How Many Days Do I Need in Japan

How many days should you stay in Japan? For first timers, we suggest at least 7 days for a glance of this popular tourism country. The longer your holiday is, the more places you could visit. Generally speaking, you could visit a city and circumjacent areas only within 5 days, such as Tokyo with Mt. Fuji and Hakone. In about one week, you can go around the major places in Japan, including Tokyo and Kyoto. To about 10 days, you can add Japanese Alps to your 1-week plan, to see world heritage Shirakawa-go or hike along Nakasendo in addition. If you have more days for sightseeing, you can go on an in-depth Japan trip with Hiroshima and Kyushu region added at the discretion of travel days.

How Many Days to Visit Japan – Itinerary Suggestions

≤5 days	Tokyo & circumjacent area or Hokkaido
7 days	Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto & Osaka
10 days	Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Takayama & Shirakawa-go or Nakasendo, Kyoto, Osaka
14 days	Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Takayama and Shirakawa-go/Nakasendo Hiking, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima
21 days	Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Shirakawa-go, Nakasendo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kagoshima

How Many Days Do I Need in Japan – Itinerary Overviews

6-7 Days – Best Choice with Major Regions in Japan

With 6-7 days in Japan, you could arrive in Tokyo and have a visit there on first 2-3 days, to see the best-known sites, including Senso-ji Temple, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo Disney Resort, Odaiba, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. Senso-ji Temple and Meiji Jingu Shrine are the most famous old architecture complex in Tokyo, to see the splendid old-styled houses in one day. Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea is optimal for fun, especially when you travel with your kids. Shinjuku and Shibuya ate the most famous districts in the city center, where you can witness the prosperity of Tokyo with foodie streets, department stores, and shopping malls.

After, it’s easy to get to Lake Kawaguchi under Mt. Fuji from Tokyo. A whole day would be spent around the mountain. You could go around Lake Kawaguchi and look Mt. Fuji into the distance on the sightseeing boat or Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. From Lake Kawaguchi, the sightseeing bus to Mt. Fuji 5th Station is more convenient.

See more about Tokyo Attractions

Next, you can transfer to Kyoto and Osaka. Kyoto is the famous ancient capital of Japan, having countless historical sites. Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple, and Gion are the most-visited ones in Kyoto. You may visit some of these attractions in 1-2 days, and then transfer to the neighboring Osaka.

See more about Kyoto Attractions

In the remaining 1-2 days, it’s suggested to go to Osaka and leave Japan from Osaka at last. Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Aquarium Kaiyukan, and Universal Studios Japan are recommended, and you may visit a few of these depending on the time. Osaka, holding the Kansai International Airport, is the second major port for international flights only after Tokyo. Thus, you can leave Japan from Osaka at the end of your journey.

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Within 5 Days – Tokyo & Adjacent Attractions Only

Having a short holiday of 5 days at most, you can visit a major city in Japan with the surrounding attractions. The most classic choice is Tokyo, the capital of Japan, where is very convenient for entry and exit with two international airports.

After the city stroll in Tokyo, Mt. Fuji is unmissable nearby the city. Mt. Fuji 5th Station rightly halfway on the mountain is always popular. Then, you could go to the other side of Mt. Fuji, where Lake Ashi in Hakone is wonderful for sightseeing as well as enjoying the views of Mt. Fuji. In Hakone, you may also stay overnight in a ryokan to experience the local onsen bath.

Kamakura is also a welcomed destination, between Hakone and Tokyo. Kamakura is a historical place with many old temples and shrines. The Great Buddha of Kamakura in Kotoku-in Temple is a must-see, as one of the best Buddha statues around Japan. Getting back to Tokyo city, you could also explore more interesting attractions in the city. If you go to Japan during the cherry blossom season, Ueno Onshi Park and Megurokawa River are the most beautiful to admire the blooming scenery.

You could have a complete adventure in Tokyo and the surroundings in about 5 days. Apart from Tokyo region with Mt. Fuji, Kyoto & Osaka and Sapporo with Otaru, Lake Toya & Hakodate in Hokkaido are also alternatives.

10 Days – Japanese Alps Added

With a few days more, you could add one or two more destinations to your 6-7 days’ plan. After the visit around Mt. Fuji, you’re advised to go to Japanese Alps, the central mountain area in Japan. Takayama is a tourism city to see the original Takayama Jinya, the featured folk house at local. You can then transfer to Shirakawa-go by a highway sightseeing bus from Takayama, which is not far away. Shirakawa-go is a world heritage of the gassho-styled houses, and it’s famous for dreamy snow-covered scenery in winter. Even so, it’s also great to visit for the idyllic landscapes in all seasons.

Another choice of Japanese Alps is Nakasendo, an old road for post in ancient time. It connected Tokyo and Kyoto through the mountains, with many post-house towns on the way. You can go to visit the old town of Magome, and hike to Tsumago about 7km (4.3 miles) away. If you are a hiking or outdoor enthusiast, you could try Nakasendo on your Japan trip.

After Japanese Alps adventure, Nagoya is the nearest big city for transfer, where Nagoya Castle is also worth a visit. Next, you can transfer to Kyoto and Osaka easily. Likewise, you can exit from Osaka after visiting Kyoto and Osaka successively.

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2 Weeks – the 10-Day Itinerary Plus Hiroshima

14 days is prefect to go around the major part of Japan, from Tokyo to Hiroshima. That’s one city, Hiroshima, more than the 10 days’ trip above generally. You can enjoy a more leisurely time on the 14-day journey, or go to visit Nara after Kyoto. Nara Park is popular for a flock of deer, while Nara National Museum, Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine around the park are great to experience the culture and history. After, go on the journey to Osaka.

You can go to Hiroshima from Osaka when you finish the visits in previous cities with 2 days or so left, or you can go to Hiroshima first and get back Osaka for sightseeing at last. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with the Atomic Bomb Dome is a highlight there, and the world-heritage beauty of Itsukushima Shrine could be captured on Miyajima Island. At the end, you need to return to Osaka to exit the country.

3 Weeks – Kyushu Can be Inculded into Your Journey

Three weeks is absolutely enough for an in-depth trip around Japan. Not only Tokyo, Japanese Alps, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, but also Kyushu can be included. You could explore a little more attractions in the cities to get a greater insight of the country, such as Tokyo National Museum, Nikko town north to Tokyo, Kanazawa north to Shirakawa-go, Mt. Koya south to Osaka, and Himeji Castle.

When you finish the visits in Hiroshima, you needn’t get back to Osaka but go further southwest to Fukuoka in the northern Kyushu. You could wander around Hakata area at first as both the Shinkansen bullet train station and airport are located there. Ohori Park, Momochi Seaside Park, Fukuoka Tower, etc. are the must-sees in Fukuoka. Next, you could go to Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, or other cities in Kyushu for a day trip respectively. Nagasaki Peace Park, Glover Garden, and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki, Kumamoto Castle, Suizenji Jojuen Garden, and Kumamon Square in Kumamoto, Sakurajima, Yunohira Lookout, Sengan-en Garden, and Siroyama Observatory in Kagoshima, are the top attractions to visit.

Fukuoka and Kagoshima are the major cities in Kyushu to leave Japan for neighboring Asian countries. If you would like go to your next destination in other continents, you may need a transfer in the countries adjacent to Japan, otherwise go back to Tokyo or Osaka for the exit.