Itinerary

Arrive at Haneda, settle in Asakusa

Nothing ambitious. Get the IC cards working, drop bags, walk the backstreets, eat early, sleep.

Transit: HND → Asakusa: Keikyu runs straight through onto the Toei Asakusa line, ~40 min, ¥610 pp. With five sets of luggage a pre-booked 5–6 seat van (~¥7,600–10,000 per car incl. tolls, ~€10 each) is the better once-off. A standard taxi seats four.

Afternoon

Land, Visit Japan Web QR at immigration and customs, cash from the 7-Bank ATM, Suica already in Apple Wallet. Haneda arrival: getting five people into townSuica / Welcome Suica on iPhone

Evening

Walk Kuramae and the Sumida riverside, unambitious dinner, early night.

The first-timer core, east side

Senso-ji before the shutters open, knives in Kappabashi, then the Tokyo National Museum to give the first-timers the vocabulary for Kyoto.

Morning

07:30 Senso-ji while it is empty, Nakamise shutters still painted with their Edo scenes. 09:30 Kappabashi kitchen street. Senso-jiKappabashi Kitchen Town

Midday

Lunch in Asakusa. Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku if the queue is bearable. Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku

Afternoon

Tokyo National Museum, Honkan only. Two hours is plenty. Tokyo National Museum

Evening

Ameyoko standing food or an Ueno izakaya.

West Tokyo: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum and Ghibli

The best-value cultural half-day in Tokyo, then the Ghibli slot won on 10 February, then a walk through Inokashira Park to Harmonica Yokocho.

Transit: Chuo line to Musashi-Koganei, then bus. Ghibli is a 15-min walk from Mitaka or through the park from Kichijoji.

Morning

09:30 Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. Thirty relocated buildings incl. the bathhouse behind Spirited Away. ¥400. Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Midday

Lunch in Musashi-Koganei or Kichijoji.

Afternoon

14:00 Ghibli Museum, whichever slot the lottery gave you. Then east through Inokashira Park. Ghibli Museum, MitakaKichijoji & Inokashira Park

Evening

Harmonica Yokocho. Stalls seat 4–8, arrive at opening or split 3+2. Harmonica Yokocho

Rain / alternative: Ghibli closed Tuesdays, so this day cannot move to the 16th. If no Ghibli ticket: swap in the Mingeikan and Shimokitazawa.

Water, fish, light

One clean line east to south with no backtracking: Tsukiji at seven, Hamarikyu, teamLab Planets, monja in Tsukishima.

Morning

07:00 Tsukiji Outer Market. Split up, buy across stalls, share. Done by 09:00. Then 15 min to Hamarikyu Gardens and matcha in the teahouse over the pond. Tsukiji Outer MarketHamarikyu Gardens

Midday

Lunch Ginza or Shiodome.

Afternoon

14:00 teamLab Planets, Toyosu. You wade, wear trousers that roll up. teamLab Planets TOKYO

Evening

Monja street in Tsukishima, one stop away, reserved. Tsukishima Monja Street

Rain / alternative: Saturday: Tokyo National Museum is open until 20:00 if day 2 ran short.

Shrine, garden, art, view

The one day the flowers work: Shinjuku Gyoen's early cherries. Then the Meiji forest, Omotesando, the Nezu garden and Shibuya at sunset.

Morning

09:00 Shinjuku Gyoen. Kawazu-zakura and kanzakura are the only real bloom on these dates. 11:30 Meiji Jingu from the Harajuku gate. Shinjuku Gyoen National GardenMeiji Jingu

Midday

Omotesando lunch and the architecture walk down to Aoyama.

Afternoon

14:30 Nezu Museum, booked online. The hillside garden is the reason. Nezu Museum

Evening

17:15 Shibuya Sky for sunset around 17:45. Dinner: Sushi Tokyo Ten if booked, or Afuri in Ebisu. Shibuya SkySushi Tokyo Ten, ShibuyaAfuri, Ebisu

Rain / alternative: Sunday: Tsukiji and most of Kappabashi and Jimbocho are closed. The St Patrick's Day parade may close Omotesando; check in January.

