Sample itinerary of Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka classic route in 7 days

7 to 9 days
Senso-ji temple and Tokyo Skytree in Asakusa ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO
2014.11.24
Highest mountain, Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi, Hakone ©Odakyu Electric Railway/©JNTO
Highest mountain, Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi, Hakone ©Odakyu Electric Railway/©JNTO

Some of you are wondering if you should use JR pass or not for one way trip from Tokyo to Osaka via Hakone and Kyoto. Actually JR pass does not meet this trip. The price of 7-day JR pass is 29100 yen. One way base fare from Tokyo to Kyoto or Shin-Osaka plus Shinkansen surcharge is around 14000 yen. As long as you have one way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, JR pass is way more expensive than single fare. Even if you use JR pass when you stay in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, it is not realistic to spend another 15000 yen. Base fare in these cities is 200 to 500 yen.

In this post, I show you the sample itinerary and some deals in these cities.

*When you follow this sample itinerary, please check the updated timetable. You can find more information about timetable at the link below:

Guide to plan your trip. How to find Japan Railway’s timetables

Day 1 Narita or Haneda airport to downtown Tokyo

New train E259 series Narita Express
JR’s airport express train, Narita Express

Suggested deals for Narita passengers

There are many deals available. Please refer the following link about Narita deals:

Narita airport access guide. Narita airport to Tokyo deal guide
This post explains you how to choose the way to Tokyo and surrounding places from Tokyo. And also you can find the available deal for the route which you take.
jprail.com
2014.06.25

Suggested deals for Haneda passengers

Please refer the following links:

Haneda airport access guide. Haneda Airport to Tokyo discount ticket and deal guide.
Haneda airport is one of major airports in Tokyo. You can get the information about the access and the deal for Haneda arrival and departure in this post.
jprail.com
2010.12.25

Day 2 Tokyo

Senso-ji temple and Tokyo Skytree in Asakusa ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO
Senso-ji temple and Tokyo Skytree in Asakusa ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO

Enjoy sightseeing in Tokyo.

You can find the detailed information of train system in downtown Tokyo in the link below. You also can find the information about the deals:

Guide to take trains in Tokyo. How to choose the best deal and the best route by the train.
There are so many train lines and subway lines in downtown Tokyo. It is hard to find the route and the coverage of many deals. This guide shows you the train system, how to find the route and how to choose the deals.
jprail.com
2016.01.24

In Tokyo, the single fare is very reasonable because of a short trip. The regular fare may be cheaper if you visit one or two places. You may use IC card, such Suica or Pasmo instead:

What is IC card, Suica, ICOCA, Pasmo? How to use these cards?
IC card is very common ways to take a train and a bus in these days in Japan. There are so many cards available in Japan. This post will explain you the type of IC card, the way of using it and the coverage area.
jprail.com
2018.07.30

Day 3 Tokyo to Hakone

Owakudani is one of Must-See spots in Hakone. ©Odakyu Electric Railway/©JNTO
Owakudani is one of Must-See spots in Hakone. ©Odakyu Electric Railway/©JNTO

Suggested itinerary
08:53 Shinjuku
Odakyu railway’s limited express “Romancecar” Hakone 9
10:35 Hakone-Yumoto

Leave your baggage at hotel or locker at the station. Enjoy sightseeing Hakone all day.

Odakyu Railway is most convenient to get Hakone and cheaper than JR trains. You can purchase base fare ticket and Hakone Free Pass Odawara departure at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center at Shinjuku station.

Suggested deals

Base fare ticket (Shinjuku – Odawara) and Hakone Free Pass (Odawara departure 2 days)

You may find more information about Hakone Free Pass and Odakyu Railway in the link below:

Hakone Free Pass official site

Shinjuku departure Hakone Free Pass (5140 yen) is not required for this itinerary. Because it includes round trip to/from Shijuku. But you do not come back to Shinjuku and leave Hakone then go to Kyoto next day. Of course single fare for Shinjuku-Odawara is cheaper than the difference between Shinjuku departure Hakone Free Pass and Odawara departure Hakone Free Pass.

