Japan 2 week Itinerary: First-time visit to the Land of the Rising Sun

We had been doing a lot of Europe trips the past few years and wanted to experience something different, a unique culture. We looked towards east and Japan appealed for the co-existence of the traditional along with the modern here. For our 2 weeks in Japan trip, we focused on the classic Golden Triangle route – Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. But we also wanted to add some smaller places with a different vibe, and less crowded than the famous hot-spots. That led to Koyasan, Himeji, Hiroshima and Miyajima Island being added to our 2-week Japan itinerary.

This Japan itinerary will appeal to first-time visitors to this country, who want to balance cultural immersion in Kyoto along with time spent in neon-lit cities of Tokyo and Osaka. Who want time to aimlessly wander around the natural beauty of Koyasan along with seeing the major historical and cultural attractions in Hiroshima and Himeji. 

This Japan two week itinerary is good with kids, as it includes the fun-filled Tokyo DisneySea, Samurai Ninja Museum and Digital Art Museums experiences. More importantly, it keeps a relaxed pace, only one or two activities each day, so that the family trip to Japan doesn’t become overwhelming. 

Disclaimer: This helpful post contains some affiliate links. This means that if you click on any of the links in this post (AND make a purchase) I may receive a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. As such I thank you in advance should you decide to click & buy.

Best Time to visit Japan

The best time to visit Japan is during spring time (late March until early May) or the fall season (October & November). Both spring and fall season offer the best weather for sightseeing and no rains. Late March to mid-April is also the cherry blossom or Sakura season. While this is the peak season to visit Japan, do note that it gets very crowded, and you must book accommodation much in advance. Fall season offers vibrant fall foliage, good weather and has lesser crowds than spring time.

Winter months (December until February) is the off-season to visit Japan. You will get better hotel deals and no crowds at popular attractions. We visited Japan for 2 weeks in the first half of June. The heat does start climbing in early June though it is still manageable, as is the humidity. Both the heat and humidity go up in the summer months of July until early September. This weather-wise is the worst time to visit Japan. 

Japan 2-week Itinerary Overview

Day 1: Explore Tokyo (we landed in Tokyo the evening earlier)
 
Day 2-4: Spend 3 days in Kyoto, travel to Osaka on the evening of Day 4 itself
 
Day 5: Day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island from Osaka
 
Day 6-7: Half day trip to Himeji + Explore Osaka
 
Day 8: Explore the temple town of Koyasan, stay overnight
 
Day 9 -10: Travel to Tokyo + Fun at DisneySea
 
Day 11 – 13: Stay in Tokyo, explore different neighborhoods

Day 14: Fly out of Tokyo

You can make this Japan two week itinerary more efficient by flying into Tokyo, explore the capital city first, moving onto Kyoto and Osaka and then flying out of Osaka.
 
For families travelling with young kids, it is easy to remove Koyasan. Travel from Osaka directly to Tokyo in the above Japan itinerary. Use Day 8 to maximize fun at Disneyland and then spend the next day at DisneySea. If you don’t do Koyasan, an extra day gets added to Tokyo which can be spent doing a day trip to either Hakone / Mt. Fuji or to Nikko national park.

Day 0-1: Get a feel of Tokyo

Arrival in Japan

We had arrived the evening earlier at Narita International Airport. Narita is at a distance of more than 75 km from central Tokyo. We cleared immigration quickly with the help of QR code generated before our departure to Japan. This is one of the useful travel tips for Japan itinerary. And then after getting our luggage, it was easy to take the Airport Limousine Bus service from the airport to Ginza stop. We walked to our hotel in Ginza and settled in.

The first look and feel of Tokyo was better than all that I had read about the capital city and had a mental impression of. Polite people, efficient public transport, clean roads and pavements, brightly-lit signage all across the main streets.

It was late evening by the time we settled in the Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Ginza Hotel, a nice hotel option in Tokyo. Ginza is Tokyo’s upscale shopping and dining paradise and makes for a great area to stay in the city. Courtyard Marriott is right next to Ginza 6, a posh mall with plenty of shops and dining options, where we had our first dinner in Tokyo.

Apart from the day of arrival, we spent a total of 5 full days in Tokyo. One full day in the beginning and then 4 days during the last leg of our Japan trip.

Digital Art Museum + Shibuya Sky cancellation + Shopping

The first order of the day was a visit to teamlab Borderless, a digital art museum located near Azabudai Hills. We took a uber to make our morning appointment to the art museum. It is important to book these tickets in advance. And the early morning slot work well. No queues, hardly any crowds, just go in and enjoy!

Mori Building, where the museum is in and the surrounding area has loads of restaurants. For our first morning in Tokyo, we tried a boutique chocolate cafe, that worked well with the drizzle outside.