Mt Takao

Monday closes almost every museum and Shinjuku Gyoen, so leave town. Takao on a weekday is quiet, and Fuji is visible in March air.

Transit: Keio limited express Shinjuku → Takaosanguchi, 50 min, ¥430 each way.

Morning

Trail 6 up along the stream past Biwa waterfall, ~100 min unpaved. Mount Takao

Midday

Yakuo-in near the summit, tororo soba at the top.

Afternoon

Cable car down (¥490). Back in Shinjuku by mid-afternoon.

Evening

Omoide Yokocho yakitori by 17:00, or an Isetan depachika picnic dinner. Omoide YokochoIsetan Shinjuku depachika

Rain / alternative: Rain: Kamakura and Enoshima instead (Odakyu Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass ¥1,640). Takao in rain is miserable, Kamakura merely damp.

The returners' day: Yanaka, Jimbocho, Kagurazaka

One straight line down the Chiyoda axis. Old Tokyo in the morning, woodblock prints at lunch, stone alleys for dinner.

Morning

08:00 Kayaba Coffee morning set. Yanaka cemetery, Yuyake Dandan, Yanaka Ginza, SCAI the Bathhouse, Nezu Shrine's torii tunnel, Sendagi. Kayaba CoffeeYanaka Ginza & Yanaka-Nezu-SendagiNezu Shrine

Midday

Jimbocho. Ohya Shobo and Hara Shobo sell real Edo/Meiji prints from a few thousand yen. Curry at Bondy. Jimbocho Book TownBondy, Jimbocho

Afternoon

Free afternoon. Reserve bench: Mori Art Museum (closes 17:00 today), Kiyosumi-Shirakawa coffee walk, Shimokitazawa. Kiyosumi-Shirakawa coffee walkShimokitazawa

Evening

Kagurazaka: Hyogo-yokocho and Kakurenbo-yokocho, dinner reserved. Kagurazaka

Rain / alternative: Ghibli is closed today. Yayoi Kusama Museum is Thu–Sun only.

To the mountains: Matsumoto Castle and the first onsen night

Azusa to Matsumoto with the bags, the castle after the coach groups leave, bus up to Asama for the ryokan dinner.

Transit: Shinjuku → Matsumoto on the Limited Express Azusa, 2h35–2h50, ~¥6,700–7,000 pp, all-reserved. Book on eki-net from 17 Feb 10:00 JST. Bus Matsumoto → Asama Onsen ~20 min, ¥350, or the inn's shuttle.

Morning

Sumida Hokusai Museum or Intermediatheque if there is time. Mid-morning Azusa from Shinjuku; the Azusa has luggage space behind the last row of each car. Getting in: Shinjuku to Matsumoto by Limited Express Azusa

Midday

Lunch: Soba-dokoro Kobayashi by Nawate, or Matsumoto Karaage Center in the station building if late. Soba-dokoro KobayashiMatsumoto Karaage Center

Afternoon

15:00 Matsumoto Castle interior, paper tickets at the gate. Nawate and Nakamachi streets, a glass at Matsumoto Brewery. Matsumoto CastleNawate Street (Frog Street)Nakamachi StreetMatsumoto Brewery Tap Room, Nakamachi

Evening

17:00 bus to Asama Onsen. Kaiseki dinner ~18:30, private kashikiri bath. Asama Onsen

Narai-juku, the easy Nakasendo day

A full kilometre of unbroken Edo street with its own station and none of Tsumago's crowds, plus the lacquerware village next door.

Transit: Chuo line Matsumoto → Narai, 45–70 min, usually changing at Shiojiri. IC cards do not work on every local here; carry cash for tickets.