Once you get Hakone, use Hakone Free Pass as much as you can. You can get most of places in Hakone by this pass.

I recommend you to stay in Hakone for at least one night. But if you want to visit Hakone as “luggage free” day trip from Tokyo, Hakone Free Pass Shinjuku departure is the best deal.

I have the post which explains about the access to Hakone and the trip plan in Hakone in the link below:

Hakone access guide and the sample itineraries
This post explains you the access to Hakone and various sample itineraries. You can find the best way by the rail pass which you will use in your travel.
jprail.com
2018.01.24

Day 4 Hakone to Kyoto

Fushimi Inari shrine is most popular spot in Kyoto in these days. ©Kyoto Convention Bureau /©JNTO
Fushimi Inari shrine is most popular spot in Kyoto in these days. ©Kyoto Convention Bureau /©JNTO

Suggested itinerary
09:40 Hakone-Yumoto
Hakone Tozan Railway
09:54 Odawara
10:08 Odawara
Hikari 507
12:13 Kyoto

Odawara station is the nearest JR station to Hakone. You can catch the the Tokaido Shinkansen to get Kyoto. Please find the details about Odawara station at the following:

Odawara station guide. How to change the train to Hakone.
Odawata station is the gateway to Hakone. There are the Shinkansen, JR Tokaido line, JR Shonan Shijuku line, Odakyu Railway and Hakone Tozan Railway. In this post, I explain you the structure of Odawara station. You will find how to change the trains in this station.
jprail.com
2014.04.30

There are some Shinkansen train, “Hikari” stop at Odawara and takes you to Kyoto without any transfer. I picked 10:08 departure, Hikari 507. Please see the timetable at the link below and find the train what you want to take:

JR Central official site – The Tokaido and the Sanyo Shinkansen timetable

You may find Hikari which stop at Odawara mostly every two hours. Please try to catch this kind of Hikari. This is the fastest and direct way to get Kyoto from Odawara.

There is no deals to cover the trip from Odawara to Kyoto. The base fare ticket and the Shinkansen seat fee ticket are required to take the Tokaido Shinkansen. You can purchase these tickets in advance if you want. The Shinkansen and limited express surcharge tickets can be purchased at most major JR stations that have reservation window, a.k.a. “Midori no Madoguchi”. The base fare ticket also can be purchased with surcharge ticket at same time. If you do so, you can just transfer from Hakone Tozan Railway train to the Shinkansen at Odawara.

If you follow my suggested itinerary, you have half day for sightseeing in Kyoto. I recommend you to visit south part of Kyoto, like Fushimi Inari. It’s just 5 minutes away from Kyoto station by Nara line local train. If you want, you can visit even Nara.

Nara access guide from Osaka, Kyoto, Kansai airport and Kobe by JR, Kintetsu Railway and Airport bus
Nara is one of popular places in Kansai area. This post explains you how to get Nara from several places in Kansai area.
jprail.com
2012.10.03

If you need some more information about Kyoto station, please refer the link below:

Kyoto station guide. How to transfer between the Shinkansen, Kintetsu Railway, Subway and JR local trains.
Kyoto station may be your first place when you visit Kyoto. Because Kyoto station is the biggest station in Kyoto. The Tokaido Shinkansen, many limited express trains, a local train and subway depart and arrive in this station. This post shows you the details about this station.
jprail.com
2014.08.13

Day 5 Kyoto

Arashiyama is very popular in any season. © soryofu/© JNTO
Arashiyama is very popular in any season. © soryofu/© JNTO

You can enjoy in Kyoto for all day.

Please refer the links below to find the information of train system in Kyoto and deals in Kyoto.

