo
MealsNil
Optional
Tokyo Metropolitan Building observation deck
Day 02Tokyo city dayOld Tokyo in the morning, new Tokyo in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·Senso-ji temple at Asakusa
- ·Meiji shrine and Harajuku
- ·Shibuya crossing after dark
Stay
Tokyo
MealsBreakfast
Optional
teamLab · Tsukiji outer market at dawn
Day 03Tokyo → HakoneOut of the city by train and into the hills. The afternoon is the loop around the lake.+
Highlights
- ·Hakone ropeway over Owakudani
- ·Lake Ashi pirate-ship cruise
- ·Onsen at the ryokan
Stay
Hakone
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Ryokan with a private open-air bath
Day 04Hakone → KyotoThe shinkansen west. Fuji is on the right-hand side for the first twenty minutes.+
Highlights
- ·Shinkansen to Kyoto
- ·Fushimi Inari shrine gates
- ·Gion in the evening
Stay
Kyoto
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Kaiseki dinner · geiko district walk
Day 05Kyoto templesThe west of the city in the morning, the east in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·Kinkaku-ji golden pavilion
- ·Arashiyama bamboo grove
- ·Kiyomizu-dera and the old streets below it
Stay
Kyoto
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Nijo Castle · Philosopher’s Path
Day 06Nara, then OsakaA half-day at Nara on the way, then on to Osaka for the last nights.+
Highlights
- ·Todai-ji great Buddha hall
- ·Nara deer park
- ·Dotonbori after dark
Stay
Osaka
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Osaka Castle · Umeda Sky Building
Day 07Osaka free dayOpen: the castle, the aquarium, or Universal Studios Japan for a full day.+
Highlights
- ·Osaka Castle
- ·Kuromon market
- ·Optional Universal Studios Japan
Stay
Osaka
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Universal Studios Japan · Kobe day trip
Day 08DepartureTransfer to Kansai airport for the flight home.+
Highlights
- ·Last shopping
- ·Airport transfer
Stay
—
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Late checkout on request
Adds Hiroshima, a ryokan night and a second Tokyo day: the version that stops living on trains.
Day 01Arrive OsakaMet at Kansai and transferred in. Dotonbori after dark is enough for a first night.+
Highlights
- ·Airport transfer
- ·Check in
- ·Dotonbori and the street food
Stay
Osaka
MealsNil
Optional
Sightseeing boat on the canal
Day 02OsakaThe castle in the morning, the markets and the tower after.+
Highlights
- ·Osaka Castle
- ·Kuromon market
- ·Umeda Sky Building at dusk
Stay
Osaka
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Universal Studios Japan instead
Day 03HiroshimaA day trip west by shinkansen, and the one that stays with people.+
Highlights
- ·Peace Memorial Park and museum
- ·Atomic Bomb Dome
- ·Miyajima and the floating torii
Stay
Osaka
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Overnight on Miyajima instead of returning
Day 04Osaka → KyotoA short hop north, and the first half of Kyoto in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·Transfer to Kyoto
- ·Fushimi Inari shrine gates
- ·Gion in the evening
Stay
Kyoto
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Kaiseki dinner · geiko district walk
Day 05Kyoto westArashiyama at opening, before the grove fills.+
Highlights
- ·Arashiyama bamboo grove
- ·Tenryu-ji temple and garden
- ·Kinkaku-ji golden pavilion
Stay
Kyoto
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Monkey park at Iwatayama
Day 06Kyoto east and NaraThe eastern temples in the morning, the deer park after lunch.+
Highlights
- ·Kiyomizu-dera
- ·Todai-ji great Buddha hall
- ·Nara deer park
Stay
Kyoto
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Nijo Castle · Philosopher’s Path
Day 07Kyoto → HakoneThe shinkansen east, then into the hills for the onsen night.+
Highlights
- ·Shinkansen to Odawara
- ·Hakone ropeway over Owakudani
- ·Onsen at the ryokan
Stay
Hakone
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Ryokan with a private open-air bath
Day 08Hakone → TokyoThe lake in the morning, Fuji behind it on a clear day, then the city.+
Highlights
- ·Lake Ashi cruise
- ·Fuji viewpoints
- ·Transfer to Tokyo
Stay
Tokyo
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Gotemba Premium Outlets on the way
