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Choose the main bases
Nearby cities can be day trips; they do not automatically need separate hotels.
Your first Japan trip needs a little room.
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka: familiar names, different bases. Choose the shape of the trip before filling every day.
How far do you want to go?
Compare a focused regional stay with a trip that changes regions.
Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, with fewer long moves
Kyoto, Nara and Osaka form a regional trip with different emphases: temples and gardens, Nara’s historic sites, and Osaka’s food and city life. Choose a main base, then decide which places deserve their own nights.
- Kyoto
- Nara
- Osaka
- Trip shape
- One region, several city experiences
- Base decision
- Kyoto or Osaka, rather than a new hotel every day
These are route shapes, not a day-by-day schedule. Your arrival airport and onward flight should help set the order.
Choose the nights before the rail pass
JNTO advises limiting long-distance moves on shorter trips. Once you know your bases, compare the actual train journeys before deciding whether a pass is useful.
JR Pass prices and a Tokyo–Kyoto ticket comparisonMake the overnight plan work
Match the airport to the route
Compare where you enter and leave Japan with the first and last base.
Check each transport product
A city IC card and an intercity rail ticket solve different parts of the journey.
Explore guides
- Where to go in Japan: compare regions and first-trip routes
- Kansai travel guide: bases, day trips and how long to stay
- Tokyo travel guide: choose neighbourhoods, bookings and a base
- Japan itinerary: 10 days in Tokyo and Kyoto, with nine nights
- Planning your first trip to Japan: route, hotels and booking order
- Koyasan temple stay: choosing a shukubo, meals and booking rules
- Is the Japan Rail Pass worth it? Prices and a Tokyo–Kyoto example