In Nara Park a deer nudges your coat pocket, hunting for the rice crackers sold along the roadside, while the cold stings your ears and the cedars stand dark against a pale winter sky. That scene sits in the middle of this route, which starts in Tokyo and follows the rail line west through the hot springs of Hakone, the temples of Kyoto and the food streets of Osaka.
It ends in Hiroshima, with a day on Miyajima Island. It is built for a first trip to Japan in the cold months.
Is 10 Days enough for Japan?
Yes, for a first visit that strings together Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima and leaves the far north, the islands and the ski country for another trip. The route follows one long line across Honshu, the largest island, so you rarely backtrack. Each stop has a different character, and the days are shaped so that you unpack as few times as possible.
Winter suits this itinerary well. Tokyo in January is cold but often bright, with plenty of sunshine hours and only a handful of days that bring rain.
Snow is not the rule in the big cities, since heavy snow regularly covers the mountains and northern regions, and most major cities rarely see it.
What the route covers is the capital and its districts, a night in a hot spring town, the old imperial city of Kyoto with a day in Nara, Osaka for eating and wandering after dark, and Hiroshima with its peace sites and the shrine on Miyajima. It is a trip of temples, gardens, markets, bowls of noodles and long train rides with a window seat.
What it leaves out is a lot. There are no ski slopes here, even though the ski season generally opens in December and lasts until April. Hokkaido and the high mountains of Nagano are separate trips, and the same goes for the south and the Sea of Japan coast. If skiing is the point of your vacation, the Adapting the route section shows where it can be swapped in.
One winter detail shapes the plan. During the New Year holidays many restaurants and attractions are closed, so a trip that falls across that week should keep a few open-ended hours in each city for whatever turns out to be open, rather than a fixed list of must-see doors. Outside those days the route runs at full speed.
Ten days also means accepting trade-offs. You will see a Tokyo district or two rather than the whole city, a few temples in Kyoto rather than every one, and a single evening of Osaka’s food streets. That is the right scale for a first look, and it leaves you with a list of places for a second visit.
The itinerary stage by stage
Days 1 to 3: Tokyo
Tokyo sits on Tokyo Bay in the Kanto region and is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, so the first rule is to pick a few districts and let the rest go. Ginza is the upscale downtown area, with high-end restaurants and luxury shops, and it is a pleasant place to stroll once the winter lights come on. Roppongi and Akasaka are districts with a different mood, more for dinner and evening drinks, and from Shibuya Station they are about 10 minutes away by train.
Spend the first day on your feet, walking one district and eating small. Ramen, tempura counters, convenience store snacks and department store basements are all a good way to start. The second day can go to the temples, gardens and museums of your choice, with the long evening left for an izakaya, a casual pub where dishes arrive one after another to share.
You sleep in whichever district you like. Ginza puts you among restaurants and shops, Roppongi and Akasaka near evening dining. Tokyo has JR trains, Tokyo Metro lines and Toei Subway lines, among others, so a rechargeable IC card saves you from decoding fares at every gate. The move to Hakone on day four is by rail.
Day 4: Hakone
Hakone is in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture, inside the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and it is renowned for its natural hot springs and for views of Mount Fuji. In winter the pull is clear: you ride, look around, and finish the day in a hot spring bath. Whether Fuji shows itself depends on the weather that day, so treat it as a bonus rather than a promise.
The Hakone Freepass offers unlimited rides on eight means of transportation, including the Hakone Tozan Train, the Hakone Ropeway and the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise. That lets you piece together the day as you go, switching between train, cable car and boat. Hakone-Yumoto is known for its many restaurants and gift shops, a good place to pick up local sweets.
A night in a ryokan, a traditional inn, is the point of stopping here. Shoes come off at the entrance, slippers are swapped for bare feet or socks on the tatami mats, and a separate pair of toilet slippers is often provided. Dinner is usually a sequence of small seasonal dishes, and the bath comes before or after it.
Days 5 and 6: Kyoto and Nara
Kyoto has a cultural heritage that has grown over the past 1,200 years, and it served as Japan’s capital and the emperor’s residence for over 1000 years. Its traditions include machiya townhouses, the Gion Matsuri festival and hanamachi districts where geishas live and work. Nijo Castle in central Kyoto was built in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period, and a winter walk through its rooms and grounds shows how a shogun lived.