The next destination was Shibuya to get an aerial view of the world-famous Shibuya Crossing. Since we didn’t buy the Welcome Suica (payment) card available at the international airport earlier, we first bought pasmo cards at the metro station and took our first subway ride. Oh my, Tokyo subway is clean, punctual and efficient!

The drizzle had turned into a steady downpour by the time we reached Shibuya. I had booked the tickets to Shibuya Sky two weeks in advance for whatever slot was available for the day. The mist was quite bad by the time we reached for our afternoon slot at Shibuya Sky. Thankfully, they allowed us to cancel with a full refund. We ate a hearty sushi meal in Shibuya Scramble building.

Our plans for the rainy day changed to shopping. We looked around, shopped quite a bit at Lululemon, Onitsuka Tiger in Shibuya and Muji store before we got back to Ginza. Japan offers a lot to buy, both souvenirs and personal items.

Day 2: Travel to Kyoto + Lesser frequented sites first

Next on our Japan two week itinerary was the erstwhile capital of Japan with its numerous historical and cultural sites. The first experience of shinkansen from Tokyo station to Kyoto station delighted us. We had pre-booked our shinkansen tickets and seat allocation on the Smart Ex site for most of our journeys a month in advance, but it’s not necessary. You can buy tickets at the station as well. 

Kyoto is far more compact than Tokyo or Osaka, so we ended up taking a lot many taxis / uber to move around the city. We first took a taxi from Kyoto station to The Chapter Kyoto, a Marriott property in downtown area. And then started our 3-day Kyoto sightseeing trip with Nanzen-ji, one of the largest and prominent Zen temples. Post lunch in this area, we took the 2-km long peaceful path named Philisopher’s Path to reach Ginkaku-ji or the Silver Paviillion. This temple and its surrounding moss garden and dry rock garden are pretty. 

When folks are figuring out whether to base themselves in Kyoto or cover it as a day trip from Osaka, do note that wandering around Gion and Highashiyama areas during late evening hours is a delight. This is what we did to end our first day in Kyoto. So peaceful and sans crowds. 

Day 3-4: Cultural immersion at famous spots in Kyoto

The second day in Kyoto was focused on the east side to begin with: the famous and crowded Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Do reach Kiyomizu-dera before 8 am if you don’t want crushing crowds. It took me more than an hour to take the circular route within the temple complex at an easy pace. I then walked through sannenzaka to first reach Yasaka Pagoda and finally to visit Yasaka shrine. The night earlier, I had seen the shrine lit up from the main road. 

The afternoon was spent exploring Nijo castle, a great spot for learning about Shogun lifestyle and samurai architecture. The entire complex comprises a castle, palace, and vast landscape gardens. And finally, the evening was spent hiking to the summit of Fushimi Inari Taisha, the famous shrine with over 10,000 torii gates. For a peaceful environment, it is best to visit the shrine during early morning hours, or later in the evening. The hike to the mountain summit takes about 2-3 hours for a round trip, but you can turn back whenever you want. 

Our last day in Kyoto was focused on exploring the west part of the city. We started with Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, on the outskirts of Arashiyama with a collection of 1200 unique and whimsical statues. And then the day was spent exploring the more famous sites in this area, including Arashiyama Bambooo grove, Tenryuji Temple and its lovely garden.

Finally, we made our way to Kinkakuji or the Golden Pavillion. Expect to find crowds as you first come upon Kinkakuji. The reflection in the serene large pond of the golden building is worth the hype. We then took an evening train to reach Osaka, our base for 4 nights.

Day 5: Day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

We had transferred from Kyoto to Osaka the evening earlier and checked in Osaka Station Hotel. The hotel location near Osaka train station made catching an early morning shinkansen to reach Hiroshima station much easier.

War history at Hiroshima

Reaching Hiroshima by 9 am worked well. We spent the next couple of hours exploring the key sites of war history in Hiroshima city: Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park, the Atomic Bomb site and the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Apart from the exhibits at the Hiroshima Museum which were gut-wrenching, much of what is displayed at the Peace Park and the atomic bomb site makes you reflect about peace.

Natural beauty at Miyajima

The late afternoon was spent on Miyajima Island, a 45-minnute ferry ride away from Hiroshima. The island with its famous floating torii gate, shrines, the ropeway up Mount Misen and free roaming deer, provides a nice counterpoint to the tragic history of Hiroshima. This island is all about cultural immersion and scenic beauty.

Both Hiroshima and Miyajima island make for a long but fruitful day trip from Osaka.

Day 6-7: Half day trip to Himeji + Explore Osaka

Himeji or the White Heron Castle

After the Hiroshima day trip, our Osaka itinerary had another one. Osaka city itself has a famous castle, but we thought the half day trip to Himeji castle was well worth it. For those interested in an authentic castle experience and architectural detail, Himeji is delightful. 

