Iconic Japan: Tokyo to Kyoto (Self-Launched Edition)

Fly into Haneda or Narita and take the Keikyu Line or Narita Express into the city (~£6-22). Base yourself in Asakusa or Taito-ku, which has the best-value hostels and guesthouses in Tokyo and puts you right next to Senso-ji temple. Spend the evening getting a Suica/Pasmo IC card topped up at the airport or station, buying a data eSIM, and doing a gentle orientation wander around Asakusa's lantern-lit streets with a cheap bowl of ramen (~£7).

🚌Airport train to central Tokyo (~£6-22)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse dorm/private in Asakusa (~£22-30)

• →Senso-ji and Nakamise street evening walk
• →Set up IC transit card and eSIM
• →Riverside Sumida Park stroll

Catch the JR Yamanote Line to Harajuku and start at Meiji Jingu shrine — free entry, forest paths, and best reached before 10am. Walk Takeshita-dori and Omotesando for the contrast between teen fashion and architecture, then walk to Shibuya for the Scramble Crossing and the free Shibuya Sky alternatives (Magnet rooftop, ~£4, or the free Hachiko square viewpoint). Finish with a cheap standing sushi or izakaya dinner in Ebisu.

🚌JR Yamanote Line day of hops (~£5)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Asakusa (~£22-30)

• →Meiji Jingu shrine (free)
• →Harajuku Takeshita-dori and Omotesando walk
• →Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko
• →Optional rooftop viewpoint (~£4)

Get up early for Tsukiji Outer Market (the wholesale market has moved but the outer market is still buzzing with tamagoyaki, uni and knife shops). Book a small-group sushi-making class on Klook or GetYourGuide (~£45-60) which usually includes lunch. Afternoon: explore Asakusa and Senso-ji properly, then optionally Ueno Park's free museums or Akihabara's electronics and retro arcades. Uber or subway back to base.

🚌Subway day (~£5)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Asakusa (~£22-30)

• →Tsukiji Outer Market food crawl (~£10)
• →Sushi-making class with lunch (~£50)
• →Senso-ji and Asakusa walk
• →Optional Ueno Park or Akihabara

Take the Shinkansen and local trains from Tokyo to Nagiso via Nagoya (~£60-70, allow 3.5 hrs), then a taxi or the seasonal bus up to Tsumago (~£8). Tsumago is a preserved Edo-era post town with no overhead wires and lantern-lit streets. Do the classic walk on the Nakasendo trail towards Magome (the full 8km takes about 3 hours — do the first stretch and walk back, or arrange a luggage transfer and walk it end to end). Stay in a minshuku or the local hostel rather than a ryokan for a fraction of the price, and eat a home-cooked set dinner (~£15).

🚌Shinkansen + local train Tokyo to Nagiso (~£65), taxi/bus to Tsumago (~£8)

🛏Minshuku guesthouse or hostel in Tsumago/Nagiso (~£30-40, half board)

• →Nakasendo trail walk from Tsumago
• →Tsumago post town evening stroll
• →Local minshuku dinner

Walk the village in the morning before the day-trippers arrive, then backtrack by bus and train to Nagoya and take the Shinkansen to Kanazawa (~£45-55, about 3.5 hrs total). Kanazawa is a compact, cheaper alternative to Kyoto with a superb castle park. Check into a hostel near the station or in the Higashi Chaya area, then spend late afternoon in the Nagamachi samurai district — the Nomura-ke samurai residence is ~£3.50 and most of the streets are free to wander.

🚌Bus + local train to Nagoya, Shinkansen to Kanazawa (~£50)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Kanazawa (~£24-32)

• →Morning village walk in Tsumago
• →Nagamachi samurai district walk
• →Nomura Family Samurai Residence (~£3.50)
• →Kanazawa Castle park (free)

Kanazawa produces almost all of Japan's gold leaf. Book a gold leaf craft workshop directly through a local studio or via Klook (~£15-25) and make your own chopsticks or a small box. Afternoon in the Higashi Chaya geisha district (free to walk, ~£5 for a tea house). The Myoryuji 'Ninja Temple' needs a phone booking in advance (~£7) and is genuinely odd and worthwhile. Finish at Omicho Market for a cheap seafood dinner.

