15 days · Couple
7 Days in Japan — Couple's Spring Trip (Tokyo → Kyoto via Hiroshima)
A classic Golden Route with cherry blossoms, hitting Tokyo's nerd culture and food scene before traveling west through Himeji, Hiroshima, and a ryokan night in Kinosaki Onsen, ending in Kyoto. Paced for first-timers — no nightlife, heavy on culture and eating. This preview covers the first 7 days of a 15-day trip — claim it to build the full itinerary with Voyaige.
Built for a couple spending 15 days in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Himeji, Kinosaki, Kyoto)
Budget Estimate
$1,260
~$180/day for 15 days · USD
Before You Go
Buy a 7-day JR Pass online before departure — it cannot be purchased in Japan and covers all Shinkansen legs.
Reserve at least one Kinosaki ryokan 6–8 weeks ahead — spring is peak season and rooms sell out fast.
Download the Suica app or plan to buy a Suica IC card on arrival at Tokyo Station — used for every train and bus.
Book Nozomi Shinkansen seats via the JR Pass exchange counter at Tokyo Station on Day 1 for your travel west.
Download Google Maps offline for Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima — Japan's street-level navigation is excellent and works with transit.
Good to Know
Carry your suitcase only between hotel stays — use station coin lockers (300–600 yen) any time you're day-tripping without your bag.
Cherry blossom peak is unpredictable by 5–7 days each year; check the Japan Meteorological Corporation forecast the week before you fly.
IC card (Suica or Pasmo) works on virtually every bus, train, subway, and vending machine in Japan — top it up liberally.
Tipping is not practiced in Japan and can cause awkwardness — never tip at restaurants, hotels, or taxis.
Most convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) have ATMs that accept foreign cards — this is often easier than currency exchange.
Ryokan etiquette: remove shoes at the entrance, wear the provided yukata in public areas, and never wear outdoor shoes on tatami.
If you're carrying a suitcase through Kinosaki, note the town is walkable but small — store bags at the ryokan and explore on foot.
Day by Day
Tokyo Arrival — Shinjuku Orientation
Check in and drop bags
Check into Shinjuku hotel and rest before exploring — jet lag is real.
FreeShinjuku Golden Gai walk
Wander the narrow alley clusters of tiny bars — best visited as architecture and atmosphere.
FreeKabukicho & Robot Restaurant area
Walk Tokyo's entertainment district; skip Robot Restaurant but absorb the visual chaos.
FreeOmoide Yokocho (Memory Lane)
Tiny yakitori alley — great early evening atmosphere with smoke and lantern glow.
¥1,000–2,000Where to eat
Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku
Order yakitori skewers and Sapporo draft.
Tokyo — Akihabara, Asakusa & Ueno
Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa
Tokyo's oldest temple — arrive early before tour groups crowd the main gate.
FreeNakamise Shopping Street
Browse traditional snacks and souvenirs along the temple's main approach.
VariesUeno Park cherry blossom walk
Late March peak blossom — Ueno Park is one of Tokyo's top hanami spots.
FreeAkihabara electric town exploration
Multi-floor electronics, manga, figurines, and retro game shops — allow 2–3 hours.
VariesYodobashi Camera or Super Potato retro games
Super Potato is the best retro game store in Japan — six floors of nostalgia.
VariesWhere to eat
7-Eleven or FamilyMart, Shinjuku
Onigiri and hot canned coffee — cheap and iconic.
Asakusa area ramen shop
Try Fuunji style or local tonkotsu set.
Akihabara maid café or curry chain
Curry & Cafe Mia or Coco Ichibanya.
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Tokyo — Harajuku, Shibuya & Shimokitazawa
Meiji Jingu Shrine
Peaceful forested Shinto shrine — a rare green calm in central Tokyo.
FreeTakeshita Street, Harajuku
Hypercolor youth fashion street — crepes, costume shops, and Decora fashion.
VariesOmotesando Avenue browse
Tokyo's answer to a design boulevard — high-end boutiques and architectural storefronts.
Free to browseShibuya Crossing
Watch the world's busiest pedestrian scramble from Starbucks window above — free and dramatic.
FreeShimokitazawa vintage shopping
Tokyo's best vintage fashion neighborhood — dozens of curated secondhand boutiques.
VariesWhere to eat
Bread, Espresso & near Omotesando
Famous French toast — arrive by 9 AM.
