10-Day Classic Japan Self-Launched Adventure: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima & Kanazawa
10 days · Japan
Agate Travel charges £3,500
No-markup version: ~£1,420 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Agate Travel's 10-day Classic Japan mini-group tour, covering Tokyo, Hakone/Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima/Miyajima and Kanazawa/Shirakawa-go. Instead of a fully guided small-group tour with private guides and hotels, you'll travel on Japan's excellent rail network (JR Pass + regional passes), stay in hostels and budget business hotels, and self-book the same sights and experiences — many of which are free or a few hundred yen. Costs are estimates at current backpacker rates and exclude international flights. A sensible route for a solo traveller doing this independently is to do Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto (base for Nara) → Osaka → Hiroshima (day trip) → Kanazawa → Shirakawa-go → back to Tokyo, which is roughly what the original does with more comfortable hotels and a guide.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Tokyo, orient yourself in Kyobashi/Otemachi
Tokyo
Land at Narita or Haneda and make your own way into the city — the Keisei Skyliner (Narita, ~£15) or the monorail + JR from Haneda (~£4) both drop you near Tokyo Station, the same area the tour's hotels are in. Skip the tour's private airport pickup and use the airport train instead. Check into a hostel or budget business hotel (e.g. around Tokyo Station, Asakusa or Ueno), then take an evening wander to get your bearings and grab ramen or a konbini dinner.
🚌Airport train: Keisei Skyliner from Narita ~£15, or Haneda monorail + JR ~£4; local metro ~£1.50/ride with a Suica card
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel near Tokyo Station/Asakusa (~£25-30/night)
- →Airport train into central Tokyo
- →Evening orientation walk in Asakusa or around Tokyo Station
- →Konbini and ramen dinner
Tokyo highlights on foot and by metro
Tokyo
Do the tour's classic Tokyo day independently. Start early at Tsukiji Outer Market for breakfast sushi and street snacks, then metro to Meiji Jingu Shrine (free) and walk the Imperial Palace East Gardens (free, closed Mondays/Fridays). Afternoon: head to Asakusa for Nakamise-dori Street and Senso-ji Temple, both free and open late. All sites are unrestricted — no guide needed. A Suica card covers every ride.
🚌Tokyo Metro/Toei subway day pass ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel near Tokyo Station/Asakusa
- →Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast
- →Meiji Jingu Shrine (free)
- →Imperial Palace East Gardens (free)
- →Nakamise-dori Street (free)
- →Senso-ji Temple (free)
Day trip to Hakone — Owakudani, ropeway and Lake Ashi
Hakone / Tokyo
Take the JR Tokaido Line (or Romancecar from Shinjuku) to Odawara, then the Hakone Tozan mountain train to Gora — the same route the tour rides. Buy a Hakone Free Pass (~£35 from Shinjuku, covers the train, cable car, ropeway, pirate ship and buses) and repeat the tour's loop: Gora → cable car to Sounzan → ropeway over Owakudani's sulphur vents → ropeway down to Togendai → 30-minute Lake Ashi pirate ship cruise → bus back to Odawara. On clear days you'll see Mt Fuji from the lake. Return to Tokyo in the evening.
🚌JR to Odawara + Hakone Free Pass ~£35-40 return; optional Romancecar supplement
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel near Tokyo Station/Asakusa
- →Hakone Tozan mountain train to Gora
- →Cable car Gora–Sounzan
- →Owakudani Valley
- →Hakone Ropeway
- →Lake Ashi pirate ship cruise
- →Mt Fuji views
Tokyo to Kyoto — Golden Pavilion, Kiyomizu-dera and Gion
Kyoto
Ride the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto with your JR Pass (~2h15m). Drop bags at a hostel or budget hotel near Kyoto Station, then take the bus to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion, ~£3 entry) and on to Kiyomizu-dera (~£2.50). Wander down through Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, then walk into the Gion geisha district at dusk — free to explore, and you can join a cheap evening walking tour (GetYourGuide, ~£20) if you want the guided Gion context the tour includes.
🚌Shinkansen Tokyo–Kyoto covered by JR Pass; Kyoto city bus day pass ~£4
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Kyoto Station (~£25/night)
- →Shinkansen to Kyoto
- →Kinkaku-ji Temple (~£3)
- →Kiyomizu-dera Temple (~£2.50)
- →Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka stroll
- →Gion district walk (free) or budget evening walking tour (~£20)
Fushimi Inari at dawn, then Nara day trip
Kyoto / Nara
Beat the crowds at Fushimi Inari Shrine (free, open 24h) — go at 7am and hike partway up the torii gates. Then take the JR Nara Line (~45 min, covered by JR Pass) to Nara. Nara Park is free and full of deer; Todai-ji Temple's Great Buddha hall is ~£4 and Kasuga Taisha Shrine is ~£3 (outer grounds free). Loop back to Kyoto in the evening. Optional add-ons if time allows: Goryo Shrine and the Naramachi lattice-house district, both free.
