The Ultimate Adventure Through Japan: Self-Launched Edition

Fly into Haneda (closer to town) or Narita. Take the airport limousine bus to Shinjuku (~¥1,400 / £7, about an hour) or the Keikyu/Kepsei line plus JR if you prefer trains. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Shinjuku or nearby Yoyogi — book early, Tokyo budget rooms go fast. If you can, arrive a day or two earlier: this itinerary barely touches Tokyo, and jet lag is real. In the evening walk the Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai alleys, grab yakitori or ramen at a counter bar, and pick up a Suica/Pasmo IC card at any station — you'll use it constantly for the next 12 days.

🚌Airport limousine bus Narita/Haneda to Shinjuku ~£7; Suica card ¥500 deposit + top-up

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Shinjuku (dorm £22-30, private twin ~£55-75 pp)

• →Shinjuku evening walk: Omoide Yokocho & Golden Gai
• →Izakaya dinner
• →Buy Suica/Pasmo IC card

Forward your main bag from your Tokyo hostel to your Kyoto accommodation via Yamato Transport (takkyubin, ~¥2,000-2,500 / £11-13, one day delivery) — pack a light overnight rucksack for two nights at the lake. Then take the JR Chuo Line limited express plus Fujikyu Railway from Shinjuku to Fujisan or Kawaguchiko (~2.5 hrs, ~¥3,500 / £18). From Kawaguchiko station, catch the local Fujikko or Omni bus to Chureito Pagoda (Shimoyoshida) and climb the 400 steps up Mount Arakura for the classic Fuji-over-pagoda shot. Continue by bus to Oshino Hakkai, the spring-fed farmhouse village, then on to Lake Yamanakako. Stay in a family-run minshuku — book direct or via Booking.com; expect tatami, futons and a home-cooked dinner.

🚌Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko train ~£18; local Fujikko bus ~£6 day pass; takkyubin luggage ~£12

🛏Minshuku near Lake Yamanakako (twin tatami room, half board ~£55-70 pp)

• →Chureito Pagoda viewpoint hike (400 steps)
• →Oshino Hakkai village and springs
• →Lake Yamanakako minshuku dinner

Ease into the day with an onigiri-making session — many minshuku hosts will teach you, or book a short home-cooking class through Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20). Rent a bicycle from one of the lakeside hire shops (~¥1,500-2,000 / £8-11 for a half day) and ride the easy shoreline paths, then rent a sit-on-top kayak from a lake outfitter (~¥3,000-4,000 / £16-22 for a guided 2hr session). Finish at a local onsen — Benifuji no Yu or Yamanakako Onsen has outdoor baths with Fuji views (~¥800-1,000 / £4-6). Dinner at a local restaurant near the minshuku.

🚌On foot and bicycle locally

🛏Minshuku near Lake Yamanakako (~£55-70 pp half board)

• →Onigiri-making lesson
• →Bicycle hire and lakeside loop (~14km)
• →Kayak rental on Lake Yamanakako (2hrs)
• →Onsen with Mt Fuji views

Early start: bus back to Mishima or Odawara, then the Shinkansen to Kyoto (~5 hrs total, ~¥12,000 / £62 — a 7-day JR Pass may or may not pay off depending on your side trips, so price it up). Grab an ekiben bento for the train like a local. Your forwarded bag will be waiting at your Kyoto hotel or hostel. In the afternoon take the JR Nara Line two stops to Inari and hike the Fushimi Inari trail loop — 5km, ~2hrs, up past the Yotsutsuji viewpoint and the quieter upper gates, ideally timed for late afternoon light and fewer crowds.

🚌Local bus to Mishima/Odawara ~£8; Shinkansen to Kyoto ~£62; JR Nara Line to Inari ~£1.50

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Kyoto Station or Kawaramachi (dorm £20-28, twin £50-70 pp)

• →Shinkansen ride with ekiben lunch
• →Fushimi Inari hike (~5km, 230m ascent)

Hire a bicycle from a Kyoto bike shop (~¥1,500 / £8 for the day) and ride north along the Kamogawa River to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion (~¥500 entry) — get there at opening to beat the tour groups. From there a steep but short trail leads up Mount Daimonji-yama for a panoramic city view, then descend and walk the Philosopher's Path south. Afternoon is free: Honen-in, Nanzen-ji's aqueduct, or a coffee in Gion. After dark, wander Hanamikoji in Gion hoping for a geiko sighting, and eat at a Nishiki Market-side counter or a standing soba bar.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£8; city bus or subway ~£2 for the return

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Kyoto (~£20-70 pp)

• →Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
• →Mount Daimonji-yama hike (~4.2km, 320m ascent)
• →Philosopher's Path walk
• →Gion evening stroll

Take the JR bus or a local bus from Kyoto Station to Takao (~50 min, ~¥600 / £3.50). Hike the river valley trail downstream from Takao to Hozukyo (~4km, 2-3 hrs), passing Jingo-ji and Kozan-ji — two thousand-year-old temples worth a look — plus the crystal-clear stream and waterfall. From Hozukyo station you can ride the JR San'in Line one stop to Saga-Arashiyama and spend the afternoon at the bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji's zen garden, and the Iwatayama Monkey Park with its semi-wild macaques (~¥600 entry, 20-minute hike up). Return to the city in the evening.