Harajuku Gyoza Lou
Pan-fried gyoza only — small menu, huge quality.
Shibuya food hall basement (depachika)
Pick sushi, bento, or tonkatsu to taste.
Shinkansen West — Himeji Castle & On to Hiroshima
Tokyo to Himeji by Shinkansen
Board Nozomi from Shin-Osaka bound train at Tokyo Station — alight at Himeji.
Covered by JR PassHimeji Castle
Japan's finest original feudal castle — allow 2 hours for grounds and interior.
¥1,000Koko-en Garden, Himeji
Nine adjacent Edo-style gardens directly beside the castle — perfect cherry blossom backdrop.
¥310Himeji to Hiroshima by Shinkansen
Continue west on Nozomi or Hikari — 45-minute ride to Hiroshima.
Covered by JR PassCheck in and evening walk along Motoyasu River
The A-Bomb Dome is visible along the river — a quiet first encounter at dusk.
FreeWhere to eat
Tokyo Station (Gransta food hall)
Grab ekiben bento for the train ride.
Near Himeji Station
Anago (eel) bento is local specialty here.
Okonomi-mura, Hiroshima
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki — layered noodle version.
Hiroshima Peace Sites & Miyajima Island
Peace Memorial Museum
Deeply moving museum documenting the 1945 atomic bombing — allow 90 minutes minimum.
¥200Peace Memorial Park & A-Bomb Dome
Walk the park monuments including Children's Peace Monument and the skeletal Dome ruins.
FreeFerry to Miyajima Island
JR Ferry from Hiroshima port — 10-minute crossing to Miyajima (JR Pass covers ferry).
Covered by JR PassItsukushima Shrine & Floating Torii
Iconic vermillion torii rising from tidal flats — visit at both high and low tide if possible.
¥300Mt. Misen Ropeway & Summit
Ropeway up sacred Mt. Misen gives panoramic Inland Sea views — allow 2 hours.
¥2,000 round tripWhere to eat
Hotel breakfast or Hiroshima café
Fuel up — it's a full and emotional day.
Miyajima ferry street stalls
Momiji manju (maple leaf cakes) — try hot fresh.
Back in Hiroshima — Nagarekawa district
Oyster izakaya — Hiroshima oysters are exceptional.
Kinosaki Onsen — Ryokan & Yukata Evening
Hiroshima to Kinosaki Onsen
Train via Shin-Osaka then limited express Kounotori — total journey around 3.5 hours.
Covered by JR PassArrive Kinosaki, drop bags at ryokan
Most ryokan hold bags if check-in is later — explore the willow-lined canal immediately.
FreeKinosaki canal and town walk
One-street hot spring town with seven public bathhouses and blooming cherry trees along canal.
FreeRyokan check-in & onsen bathing
Dress in provided yukata, begin hopping between Kinosaki's seven free public bathhouses.
Included in ryokan stay or ¥800/bathKaiseki dinner at ryokan
Multi-course traditional meal served in room or dining area — usually snow crab in spring.
Included in ryokan rateWhere to eat
Hiroshima hotel or convenience store
Early start — eat light before travel.
Kinosaki town — crab shop or soba
Try kani (crab) if budget allows.
Ryokan kaiseki dinner
Included — one of the trip's best meals.
Kyoto — Fushimi Inari, Gion & Arashiyama
Kinosaki to Kyoto by limited express
Kounotori limited express to Kyoto — around 2 hours, JR Pass valid.
Covered by JR PassFushimi Inari Taisha
Walk the lower torii tunnel gates — full summit takes 2+ hours, lower loop is 45 min.
FreeGion district walk
Hanamikoji Street is Kyoto's best-preserved geisha district — walk slowly, no photography of geiko.
FreeArashiyama Bamboo Grove
Short but stunning bamboo corridor — go late afternoon to avoid tour group peak.
FreeTenryu-ji Garden
UNESCO-listed Zen garden with pond and borrowed landscape of Arashiyama mountain.
¥500–¥1,000Where to eat
Ryokan morning meal
Traditional Japanese breakfast included — eat it.
Near Fushimi Inari — Tofukuji area
Inari sushi (tofu pockets) near the shrine.
Nishiki Market area or Pontocho alley
Pontocho izakayas — book ahead in cherry season.
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