Day 09Tokyo old and newAsakusa in the morning, Shibuya after dark.+
Highlights
- ·Senso-ji at Asakusa
- ·Meiji shrine and Harajuku
- ·Shibuya Sky at sunset
Stay
Tokyo
MealsBreakfast
Optional
teamLab · Tsukiji outer market at dawn
Day 10Tokyo free dayOpen: Disneyland, DisneySea, or the neighbourhoods.+
Highlights
- ·Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea
- ·Or Akihabara and Ginza
- ·Last evening in Shinjuku
Stay
Tokyo
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Mount Takao half-day
Day 11KawaguchikoNorth-west to the lakes for the clearest view of Fuji there is.+
Highlights
- ·Lake Kawaguchiko
- ·Chureito pagoda
- ·Return to Tokyo
Stay
Tokyo
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Overnight at a lakeside ryokan instead
Day 12DepartureTransfer to Narita or Haneda for the flight home.+
Highlights
- ·Last shopping
- ·Airport transfer
Stay
—
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Late checkout on request
The fine print, up front
What the price covers
Inclusions
- ✓Hotel accommodation on twin-sharing basis
- ✓Daily breakfast, plus the meals listed in the day plan
- ✓All transfers and sightseeing in a private air-conditioned vehicle
- ✓Arrival and departure airport transfers
- ✓Entry to the sights named in the itinerary
- ✓A travel expert on WhatsApp through your trip
Not included
- —Flights, unless quoted separately with the package
- —Visa fees and travel insurance
- —Lunches and dinners not listed in the day plan
- —Camera fees, guide tips and personal expenses
- —Anything not listed under inclusions
Where you stay
Property names shared with your quoteHotels considered
Quoted at 3-star, 4-star or 5-star, plus one ryokan night at Hakone where you want the onsen. Japanese rooms are small at every category. We quote the room size, not just the stars.
[Property names — to confirm. We quote a category, then send the actual hotels with photos once your dates are checked.]
TravellersSample
“From the first conversation to our return home, everything felt genuinely taken care of.”
Personalised itineraries
Every trip can be adjusted around your dates, interests and budget.
Handpicked stays
Hotels and stays selected around the type of experience you want.
Travel expert support
Talk to a real travel expert throughout the planning process.
Transparent planning
Clear package details, inclusions and exclusions before you confirm.
Before you ask
Everything you might want to know
Are the prices per person?+
We quote per person on twin sharing, and we quote per enquiry rather than publishing a rate. Prices move with your travel dates, the hotel category and availability on the day you book. A published number would be wrong for most people who read it.
Can I change the hotels or the number of nights?+
Yes. Tell us what you want changed (a cheaper hotel, one night less, a different city) and we revise the itinerary until it fits, then confirm the booking.
Is the visa included?+
Visa required for Indian passport holders, applied for in advance through an authorised agent. Visa fees are not included in the package unless the quote says so, and we confirm the current requirement for your passport and dates before you pay.
When is the best time to go?+
Late March to April for blossom; October to November for autumn colour. Travelling outside that window is usually cheaper, and we will tell you honestly what you would be trading away.
What do you need to confirm the booking?+
[Advance amount, the documents required and when the balance falls due — to confirm before launch.]
What is your cancellation policy?+
It depends on how far ahead you cancel and on what the hotels and operators in your itinerary allow. The scale that applies to your booking is set out in your quote before you pay. [Standard terms — to confirm before launch.]
How soon do I get the itinerary?+
[Usual turnaround — to confirm. Typically the same working day on WhatsApp.]
Not quite right?
Customise this package.
Nothing here is a fixed departure. Change the hotel, drop a night, add a city, travel on different dates. Tell us what you want and we rebuild the itinerary. The person who sends the quote is the person who books the hotel.
If you would rather not use WhatsApp