Ultimate Japan: 23 Days Tokyo to Osaka (Self-Launched)

Land at Narita or Haneda and take the Keisei Skyliner (~£15) or airport limousine bus into the city. Check into a hostel in Taito or Toshima ward. Spend the late afternoon wandering Ueno Park and, if time allows, the Tokyo National Museum (~£7). Evening walk through Asakusa to Senso-ji and dinner at a standing soba counter (~£6).

🚌Keisei Skyliner Narita–Ueno ~£15; Suica/Pasmo IC card for local trains

🛏Hostel dorm in Taito/Toshima (approx £22)

• →Ueno Park walk
• →Tokyo National Museum
• →Senso-ji and Asakusa evening stroll

Ride the metro to Hama Rikyu Garden (~£2 entry) in the morning, then the Sumida Hokusai Museum in Ryogoku (~£6). Afternoon in Shibuya and Harajuku on foot, dinner at a cheap izakaya or ramen shop (~£10).

🚌Metro day of rides ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm in Taito/Toshima (approx £22)

• →Hama Rikyu Garden
• →Sumida Hokusai Museum
• →Shibuya and Harajuku wander

Take the Odakyu Romancecar or a JR train to Odawara, then the Hakone Tozan railway/bus to Yumoto or Gora (~£18 total). Buy the Hakone Free Pass (~£45 for two days, covers cable car, ropeway and boat). Soak in a public onsen (~£6) and try a black egg at Owakudani. Stay in a hostel or budget ryokan in Yumoto.

🚌Odakyu Romancecar Tokyo–Hakone ~£18; Hakone Free Pass ~£45

🛏Hostel/budget ryokan in Hakone-Yumoto (approx £30)

• →Public onsen soak
• →Owakudani sulphur springs
• →Hakone Shrine

Do the classic Hakone circuit on the Free Pass: cable car up to Owakudani, ropeway down to Togendai, then the pirate boat across Ashinoko Lake to Moto-Hakone for the red torii gate. Optional Hakone Open-Air Museum (~£10). Clear mornings give the best Mt Fuji views.

🚌Included in Hakone Free Pass

🛏Hostel/budget ryokan in Hakone-Yumoto (approx £30)

• →Ashinoko Lake boat cruise
• →Hakone ropeway and cable car
• →Lake Ashi torii gate
• →Hakone Open-Air Museum (optional)

Train to Odawara, shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Hida limited express up the valley to Takayama (~£65 total, covered by a JR Pass if you buy one). Afternoon walk through the old merchant streets (Sanmachi) and sake breweries. Dinner of Hida beef skewers or soba (~£10).

🚌Odawara–Nagoya shinkansen + Hida limited express ~£65

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Takayama (approx £25)

• →Sanmachi old town walk
• →Sake brewery stop

Early visit to the Miyagawa morning market, then a bus to Hida Folk Village (~£5 bus, ~£6 entry) for the thatched gassho farmhouses. Afternoon optional craft workshop — incense or woodblock making bookable locally or via Klook (~£15). Rent a bike (~£6) to reach the Festival Float Museum and Kusakabe House.

🚌Local bus to Hida Folk Village ~£5

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Takayama (approx £25)

• →Miyagawa morning market
• →Hida Folk Village
• →Craft workshop (bookable via Klook)
• →Bike hire

Long travel day: Hida express to Nagoya, shinkansen to Hiroshima (~£100 total, or use your JR Pass). Drop bags at a hostel near the station or in Nakamachi. Late afternoon at Peace Memorial Park and the A-Bomb Dome. Dinner of okonomiyaki at a local counter (~£8).

🚌Hida express + shinkansen ~£100 (JR Pass covers)

🛏Hostel dorm in Hiroshima (approx £20)

• →Hiroshima Peace Park
• →Genbaku A-Bomb Dome

Peace Memorial Museum in the morning (~£2). Then the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi and the ferry (~£3) to Miyajima. Walk to Itsukushima Shrine's floating torii gate at low or high tide; the Mt Misen ropeway is ~£10 if you want the climb without the walk. Return to Hiroshima for the evening.