We took a local train from Osaka to reach Himeji town and then spent the first half of Day 6 exploring  Japan’s most spectacular surviving feudal castle. And its adjacent complex of 9 traditional Japanese gardens designed in the Edo period style. A guided tour covering the Himeji castle and the Koko-en garden really brings the history of this place alive.

Namba, Dotonbari, Shinsekai, Den Den Town

Our plan was to do some shopping on the second evening in Osaka. We took the metro to reach Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street. This covered shopping street full of fashion boutiques, expensive department stores, and food stalls is packed with people. Osaka comes alive in late evenings. And no better place to see this than Dotonbari in Namba and the area around it. Lots of street food stalls, vibrant night life and people-watching to be done here.

The next morning was spent reasting and enjoying our hotel. It had views to rival Umeda Sky Building, where you can book ticket to the 170-metre-high observatory to take in 360 views of the city.

Post a fabulous teppanyaki lunch, we set out to do some shopping and strolling in Tennoji Park. We wandered in this large peaceful park to reach Shinsekai, an area full of retro-themed stores and varied street food stalls. You will find Tsutenkaku Tower here, a prominent landmark of Osaka. You can go up to the observation deck to get panoramic city views. The last night in Osaka was spent walking Den Den town with its numerous stores for electronics, anime, manga, gaming, and collectibles. 

Day 8: Overnight temple stay at Koyasan

After Osaka, the usual route in any Japan travel itinerary is to go to Tokyo. If you do that, it will give you 2 additional days that can be used for day trips from Tokyo. Hakone and Mount Fuji are the most popular day trips. We wanted to experience a smaller town, a much slower pace and also natural beauty before moving onto Tokyo. 

We chose Koyasan, a temple town also known as Mount Koya for an overnight temple stay. Koyasan is a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is the birthplace and heart of Shingon Buddhism (also known as Esoteric Buddhism), founded by the revered monk Kobo Daishi. It offers unique experiences like staying overnight at a temple, watching the Gomataki fire ritual being performed at a temple, exploring the vast Okunoin Cemetery, and admiring numerous Buddhist sites here.

The experience of staying overnight at Koyasan Syukubo Ekoin Temple, though expensive, proved to be an immersive experience. The evening meditation session was my favourite. But our teen daughter disliked the traditional vegetarian meal served for dinner and the traditional breakfast. I would say the whole experience is more suited to adults. We also attended the morning prayer service and the Goma Fire Ritual unique to Esoteric Buddhism.

My daughter did enjoy the Koyasan town though with its stunning natural scenery, the drive up the hill from the cable car station and the verdant forest adding to the serene atmosphere. Koyasan boasts numerous temples, each with its own unique architectural and historical significance.

Day 9 -10 : Fun at Tokyo DisneySea

Travel to Tokyo Disney

After an early breakfast at the temple, we checked out and started a long journey to retrace our steps back to Osaka. Bus from cable car station, then catch a local train to Namba station in Osaka, grab a quick lunch. And lunch, board a shinkansen from shin-Osaka to Tokyo station. A further change of train line got us to Maihama station, from where we walked to our Hotel MiraCosta located in Tokyo DisneySea.

This took the better part of the day and we cancelled our original plan to visit Disneyland on Day 9 of the Japan 2 week itinerary. In any case, if you had to choose between Disneyland and DisneySea, the latter wins hands down as it is unique to Japan. The rides and attractions at Disneyland are more geared for younger kids whereas DisneySea has attractions geared for teen and adults. We rested and enjoyed dinner at Ikspiari Mall at Disney Resort, and conserved our energy for a long fun-filled day at Tokyo DisneySea the next morning. This turned out to be a good decision.

Fun at DisneySea

Stay at a Disney Hotel meant it was easy for us to walk to the park and get a 15-minute early entry at 845 am (the park opens at 9 am for other visitors). Our first-ever experience of a Disney theme park was a crazy, whirlwind day of rides, snacks, drinks, and walking.

A 1-day Tokyo Disneysea itinerary is good for enjoying one of the best theme parks in the world. We were tired and exhilarated by 9 pm when we left the park. 10 rides done, 4 using Priority Pass on DisneySea App. Mochi, churros, frozen dessert, coffee, beer, hot dog, breakfast and dinner consumed at various restaurants and food stalls. 

Day 11: Explore the buzzing areas of Tokyo

Post Tokyo DisneySea, the last 3 days in Japan were spent exploring different neighbourhoods of Tokyo. We transferred from DisneySea hotel to Tokyo Edition in Toranomon, a business district of Minato.

The buzz at Shibuya

We spent exploring the modern areas of Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku all day. Shibuya pulses with energy. Our morning plan pre-lunch was shopping and we bought sneakers at Onitsuka Tiger and at ABC Mart.