How to choose the best train and bus pass for sightseeing in Kyoto
There are lots of deals available in Kyoto. This post will show you most of deals in Kyoto and you can find which deals you should choose.
jprail.com
2016.11.13
Kyoto train route guide. How to choose the best route by train to get the major spots?
There are lots of the train lines and subway lines in Kyoto. This post shows you the train network in Kyoto. You can learn how to get the major places in Kyoto.
jprail.com
2013.09.22

Day 6 Kyoto to Osaka

Osaka castle is very accessible. ©Osaka Government Tourism Bureau/©JNTO
Osaka castle is very accessible. ©Osaka Government Tourism Bureau/©JNTO

Suggested itinerary
09:14 Kyoto
Special rapid
09:43 Osaka

I use JR train, Special Rapid which is the fastest way to get Osaka (Umeda). It is a sort of commute train. Only base fare is required to take this train.

JR Special Rapid Service, most useful train among Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Himeji.
JR Special Rapid runs between Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Himeji. Some trips runs to Banshu Ako, Kamigori and Tsuruga. This is most convenient and very fast train. This post shows you the information with some images of Special Rapid train.
jprail.com
2011.04.24

There are many other trains running between Kyoto and Osaka. Please see the link below to find the train network in Kansai area:

Kansai train networks guide. How to move between Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Wakayama. Make sure JR lines and non JR lines
There are many train running in Kansai region, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and surrounding places. This post shows you the train network in Kansai region. You can find the difference of JR and non JR lines and which train you should take in your trip.
jprail.com
2011.11.20

After arriving in Osaka, you may add the deal as you need.

How to choose the best train pass for sightseeing in Osaka
There are lots of deals available in Osaka. This post will show you most of deals in Osaka and you can find which deals you should choose.
jprail.com
2016.11.13

Day 7 Osaka to Kansai airport

There are some deals available. Please see the link below:

Kansai airport terminal, station, and access guide. Find the best way and best deal for Kansai airport to Osaka.
This post shows you everything you need to know when you arrive in Kansai airport. You can find the ticket window, the station and how to find the best deal to get Osaka, Kyoto and other places.
jprail.com
2011.05.23

Summary and total costs

If you have one way trip from Tokyo to Osaka, as you read above, the key is how to combine some local deals and the regular fare ticket. In this itinerary, approximate total cost is 23,000 to 26,000 yen. It is cheaper than JR Pass 7-day. And JR Pass does not cover Hakone area, subway and city bus in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. You might feel the total cost is very close to JR Pass 7-day. But actual different is much bigger.

I show you 7 days itinerary but you can extend staying in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto or Osaka. And also I have another sample itinerary that includes Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka only. Please see the following post to find it.

Basic itinerary of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in 7 days
This post shows you the sample itinerary of Tokyo, Kyoto to Osaka one way trip. JR Pass is too expensive to cover this trip. You can find which deal and ticket are most cost-effective in this post.
jprail.com
2015.11.19

I hope this post will help you to build your trip plan to Japan!

Comments

  1. Micaela Choo says:
    November 11, 2015 at 9:42 am

    Hi Takeshi San,

    Thank you so much for all the information listed here, they are really helpful and it’s been the source that I refer to for my plans for the upcoming Japan trip. Just a couple of questions which I would like to ask for your advice.

    As I am traveling during the peak season , I am concern about the transport arrangement.

    Q1 . I will be traveling from
    – Tokyo to Kyoto (31 Dec 2015 Morning) and
    – Kyoto to Osaka (3 Jan 2016 Morning)
    I would like to check with you on the following base on the suggested 1 way ticket plans as mention in your article, is there a possibility that tickets could be sold out for Tokaido Shinkansen upon my arrival in Japan (27 Dec) ?

    Q2 . For the above mention, should base fare 1 way tickets still be available is it highly likely that reserve seat will not be available and it will all be non-reserve seat and posibility of standing the whole way to Kyoto ?

    Q3 . For the above mention Q1, should base fare 1 way tickets be sold out – will getting the JR pass (in advance- now) guarantees that I can at least make it on the train to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto and Kyoto to Osaka? Or could there be a possiblity that when I were to exchange my JR Pass for tickets upon arrival in Japan and still be told that tickets have sold out?