Kyoto Station is served by the Tokaido Shinkansen and gives you a base for the whole city. The station building houses a full floor of ramen restaurants, an Isetan department store, a theater and a Granvia luxury hotel, so a late arrival is covered. Spend day five on temples, tea, lanes of wooden houses and a meal of kaiseki, the multi-course cuisine of small plates that Kyoto does so well.
On day six, go to Nara, which is east of Osaka and south of Kyoto and is easily accessible by train from both. It has two main stations, JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station.
Nara Park lies at the foot of Mount Wakakusa and is home to tame deer that visitors can approach and feed with crackers sold along the roadside. Then sleep in Osaka that night, or return to Kyoto and take the train the next morning.
Day 7: Osaka
Osaka is a charming and relaxed city known for its food, entertainment and nightlife, with some history and culture to discover. The best use of one day here is to eat your way through it. Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi are the districts to aim for, and from Osaka or Umeda Station the Midosuji Line takes you to Shinsaibashi Station for both.
Think of takoyaki, the octopus balls turned in their molds, okonomiyaki griddled at the table, and skewers of fried food, eaten standing up or perched at a counter. In the cold, a hot bowl of something is easy to find. After dark the signs over the canal glow and the crowds drift along the water.
For a change from the food streets, Osaka Bay is reached from Osaka or Umeda stations by the JR Loop Line and the Chuo subway line, and gives you a look at this port city from the waterfront. The next leg to Hiroshima is by rail, so you can take it at your own pace the next morning.
Days 8 to 10: Hiroshima, Miyajima and the way home
Hiroshima Prefecture has the Seto Inland Sea, wooded mountains and clear waters, along with peace-related sites, shrines and museums. In the city, the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome are the heart of the visit.
Visitors cannot enter the dome, which can only be viewed from the outside, and the time there is quiet in the sense of reflection rather than sightseeing. The local version of okonomiyaki, layered with noodles, is the meal to have here.
Day nine goes to Miyajima Island, an excursion from Hiroshima for its deer and its floating shrine. Itsukushima Shrine has a red torii gate standing in the sea and was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1996. You walk along the shore, take photos of the gate, and try grilled oysters or maple-leaf-shaped cakes from the shopping street.
Day ten is the way home. Keep the morning free for last purchases and a final bowl of noodles, then continue by rail to the airport of your departure. If your flight leaves from Tokyo or Osaka, the shinkansen links Hiroshima with both cities, so plan the last day around that departure.
Getting between stops
| Leg | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo to Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station) | Tokaido-Sanyo shinkansen | About 2 1/2 hours |
| Tokyo to Kanazawa (side trip) | Hokuriku Shinkansen | Around 2 1/2 hours |
| Kansai International or Osaka Itami Airport to Nara | Bus and train | About 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Shibuya Station to Roppongi and Akasaka | Train | About 10 minutes |
The other legs of this route are by rail: Tokyo to Hakone, Hakone to Kyoto, Kyoto to Nara and back, Osaka to Hiroshima and Hiroshima back toward your airport. Japanese trains have a reputation for being always on time, so you can plan your days to the minute, and public transport including the shinkansen and regional trains is extremely punctual. Kyoto Station is served by the Tokaido Shinkansen, and the Osaka leg ends at Shin-Osaka Station.
Rapid trains skip smaller stations and do not require a supplement, while express trains serve fewer stops and a supplement may be applied. In Osaka, JR, Hankyu Railway, Hanshin Electric Railway and Keihan Railway all run, and an IC card works across the network and on buses and boats too.
Driving is a different story. Traffic moves on the left, road signs are hard to follow if you don’t read Japanese, highway tolls can be very high and city traffic is often very congested. This route is built around rail rather than a car, with flights used only to arrive and to leave.
What to book before your 10 Days in Japan
Settle the passes, the IC card and the lodging first. In Hakone, the Hakone Freepass is the pass to know. It offers unlimited rides on eight transportation means, and the Hakone Freepass Hako Ticket Plus goes further by combining the Digital Hakone Freepass with the Hako Ticket, which grants unlimited use of applicable art museums, hot springs and activity facilities. It is valid for 2 days or 3 days, so it fits an overnight stay.
