Dates are flexible. This day-by-day plan is provisional until you choose exact travel dates.
Treat today as a travel day first: the Beijing–Tokyo flight and airport formalities will usually take around 6–8 hours door to door, depending on your flight and immigration queues. On arrival, allow roughly 60–90 minutes from Haneda Airport or 90–120 minutes from Narita Airport to central Tokyo, including baggage collection and the train. From Haneda, the Keikyu Line is usually the simplest route toward central Tokyo; from Narita, the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno Station is efficient for this neighborhood. Leave your luggage at the hotel or a station locker, and keep the afternoon deliberately light.
Begin at Senso-ji, allowing about 1½ hours to pass through Kaminarimon Gate, browse Nakamise-dori, and reach the main hall. The temple grounds are open at all hours, while the main hall generally keeps daytime hours, so arriving late afternoon is fine for the atmosphere even if the interior has closed. This is one of Tokyo’s busiest sights; walk a little away from the central approach for quieter views around the side streets of Asakusa, and be respectful around worshippers. From Senso-ji, Kappabashi Dougu Street is about a 10–15-minute walk west, or a short taxi ride if your bags and jet lag are catching up.
Spend about an hour along Kappabashi Dougu Street, where specialist shops sell everything from knives and lacquerware to remarkably realistic plastic food samples. Many stores close around 5–6 p.m., though exact hours vary and some are closed on Sundays or public holidays, so browse promptly rather than leaving it until late evening. For dinner, continue to Asakusa Yokocho, a convenient food hall-style complex with casual izakaya dishes and drinks; budget roughly ¥2,000–¥4,000 per person. It is an easy first-night choice after a long flight, with plenty of flexibility if you want only a small meal before an early night.
Start at Meiji Jingu around 8:00–8:30, entering from Harajuku Station and following the broad gravel path through the quiet forest. Allow about 90 minutes, including the shrine buildings and a slow walk beneath the towering trees. The shrine grounds are generally open from sunrise until sunset, with no admission charge; go early for a calmer atmosphere and comfortable walking before the day warms up. Wear shoes suitable for uneven gravel, and keep voices low around the main shrine.
Walk a few minutes from the shrine toward Takeshita Street, where the mood changes completely: compact fashion shops, character goods, crepes, and colorful sweets fill the narrow pedestrian street. Give yourself about an hour, but expect crowds and occasional queues even outside peak periods. For a quick bite, choose a shop with a moving line rather than committing to the busiest storefronts; prices for snacks are typically ¥500–¥1,200. Keep belongings close, as the street is crowded and some shops have very little room for bags.
From Harajuku or Omotesando, walk roughly 15–20 minutes to Nezu Museum in Aoyama, or take a short taxi if you prefer to save your legs. Plan around two hours for the collection and its beautifully landscaped traditional garden. Check the museum’s opening calendar before setting out, since its closed days and special exhibitions can affect access; general admission is commonly around ¥1,500–¥2,000, with exhibitions sometimes priced separately. The garden is the real pause in the day—take your time on the paths and consider tea at the museum café if you want a quiet break.
Continue toward Shibuya, about 20 minutes on foot from the museum or a short taxi ride. Spend an hour around Shibuya Scramble Crossing, watching the waves of pedestrians from street level or from a nearby café viewpoint; late afternoon gives you both daylight and the first glow of the district’s signs. Finish at Uobei Shibuya Dogenzaka, a casual high-speed conveyor-belt sushi restaurant where ordering is done from a touchscreen. Expect roughly ¥1,500–¥3,000 per person, but queues are common at dinner, so put your name down before exploring nearby streets. Most of the day is walkable, though short taxi rides—often around ¥1,000–¥1,500 depending on traffic—are worthwhile between Aoyama and Shibuya if you are tired.
Allow roughly 3–4 hours door to door for the move from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station, including getting to the station, finding your platform, and handling luggage. An early departure is important: aim for a train around 7:00–8:00 so you can reach central Kyoto before the market becomes packed. If you have oversized luggage, reserve the designated oversized-baggage seat area in advance through SmartEX or JR Central; otherwise, use station lockers or your accommodation’s luggage service after arriving.
From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma Subway Line to Shijo Station, then walk about 10 minutes to Nishiki Market. Spend around 1½ hours grazing on Kyoto specialties such as yuba, pickles, grilled seafood, and seasonal sweets, but avoid eating while walking—most stalls expect you to eat beside the vendor. The market is generally liveliest from late morning into early afternoon, though individual shops keep their own hours and some close on Wednesdays or Sundays. For a proper lunch nearby, Daimaru Kyoto’s basement food hall is a reliable fallback, while small restaurants around Teramachi offer a quieter sit-down meal.
Walk or take a short taxi ride from Nishiki Market toward Kennin-ji in Gion; on foot, the route takes about 20 minutes through the covered Teramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades before opening into quieter streets. Allow about 1½ hours at the temple. Its calm Zen gardens and dramatic painted screens make a welcome contrast to the market, although some buildings may close for special ceremonies or seasonal maintenance. Admission is typically around ¥600–¥800, and shoes must be removed in several areas, so wear easy-to-remove footwear.
Continue for roughly 10 minutes on foot to Yasaka Shrine, entering through the bright vermilion gates. Late afternoon is a good time to see local visitors making brief prayers and to enjoy the shrine grounds without trying to force in another major attraction. Admission to the grounds is free, though nearby stalls and small shops may have limited hours. From here, you are already in the best part of Gion for the evening.
