10 Days in Japan: Tokyo to Osaka the Right Way

10 Days in Japan: Tokyo to Osaka the Right Way

Japan is one of those rare destinations where the gap between a mediocre trip and an extraordinary one comes down almost entirely to specificity. Not more sights, not better hotels — just knowing which neighborhoods to walk at what hour, and where to eat when the guidebook-famous places are packed with tour groups.

This itinerary covers the classic corridor — Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka — but with neighborhood-level detail and the kind of practical advice that makes the difference between a trip you survive and one you talk about for years.

Before You Go: The Logistics That Actually Matter

Sort out entry and an IC card first

Before you think about cherry blossoms or temple schedules, handle two things. First, register on Visit Japan Web before you fly — it generates a single QR code for immigration and customs and saves real time at Narita, Haneda, and Kansai. Second, get an IC card. Two easy options: pick up a physical Welcome Suica from a JR East machine or Travel Service Center in the airport arrival hall (valid 28 days from first use, no deposit), or — simpler still — add Welcome Suica Mobile to your phone's Apple/Google Wallet before you even land (launched March 2025, valid 180 days). Load ¥3,000–5,000 to start. Either one pays for every subway, city bus, and urban rail journey in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. It also works at convenience stores, vending machines, coin lockers, and most taxis. Carry it like a wallet.

Skip the JR Pass (for this route)

This will be controversial, but for a pure 10-day Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka trip, the 7-day JR Pass (¥50,000 / ~€300) does not pay off. The two Shinkansen legs you actually need — Tokyo to Kyoto (~¥14,400 in a reserved seat) and the short Kyoto to Osaka hop (~¥600 on the JR Special Rapid, or ~¥1,450 by Shinkansen) — come to roughly ¥15,000–16,000 combined, about a third of the pass price. The pass only makes sense if you add Hiroshima or Kanazawa. Buy point-to-point tickets instead. Note too that from 1 October 2026 the 7-day pass bought through overseas agencies rises about 6% to ¥53,000 (the 14- and 21-day passes are ¥80,000 and ¥100,000) — another reason point-to-point wins for this route. For hopping around Kyoto and Osaka on private lines and buses, a regional Kansai-area pass can be worth it.

One note on trains: the Nozomi is the fastest Shinkansen (Tokyo → Kyoto in about 2h15m). JR Pass holders can now ride it by paying a supplement, but on point-to-point tickets you simply buy a Nozomi seat outright. The Hikari takes about 2h40m. If you're buying tickets anyway, the Nozomi is worth the extra few minutes of your life.

Book accommodation early. Really.

Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, and 2026 is running higher still. Good ryokans in Kyoto book out months in advance. If you're targeting cherry blossom season (late March to early April in Tokyo; late March to mid-April in Kyoto), start booking 5–6 months out. For other periods, 3 months is reasonable but tight for the top properties.

One budgeting note for Kyoto: the city's per-person, per-night lodging tax rose sharply on 1 March 2026. It's tiered by room rate — ¥200 for rooms under ¥6,000, rising to ¥10,000 a night for rooms of ¥100,000 or more. For most mid-range stays it works out to ¥400–1,000 per person per night, collected at check-in or checkout.

Days 1–3: Tokyo

Three days in Tokyo is not enough. It's also plenty. Here's how to use them well.

Day 2: Shimokitazawa and Yanaka

Resist the pull of Shibuya and Harajuku on your first full day. Instead, take the Odakyu Line 10 minutes from Shinjuku to Shimokitazawa — Tokyo's bohemian counterpart to Barcelona's Gracia district. This is the city's heartland for vintage clothing (Chicago, Flamingo), independent record stores, and live music. The recently opened Shimokita Senrogai development and Ogawa Coffee Laboratory anchor a stretch of cafes and food stalls worth a slow morning. Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory — the official Studio Ghibli bakery — is two minutes from the station: Totoro-shaped choux pastries, no irony intended.

In the afternoon, head to Yanaka, Tokyo's best-preserved pre-war neighborhood in the Taito ward. Walk Yanaka Ginza (the retro covered shopping street), duck into Kayaba Coffee — a century-old kissaten townhouse — and end with dinner at Hantei, a traditional multi-floor building serving refined kushiage skewers.

Day 3: Tsukiji and Shinjuku

The Tsukiji inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but the outer market remains fully operational. Arrive before 8am — stalls begin winding down by noon. Sushi Dai has long queues and is worth them; Tsukiji Kagura Sushi Annex is known for old-style red vinegar rice. This is a breakfast and morning activity.

