The ultimate 10-day Japanese rail holiday
Japan is a country of contrasts. Futuristic 3D billboards soar beside centuries-old temples, while hordes of pedestrians flood the streets at pace, yet halt obediently at colossal crossings. The best kind of Japanese holiday embraces these contrasts – the old and new, the fast-paced and the zen – equally, and with gusto.
The best way to do this is by taking advantage of two more stark contrasts: combining Japan’s world-famous bullet trains, or Shinkansen, with as many of its oldest traditions and ancient sights as possible.
Punctual (the average delay is roughly 20 seconds), clean and easy to use, the Shinakansen zip across the country at 200mph, effortlessly linking major hubs and quaint backwaters – meaning that all you have to do is enjoy the view, and get off at the right stop.
To help you do just that, we’ve put together the perfect 10-day itinerary, squeezing in plenty of Japan’s must-dos without ever feeling rushed (the Shinkansen will take care of the rushing). With the weak yen making Japan more affordable for British travellers than it has been in years, there’s never been a better time to go – so read on, and make this the year you embark on a Japanese rail adventure.
Days 1 & 2
Tokyo
Skyscrapers and temples
Tokyo is a sprawling city with historic temples in one district, neon lights in the next, and seamless public transport to ferry you between the two. Check into the Mandarin Oriental in Nihonbashi (from £796; mandarinoriental.com), a conveniently located oasis above the city from which – on a clear day – views stretch out over the city to Mount Fuji.
Use the jet lag to your advantage and beat the crowds to Tokyo’s largest Buddhist temple: Sensō-ji (senso-ji.jp). Walk to the temple from Asakusa Station for an impressive view of its five-storey pagoda, and make time to explore the historic Nakamise shopping street in front of the temple grounds to pick up souvenirs, sweets and matcha.
Glitz and gaming
Swap the old for the new and move on to Akihabara – electric town. The area is famed for its electronic retailers, anime, manga and video games, offering visitors everything from an on-street go karting experience (complete with Mario Kart characters) to maid cafés, where the waitresses wear costumes, and serve cutesy drinks and meals.
Next, catch the subway to Ginza and check out its famous department stores – amongst them Ginza Six, a splendid showcase of modern luxury, with contemporary labels and homeware. Better still, items can often be purchased by visitors tax-free if you show your passport at the register – but if you forget, you can claim a VAT refund through tax-free counters within the malls.
In the evening, head to the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental for a sensory feast at Tapas Molecular bar, where not everything is as it seems. The 14-course menu, served over two hours, is chef’s choice – known here as omakase style, a feature of many Japanese restaurants which literally means “I leave it up to you”.
Days 3 & 4
Osaka, Nara and Kyoto
Get on track
Say goodbye to Tokyo – for now: it’s time for your first Shinkansen experience. Plan your arrival at Tokyo Station with plenty of time to spare and pick up an ekiben, or railway bento box, stuffed with rice, fish, pickled vegetables and sando for your journey. Don’t fill up too much, though – you’re off to Osaka, the “belly of Japan”.
The journey takes only two and a half hours, despite covering 500km. When you arrive, check into the Four Seasons Hotel (from £750; fourseasons.com), which opened in August 2024 and offers the choice of a sleek modern room or a traditional ryokan-inspired one with traditional tatami flooring.
Indulge your appetite
Make your way to Janjan-Yokocho alley, a retro arcade lined with eateries and bars (as well as shooting galleries and archery stalls). Hop between them, lining your stomach with delicious street food snacks like takoyaki, piping hot gooey balls of batter typically filled with octopus. A food tour is a great way to ensure you don’t miss any of the best bits – try Deep Backstreet Osaka Tour for a fun foodie experience (viator.com).
Next, hit the bright lights of central hub Dōtonbori, starting with the Tombori river walk through downtown Osaka. The canalside entertainment district is an assault on the senses, with narrow lanes lit by neon billboards and an abundance of restaurants and stalls selling local cuisine. Choose a hole-in-the wall bar and try a glass of plum wine, sake or a whiskey highball.