Morning

Narai-juku main street, Kiso-no-Ohashi wooden bridge. Narai-jukuKiso-no-Ohashi Bridge

Midday

Sanzoku in Shiojiri on the way if the timing lands (birthplace of sanzoku-yaki), or a soba house in Narai. Sanzoku (Shiojiri)

Afternoon

Walk 30 min (or one stop) to Kiso-Hirasawa and buy lacquerware straight from the workshops. Optional: Torii Pass trailhead look, but it is a snow route until April. Kiso-Hirasawa lacquerware villageTorii Pass: Yabuhara to Narai

Evening

Back to Asama. Second ryokan dinner, or Shizuka izakaya in town (phone ahead for five, basashi appears unannounced). Shizuka

Rain / alternative: Clear morning with the Alps out: Daio Wasabi Farm and Azumino by bike from Hotaka instead, and move Narai to Friday morning.

Matsumoto museums, then south into the Kiso Valley

Kusama at the art museum and the reopened Kaichi School, then trains south with a stop in Kiso-Fukushima, arriving in Tsumago after the day-trippers have left.

Transit: Limited Express Shinano Matsumoto → Kiso-Fukushima ~40 min, local on to Nagiso, bus Nagiso → Tsumago 7 min, ¥300. Check bus times: few per day.

Morning

Matsumoto City Museum of Art (Kusama rooms), Former Kaichi School north of the castle. Matsumoto City Museum of Art (Yayoi Kusama)Former Kaichi School

Midday

Early lunch, then the Shinano south.

Afternoon

Two hours in Kiso-Fukushima: the checkpoint, Kozenji's dry garden, ¥1,000 tasting at Nakanorisan sake brewery. Local to Nagiso. Kiso-FukushimaFukushima Checkpoint (Sekisho)Kozenji Temple

Evening

Tsumago after 17:00 is the point of the whole leg: buried power lines, lanterns, silence. Minshuku dinner, booked with the room since nothing is open at night. Tsumago-juku

Rain / alternative: Skip Kiso-Fukushima and ride locals straight through to reach Tsumago early. Nezame-no-toko gorge is a 15-min stop from Agematsu if the group wants scenery over sake.

The Nakasendo walk, Magome to Tsumago

Bus up to Magome first, then walk back down over the pass with day packs. This ordering makes the seasonal luggage service irrelevant.

Transit: Early bus Tsumago → Magome, ~27 min, ¥600–1,000 (sources disagree). Saturday of a likely three-day weekend: expect company on the trail.

Morning

Magome-juku street and gohei-mochi, then the 8 km trail over the 801 m Magome Pass, 2.5–3h, mostly downhill this way, past the Odaki and Medaki waterfalls and the volunteer teahouse. Magome-jukuMagome to Tsumago Nakasendo walk

Midday

Lunch back in Tsumago.

Afternoon

Wakihonjin Okuya and the Honjin on the ¥700 combined ticket. Rest. Wakihonjin Okuya and Nagiso Town Museum

Evening

Second minshuku dinner. Pack for an early start.

Rain / alternative: Rain: the trail is fine in light rain with proper shoes. Heavy rain: Wakihonjin, then the Kiso-Fukushima stops skipped yesterday.

Down the valley and out to Kyoto

Linear exit through Nagiso and Nakatsugawa. Arrival lands on Vernal Equinox Day, the start of a three-day domestic weekend, so keep ambitions low: the To-ji flea market and its night sakura are enough.

Transit: Tsumago → Nagiso (bus or the 1h old-road walk past the Momosuke bridge), local to Nakatsugawa ~20 min, Shinano to Nagoya 50 min, Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto 35 min. ~¥8,500 pp, ~90 min from Nakatsugawa. Nozomi runs all-reserved 20–22 Mar: book seats.

