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
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:

Suggested deals for Haneda passengers

Please refer the following links:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Day 7 Osaka to Kansai airport

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

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.

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

Comments

  1. Eve says:

    Hi Takeshi!

    My family & I (5 adults total) will be going to Japan from 6 June – 17 June 2016. It is our first time going to Japan and we’re very excited! However, we are having problems planning our itinerary as we are unsure if it’s too much for a 12 day trip. Below is our current itinerary:

    Day 1: Arrive in Narita, 8am. (Travel to Shinjuku to rest, then explore for the rest of the day)
    Day 2: Tokyo (Purchase JR Yamanote Line pass)
    Day 3: Tokyo (Purchase JR Yamanote Line pass)
    Day 4: Tokyo DisneySea
    Day 5: Travel from Tokyo to Hakone. Reach Hakone in the afternoon. (Travel using Hakone Free pass)
    Day 6: Morning in Hakone. Depart in the afternoon to Kyoto. Spend rest of the day in Kyoto. (Activate JR Pass Day 1)
    Day 7: Kyoto
    Day 8: Depart Kyoto to Osaka.
    Day 9: Day trip to Nara from Osaka
    Day 10: Universal Studios Japan
    Day 11: Osaka
    Day 12: Day in Osaka. (End of JR Pass Day 7) We leave Japan from Kansai Intl Airport at night.

    We would like your advice on:
    1) Should we take the JR Pass? If we do, will the days we plan to use the JR Pass be worth it? If you have a cheaper option, please let us know! We are trying to save on transport as accommodation for us 5 has already been very pricey ><

    2) We plan on going to DisneySea only. Is it recommended to stay in a Disney Resort since we will be leaving to Hakone the next day? Or is it better to do a day trip from Shinjuku to DisneySea so that it is easier to get to Hakone the next morning?

    3) We feel that the Hakone part of the trip is a bit of a rush as we only have an afternoon, night and a short morning in Hakone before continuing on to Kyoto. Do you think the time we have there is sufficient to explore Hakone? Should we change it to perhaps a day trip to Kobe from Osaka?

    We will really appreciate it if you can help us!

  2. Apmelia Suhaimi says:

    Dear Takeshi San,

    Me and friends (5 girls) will travel to Japan for 9 days (30 March-8 April 2016).
    * Tokyo 30 March – 3 April
    * Kyoto 3 April – 5 April
    * Osaka 5 April – 8 April

    Kindly please check our itinerary and suggest us which pass that suits our plan.
    If you have a better suggestion for our itinerary, we will be happy to adjust it.

    Here are the itinerary in Tokyo:
    Day 1 :
    Touchdown at Narita Airport (8.50am)
    Staying near Hatsudai Station (Shinjuku Station is 20 minutes by walk).
    – Meiji Jingu Shrine
    – Shinjuku Gyoen National Park
    – Harajuku
    – Nakameguro
    – Yoyogi Park

    Day 2 :
    – Ueno Park
    – Sensoji Temple
    – Asakusa
    – Ameya Yokocho
    – Tokyo Skytree

    Day 3 :
    – Tsukiji Fish Market (just for sushi)
    – Ginza
    – Shibuya
    – Shinjuku

    Day 4 :
    – Chidorigafuchi
    – Harajuku
    – Asakusa

    Day 5 (Tokyo – Kyoto) :
    – Take morning train to Kyoto (staying near Tobakaido Station)
    – Gion
    – Kiyomizudera
    – Nishiki Market

    Day 6 :
    – Arashiyama
    – Fushimi Inari Shrine
    – The Philosopher’s Path (Tetsugaku no michi)
    – Maruyama Koen Park

    Day 7 (Kyoto-Osaka) :
    – Take afternoon train to Osaka (staying near Nankai Namba Station 8mins walk or Nippombashi Station 3mins walk)
    – Namba
    – Dotonbori
    – Shinsaibashi
    – Kuromon Market

    Day 8 :
    – Osaka Castle
    – Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine
    – Amerikamura
    – Kemasakuranomiya PArk

    Day 9 :
    – Shitennoji Temple
    – Nakanoshima Park
    – Midosuji Street
    – Hozenji Yokocho

    Day 10 :
    Take train to Kansai International Airport (KIX) for afternoon flight (12noon)

    Thank you 😉

  3. Meity says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    I am planning to visit Japan during Autumn 2016 (early Oct for 2 weeks). I am planning to visit Hokkaido and travel down south to Osaka. My questions are is it worth to squeeze 2 weeks trip covering Hokkaido regions, Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka? What kind of transportation and connection works best for me? Or should i just cover Hokkaido for 2 weeks?