We had cancelled our slot at Shibuya Sky on the very first day in Tokyo due to poor visibility. This time, we got the afternoon slot, but at least it was a sunny and clear day. Despite the heat, I quite enjoyed the panoramic city views from Shibuya sky. And of course, the iconic Shibuya Scramble Crossing. It gets quite crowded as the evening progresses, and the coveted sunset slot is packed.

Wandering through Harajuku and Shinjuku

Post lunch at a Mexican fast food restaurant, we then headed to Harajuku, where fashion meets kawaii culture. The first stop was at Takeshita street known for youth fashion brands, where my daughter picked up some clothes. If time permits, you can visit the peaceful Meiji Jingu Shrine here. It is a good place to get away from the urban crowd and find some quiet.

It was early evening by the time we reached Shinjuku, known for its skyscraper sights and neon nights. For those looking for an alternative to the paid aerial views at Shibuya Sky, you get great city views from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku (free entry!). We stopped to take in the evening buzz around the Giant 3D Cat billboard and took the subway back to Toranomon. It was time to rest our sore feet and eat at a local place nearby.

Day 12: Explore Ueno Park & Akihabara + another Digital Museum experience

The initial plan for Day 12 was to do a day trip around Tokyo either to Hakone or to Nikko national park, but the overall trip had exhausted us. You will need to schedule rest days in your Japan itinerary because there is a lot of walking and moving around. And you don’t always anticipate at the beginning how overwhelming it can get.

Not enough time at Ueno Park

Instead, we chose to take an easy morning enjoying pizza at a neighbourhood restaurant. Post brunch, my daughter and I headed to Ueno Park via taxi while my husband chose to stay back in the hotel.

I had booked a small-group tour via Guruwalk for a 2-hr walking excursion through parts of Ueno Park and Akihabara. I do recommend taking a tour here, as a local guide can give so much information and context to Akihabara area known for its anime and otaku sub-cultures. Ueno Park is famous for many things – its excellent galleries and museums, the pandas at Ueno Zoo, the Shinobazu Pond, the historic Ueno Toshogu Shrine and cherry blossoms during the sakura season.

Lively Akihabara

There is nothing quite like Akihabara. Even for a person like me who is not into manga or anime, it was super interesting to see the gaming arcades, the wide array of shops for Japanese pop culture, quirky souvenirs and cutting-edge gadgets, plus themed cafes. The lively atmosphere of Akihabara, with its bright lights and bustling streets, makes it a visually stimulating and exciting place to explore.

Magical teamLab Planets

The rest of the evening was devoted to relaxation, enjoying our hotel with its excellent view of the Tokyo Tower, and having an early dinner at a nearby restaurant. We had to make it to the pre-booked slot for teamLab Planets. If you had to choose between teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets, my vote is for the latter. Planets is far more engaging, it is designed to engage multiple senses through water, light, and tactile elements. Though we found the evening slot quite crowded, overall it was a fun evening at Planets.

Day 13: Take in the cultural sites at Asakusa, walk along Sumida River

The historic Sensō-ji

The morning of Day 13 in Japan was spent exploring Sensō-ji complex. Asakusa is the neighbourhood known for its historic temples and traditional streets. Again, I had booked a small group tour via Guruwalk, and while the local guide was informative, it is not necessary.

Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa, and also Tokyo’s oldest-established temple with a history going back 1,400 years. The shopping street leading to Sensoji Temple, known as Nakamise-dori, is lined with many shops selling crafts, souvenirs, sweet & savoury snacks. After walking through all the structures in and around Sensō-ji, our guide showed us a bit more of Asakusa. We finally ended the tour at Sumida River, we could see Tokyo Skytree covered in mist and clouds across the river bank. We couldn’t make time to visit Tokyo Skytree, Japan’s tallest tower at 634 m, that offers a must-see view of the city.

Fun at Samurai Ninja Museum

We had lunch at a Japanese burger joint and then killed some time shopping for souvenirs in Asakusa. Until it was time for our pre-booked slot at Samurai Ninja Museum. For families travelling to Tokyo, I do recommend this highly. The museum is a good blend of engaging information on samurai and ninja history, plus you get to have fun wearing samurai costumes and taking photos. The session on practising some ninja skills was great fun too (for some, I plainly sucked at it!).

For our last evening in Tokyo, we chose to go to Roppongi – where many hot-spots for fine dining and night life abound. Our teppanyaki dinner was excellent.

Day 14: Fly back home the next morning

Our 2 weeks in Japan were about to end. It was time to head to the nearest 7/11 to buy plenty of snacks to take back home. And then we got a taxi to Tokyo station. We bought tickets for the Airport Limousine Service to Narita Airport to fly back home.

_________________________

Pin it for later!

_________________________

Have you been to Japan? Which was your favourite site or experience there?

Subscribe to Zest In A Tote Digest, my monthly newsletter, for travel tips and inspiration.

Join me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook as I share my travel experiences.