An IC card is the other piece to sort out. It can be used on trains, buses and boats, as well as in vending machines, convenience stores and some taxis. Most regions have their own cards with different names and characters, yet they can be used throughout Japan, so one card carries you from Tokyo to Hiroshima. Most require a 500 yen deposit at the time of purchase.
Lodging is the third thing to fix. A ryokan in Hakone, a base near Kyoto Station, a night in Osaka and two in Hiroshima give the route its backbone. Leave the rest open, the afternoon in a department store, the extra hour in a garden, the stop for noodles you did not plan.
Adapting the route
A shorter or a longer trip
With fewer days, cut Hiroshima and spend the extra time in Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, which sit close together in the Kansai region. Either way you still keep the main line from the capital to the old imperial city.
With more days, add Kanazawa, which since March 14, 2015 has been served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen. It was one of the most important cultural and artistic centers in Japan during the Edo period and remains a significant destination for art and culture lovers. Kenrokuen Garden offers free admission and, with Kanazawa Castle Park, is illuminated at night, which is a pleasure in the cold.
Cold, rain and snow
Snow does fall on rare days. A warm coat, layers and shoes that come off easily (shoes are removed at the entrance of many buildings) are the practical answer. On a gray day, shift to indoor stops: Kyoto Station’s ramen floor, a department store, a museum or a hot spring.
If you want to ski, the season generally opens in December and lasts until April, with exact dates set by each resort. Hokkaido and the high mountains of Nagano typically get snow earlier, and January and February are the peak when snowfall is most frequent.
Nagano is a popular ski destination for travelers from Tokyo because of its good ski slopes and easy access, and Rusutsu and Sahoro are among the recommended resorts. The Christmas and New Year holidays and early February attract the largest number of skiers.
Families and a slower pace
With children, the best stops are the ones with something to do. The deer of Nara Park, the crackers, the floating shrine on Miyajima and the lights of Dotonbori give each day a hook. Drop one city from the list rather than rushing them through all of it.
For a slower trip, keep three bases instead of five. Tokyo for four nights, Kyoto for three, and Hiroshima for the remainder, with Nara and Osaka as day outings from Kyoto. You see less, but you repack less and spend more of the cold days in a garden, a tea room or a bath.
Good to know before you go
Winter in Japan asks for layers, and for bare feet or clean socks indoors, since shoes come off at the entrance and slippers go on. Smoking while walking on the street or littering cigarette butts is prohibited and can result in a fine, and designated outdoor smoking areas are limited. Keep a few coins and your IC card handy for vending machines and convenience stores, and remember that during the New Year holidays many restaurants and attractions are closed.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Japan travel information, travel and transportation (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Japan.html), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, trains and buses (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/how-to-travel-by-train-and-bus-in-japan/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, traveling by rail (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/traveling-by-rail/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, manners, etiquette, shoes, bowing, chopsticks, public behavior (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/understanding-and-mastering-japanese-manners-and-etiquette/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, getting around Japan: trains, subways, buses, taxis (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/getting-around/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, IC cards, Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, how to use (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/ic-card/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Tokyo (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kanto/tokyo/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Kyoto (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/kyoto/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Osaka (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/osaka/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Hiroshima (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/chugoku/hiroshima/), checked October 11, 2026
- Visit Hiroshima, the official guide (https://visithiroshima.net/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Nara (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/nara/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Hakone (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kanto/kanagawa/hakone-and-around/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hakone Tourist Information (https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Kanazawa (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/hokuriku-shinetsu/ishikawa/kanazawa-and-around/), checked October 11, 2026
- Kanazawa Tourist Information Guide (https://www.kanazawa-tourism.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanazawa,_Ishikawa), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, skiing guide (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/skiing/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, winter in Japan (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/winter-guide/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, skiing and snowboarding in Japan: regions, resorts, seasons (https://www.japan.travel/en/sports/snow/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Normal values 1991-2020, monthly (https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=44&block_no=47662), station Tokyo, elevation 25 m, checked October 11, 2026
- Plan de the (duree choisie by the redaction)
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Japan: Cherry Blossoms, Autumn Colors, Weather and Festivals
- Where to Stay in Japan: Ryokan, Temple Stays, Capsule Hotels and the Best Cities to Base In
- Sending Luggage from the Airport in Japan: Hands-Free Travel, Hotel Delivery and Coin Lockers
- Know Before You Go to Japan: Entry, Money, Etiquette and Getting Around