  4. Sandy Chiew says:

    Hi Takeshi san,

    i plan to go Mt Fuji from Tokyo.
    My hotel is located at Ningyocho (near Ueno) in Tokyo. Plan to have a night stay in hotel at Lake Kawaguchi on the next day.
    Would like to have a short tour in Hakone and Gotemba before check in .
    May i know which way is the best for me to plan my trip there?
    I preferred to depart in the morning from Tokyo so that can go a half day tour in Hakone and Gotemba.

    Which train shd i take from Tokyo ?
    Which station i shd stop at?
    Help me to see its the right way for me to plan my trip.

    -Romancecar / Odakyu Railway to Odawara or Hakone Yumoto?
    – From Hakone travel by Hakone Transportation to Gotemba
    From Hakone / Gotemba how should i travel to Lake Kawaguchi for check in???

    Thanks

  5. Stella says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Can i get your advice for the the most cost effective passes that i can use for my itinerary below?
    I think JR pass will not be suitable so how can i use the single fare ticket in this instance from Narita to KIX airport?

    D1 – 26 Mar – Narita airport to Disneyland hotel
    D2 – 27 Mar – Disneyland
    D3 – 28 Mar – to downtown Tokyo staying at ANA Intercontinental
    D4 – 29 Mar – Tokyo (Odaiba)
    D5 – 30 Mar – Tokyo
    D6 – 31 Mar – Tokyo to Hakone via Romance Car, stayed 1 night( Will Hakone free pass be better since we would probably spend about 6-7 hrs there?)
    D7 – 1 Apr – Hakone to Osaka
    D8 – 2 Apr – Osaka to Kyoto (Day trip) possible to visit Nara?
    D9 – 3 Apr – Universal studios
    D10 – 4 Apr – Osaka to KIX airport

    • Hi Stella,

      Narita-TDL
      If you can catch limousine, that is the best.
      http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus_services/narita/tdr.html#timetable
      Otherwise single ticket for Narita Express to Tokyo and local train to Maihama is your choice.

      As I mentioned, single ticket to Odawara and Hakone Free Pass from Odawara is the best choice. You need single ticket for Odawara to Kansai airport with stopover in Osaka. Single ticket is also your choice for trip to Kyoto and USJ. For the rest of your trip, you can follow same way and choice in the itinerary above.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  6. Lee Wah says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    Thanks for your sample of intinery. Me & my family are traveling to Japan for Sakura on 31/3-8/4/16. we will be carrying huge luggage as we are bringing some dialysis fluids for my sis who is doing her own peritoneal dialysis.

    Our intinery as below:

    31/3 Tokyo airport- 2300hrs (We book a transport to fetch us from airport to shinjuku)
    1/4 Tokyo
    2/4 Tokyo
    3/4 Tokyo
    4/4 Tokyo to lake kawaguchi (plan to leave Tokyo early)
    5/4 lake kawaguchi to Kyoto ( plan to leave lake kawaguchi early)
    6/4 Kyoto to Osaka namba (plan to leave Kyoto at night)
    7/4 Osaka
    8/4 to Kansai airport

    My questions:
    1. What pass should we use when we traveling around at Tokyo?
    2. Can you assist us on the train transfer for our intinery? Prefer to have an easy way…
    3. What pass should we use for 2 day 1 nite at Kyoto? N at Osaka.. ?
    4. If my sis want to do her dialysis in the nearby hospital, can she just walk in?

    Thanks

  7. FY says:

    Hello,

    Thanks a lot for the guide. Just want to check something:

    Day 7 – Hakone to Kyoto
    Day 8 – Kyoto
    Day 9 – Kyoto
    Day 10 – Kyoto to Osaka (stop over at Himeji)
    Day 11 – Osaka
    Day 12 – Osaka
    Day 13 – Osaka to airport

    Since the “one base fare ticket from Odawara to Kansai airport” is only valid for 5 days, does it mean that I can still use that ticket until I reach Osaka but buy a separate ticket on the day I am going to the airport?

    Can I stop over at Himeji using the one base fare ticket? I cannot figure out if stopping over at Himeji is considered as going backwards.

    Your help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!

