Photo: Benh LIEU SONG from Torcy, France · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Tokyo JapanNeighbourhoods, Kamakura, Nikko, Hakone onsen, a sumo or baseball night.8 nights
$1,344 mid
Photo: Asanagi · CC0The largest city on earth, and somehow the most orderly.
Tokyo is forty million people organised into villages: Shimokitazawa's vintage shops, Yanaka's temple lanes, Koenji's live houses, Nakameguro's canal cafes, Shinjuku's neon and the hushed back streets of Kagurazaka. Trains arrive to the second, convenience stores sell meals that would embarrass restaurants elsewhere…
- Daily budget
- $70–$362 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $1,344 8 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov
- Internet
- 300 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Senso-ji at dawn Asakusa's great temple before the crowds, then the Sumida river.
- Shibuya crossing and Shimokitazawa The famous scramble, then the city's best neighbourhood two stops away.
- teamLab Planets Immersive digital art in Toyosu; book weeks ahead.
- Meiji shrine and Harajuku Forest calm beside the fashion chaos.
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
train to Matsumoto · about 2.5 hours
2Matsumoto and the Alps JapanBlack castle, Kamikochi or the Nakasendo trail.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Matsumoto and the Alps yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Tokyo (about 160 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 2.5 hours
3Takayama and Shirakawa-go JapanOld town morning markets, thatched villages.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Takayama and Shirakawa-go yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kyoto (about 180 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 2.5 hours
4Kanazawa JapanKenroku-en garden, Omicho market, geisha district.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Kanazawa yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kyoto (about 190 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Thunderbird express · about 2.5 hours
5Kyoto JapanTemples at dawn, Nara, Uji, Osaka food, Himeji, Koya-san.6 nights
$972 mid
Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0Two thousand temples, a thousand years of capital, and back lanes the tour buses never reach.
Kyoto was Japan's capital for over a millennium and it still behaves like one: seventeen UNESCO sites, geisha districts, Zen gardens raked each dawn, and a grid of machiya townhouses now turned into cafes, ryokan and craft studios. The famous sights (Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama's bamboo) are overrun by…
- Daily budget
- $67–$342 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $972 6 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Oct, Nov
- Internet
- 250 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Fushimi Inari at dawn Ten thousand torii gates; climb past the crowds to the summit loop.
- Arashiyama Bamboo grove before 8 a.m., then the Okochi Sanso villa and the river.
- Philosopher's Path and Nanzen-ji Canal-side walk, especially in cherry and maple season.
- Gion at dusk Hanamikoji and the Shirakawa canal; photograph buildings, not geiko.
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
shinkansen · about 1.7 hours
6Hiroshima and Miyajima JapanPeace Park, the floating torii, okonomiyaki.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Hiroshima and Miyajima yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kyoto (about 310 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
train to Onomichi · about 1.5 hours
7Shimanami Kaido Japan70 km of island cycling from Onomichi to Imabari.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Shimanami Kaido yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kyoto (about 260 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
train to Fukuoka · about 3.0 hours
8Fukuoka JapanYatai food stalls, tonkotsu ramen, Dazaifu.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Fukuoka yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kyoto (about 520 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
train · about 2.0 hours
9Beppu or Kurokawa Onsen JapanHot-spring town, the hells, a ryokan night.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Beppu or Kurokawa Onsen yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kyoto (about 440 km).
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
train · about 3.0 hours
10Kagoshima JapanSakurajima volcano, sand baths, shochu.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Kagoshima yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level.
Japan: practical facts
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY) · 157.87 JPY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Japanese; English signage in cities, spoken English limited
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (100 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Week one and a half: Tokyo and around
Base in Asakusa or Shinjuku for ten nights: the neighbourhoods one by one, day trips to Kamakura, Nikko and Hakone's onsen with Fuji views. Weeknights in izakayas, a sumo stable or tournament if the dates line up, teamLab, a baseball game.
Week two: the Alps and Kanazawa
Matsumoto's castle, Kamikochi's alpine valley or the Nakasendo trail between Magome and Tsumago (3 nights), then Takayama's old town and Shirakawa-go's thatched villages (2), and Kanazawa's gardens and seafood market (2).
Week three: Kyoto, Nara, Osaka
Seven nights in Kyoto with Nara's deer and Great Buddha, Uji's tea, Osaka's street food and Himeji's castle as day trips, and a night in Koya-san's temple lodgings if you can spare it.
Week four: west and south
Hiroshima's Peace Park and Miyajima (3), the Shimanami Kaido cycle across the Inland Sea islands (2), then Kyushu: Fukuoka's yatai stalls (2), Beppu or Kurokawa's onsen (2) and Kagoshima's volcano (2) before flying out, or the night ferry back toward Osaka.
Practical notes
Rail: the national JR Pass rose sharply in 2023; for this route a combination of regional passes (JR East, Kansai Wide, Sanyo-San'in, Kyushu) plus a few point-to-point tickets beats it; check current prices. Budget: the low figure is hostels, convenience stores and lunch sets at around 80 dollars a day; mid adds business hotels, a ryokan night and more restaurant meals; high is ryokan and kaiseki. Visa: 90 days visa-free for most Western passports. Season: cherry blossom (late March to early April) and autumn colour (November) are the peaks, booked months ahead; May and October are the comfortable alternatives; avoid Golden Week (late April to early May) and August's heat and Obon crowds.