    I will be arriving at Haneda Airport on the 26 Dec, 11pm.

    Q4 . Will the I still be able to purchase the 1 way JR Tokaido ticket at during that time in the airport for the upcoming plans to secure my tickets?

    Q5 . Base on the bried itinerary below, would it be better if I just get the JR Pass?

    Below are a brief itinerary I have plan for my trip, prehaps you can give me some good advice.

    26 Dec’15, 11pm : Arrival at Tokyo Haneda airport
    – Proceed to hotel at Shin-Urayasu (MyStays)

    27 Dec to 28 Dec’15: Disney Land and Sea

    29 Dec’15 : Move to Hotel Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku ,
    – Sightsee tokyo Senso-ji, Asakusa area and Sumo match afternoon/evening

    30 Dec’15 : Ghibli Studio Musuem (morning) and sightsee Harajuku / Akihabara etc

    31 Dec’15 : Ride Shinkansen to Kyoto (morning), check in hotel and Countdown in Temple

    1 Jan’16 to 2 Jan’15 : Sightsee Kyoto

    3 Jan’16: Ride Shinkansen to Osaka (morning) and sightsee osaka

    4 Jan’16 : Sightsee Osaka

    5 Jan’16, 7.50am : Depart Osaka Kansai Airport

    Appreciate the time you have taken to write your site and sorry to trouble you with all my questions.

  2. lucy says:
    November 9, 2015 at 11:32 pm

    Hi Takeshi-san
    Need some clarifications on the following:-
    1.Does the JR Tokyo wide pass cover the journey by Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Karuizawa and then Karuizawa to Takasaki and Takasaki to Tokyo?
    2. Does the JR Tokyo wide pass cover the journey by Limited Express Train Super View Odoriko from Tokyo to Atami and back to Tokyo?
    3. Does the JR Tokyo wide pass cover the journey on the Izu Kyuko Railway from Atami to Ito?
    Thanks Takeshi.

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      November 10, 2015 at 6:43 am

      Hi Lucy,

      Those three trips are covered by Tokyo Wide Pass fully.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • lucy says:
        December 19, 2015 at 3:17 am

        Hi Takashi – San
        Just to check with you on going to Lake Kawaguchiko with the JR Tokyo wide pass. Does the pass cover the journey from Tokyo station to Otsuki and then by Fujikyu railway local train from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko? How long will the whole journey take?

        Thank you for yr help.

        lucy

        • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
          December 19, 2015 at 2:43 pm

          Hi Lucy,

          Yes. It covers whole part of the trip. It takes about 2.5 hours.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

          • lucy says:
            December 20, 2015 at 8:52 pm

            Hi Takeshi-San
            The following is my itinerary
            29th dec – arrive at Narita in the afternoon. Do you recommend that we (3 adults with luggage) take the Keisei skyliner or the Narita Express? We are staying in Kamiyacho.
            30 till 2nd Jan – we will stay put in Tokyo and use the single fare card?
            3rd-we plan to visit lake kawaguchiko. We will start using our JR Tokyo wide pass on this day. Btw, what train do we take to Otsuki station from Tokyo station if we use the JR Tokyo wide pass?
            4th- we take hokuriku Shinkansen to karuizawa or gala yuzawa then to takasaki and then train to nakanojo.
            5th – back to Tokyo by hokuriku Shinkansen.
            Appreciate your help. Thanks Takeshi.
            lucy

  3. Alvin says:
    November 9, 2015 at 11:25 pm

    Hi Takeshi, thank you for your the useful information on the webpage. I am planning a trip in December, grateful for your input on the itinerary:

    09/12/2015 Tokyo
    10/12/2015 Tokyo
    11/12/2015 Tokyo
    12/12/2015 Tokyo to Hakone (Romance car + Hakone free pass)
    13/12/2015 Hakone to Kyoto (JR pass)
    14/12/2015 Kyoto (JR pass)
    15/12/2015 Kyoto / Nara (JR pass)
    16/12/2015 Kyoto to Osaka (JR pass)
    17/12/2015 Osaka (JR pass)
    18/12/2015 Osaka to Tokyo (JR pass)
    19/12/2015 Tokyo (JR pass)

    Is the above itinerary advisable? Also, can I use the JR pass to travel from Kyoto to Nara?

