Ten days in Japan is the pass length. Four nights in Tokyo for the city (neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood: Ginza, Shibuya, Yanaka, Toyosu), three in Kyoto for temples and the classical morning ritual, two in Osaka for the eating city, and one in Hiroshima for the Peace Memorial and Miyajima. The Shinkansen network runs the whole spine — Tokyo → Kyoto 2h 15m, Kyoto → Hiroshima 1h 45m, all covered by a 7-day JR Pass. Fastest, densest first-Japan itinerary that doesn't feel forced.
Day by day
Each day is written to balance structure with breathing room. Named hotels, named meals, named activities; logistics noted where they matter.
Day 1
Arrive Tokyo · Marunouchi evening
Land at HND (preferable to NRT), Keikyu or taxi to hotel. First-night walk around Marunouchi and Ginza — the Wako clock tower at Ginza 4-chōme, the illuminated Imperial Palace moat. Dinner at Bird Land (yakitori omakase near Ginza) or Kaikaya by the Sea for casual.
- ◆Marunouchi + Ginza walk
- ◆Imperial Palace moat evening
- ◆Yakitori at Bird Land — Book 3 weeks ahead
Logistics: HND → Tokyo Station: Keikyu + JR 30 min ¥660, or taxi 30 min ¥7,500
Day 2
Tokyo · Toyosu + Tsukiji + Asakusa
Pre-dawn Toyosu Market tuna auction viewing (05:30, book 3 weeks online). Breakfast sushi at Endo Sushi at Toyosu. Late morning at old Tsukiji Outer Market for street food (tamagoyaki, uni bowls). Afternoon at Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa, walk down Nakamise-dōri. Evening in Yanaka for the shitamachi (old-town) atmosphere.
- ◆Toyosu Market tuna auction — Book 3 weeks ahead
- ◆Tsukiji Outer Market street food
- ◆Sensō-ji temple
- ◆Yanaka evening walk
Day 3
Tokyo · Meiji + Shibuya + Shinjuku
Morning at Meiji Jingū (the shaded forest walk before the shrine), Harajuku's Takeshita Street briefly. Lunch at Maisen tonkatsu in Aoyama. Afternoon at teamLab Planets (immersive digital-art installation, book 4 weeks ahead). Evening at Omoide Yokochō in Shinjuku for tiny yakitori bars, then Golden Gai for drinks.
- ◆Meiji Jingū
- ◆teamLab Planets — Book 4 weeks ahead
- ◆Omoide Yokochō dinner
- ◆Golden Gai drinks
Day 4
Tokyo · Ueno + Kappabashi + Roppongi
Morning at Ueno's Tokyo National Museum (the Honkan alone is 2h — Japanese art from prehistoric Jōmon pottery to Edo screens). Lunch in Ameya-Yokochō market. Afternoon on Kappabashi Kitchen Street for Japanese knives (Kama-Asa, Tsubaya). Farewell Tokyo dinner at Sushi Saito (near-impossible booking) or Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi.
- ◆Tokyo National Museum
- ◆Kappabashi knife shopping
- ◆Farewell dinner in Roppongi
Day 5
Shinkansen Tokyo → Kyoto · Higashiyama
Morning Nozomi shinkansen Tokyo → Kyoto (2h 15m; if on JR Pass take Hikari 2h 40m — Nozomi is not JR-Pass eligible). Drop bags, walk Higashiyama — Kiyomizu-dera on the wooden veranda, the sannenzaka + ninenzaka lanes, Yasaka Shrine. Evening kaiseki dinner at Kikunoi or Roan Kikunoi.
- ◆Kiyomizu-dera
- ◆Sannenzaka + Ninenzaka lanes
- ◆Kaiseki at Kikunoi — Book 6 weeks ahead
Logistics: Hikari Tokyo → Kyoto: 2h 40m (JR-Pass eligible) · Nozomi 2h 15m (not pass-eligible)
Day 6
Kyoto · Fushimi Inari + Arashiyama
Fushimi Inari at 07:00 (thousands of red torii gates; empty before 09:00, mobbed after). Late-morning JR to Arashiyama — the bamboo grove, Tenryū-ji, sagano-line vintage train up the Hozu-gawa gorge. Lunch at Shoraian for tofu kaiseki. Evening back in Gion for a maiko-spotting walk down Hanamikoji.
- ◆Fushimi Inari at 07:00
- ◆Arashiyama bamboo grove
- ◆Tenryū-ji
- ◆Gion evening walk
Day 7
Kyoto · Kinkaku-ji + Ryōan-ji + Nishiki
Morning at Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion — 45 min visit but it earns the Instagram cliché). Ryōan-ji next door for the fifteen-stone rock garden. Lunch at Nishiki Market — try Aritsugu for knives and Tsujiwa Kanamono for copper kitchenware. Late afternoon at Nijō Castle's Ninomaru Palace with its nightingale floors.
- ◆Kinkaku-ji
- ◆Ryōan-ji zen garden
- ◆Nishiki Market lunch
- ◆Nijō Castle
Day 8
Shinkansen Kyoto → Osaka · Dōtonbori
Short Shinkansen or JR Kyoto Line to Osaka (15–25 min). Check into a Namba hotel. Afternoon at Osaka Castle (rebuild but the museum on Toyotomi Hideyoshi is genuinely interesting). Evening in Dōtonbori — takoyaki at Wanaka, kushikatsu at Daruma, and the neon Glico running-man photo. Late izakaya crawl in Ura-Namba.
- ◆Osaka Castle
- ◆Dōtonbori evening
- ◆Ura-Namba izakaya crawl
Logistics: JR Kyoto → Shin-Ōsaka: shinkansen 15 min or JR Special Rapid 25 min
Day 9
Osaka day trip · Nara or Kobe
Choice of day trip. Option A — Nara (JR 45 min): Tōdai-ji's Great Buddha, the bowing sika deer in the park, Kasuga Taisha's stone lanterns. Option B — Kobe (30 min): a Kobe beef teppanyaki lunch at Steakland or Wakkoqu, the Ijinkan foreign-settlement houses, Kitano views. Back to Osaka for farewell yakiniku at Manryu.
- ◆Nara (Tōdai-ji + deer park) OR Kobe (beef + Kitano)
- ◆Farewell yakiniku at Manryu
Day 10
Shinkansen Osaka → Hiroshima · Miyajima · Depart
Morning Nozomi Shin-Ōsaka → Hiroshima (1h 25m). Peace Memorial Park + Museum (2h 30m — genuinely difficult, required). Lunch of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki at Okonomimura. Afternoon ferry to Miyajima for the floating Itsukushima torii. Evening flight from HIJ via Tokyo, or Nozomi back to Kansai (KIX) for a same-day departure.
- ◆Peace Memorial Park + Museum
- ◆Okonomimura lunch
- ◆Miyajima floating torii
Logistics: Shin-Ōsaka → Hiroshima: 1h 25m · Hiroshima → Miyajimaguchi: JR 25 min + ferry 10 min · HIJ or return to KIX