🚌Bus to Takao ~£3.50; JR Hozukyo to Saga-Arashiyama ~£2; return to Kyoto ~£2

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Kyoto (~£20-70 pp)

• →Takao to Hozukyo river valley hike (~4km)
• →Jingo-ji and Kozan-ji temples
• →Arashiyama bamboo grove
• →Iwatayama Monkey Park

Forward your main bag onward to Yunomine Onsen (takkyubin ~£12) and carry an overnight pack. Take the subway and Nankai Koya Line from Kyoto via Namba to Gokurakubashi, then the cable car up to Koyasan (~2.5 hrs, ~¥1,700 / £9). Alight early and walk the Choishi Michi pilgrimage route up through the forest past the stone signposts placed for medieval pilgrims (~11km, 5 hrs, ~1,000m ascent) — or shortcut with the cable car and train if the weather is foul. Explore Okunoin Cemetery in the late afternoon light, then check into a shukubo temple lodging (~¥9,000-14,000 / £48-75 pp including shojin ryori dinner and breakfast) — book directly with the temple or through a Japanese booking site well in advance.

🚌Kyoto to Gokurakubashi ~£9 including cable car; luggage forwarding ~£12

🛏Temple lodging (shukubo) in Koyasan, futon on tatami, shared bathrooms (~£48-75 pp half board)

• →Koya-san Choishi Michi pilgrim trail hike (~11km, 1,000m ascent)
• →Okunoin Cemetery walk
• →Shukubo temple stay with shojin ryori

Join the monks for morning prayers around 06:00 if you're game, then breakfast. Take the cable car and Nankai line down to Hashimoto, the JR Wakayama Line to Shingū or Gojo, and bus toward Hongu (~4.5 hrs total, ~¥4,500 / £23). Visit Kumano Hongu Taisha, the grand shrine with Japan's largest torii gate a short bus ride away at Oyunohara. Then walk 10 minutes to Yunomine Onsen, one of Japan's oldest hot spring villages and a UNESCO-listed pilgrims' resting place. Check into a ryokan (~£60-85 pp half board) and soak; you can also buy an egg and cook it in the famous Yumune-gawa hot spring tub on the riverbank.

🚌Koyasan to Hongu ~£23 via Nankai, JR and public bus

🛏Ryokan in Yunomine Onsen (~£60-85 pp half board)

• →Temple morning prayers
• →Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine
• →Oyunohara great torii
• →Yunomine onsen soak and hot-spring egg

Take the early public bus from Hongu to Ukegawa (~25 min), then a short shuttle boat up the Kumano-gawa or bus to the trailhead. Hike the Nakahechi route to Koguchi: ~13km, 5.5 hrs, about 1,000m of up and down over the Sakura-toge and Hyakken-gura passes, through cedar and cypress forest with big Wakayama mountain views. This is the gentler of the two Kumano Kodo days — bank your energy for tomorrow. Stay at one of the few minshuku in Koguchi (~£60-75 pp half board). Book accommodation and bus times well ahead; the village has very limited beds and English is sparse.

🚌Public bus Hongu to trailhead ~£5; optional Kumano-gawa boat shuttle

🛏Minshuku in Koguchi (~£60-75 pp half board)

• →Kumano Kodo Nakahechi hike to Koguchi (~13km, 1,010m ascent)
• →Sakura-toge and Hyakken-gura passes

Start at dawn for the toughest day: ~15km, 8 hrs, 1,120m up and 1,320m down. The climb out of Koguchi is famously steep — over two hours of steady ascent on rooty, stony, stepped trail — before the Funami-toge pass and the ruins of the old Funami-jaya teahouse, with Pacific Ocean views on a clear day. Descend through Nachi Kogen Park to Nachisan for the Seiganto-ji pagoda and Nachi Falls, Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall at 133m. Catch the late-afternoon public bus from Nachisan down to Kii-Katsuura (~40 min, ~¥600 / £3.50) and collapse into a ryokan or guesthouse (~£60-80 pp) near the tuna port. Have an alternative plan to bus round to Nachisan if you're not up to the climb.

🚌Public bus Nachisan to Kii-Katsuura ~£3.50 (cash, buy ticket on board)

🛏Ryokan or guesthouse in Kii-Katsuura (~£60-80 pp)

• →Kumano Kodo hike Koguchi to Nachi Taisha (~15km, 1,120m ascent)
• →Funami-jaya teahouse ruins viewpoint
• →Seiganto-ji pagoda and Nachi Falls

Get up early for the Katsuura tuna market (a quick walk from most guesthouses; early is best) and a breakfast of fresh maguro donburi. Then take the JR Kisei Line limited express and Kuroshio/Thunderbird trains to Osaka (~5 hrs, ~¥8,000-9,000 / £42). Check into a budget hotel in Shinsaibashi or Namba, then spend the evening in Dotombori — the Glico sign, takoyaki, kushikatsu, and a final toast bar-hopping through Namba Yokocho. Consider a small-group Osaka food tour on GetYourGuide (~£45) if you'd rather be guided, or just eat your way down the street.

🚌JR trains Kii-Katsuura to Osaka ~£45

🛏Budget hotel in Shinsaibashi/Namba, Osaka (~£40-60 pp)

• →Katsuura tuna market
• →Dotombori evening walk and food crawl
• →Optional Osaka street food tour (~£45)

Check out after breakfast (most budget hotels let you leave bags at reception, or use a coin locker at Namba Station). If you have a late flight, squeeze in Osaka Castle or a final bowl of ramen. Kansai Airport is about an hour from Namba or Tennoji on the Nankai Rapi:t or JR Haruka (~¥1,600 / £8). If you're flying back out of Tokyo, the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka takes ~2.5 hrs (~¥14,000 / £72).

🚌Nankai Rapi:t or JR Haruka to Kansai Airport ~£8

🛏None — departure day

• →Last-minute souvenir shopping
• →Optional Osaka Castle visit