Castles and courteous deer
Before you depart, squeeze in a trip to Osaka Castle, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks. The castle occupies a place of enormous significance in the unification of Japan in the 16th century, and is situated within a sprawling urban park. Book your ticket in advance to avoid long queues; Klook (klook.com) is a useful resource for this, allowing you to check availability and buy tickets for popular tourist activities.
Before you leave Osaka, utilise Japan’s slick hotel luggage delivery service, Yamato Transport (kuronekoyamato.co.jp), to have your bags sent ahead to Kyoto. Same-day and overnight services start at around £13, freeing up your hands for sightseeing on travel days.
From Shin-Osaka Station, board a train on the JR Yamatoji Line to Nara, the original capital of Japan, and mosey through the old town before making your way to Nara Park. The grounds are renowned for their World Heritage temples and resident free-roaming sika deer, which visitors can feed by hand with crackers bought from local vendors. Visit Tōdai-ji, built in the mid-700s and home to one of Japan’s largest bronze Buddha statues, and Nigatsu-dō, sitting on the hillside of Mount Wakakusa with views out across Nara.
Try bowing to the deer – they’re known to bow back, as they know it will often win them another cracker. But avoid getting headbutted by Bambi’s boisterous cousin by keeping any food stowed away, and venture off the main tourist track if you prefer more easygoing deer.
Head back into Nara station and board your train to Kyoto. If you fancy a bit of Japanese indulgence, stay at the luxurious Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto (from £1,070; hotelthemitsui.com) which offers inner-city tranquillity, Michelin Guide dining and a private bathing experience in the natural hot spring bubbling up from below the hotel. If you’d rather go down the more affordable route, check into the Mercure Kyoto Station (from £75; mercure-kyoto-station.com), a convenient base that’s just six minutes walk from the station itself and equidistant from Kyoto’s north-eastern and north-western temples.
Days 5 & 6
Kyoto
Temple tour
Kyoto’s more than 1,600 temples and 400 shrines offer a wonderful opportunity to experience Japan’s blending of Buddhist and Shinto religions. Arrange a local tour guide through your hotel concierge, and ask them to show you a variety of designs and architectural styles.
The scenic Saga Arashiyama area on the north-western fringes of the city offers plenty of both, home to both large and small temples. Enjoy the landscape on a walk along the Katsura River before visiting the pared-back Tenryu-ji zen temple and the Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion, whose top two floors are entirely covered in gold leaf.
A bakery and cafe simply named ‘Bread, Espresso and Arashiyama Garden’ in the Arashiyama Japanese garden, famed for its bamboo grove, is the perfect place for a pit stop to recaffeinate and escape the crowds in between the sightseeing. Temple sites are busy all year round, especially in spring (cherry blossom season) and autumn (golden season), but it’s well worth checking Kyoto Travel Congestion Forecast (global.kyoto.travel), which provides useful crowd predictions for popular spots.
It’s time for lunch, so head for the covered Nishiki Market, which is lined with more than 100 open-fronted shops run by vendors luring you in with samples of their street food. Take your pick from the likes of crispy golden tempura shrimp or bites of glazed unagi (freshwater eel), but remember to save room for a sweet treat like piping-hot taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes filled with red bean paste or custard).
Geishas and a riverside cycle
Cycling is a great way to get around Kyoto; it’s a relatively flat city with cycle lanes and plenty of rental shops and apps. Bike along the Kamo River, looking out for locals doing cultural activities and sports, then across to the Philosopher’s Path, which follows a cherry tree-lined canal running between Ginkakuji and the neighbourhood of Nanzenji. The meandering trail was named for philosophy professor Nishida Kitaro, who walked the route as a daily meditation.
Return your bike before heading to the busy Gion district, where you can attend a tea ceremony or a show put on by geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha). Keep in mind that with the boom in tourism has come a crackdown on visitors harassing Kyoto’s geisha for photos, so be respectful.
Finish your day in the Pontocho district, which centres around a long paved alley lined with restaurants and lit up with paper lanterns at night. Kappa Sushi is a simple but delicious spot for dinner, with exceptional seafood, an English menu and a long dining counter where you can experience the art of sushi-making up close.