🚌JR Nara Line covered by JR Pass; local buses in Nara ~£1.50
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Kyoto Station
- →Fushimi Inari Shrine torii gates (free)
- →Nara Park deer (free)
- →Todai-ji Great Buddha (~£4)
- →Kasuga Taisha Shrine (~£3)
- →Optional: Naramachi lattice houses
Kyoto to Osaka — Nijo Castle, Osaka Castle and Dotonbori
Osaka
A quick JR train from Kyoto to Osaka (~30 min, JR Pass). Store your bag in a station locker or at the hotel, then see Nijo Castle (~£6) before heading across to Osaka Castle (~£3.50 for the main keep). In the afternoon, dive into the Shinsaibashi shopping arcade and Dotonbori — free to wander, and it's where you should eat: takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu. Tuck into Hozen-ji Temple, a tiny lantern-lit temple hidden in the Dotonbori lanes.
🚌JR Kyoto–Osaka covered by JR Pass; Osaka metro day pass ~£4.50
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Shinsaibashi/Namba (~£22/night)
- →Nijo Castle (~£6)
- →Osaka Castle (~£3.50)
- →Shinsaibashi arcade (free)
- →Dotonbori street food (free to wander)
- →Hozen-ji Temple
Hiroshima & Miyajima day trip
Osaka / Hiroshima / Miyajima
The tour does this as a long day from Osaka and so can you: Shinkansen Osaka to Hiroshima (~1h20m with JR Pass). Head straight to Miyajima — JR train to Miyajimaguchi then the JR ferry (both covered by the JR Pass) — and walk to Itsukushima Shrine (~£2 entry). Check tide times: high tide gives you the famous 'floating' torii. Back in Hiroshima, visit the Atomic Bomb Dome (free) and the Peace Memorial Park (free); the Peace Memorial Museum is ~£1.20. Return to Osaka in the evening — it's a big day but fully doable on your own.
🚌Shinkansen Osaka–Hiroshima + JR ferry to Miyajima, all covered by JR Pass
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Shinsaibashi/Namba
- →JR ferry to Miyajima
- →Itsukushima Shrine (~£2)
- →Atomic Bomb Dome (free)
- →Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (free) and Museum (~£1.20)
Osaka to Kanazawa — Kenroku-en, Higashi Chaya and Nagamachi
Kanazawa
Take the Thunderbird limited express from Osaka to Kanazawa (~2h45m, covered by JR Pass). Kanazawa's sights are mostly walkable or a short loop-bus ride apart. Kenroku-en Garden is one of Japan's top three gardens (~£2). Stroll the Higashi Chaya geisha district (free) and the Nagamachi samurai district (free; the Nomura House is ~£3 if you want to go inside). Overnight in a hostel or guesthouse near Kanazawa Station.
🚌Thunderbird limited express covered by JR Pass; Kanazawa loop bus ~£1.50/ride
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse near Kanazawa Station (~£20/night)
- →Kenroku-en Garden (~£2)
- →Higashi Chaya District (free)
- →Nagamachi Samurai District (free)
- →Optional Nomura Samurai House (~£3)
Shirakawa-go thatched village, then back to Tokyo
Shirakawa-go / Kanazawa / Tokyo
Book a seat on the Nohi Bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go (~1h15m, ~£20 each way; reserve online ahead in peak season). Walk the Ogimachi village, climb to the Ogimachi Castle Observation Deck for the classic view, and pay a few hundred yen to enter one of the preserved gassho-zukuri farmhouses (Wada House ~£2.50, Kada House similar). Bus back to Kanazawa, then Shinkansen to Tokyo (~2h30m, JR Pass). Overnight back near Tokyo Station.
🚌Nohi Bus Kanazawa–Shirakawa-go return ~£40; Shinkansen Kanazawa–Tokyo covered by JR Pass
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel near Tokyo Station (~£28/night)
- →Shirakawa-go Ogimachi village (free to walk)
- →Ogimachi Castle Observation Deck (free)
- →Wada House (~£2.50)
- →Kada House (~£2.50)
Last morning in Tokyo and departure
Tokyo
One last Tokyo morning — Ueno Park, a final konbini breakfast or a quick souvenir run in Tokyo Station's Character Street. Make your own way to Narita or Haneda by train rather than the tour's airport transfer; leave plenty of buffer for the Shinkansen-to-airport connection, and note some budget flights leave from Narita's third terminal.
🚌Airport train: Keisei Skyliner to Narita ~£15 or monorail to Haneda ~£4
🛏None (departure day)
- →Ueno Park or Tokyo Station souvenir shopping
- →Airport train to Narita/Haneda
Self-launched vs. Agate Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Agate Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,420 | £3,500 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,080 per person (59%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Agate Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,420
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does 10-Day Classic Japan Self-Launched Adventure: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima & Kanazawa cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,420 per person for 10 days in Japan. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Agate Travel?+
Yes — Agate Travel charges around £3,500 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,420 — a saving of roughly £2,080 (59%) per person.
How long is the Japan trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Japan.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, city-breaks trip through Japan, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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