Morning

Early bus to Nagiso, coffee at the station, trains south and west. Getting out: Matsumoto or Nakatsugawa to Kyoto on 21 MarchNagiso StationNakatsugawa Station

Afternoon

Check into the machiya. If you land by 15:00: Kobo-san, the 21st-of-the-month flea market at To-ji. To-ji — pagoda & night cherry illumination

Evening

To-ji night cherry illumination from 18:00, then dinner downtown. Do not attempt Kiyomizu-dera on a holiday Sunday.

Higashiyama at six, and the only museum window

Kiyomizu-dera at opening is the highest-leverage hour of the trip. The substitute holiday makes this the one day the Kyoto National Museum is open before it closes for changeover on the 24th.

Morning

06:00 Kiyomizu-dera at opening. 07:00 walk down Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka, past Kodai-ji to Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine on empty stones. Breakfast at Inoda Coffee (opens 07:00). Kiyomizu-deraNinenzaka & Sannenzaka slopesInoda Coffee Honten

Midday

Kyoto National Museum, then Sanjusangen-do with its 1,001 Kannon directly opposite. Both indoors. Kyoto National MuseumSanjusangen-do

Afternoon

Back to the machiya for a rest. The early start has to be paid for somewhere, and it is here.

Evening

Kodai-ji illumination, then Pontocho or Kiyamachi for dinner. Kodai-ji (with spring night illumination)Pontocho alleyGion & Hanamikoji-dori

Rain / alternative: If nobody is tired: Kawai Kanjiro's House and the Gojozaka ceramic slope. Museums flip this week: open Mon 22, closed Tue 23. Higashiyama Hanatoro no longer exists; Kiyomizu-dera's night visit starts after we leave.

Arashiyama early, then uphill to the stone Buddhas

Bamboo before eight or not at all. Tenryu-ji at opening, then the returners' half: the walk up through Saga-Toriimoto to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji's 1,200 laughing rakan.

Transit: First JR Sagano train from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama, 15 min.

Morning

07:00 bamboo grove. 08:30 Tenryu-ji, exit through the north gate. Walk 35–40 min uphill through Saga-Toriimoto to Adashino and Otagi Nenbutsu-ji. Arashiyama Bamboo GroveTenryu-ji & Sogenchi GardenOtagi Nenbutsu-ji & the Saga-Toriimoto walk

Midday

Bus back down, lunch in Arashiyama.

Afternoon

Katsura Imperial Villa tour if the slot came through (same side of town). Otherwise cross to the Philosopher's Path and Honen-in. Katsura Imperial VillaPhilosopher's Path & Honen-in

Evening

Obanzai at Menami or Ganko Nijoen, reserved. Oryori Menami (obanzai)Ganko Takasegawa Nijoen (izakaya for five)

Rain / alternative: Rain: Kyoto Railway Museum and Nishijin Textile Center, both indoors and both open Tuesdays.

Mountains: Kurama to Kibune

The best hike near the city, 6 km over the ridge between two shrine villages, with an onsen at the end and ramen on the way home.

Transit: Eizan line from Demachiyanagi to Kurama, 30 min. Not covered by the subway-and-bus pass.

Morning

Kurama-dera up the cedar path, over the ridge past the exposed roots of Kinone-michi, down to Kifune Shrine. 2.5–3h. Kurama → Kibune mountain hike

Midday

Lunch in Kibune, then back to Kurama for Kurama Onsen's outdoor bath.

Afternoon

Down the Eizan line to Shugakuin. The Imperial Villa's reserved afternoon tour (free, 80 min) is a ten-minute walk from the station, with Shisen-do next door for anyone still walking. Shugakuin Imperial VillaShisen-do & Enko-ji

Evening

Ichijoji ramen street. Ichijoji ramen street

Rain / alternative: Gentler: Ohara's Sanzen-in and Jakko-in by bus 17. Quieter and steeper: Takao's Jingo-ji, 400 stone steps and no foreign visitors. Rain: yudofu at Okutan by Nanzen-ji and the covered Nishiki Market.

