Best for · First-timers

A ten-day Japan honeymoon

Ryokan over hotels. Slow trains over Shinkansen sprints. Tokyo + Kyoto + Osaka with the luxury tier as the default, plus an optional slow-travel anchor at the end (Naoshima, Kinosaki Onsen, or Okinawa).

Nick van der BlomAuthorVisited Mar 20265 trips since 2018
10Days
3Cities
1Ryokan night
3Anchor options
1Tokyo · 3 n2Kyoto · 3 n3Osaka · 3 n4Hiroshima · Day-trip

Why this route

We kept Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka (three nights each) because a honeymoon earns its shape from depth, not distance: a hinoki bath at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto outweighs any extra stamp on the itinerary. We dropped the Hiroshima daytrip deliberately; the Peace Museum carries weight that disrupts the emotional arc, and Day 8 works better as a slow-travel anchor, Kinosaki Onsen, Naoshima, or Okinawa. Avoid August entirely.

Tokyo

3 nights·Day 01–03

Why Tokyo

Tokyo opens the route because three nights here is the right amount to absorb the scale without surrendering to it. The east side earns its place first: Sensō-ji at dusk on arrival, when the lanterns come on and Nakamise-dōri still has room to breathe, sets the tone for the whole trip. Day two belongs to the west: Meiji-jingū early, before the forest fills, then south through Cat Street and Aoyama, and Shibuya Sky at sunset when the transition from daylight to lit city is the actual point. Save the third day for Yanaka: the Ginza shotengai, the Asakura Museum's rooftop framing the old shitamachi, and a Tsukiji breakfast before the Shinkansen south.

17 things to see and do

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Where to sleep in Tokyo

3 nights
BUDGET · HostelBUNKA HOSTEL TOKYOAsakusaRenovated 80-year-old building, capsule rooms with curtains and lockable storage. Ten minutes from Sensō-ji. The café-bar downstairs is the bonus.¥4,500/nightSee rates ↗MID · HotelHotel Tavinos AsakusaAsakusaRecommendedNick's own pick. Stayed in 2022 and 2024. Manga-themed but the rooms are clean and quiet, the staff are used to first-timers, and it's a five-minute walk to Fuji Ramen.¥11,000/nightSee rates ↗LUXURY · HotelThe Gate Hotel Kaminarimon by HulicAsakusaBoutique stay with a rooftop terrace that frames Sensō-ji and Skytree. The deep bath in every room is part of the appeal. And rare in Tokyo at this price.¥45,000/nightSee rates ↗

Next: Kyoto · 3 nights

Shinkansen Hikari·2h 40

Tokyo Station → Kyoto Station · ¥13,320 · JR Pass · OK

Jump to Kyoto ↓

Kyoto

3 nights·Day 04–06

Why Kyoto

Kyoto earns three nights because it cannot be done in two without cutting the things that matter. The east side is the anchor: Kiyomizu-dera at opening is a different place from the one that exists by mid-morning, and the walk down through Sannen-zaka to Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park is best finished before the tour buses settle in. The afternoon belongs to the Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji, with a detour to Hōnen-in, which is almost always empty. Evenings go to Pontochō: walk it early, then find a counter seat. The third day pushes west to Arashiyama early, then north to Daitoku-ji's zen subtemples, the quietest gardens in the city and the ones most visitors skip entirely.

16 things to see and do

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Where to sleep in Kyoto

3 nights
BUDGET · Capsule9 Hours Kyoto TeramachiTeramachi · 5 min to PontochōNick stayed here in 2017. Capsule hotel, futuristic. Stark white pods, sleek bathroom block, lockers replace closets. <strong>If a capsule night belongs on the trip</strong>, this is the easiest place to try one: central, English-friendly, and the lights wake you with sunrise simulation. Not for two-person travel. Each pod is for one.¥4,200/nightSee rates ↗MID · HotelHotel Kanra KyotoKarasuma · between Kyoto Station and downtownRecommendedTraditional-modern boutique with hinoki baths in every room and a tatami sleeping area. The right balance of "ryokan feel" without committing to a full kaiseki dinner.¥22,000/nightSee rates ↗LUXURY · HotelThe Ritz-Carlton KyotoNijō · Kamogawa riversideRiverside on the Kamogawa, ten minutes from Pontochō. The garden bath suites are the editorial pick. But the standard rooms also face the river.¥90,000/nightSee rates ↗

Next: Osaka · 3 nights

Shinkansen Hikari·14 min

Kyoto Station → Shin-Osaka · ¥1,420 · JR Pass · OK

Jump to Osaka ↓

Osaka

3 nights·Day 07–10

Day-trip · Hiroshima

Why Osaka

Osaka earns three nights because it does two things the route needs: it puts Hiroshima within day-trip range, and it gives the journey a looser, louder gear-change after Kyoto's temples. The Hiroshima day has real weight: the Peace Memorial Museum is the centre of it, not a sidebar, and arriving early keeps you ahead of the school groups. Back in the city, the anchor day is best spent moving between registers: a slow breakfast at Kuromon Ichiba, the working-class nostalgia of Shinsekai, and the Umeda Sky Building at dusk, when the city grid lights up below you. Dotonbori is unavoidable and worth it: eat there, walk it, then leave before it turns into a crowd problem.

15 things to see and do

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Where to sleep in Osaka

3 nights
BUDGET · HostelHostel Mitsuwaya OsakaNamba · 10 min to DotonboriRenovated old-town building, communal kitchen and lounge. The owner runs a free walking tour twice a week. Worth signing up on arrival.¥4,800/nightSee rates ↗MID · HotelCross Hotel OsakaShinsaibashi · 5 min to DotonboriRecommendedDirectly between Shinsaibashi shopping arcade and the Dotonbori canal. Five minutes to either. Modern rooms, decent breakfast buffet, the lobby café is a working spot.¥17,000/nightSee rates ↗LUXURY · HotelConrad OsakaNakanoshima · skyline-facingTop of the Nakanoshima Festival Tower, 40-some floors above the river. The bar on the top deck does the best martini in the city, and the breakfast is worth waking up for.¥65,000/nightSee rates ↗

Next: Tokyo

Shinkansen Hikari·2h 40

Shin-Osaka → Tokyo Station · ¥13,870 · JR Pass · OK

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Read before you go

Route map · 4 cities
1Tokyo · 3 n2Kyoto · 3 n3Osaka · 3 n4Hiroshima · Day-trip
1Tokyo→2Kyoto→3Osaka→4Hiroshima↺Tokyo