    Thank you for your help.

    Alvin

  4. Anjali says:
    November 8, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    Hello Takeshi,

    Thank you so much for this very helpful post! Our family of 11 is looking forward to visiting Japan in a couple weeks. Our itinerary is outlined below and is almost identical to your suggested itinerary. Just wanted to check what your recommendation would be.

    Sat – 11/21: Arrive Narita. We have arranged a van to pick up our family and take us to Gotanda station which is the area we have an apartment.

    Sun – 11/22: Sightseeing around Tokyo

    Mon – 11/23: Sightseeing around Tokyo

    Tues – 11/24: Train from Tokyo to Hakone, planning to get Hakone Free Pass. Stay overnight at Hyatt Hakone.

    Weds – 11/25: Train from Hakone to Kyoto. We are staying close to Kyoto Station.

    Thurs – 11/26: Sightseeing in Hakone

    Fri – 11/27: Sightseeing in Hakone. Evening train to Osaka.

    Sat – 11/28: Day trip to Hiroshima and/or Kobe.

    Sun – 11/29: Depart Osaka airport back to USA.

    Based on your recommendation in the original post, we should not get JR pass, correct? If we decide to go to Hiroshima or Kobe would it be better to get the pass?

  5. Ahmad Sudin says:
    November 6, 2015 at 5:30 am

    Hi Takeshi

    Thank you for your post. Extremely helpful.

    I am planning for a family trip next week to Tokyo-Disneyland-Gotemba-Mt Fuji-Hakone-Kyoto-Nara-Osaka. The itenerary is close to what you have shared in your post.

    However, I am considering to rent a car in Tokyo to drive around for 3 days before driving up to Gotemba. I will return the car there.

    Why I am considering to drive is because my family will consist of my wife and 3 very young children (4.5yrs old, 2.5yrs old and 1 yr old). We will have a stroller and 3 luggages.

    From Hakone-Kyoto-Nara-Osaka, we plan to travel by train.

    In my situation above, what is your advice?

    Thank you.

  6. Sarah says:
    November 5, 2015 at 5:55 am

    hi Takeshi! i will be travelling to japan on late January. first thing first, i’m so thankful this post exists!

    ok here it goes..

    1. i’ll be arriving in Tokyo (Haneda Airport) on the 27th of January (if i’m not mistaken it’ll be around 1pm).
    2. and then, i’m planning to go to Hakone the next day (is one day trip from Tokyo enough?).
    3. Osaka on the 29th-30th,
    4. last but not least, Kyoto for the 31st

    i’ll be flying back home on the 1st of Feb (23.30pm) from Tokyo, so do u recommend the overnight bus/train from Kyoto to Tokyo on the 31st of Jan, or Shinkansen (or anything) in the morning on the 1st of Feb (meaning i have to stay at Kyoto)?

    can you help? is this possible? would the JR pass convenient to my trip? and how much would it cost for all the transportations? i need to calculate but i’m too dumb to speak/read Japanese.

    thanks and much appreciated,

    Sarah

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      November 5, 2015 at 11:40 am

      Hi Sarah,

      I recommend you to use JR Pass. But if you use JR pass, you have to take Shinkansen both way because 7 days JR Pass is almost same cost as round trip by Shinkansen and some local train rides at both end, Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto. If you take overnight bus, you can save your accommodation. Single fare ticket from Tokyo to Osaka + Overnight bus – accommodation is maybe cheaper. But there are many kinds of overnight bus in these days. And I’m not familiar with bus much. So I cannot comment about this comparison.