Fushimi Inari early, Kinkaku-ji, first sakura

The full four-kilometre Mt Inari circuit while the lower gates are still quiet, a proper lunch, the two northwest temples, and the weeping cherries of Kyoto Gyoen showing colour by late afternoon.

Morning

07:00 Fushimi Inari full loop (JR to Inari, 2 min from the first torii). Above Yotsutsuji it empties out whatever the hour. Fushimi Inari Taisha — full Mt Inari loop

Midday

Kaiseki lunch, booked 3–6 weeks out, or Nishiki Market grazing. Kaiseki lunch in Gion (under ¥8,000)Nishiki Market

Afternoon

Ryoan-ji, then Kinkaku-ji. Hirano Shrine's early Sakigake-zakura only if the forecast says it has opened. Ryoan-ji rock gardenKinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)Hirano Shrine

Evening

Kyoto Gyoen's Konoe itozakura in the last light, then Ippodo or a quiet dinner. Kyoto Gyoen — Konoe weeping cherriesIppodo Tea — Kaboku tearoom

Rain / alternative: Tofuku-ji, one stop back from Inari, if the loop finishes early. Or Uji instead of the northwest loop: Byodo-in at 08:30, Nakamura Tokichi, Ujigami Shrine, tea ceremony at Taiho-an. ~5h, ~¥3,500 pp.

A slow Kyoto morning, then Osaka: Kuromon and Minami at night

One optional Kyoto stop on the way out, then a 30-minute train. Bags dropped, a grazing lunch at Kuromon, a free afternoon to settle, and Dotonbori with okonomiyaki at the one place that seats five.

Transit: Kyoto → Osaka: JR Special Rapid to Osaka Station, 29 min, ¥580, or Hankyu/Keihan for ¥410 if the apartment is near Umeda or Kyobashi. Bags dropped by ~12:30.

Morning

Pack, then one stop at most: Saiho-ji's moss if the slot came through, or the Botanical Garden if the blossom has broken. Otherwise a kissaten breakfast and the train. Saiho-ji (Kokedera, the Moss Temple)Kyoto Botanical Garden

Midday

Kuromon Ichiba grazing lunch: scallops, uni, wagyu skewers at the stalls, ~¥2,000 pp. Kuromon Ichiba Market

Afternoon

Settle in. Painduce bakery and a walk around the neighbourhood, nothing scheduled. Painduce (bakery)

Evening

Dotonbori walk, Hozenji Yokocho's moss-covered Fudo, okonomiyaki at Fukutaro. Dotonbori & EbisubashiHozenji Yokocho & the moss-covered FudoFukutaro (okonomiyaki & negiyaki, Namba)

Rain / alternative: Nakanoshima's two art museums are 100 m apart and open until 20:00 on Fridays if the group wants an indoor afternoon. Daitoku-ji's Zuiho-in and Daisen-in are the Kyoto alternative to Saiho-ji.

Osaka Castle, old Osaka, the sakura illumination, Tenma bars

The best-constructed day of the four. Castle walls at nine, an 1830s street under a fake sky, Japan's longest arcade, lit cherry trees, then standing bars.

Morning

09:00 Osaka Castle: Otemon, the cyclopean stone walls, the keep (¥600). Osaka Castle & Castle Museum

Midday

11:30 Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, rent the yukata. Lunch and a wander along Tenjinbashisuji, 2.6 km of arcade. Osaka Museum of Housing and LivingTenma & Tenjinbashisuji arcade

Afternoon

Nakanoshima museum island: Nakanoshima Museum of Art and the National Museum of Art, 100 m apart. Or Nakazakicho cafés and a nap. Nakanoshima Museum of Art, OsakaThe National Museum of Art, OsakaNakazakicho café district

Evening

18:00 Nishinomaru Garden cherry illumination (¥350, reserve in peak weeks; early bloom, not peak). 20:30 Tenma tachinomi crawl, three bars, cash. Nishinomaru Garden (Osaka Castle sakura + evening illumination)Tenma standing-bar crawl

Rain / alternative: Rain: Kaiyukan aquarium with a timed ticket, or Expo '70 Park and the Tower of the Sun interior (reserve by the day before).