🚌Local bus day pass (~£4)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Kanazawa (~£24-32)

• →Gold leaf craft workshop (~£20)
• →Higashi Chaya district walk and teahouse (~£5)
• →Myoryuji Ninja Temple (~£7)
• →Omicho Market food

Long rail day: Shinkansen Kanazawa to Tsuruga, then Thunderbird/Hikari onwards to Hiroshima (~£90-100, about 5 hrs). Drop your bags at a hostel near the station or in the Peace Park area, then spend a sobering late afternoon at the Peace Memorial Park — the museum is ~£1.20 and the park and Children's Peace Monument are free. Evening: eat Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki at a counter in Okonomimura (~£9).

🚌Shinkansen Kanazawa to Hiroshima (~£95)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel in Hiroshima (~£22-30)

• →Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (free)
• →Peace Memorial Museum (~£1.20)
• →Okonomimura okonomiyaki dinner

Take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi (~30 mins, covered by a JR Pass if you have one) and the 10-minute ferry across (~£2 each way). Itsukushima Shrine and its floating torii are free to view from the shore; the shrine itself is ~£2. Climb or cable-car up Mt Misen (~£13 return cable car, or free if you hike 90 mins) for views across the Seto Inland Sea. Catch the last ferry back and eat a cheap set meal near the Peace Park.

🚌JR Sanyo Line + ferry (~£6)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel in Hiroshima (~£22-30)

• →JR train and ferry to Miyajima (~£6 return)
• →Itsukushima Shrine (~£2)
• →Mt Misen hike or cable car (~£13)
• →Island momiji manju and street snacks

Break the journey at Himeji on the Shinkansen (~£30 from Hiroshima) and spend 2-3 hours at Himeji Castle — the finest surviving original castle in Japan, entry ~£6.50. Continue to Kyoto (~£15) and check into a hostel in Kawaramachi or near Kyoto Station (~£25-35). Evening: walk the Gion lantern district and the Shirakawa canal after dark, entirely free.

🚌Shinkansen Hiroshima-Himeji-Kyoto (~£45)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kyoto (~£25-35)

• →Himeji Castle (~£6.50)
• →Shinkansen hop to Kyoto
• →Gion and Shirakawa evening walk

Start early — Fushimi Inari is free and open 24 hours, and before 7am the thousands of vermilion torii gates are almost empty. Then take the Kintetsu Line to Nara (~£4, 45 mins) for Todai-ji's Great Buddha (~£4.50), the free-roaming deer of Nara Park, and Kasuga Grand Shrine's lantern-lined approach. Back to Kyoto by early evening for a cheap conveyor-belt sushi or udon dinner.

🚌JR + Kintetsu day (~£10)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kyoto (~£25-35)

• →Fushimi Inari Taisha at dawn (free)
• →Todai-ji Temple in Nara (~£4.50)
• →Nara Park deer and Kasuga Grand Shrine
• →Kintetsu train to Nara (~£4 each way)

Bus to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (~£3 entry, go at opening at 9am). Then book a zen meditation and calligraphy session at a temple or via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£25-40), often including a matcha tea ceremony — far cheaper than the packaged 'Zen Masters' experience. Afternoon: Nishiki Market for a cheap grazing lunch and a wander through northern Higashiyama's free temple lanes. Consider a cheap evening kembu or taiko performance if your timing works (~£20).

🚌Bus day pass (~£4)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kyoto (~£25-35)

• →Kinkaku-ji (~£3)
• →Zazen meditation, calligraphy and tea (~£25-40)
• →Nishiki Market food crawl (~£8)
• →Optional kembu or taiko show (~£20)

Last morning for anything you missed — the Arashiyama bamboo grove (free, best at 7am), Kyoto Station's food hall for omiyage, or a final soak at a sento bathhouse (~£3). Then take the Haruka express to Kansai Airport (~£15, 75 mins) or the Shinkansen onwards if you're extending to Osaka or beyond.

🚌Haruka express to Kansai Airport (~£15)

🛏—

• →Arashiyama bamboo grove (free) or sento bathhouse (~£3)
• →Souvenir shopping at Kyoto Station
• →Departure transfer