There are tons of places to see and go to in Japan and of course also tons of different itineraries on how to do it.
When I was planning my route, the only thing I really knew was that I wanted to include the islands to my trip somehow. Before Japan, I only had two or three days at the beach in Busan, Korea which is definitely not enough for 6 weeks on the road.
So here goes a 25-day long itinerary for Japan, which is I’d say is for Japan beginners:
Day 1. Fly to Tokyo and get yourself to your accommodation.
Day 2. Tokyo Get lost exploring Shibuya and Shinjuku. Find the Godzilla and do some karaoke. Check out Harajuku.
Day 3. Tokyo Enjoy a little culture and peace while walking around the Imperial Palace and the Meiji Shrine. Take the metro to Kagurazaka for a lovely dinner in an izakaya.
Day 4. Tokyo See the fish market in Chuo, buy some presents in Asakusa and check out the flashy Akihabara for some costume & wig dress-up.
Day 5. Tokyo Have a relaxing day at Ueno Park and check out pandas at the Zoo or go see the Digital Art Museum which you need to book in advance.
Day 6. Tokyo Disneyland. If you go, take enough time to enjoy it.
Day 7. Nikko Do a day trip from Tokyo to Nikko, see the temples and shrines. Don’t expect to see much in a day.
Day 8. Hakone Say bye to Tokyo and take the “Hogwarts” transport to Hakone. Spend the rest of the day relaxing, preferably in an onsen. Book accommodation with food, because food options are limited.
Day 9. Hakone Spend the day checking out the Hakone Open Air Museum and later take the train to Kyoto. Don’t forget to check out the Kyoto train station.
Day 10. Kyoto Come early in the day to enjoy Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and its surroundings or suffer the crowds.
Day 11. Kyoto Rent a bike and see Fushimi Inari & Imperial Palace. Have an izakaya dinner at Pontocho.
Day 12. Nara Do a day trip to Nara.
Day 13. Kyoto Check out some temples and shrines if you are still up for it or just enjoy the Kyoto atmosphere for a day.
Day 14: Kyoto Walk around Gion, check out Nishiki market. Have some glorious food and relax a bit before going to Osaka.
Day 15. Osaka Cycle to Osaka Castle Park, Nakanoshima and Umeda building and find the HEP Ferris wheel on your way back.
Day 16. Osaka Explore the city & find the Pokemon center, eat awesome okonomiyaki or check out the barbeque restaurant on the top of Namba Parks.
Day 17. Osaka Find the Glico Sign. Party in Dotonbori and buy some weird kit-kats in Don Quixote.
Day 18. Koya-San / Kinosaki Onsen Check out how the monks live in Koya-San or pamper yourself in an onsen town Kinosaki Onsen.
Day 19. Fly to Ishigaki Return to Osaka and fly to Ishigaki for some R&R. Rent a car for at least a few days to fully explore the island.
Day 20. Ishigaki
Day 21. Ishigaki
Day 22. Ishigaki
Day 23. Ishigaki
Day 24. Fly to Tokyo Dip into the clear blue sea the last time before flying back to Tokyo.
Day 25. Flight home
For people with less time – 21 days
I’d skip the day trip to Nikko, a day in Tokyo and a day in Osaka. You can also have a day less in Ishigaki and come to a 21-days long trip if you are extra careful with your holiday days, but you’ll be on a tight schedule.
For people with more time – up to 30 days
You can return to Osaka, continue to Hiroshima and later on explore the artsy islands – Naoshima, Teshima and Shodo or fly from Osaka to Beppu for some onsen fun or island-hop from Ishigakijima to Miyakojima. Wherever you go, you’ll find something worth seeing or tasting.
However long you stay, you’ll go home wanting more of this awesome, beautiful country and its glorious food.
PS: We still haven’t calculated how much we actually spent in Japan, but Hakone and Koya-San/Kinosaki Onsen are definitely the most expensive cities on this itinerary.