Nara

Leave by 08:00: Nara on a Sunday in sakura season is heavy after ten and the deer park is the worst of it. Great Buddha, lantern-lined Kasuga, the two quiet gardens, Naramachi.

Transit: Kintetsu Namba → Kintetsu Nara, ~40 min, ¥680. Kintetsu Nara is a 5-min walk from the park; JR Nara is 20.

Morning

Todai-ji and the Daibutsu before the coaches, Nigatsu-do terrace, then the lantern path to Kasuga Taisha. Todai-ji & Nigatsu-doKasuga TaishaNara — how to do it, and from where

Midday

Kakinoha-zushi and Nakatanidou's pounded mochi. Nakatanidou (mochi pounding)Kakinoha-zushi Hompo Tanaka

Afternoon

Isuien and Yoshikien gardens, Kofuku-ji, Naramachi's machiya lanes. Isuien & Yoshikien gardensKofuku-ji & Nara ParkNaramachi old merchant quarter

Evening

Back to Osaka. Tsuruhashi Korea Town yakiniku at Ajiyoshi, reserved via the host. Yakiniku Ajiyoshi (Tsuruhashi Korea Town)

Rain / alternative: If the returners would rather skip Nara: Minoo Park waterfall hike in the morning and the Cup Noodles Museum in Ikeda, both on the Hankyu Takarazuka line.

Himeji, with Kobe beef on the way home

A weekday at Japan's finest castle, in its likeliest sakura window of the whole trip. Sannomiya is on the same line back, so Kobe beef for dinner costs no extra travel.

Transit: JR Special Rapid Osaka → Himeji, 62 min, ¥1,520. Not the Shinkansen: 15 min faster for more than twice the money. Whole loop ~¥2,930 pp.

Morning

Himeji Castle at opening (¥2,500 non-resident since March 2026, ¥2,600 combined with Koko-en). Koko-en's nine gardens after. Himeji CastleKoko-en Garden

Midday

Lunch near the castle, then the bus and ropeway to Mt Shosha.

Afternoon

Engyo-ji on Mt Shosha, the Last Samurai temple, an hour of forest paths between halls. Engyoji Temple, Mount Shosha

Evening

Off at Sannomiya. Kobe beef at Mouriya Honten (booked two weeks out, online) or Steakland's counter for the budget version. Mouriya Honten (Kobe beef)Steakland Kobe (budget Kobe beef)

Rain / alternative: Rain: swap Engyo-ji for Kobe's Kitano Ijinkan and Nankinmachi, or stay in Osaka for Sumiyoshi Taisha, Shitennoji and Abeno Harukas at sunset.

Nozomi to Shinagawa, Keikyu to Haneda, home

Light morning, then the Shinkansen. Shinagawa is the trick: Keikyu runs from the same building into Haneda Terminal 3 in 15 minutes without a change.

Transit: Shin-Osaka → Shinagawa Nozomi, ~2h25, ¥14,720 pp reserved (peak-season +¥200). Book on SmartEX from 28 Feb 10:00 JST, five seats in one rear row with the oversized-baggage area. Shinagawa → HND T3 on Keikyu, 13–20 min, ¥410. Door to door 3h20–3h40.

Morning

Tsutenkaku at its 10:00 opening or a last Kuromon breakfast, then Shin-Osaka with the bags. Shinsekai & Tsutenkaku TowerDeparture option A — Shin-Osaka → Shinagawa Nozomi

Afternoon

Ekiben on the train. Fuji on the right-hand side after Shin-Fuji if the sky is clear.

Evening

Haneda. Tax-free receipts and remaining yen sorted before security.

Rain / alternative: Morning flight from HND: cut Osaka to three nights and sleep at Shinagawa on the 29th. The 06:00 Nozomi only serves a flight from about 11:00.