🚌JR local train + Miyajima ferry ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm in Hiroshima (approx £20)

• →Peace Memorial Museum
• →Miyajima Island
• →Itsukushima-jinja Shrine
• →Mt Misen ropeway (optional)

Scenic JR Sanyo line along the coast to Hagi (~£20, ~2.5 hrs). Walk the Horiuchi samurai district and the Former Kubota Family Residence (~£2). Book a guesthouse with a host family via Airbnb or a local minshuku and enjoy a home-cooked dinner (~£12).

🚌JR Sanyo line Hiroshima–Hagi ~£20

🛏Minshuku/Airbnb room with hosts in Hagi (approx £30 incl. dinner)

• →Horiuchi samurai district walk
• →Former Kubota Family Residence

Hire a bike (~£8) and ride through the countryside and past Mt Shizuki's footslopes. Visit a small female-run sake brewery; many offer tastings for ~£5. Ask your host about a farm or kitchen visit — this is where the homestay experience really shows itself. Second night with the family.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£8

🛏Minshuku/Airbnb room with hosts in Hagi (approx £30 incl. dinner)

• →Countryside cycling
• →Local sake brewery visit and tasting
• →Neighbourhood walk with hosts

Train to Shin-Yamaguchi, shinkansen to Kyoto (~£45). Check into a hostel in Gion-adjacent Higashiyama or near Kyoto Station. Sunset walk through the Gion lanes past Hanamikoji. Cheap dinner of sushi or beef bowls (~£10).

🚌JR local + shinkansen ~£45

🛏Hostel dorm in Kyoto (approx £22)

• →Gion District sunset walk

Buses to Kinkakuji early (~£2 entry), then south to Fushimi Inari-Taisha for the free torii gate hike — go in late afternoon for thinner crowds and lantern light. Bike hire is ~£6 for a flat, fast day. Evening option: a tea ceremony with a maiko, bookable via GetYourGuide (~£30–60).

🚌City buses ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Kyoto (approx £22)

• →Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion
• →Fushimi Inari torii hike
• →Tea ceremony (optional, GetYourGuide)
• →Bike hire (optional)

Morning at Kiyomizu-dera and Sanjusangendo before the crowds, then 30 minutes by JR special rapid to Osaka (~£4). Afternoon wander in Shinsekai or Nakazakicho; evening in Dotombori eating takoyaki, kushikatsu and street food (~£12).

🚌JR Kyoto–Osaka ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Osaka (approx £22)

• →Kiyomizu-dera
• →Sanjusangendo Temple
• →Dotombori street food crawl

Take the JR Seto-Ohashi line or an expressway bus across to Shikoku (~£25, ~2–2.5 hrs). Drop bags and explore Ritsurin Garden (~£3), one of Japan's finest landscape gardens, plus the Sanuki Folk Craft Museum. Udon is the local speciality — eat it cheap (~£5).

🚌Train or highway bus Osaka–Takamatsu ~£25

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Takamatsu (approx £22)

• →Ritsurin Garden
• →Sanuki Folk Craft Museum
• →Sanuki udon dinner

Ferry from Takamatsu to Miyanoura on Naoshima (~£4 each way, 1 hr). Rent a bike (~£6) or use the town bus to reach Benesse House, the Chichu Art Museum and the outdoor pumpkin sculptures. Museum entry ~£12 each — pick two. Return ferry in the evening to Takamatsu.

🚌Ferry ~£8 return; bike hire ~£6

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Takamatsu (approx £22)

• →Naoshima ferry and island cycle
• →Chichu Art Museum
• →Outdoor art installations and pumpkin

JR limited express to Matsuyama (~£20, 2.5 hrs). Chairlift or ropeway up to Matsuyama Castle (~£8 return) for Seto Inland Sea views. Evening at Dogo Onsen Honkan, one of Japan's oldest bathhouses (~£4). Cheap Ehime-style dinner near Dogo arcade (~£8).