    Regards,
    FY

  8. Milky says:

    Hi,

    I desperately need some advice on the itinerary as i’m really lost and overwhelmed by the train rides.
    I am thinking of getting a 7 day JR pass and Suica card from Narita airport.

    Can I use Suica card to take NEX from Shinjuku to Narita on my departure day?

    Also, it is ok to go Hakone on a Sunday?

    Below is my itinerary:

    Option 1:

    Day 1: Arrive Narita at 2.30pm. Travel to Shinjuku to rest (Activate JR Pass Day 1)
    Day 2: Shinjuku to Hakone (early morning via romance car, buy Hakone Free Pass at Odawara)
    Day 3: Hakone to Kyoto
    Day 4 (Sat): Kyoto
    Day 5 (Sun): Kyoto
    Day 6: Kyoto to Tokyo
    Day 7: Tokyo (End Jr Pass Day 7)
    Day 8: Tokyo
    Day 9: Tokyo – Disneyland
    Day 10: Tokyo (Day trip to Kawasaki, Kanagawa Perfecture)
    Day 11 (Sat): Tokyo – Picnic at Shinjuku National Park
    Day 12 (Sun): Tokyo
    Day 13: Depart from Narita at 6.00pm

    Option 2:

    Day 1: Arrive Narita at 2.30pm, Travel to Kyoto (Activate JR Pass Day 1)
    Day 2: Kyoto
    Day 3: Kyoto
    Day 4 (Sat): Osaka
    Day 5 (Sun): Kyoto – Nara Day Trip
    Day 6: Kyoto to Hakone (buy Hakone Free Pass at Odawara)
    Day 7: Hakone to Tokyo via Romance car (End Jr Pass Day 7)
    Day 8: Tokyo
    Day 9: Tokyo – Disneyland
    Day 10: Tokyo (Day trip to Kawasaki, Kanagawa Perfecture)
    Day 11 (Sat): Tokyo – Picnic at Shinjuku National Park
    Day 12 (Sun): Tokyo
    Day 13: Depart from Narita at 6.00pm

    Thanks and looking forward to your precious reply.

    • Hi Milky,

      I think option 2 is better because you can use JR pass to its maximum. If you do option 2, you will be able to get Osaka and Nara too.
      Weekday is better to visit Hakone. But weekday is way better to visit Disneyland. Disney at weekend is packed.

      You will use Hakone Free Pass at Odawara and take Romancecar to Shinjuku. That is okay but Romancecar to Shinjuku is not covered by both JR pass and Hakone Free pass. You need to add single fare for Odawara to Shinjuku and full limited express surcharge. If you want to save your cost, take Shinkansen from Odawara to Shinagawa and transfer to Yamanote line to get Shinjuku. Of course Romancecar is much more convenient to get Shinjuku from Hakone.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  9. Ryan says:

    Hi,

    Reading a lot of the posts, and trying to digest bit by bit.

    It’s quite confusing, since im a first time traveller to Japan.

    I will travel to Japan from 9th of March to 16th of March. Bought the air ticket slightly earlier due to discounted fares. My itinery would be as below

    Day 1: Haneda (im arriving late night at 10 something, so that day)
    Day 2: Tokyo
    Day 3: Disneyland Tokyo
    Day 4: Tokyo
    Day 5: Tokyo-Osaka
    Day 6: Kyoto daytrip from osaka
    Day 7: Osaka
    Day 8: Kansai

    What kind of passes you recommend me to use?

    Thank you

  10. Ema says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    Ineed your advice, Please let me know should I buy JR Pass or not. I will travel with my husband on 20 Jan 2016 – 25 Jan 2016.
    Below is my itinerary:
    Day 1: Haneda arrived late (00.05) we decided to wait until morning.
    Day 2: Haneda – Kyoto
    Day 3: Kyoto-Osaka
    Day 4: Osaka -Tokyo (night last train or bus)
    Day 5: Tokyo
    Day 6: Tokyo
    Day7: leave japan from Haneda Internasional Airport in early moning. Our flight is 06.35 and we stay in Shinjuku-ku

    JR pass or not?
    and for the departure day, what do you think, should I go to haneda in early morning or just go there midnight and stay until the check in counter open?

    I really need your help, I’m a first time traveler to japan and a bit confused with all the trains and i cant speak Japanese. The date it self only next 2 weeks from now. The clock is ticking..

    Please reply.

    Thanks

    Ema

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