      Hakone can be visited as day trip. If you have JR pass, you can take Shinkansen between Tokyo and Odawara. This is one of the benefit of JR Pass. Otherwise you may use Hakone Free Pass from Shinjuku.
      http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  7. LindaH says:
    November 4, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    Takeshi, please review my itinerary and give me any feedback. Thank you for your invaluable service and insight. My first trip to Japan will travel w/my husband and 12 year old son. LindaH

    Itinerary: will buy JR Pass 7 days
    Arrive Nov 18th Narita Terminal 2 at 4:30pm
    Staying at Conrad Hilton Downtown Tokyo
    Spend Nov 20 and Nov 21 in Tokyo
    Nov 22 Depart Tokyo (10:26am) for Odawara (11am) to go to Hakone — not sure how long take from Odawara to Hakone?
    stay one night in Hakone (buy Hakone Free pass)
    Nov 23 depart Odawara (12pm) to Kyoto (2:11pm)
    Nov 24 Kyoto and visit Nara on day trip
    Nov 25 Depart Kyoto return to Tokyo stay one night
    Nov 26 morning in Tokyo flight departs 6:15pm.
    My pass will not cover my entire stay and I will have to buy a separate train ticket back to airport on Nov 26.

  8. Halimahtus says:
    November 3, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    Hi Takeshi,

    I will be coming to Japan on 27th Dec-6th Jan; via Haneda airport.

    27th Dec-31st Dec: Around Tokyo (Akihabara, Asakusa, Ginza, Harajuku, Ikekuburo, Kinugawa Onsen, Odaiba, Ryogoku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno)

    1st Jan: Fuji Q Highland
    2nd Jan: Echigo Ski resort
    3rd Jan: Echigo Ski resort
    4th Jan: Hakone
    5th Jan: Kyoto
    6th Jan: Back in Tokyo before heading to Haneda in the afternoon

    Here’s my thoughts:
    1- For the first half of my trip, i can use a SUICA card.
    2- I can use the JR Tokyo Wide Pass from 1st Jan-3rd Jan. Then separate individual tickets from Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Tokyo.

    Do you think that will be provide higher cost saving, rather than using the 7D Rail Pass, halfway through the Tokyo trips in Dec?

    Do let me know your comments.

    Thanks!

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      November 3, 2015 at 11:38 pm

      Hi Halimahtus,

      You should use 7 days JR pass. Round trip between Tokyo and Kyoto is slightly cheaper than 7 days pass. But you will have round trip to Echigo and Fuji. JR Pass is much cheaper than single fare + Tokyo Wide Pass. So you may use 7 days pass for the last 7 days of your trip.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRailc.om

  9. Lucy yeo says:
    October 26, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    Hi Takeshi
    Thank you for sharing JP rail.
    My husband, adult daughter n myself will be in Tokyo on this 29 dec. We will stay in Tokyo for the first few days. We hope to visit Osaka n Kyoto before we fly back from Tokyo.
    My questions are as follows:
    Do we need to buy the 7 day JR pass for our travels to Osaka n Kyoto? How does the pass help in moving around in Tokyo itself. Does it make sense to stay in Osaka or Kyoto or make day trips there from Tokyo to save on hotels since we r spending so much on the pass. Appreciate yr advice.
    Thank you

  10. Candice says:
    October 24, 2015 at 8:41 pm

    Hi Takeshi,

    We will be travelling to Tokyo on 31 Oct and departing Osaka on 9 Nov.

    Here’s our planned itinerary :
    Day 1 – Arrival 8pm Tokyo Narita (stay in Shinjuku area)
    and 2, 3, 4 – Tokyo
    Day 5 – Proceed to Kyoto (stay in Gion)
    Day 6 – Kyoto
    Day 7 – Daytrip to Nara
    Day 8 – Proceed to Osaka (stay in Namba)
    Day 9 – Osaka
    Day 10 – Departure 9am Osaka Kansai
    Would like to know if it’s worth getting a 7-day JR Pass and if so, should we start to use it Day 1 on NEX?

    Thank you in advance for your expert advice.

    Candice

1…34567…20
Copied title and URL