Spend the afternoon around Omotesando, then end the day in Shinjuku. Skip Kabukicho. Instead: tempura at Tsunahachi (established 1924), then Bar Benfiddich for what Tokyo consistently rates its finest cocktails. Reserve ahead.

Day 4: Travel Day to Kyoto + Fushimi Inari at Dusk

Take the Hikari or Nozomi Shinkansen from Tokyo Station — depart around 10–11am, arrive Kyoto by early afternoon. Travel light: Shinkansen luggage space is limited and oversized bags need a reserved rack, so consider same-day luggage forwarding (takuhaibin) from your Tokyo hotel to your Kyoto hotel — hand it over in the morning and it's usually waiting for you by evening. Check in, leave your bags, and head directly to Fushimi Inari.

The thousands of vermillion torii gates are one of Japan's most photographed sights, and they're extraordinary. The trick is when you go: at sunset on a weekday, the lower gates thin out and the light through the tunnel of red lacquered wood is unlike anything else. The full hike to the summit takes 2–3 hours; most tourists turn back at the first saddle (Yotsutsuji, ~45 minutes up) — going higher means dramatically fewer people and increasingly good views of Kyoto below. The shrine is open 24/7 and free.

Days 5–7: Kyoto

Day 5: Arashiyama (Early) + Nishiki Market + Pontocho

The Arashiyama bamboo grove is genuinely spectacular and genuinely crowded. The solution is simple: arrive before 7am. The path itself is only 400 meters — it's not a hike, it's a corridor — but in early morning light with almost no one else around, it feels like stepping into a woodblock print. Tour groups arrive around 9am. Take the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama Station (15 minutes from Kyoto Station) and combine with Tenryuji Temple's exceptional Zen garden (¥500 for the garden, ¥800 including the buildings) and, if time allows, a short boat ride on the Oi River.

Back in the city by lunch, walk through Nishiki Market — a 400-year-old covered arcade of 130 shops where Kyoto's chefs actually shop. Go before 10am to beat the crowds. Buy pickled vegetables, fresh tofu, grilled skewers, tamagoyaki. This is not a tourist market wearing the clothes of a local market. It's the real thing.

Dinner in Pontocho alley, running parallel to the Kamo River: narrow stone corridor, red lanterns, entirely un-glamorous izakayas where the food is excellent. Order whatever the chalkboard recommends.

Day 6: Higashiyama and Gion

Walk the Higashiyama corridor from south to north: Fushimi Inari direction gives way to Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka (stone-paved lanes lined with craft shops and tea houses), then up to Kiyomizudera temple. The view from the wooden stage is one of Kyoto's iconic vistas — arrive by 7:30am or expect crowds. The temple stays open late on certain evenings when it's beautifully illuminated.

Coming down from Kiyomizudera, head north toward the Philosopher's Path — a 2km canal walk from Nanzenji Temple to Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), flanked by cafes, small shrines, and in spring, an unbroken tunnel of cherry trees. Budget two hours.

In the evening, walk through Gion. The main Hanamikoji street is overcrowded at all hours — pause there, then move on quickly. The real Gion experience is the quieter cross streets around dusk, when the ochaya teahouses light up and you occasionally glimpse a geiko or maiko on the way to an appointment. Note: private ro-ji alleys in Gion are now closed to visitors (¥10,000 fines for entering, enforced as of 2024). Respect this and everyone's experience improves.

Day 7: Nara Day Trip

Take the Kintetsu Limited Express from Kintetsu-Kyoto Station to Kintetsu-Nara (~35 minutes) or the JR Nara Line (~45 minutes). Arrive by 8am to beat the main crowds.

Nara Park is free, home to approximately 1,200 sika deer that are considered sacred and have learned that humans carry food. They're bold — keep bags close, especially near the main entrance gates where they're most accustomed to tourists. Deer crackers (shika senbei, ¥200/pack from official vendors only) will make you extremely popular.

The essential sights: Todaiji Temple (the Great Buddha Hall houses a 15-meter bronze Buddha, one of the largest in the world; ¥800 entry), and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, a UNESCO site famous for its thousands of stone and bronze lanterns. Going further into the park toward Ukimido Pavilion and Sagi Pond means fewer crowds and a genuinely peaceful landscape.

Be back in Nara station by 3–4pm and either return to Kyoto or head directly to Osaka to check in.

Days 8–10: Osaka

Osaka operates at a different frequency from Kyoto. It's louder, prouder, and organized around eating. Locals have a phrase — kuidaore — which roughly translates to "eat until you drop." They mean it as a civic value.