🚌JR limited express Takamatsu–Matsuyama ~£20; city tram day pass ~£4

🛏Hostel or budget ryokan in Matsuyama (approx £22)

• →Matsuyama Castle
• →Dogo Onsen soak
• →Ishiteji Temple (optional)

Ferry or train across to Kyushu (Matsuyama–Yawatahama ferry ~£15, then JR to Usuki; or train via Kokura). Book a rural guesthouse or family-run minshuku near the Usuki stone Buddhas — home-cooked dinner included (~£12). This is a quieter, slower night than the tour's bus stops.

🚌Ferry + JR or long JR routing ~£30

🛏Family-run minshuku/Airbnb in Usuki (approx £30 incl. dinner)

• →Usuki stone Buddha carvings (optional)
• →Evening village walk

Short JR run north to Beppu (~£8). Eat a jigoku-mushi steamed lunch at a local restaurant (~£10). Afternoon on the jigoku meguri bus (~£6 day pass) to the coloured hot-spring pools (~£12 combined entry). Finish with a public onsen soak (~£3).

🚌JR Usuki–Beppu ~£8; jigoku bus pass ~£6

🛏Hostel or budget ryokan in Beppu (approx £20)

• →Jigoku hot spring pools
• →Steamed hot-spring lunch
• →Public onsen soak

Take the JR Kyudai line to Yufuin (~£10 return) for a slow onsen town day, or ride the Beppu ropeway up Mt Tsurumi (~£12) for city views. Alternatively spend the day hopping between the town's free and paid footbaths. Cheap evening at a ramen shop (~£7).

🚌JR Beppu–Yufuin return ~£10

🛏Hostel or budget ryokan in Beppu (approx £20)

• →Yufuin day trip
• →Mt Tsurumi ropeway (optional)
• →Onsen hopping

JR Hohi line to Aso (~£20), then a rental car or bus up to the Daikanbo viewpoint and Kusasenri. Walk the Sunasenri or Kusasenri trail on the Nakadake slopes — check the volcanic alert level on the JMA site the morning you go; the crater rim closes often. Ogi rice terraces and the milk road are on the way if you drive (~£35/day split between two).

🚌JR Beppu–Aso ~£20; rental car or local bus ~£10–20

🛏Guesthouse in Aso or Kurokawa area (approx £25)

• →Daikanbo observatory
• →Ogi rice terraces
• →Nakadake crater trail (conditions permitting)

Train back to Kumamoto and shinkansen/bus on to Nagasaki (~£40, 3.5 hrs). Afternoon at Glover Garden (~£4) and the former Glover House. Evening with champon noodles (~£7) in Shinchi Chinatown.

🚌JR + shinkansen/bus Aso–Nagasaki ~£40

🛏Hostel dorm in Nagasaki (approx £20)

• →Glover Garden
• →Former Glover House
• →Chinatown walk

Buy a tram day pass (~£4) and work through the Peace Park, the Atomic Bomb Museum (~£4) and the Hypocentre Park. The museum has an A-bomb survivor testimony schedule — often free, check the day's listing at the desk. Optional Dejima and Oura Catholic Church in the afternoon.

🚌Nagasaki tram day pass ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Nagasaki (approx £20)

• →Nagasaki Peace Park
• →Atomic Bomb Museum
• →Survivor testimony session
• →Dejima (optional)

Long transfer day: Nagasaki to Hakata, then shinkansen to Osaka (~£55, ~4.5 hrs) — or fly Nagasaki–Kansai if fares are lower (~£60). If you have an evening flight, leave bags at the station and grab a last Dotombori meal. Consider extending a night or two in Osaka rather than flying straight out.

🚌JR + shinkansen Nagasaki–Osaka ~£55

🛏Optional hostel night in Osaka (approx £22) if extending

• →Final Osaka wander
• →Last street food stop