Days 7 & 8
Izu Peninsula
Hospitality and hot springs
Take an early morning Shinkansen from Kyoto to Mishima (two hours), then change to the local train which will take you on to Shuzenji Onsen, one of the oldest and most famous hot-spring resort towns on the Izu Peninsula.
There’s no better way to take a breather from the hustle and bustle of the cities than at a ryokan, and Shuzenji is home to one of Japan’s best: Asaba (from £1,270; asaba-ryokan.com).
Check into a tatami-floored room – with futon beds looking out over a koi pond fringed with trees – then head for a soak in your choice of indoor or outdoor onsen.
As is typical, men and women are separated for the communal baths, though an unusual perk of Asaba is a separate mixed onsen room for private use. Guests are assigned an attendant who looks after them during the stay, and who will serve you dinner and breakfast in your own private lounge.
Leave time to explore the quaint township of Shuzenji after you check out, with a stroll through the bamboo forest path to the Shuzenji temple and lunch at a local restaurant (try the soba noodles and local fish). Before saying farewell to Izu, head to the centre of the town where naturally heated spring water bubbles up from the ground into a public foot bath.
Back to the city
A mid-afternoon train will get you back to Tokyo just as evening is falling. This time, opt for the Tokyo you’ll recognise from the movies by checking into the reasonably priced Hotel Groove Shinjuku (from £195; panpacific.com), housed up the Tokyu Kabuchicho Tower right in the heart of vibrant entertainment district, Shinjuku City.
You’ll no doubt be getting peckish again, so seek out either Tonki or Tonchikan, both in Shinjuku, for crisp golden slabs of tonkatsu – a classic Japanese dish consisting of breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet that’s typically served with sticky rice and shredded cabbage.
Then, catch the subway to Harajuku, known for its colourful street art and fashion, then walk down to Shibuya and cross the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing, said to be the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. After witnessing this madness in action, check out one of Tokyo’s famed listening bars. At Bar Martha (martha-records.com), vinyl is prioritised above all else: talking is not tolerated and the man behind the decks does not take requests. Steer clear if you’re with a big or lively group.
Days 9 & 10
Tokyo
The world’s biggest fish market
Kick off your last full day in Japan at the world’s biggest fish market, Toyosu, in Tokyo Bay. While entry to the market is free, witnessing the famous early-morning tuna auction requires pre-planning, with a lottery for tickets that opens a month in advance for morning slots between 5.45-6.25am.
After a breakfast of ultra-fresh sushi, get on the subway and travel to teamLab Borderless, an immersive digital art museum where dizzyingly colourful artworks shift and change in response to people moving through the museum space. Again, check availability and book early to avoid missing out.
Noodles and karaoke
Spend your last evening in the bright lights of Shinjuku, starting off in the jumble of red lanterns and compact food stalls along Omoide Yokocho alley. Tucked away down a side alley is Kameya, a compact restaurant with a small number of stools along a bar, serving udon or soba noodles with steaming broth, crispy tempura vegetables and soft-boiled egg. Two bowls will set you back around £5, but expect to queue (though not for long). One customer leaves, another sits, with no lingering allowed.
Before turning in, continue on to Golden Gai. Another network of narrow passageways lined by mismatched, tumbledown bars – some big enough to fit only six or seven patrons at a time – many with eclectic themes. Don’t stay for more than a drink in each one – the best way to soak in the vibe is to hop between them. Finish off the night with a stint in Art Bar Shuten Doji (shuten-doji.com), where drinks are paired with one of Japan’s most beloved cultural pastimes: karaoke.
Homebound
Stretch your legs ahead of your flight home with a morning walk in Yoyogi Park, an inner-city oasis with beautiful dense woods cut through with walking trails, or at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, another large public garden which was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period.
Then alas, it’s time to head for the airport, and to start planning your next rail adventure through this fascinating country.
Alice Peacock was a guest of Japan Experience, the Mandarin Oriental, Hotel Groove Shinjuku, the Four Seasons Hotel, Deep Backstreet Osaka Tour, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, Mercure Kyoto Station and Asaba.