Day 8: Arrive + Dotonbori Evening

Check into your hotel (the Namba/Shinsaibashi area is the best base), then head to Dotonbori in the evening when the canal-side strip of giant neon signs is at full voltage. This is the place for: takoyaki (octopus balls, pressed to order in cast-iron pans), okonomiyaki (the Osaka-style savory pancake, different from Hiroshima's layered version), and fresh crab at Kani Doraku. The Glico running man sign is unavoidable. Take the photo and move on.

Day 9: Kuromon Market, Shinsekai, Food Crawl

Start early at Kuromon Ichiba Market — 200 years old, ~150 shops, known as "Osaka's Kitchen." Most stalls open by 8am but start winding down around 2pm; some close entirely on Sundays. Buy wagyu skewers, fresh uni, seasonal fruit, and eat standing at the market stalls. This is not a place to rush.

Afternoon in Shinsekai — Osaka's retro neon district, a little rough around the edges, and all the better for it. This is the spiritual home of kushi-katsu (deep-fried skewers of meat, seafood, and vegetables). The iron rule: do not double-dip into the shared communal sauce. Order-as-you-go, breaded and fried to order, eaten standing at the counter. Tsutenkaku Tower is the retro landmark worth a quick look.

For the evening, return to Dotonbori for a food crawl that prioritizes what you didn't eat the night before. Consider Futomasa for fugu (blowfish) — try the tecchiri hotpot if it's on the menu.

Day 10: Osaka Castle + Departure

Osaka Castle is worth a morning. The castle itself is a post-war reconstruction, but the park surrounding it is one of Osaka's best spaces — especially under cherry blossoms in spring. The interior museum is well-curated and gives real context for the Warring States period.

From Osaka, you can fly home directly from Kansai International Airport (KIX) — served by Iberia and other European carriers — or take a Shinkansen back to Tokyo for a Narita or Haneda departure.

The Season Question

Cherry blossom season (late March–early April) is when Japan is at its most viscerally beautiful, and also its most crowded and expensive. Tokyo typically peaks around March 29–April 2; Kyoto around April 5–10. The viewing window including partial bloom and petal-fall (hanafubuki) spans about three weeks total.

If you go during cherry blossom season, book everything 5–6 months out, plan all Kyoto activities for before 8am, and accept that the trade-off is worth it. If you're more flexible, early November (autumn foliage, fewer crowds, cooler temperatures) is equally beautiful and significantly less hectic.

A note on costs: two 2026 changes touch this trip's budget — Japan's international departure tax tripled to ¥3,000 per person on 1 July 2026 (usually bundled into your airfare), and Kyoto's nightly lodging tax rose on 1 March 2026 (see above). Neither is a reason to change your plans; just fold them into your numbers.

Practical Snapshot

• Cash: Japan is still largely cash-dependent. 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs reliably accept foreign cards. Always carry ¥5,000–10,000.
• Connectivity: Buy an eSIM before departure or rent a pocket WiFi at the airport.
• Luggage: Shinkansen luggage racks are limited and oversized bags need a reserved spot. Same-day luggage forwarding (takuhaibin) between hotels lets you travel light on train days.
• Tipping: Don't. Ever. Anywhere.
• Shoes: You'll remove them at ryokans, many restaurants, and temple halls. Wear shoes you can slip off easily.
• Onsen: Wash thoroughly at the shower station before entering any communal bath. Check tattoo policies when booking — ryokans with private baths sidestep this issue.
• Entry: Spanish and EU citizens enter Japan visa-free for up to 90 days — no advance visa or travel authorization needed. Register on Visit Japan Web before you fly and generate your single QR code for immigration and customs.
• Departure tax: Japan levies an international departure tax of ¥3,000 per person (raised from ¥1,000 on 1 July 2026), normally included in your flight ticket price.

Budget guide (mid-range, excluding flights):

• Accommodation: €60–100/night (business hotel), ¥15,000–25,000/night (ryokan with meals)
• Food: €30–50/day eating well without splurging
• Total 10-day trip: approximately €1,500–2,200 per person
• Flights from Spain: €500–900 low season; €900–1,400+ during cherry blossom

Planning a trip to Japan but uncertain whether to go independent or with a group? Viatsy organizes small-group tours along this corridor — A Passage Through Japan and Japan of a Thousand Wonders — with local guides who know the 7am Arashiyama from the 10am version. Browse the departures or reach out to discuss a tailor-made itinerary.