A trip guide · For six · October 2026
Japan日本 · 秋
Six of us. Fourteen nights. Autumn, west to east.
Six of us. Fourteen nights. Autumn, west to east.
Arrive Osaka (KIX), travel east, fly home from Tokyo.
Four places we sleep and four day trips, following the line from Kansai up to Tokyo. Each stop opens its own page with where we are staying, what to do, and where to eat. Nights are a starting point, this is a working planner.
Base · 3 nightsLoud, food-obsessed, less polished than Tokyo and proud of it. Three nights to find our feet and eat ourselves stupid.
Open Osaka →
Day tripThe most powerful war memorial in Japan, plus the reconstructed castle. Heavy but essential.
Open Hiroshima →
Base · 4 nightsTemples, torii, bamboo, Gion at dusk. The longest stay because there is the most to see.
Open Kyoto →
Day tripBowing deer, the Great Buddha, lantern-lined paths. Easy and unforgettable.
Open Nara →
Stay · 1 nightWalk the Nakasendo from Magome, sleep in a family guesthouse, watch the village go silent at dusk.
Open Tsumago →
Base · 6 nightsAsakusa, Shibuya, Tsukiji, Shinjuku at night. The big finish, with day trips to Mt Fuji and Nikko.
Open Tokyo →Day tripJapan's best Mt Fuji views, an easy day trip from Tokyo. The pagoda, the lake, the ropeway.
Open Kawaguchiko →
Day tripThe one stop at genuine peak foliage. Shrines, Kegon Falls, the crater lake.
Open Nikko →