Spend about 1½ hours wandering Hanamikoji Street and the smaller lanes around Shirakawa, keeping voices low and never photographing geiko or maiko without permission. The most atmospheric stretch is after dusk, when lanterns begin to glow, but these are working residential streets rather than an open-air attraction. Finish with a Kyoto-style dinner in Gion, budgeting roughly ¥3,000–¥6,000 per person for a modest set meal, izakaya dinner, or small tofu-and-yuba restaurant. Reservations are useful for intimate restaurants; otherwise, look around Yasaka-dori or toward Kiyamachi for more casual choices, and expect many kitchens to stop seating around 21:00–21:30.
Start at Kinkaku-ji around opening time, generally 9:00, to see the Golden Pavilion reflected in the pond before the tour groups build up. The visit takes about an hour; admission is roughly ¥500, and the route is mostly outdoors, so bring a light layer in cooler weather. From Kyoto Station, take Kyoto City Bus 205 or 101, allowing 45–60 minutes; a taxi is faster but often costs around ¥2,500–¥3,500 depending on traffic. Walk or take a short bus ride onward to Ryoan-ji, where the famous rock garden is best approached slowly rather than treated as a quick photo stop. Allow about an hour, with admission around ¥500. Both sites can be busy, and buses through northern Kyoto are slower than the map suggests.
Continue to Arashiyama by bus or taxi; allow roughly 25–40 minutes from Ryoan-ji, depending on traffic. Head first to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, ideally around midday or just before the main afternoon crowds, and spend about an hour walking the uphill path through the grove. It is atmospheric but short, so keep expectations realistic and continue into the surrounding lanes rather than lingering at the entrance. Then visit Tenryu-ji, immediately nearby, for its beautifully composed garden and mountain-framed pond. Allow 90 minutes; the temple and garden admission is usually around ¥500–¥800 depending on the areas open. If you have energy afterward, leave a little unplanned time for the riverside and quieter backstreets of Arashiyama.
Finish at Arashiyama Yoshimura, a convenient riverside choice for handmade soba, with tables looking toward the water and Togetsukyo Bridge. Expect approximately ¥1,500–¥3,000 per person; arrive before the busiest dinner period, as queues are possible and the restaurant’s hours can vary. From Arashiyama Station, Kyoto Station is about 30 minutes by JR Sagano Line from Saga-Arashiyama Station, plus the short walk to the restaurant and station area; the Hankyu route is useful if returning toward central or western Kyoto. Keep the evening gentle—after several temple grounds, the best ending is a riverside stroll rather than adding another major attraction.
Leave Kyoto Station around 8:00–8:30 for Nara Station on a JR rapid train, allowing roughly 45–60 minutes each way. Use an IC card or buy a regular ticket; the fare is usually about ¥720 one way on JR, and no reservation is needed. If you have luggage, leave it in a station locker—Nara’s larger lockers can fill by late morning, so arrive early. From Nara Station, Todai-ji is about 30 minutes on foot through the park, or you can take a local bus toward the temple area. Allow around 1½ hours for the Great Buddha Hall; opening hours and admission fees vary seasonally, but the entrance fee is commonly around ¥800.
Walk through Nara Park after Todai-ji, keeping a little distance from the deer and feeding them only the approved shika-senbei crackers. The park is at its most pleasant before the busiest midday crowds, and the paths around the ponds and wooded edges are quieter than the main temple approach. Continue toward Kasuga Taisha, allowing about 1½ hours for the lantern-lined approach, shrine buildings, and forest atmosphere. It is a longer walk than it looks, with uneven paths and some slopes, so comfortable shoes are worthwhile. For lunch, look around the streets near Naramachi afterward rather than relying on the limited options immediately beside the shrine; small noodle shops and traditional set-meal restaurants often close between lunch and dinner, so aim to eat by about 1:30.
Head toward Naramachi and stop at Nakatanidou for its famous high-speed mochi-pounding demonstrations, usually a brief but entertaining visit; demonstrations are not guaranteed at a precise time, and a fresh yomogi mochi typically costs a few hundred yen. Spend the following 1½ hours wandering Naramachi, where preserved merchant houses, narrow lanes, small craft shops, and quiet cafés make a good final contrast to the temple grounds. Return to Nara Station with a little buffer—about 15–20 minutes from central Naramachi—and take the JR train back to Kyoto Station, allowing roughly an hour. You should be back in Kyoto around early evening; keep dinner nearby or in your own neighborhood rather than adding another cross-city trip after a full day on foot.
After breakfast, collect your luggage and take the JR Kyoto Line Special Rapid from Kyoto Station to Osaka Station; the train itself takes about 30 minutes, but allow 45–75 minutes door to door for checking out, station transfers, and leaving bags at your Osaka hotel or a station locker. From Osaka Station, continue by Osaka Metro to Morinomiya Station or Tanimachi 4-chome Station, then walk into Osaka Castle Park. Aim to arrive around 9:30–10:00, when the grounds are more comfortable and before the busiest tour groups. Allow about two hours for the moats, stone walls, gardens, and castle museum; the tower’s admission is generally around ¥1,200, though entry arrangements and pricing can change, so check the official site if you want to go inside.
From the castle area, take the Osaka Metro to Nippombashi Station and walk a few minutes to Kuromon Ichiba Market. Arrive around lunchtime, when the stalls are at their liveliest, and spend roughly 90 minutes grazing rather than sitting down for one large meal: look for grilled seafood, seasonal fruit, wagyu skewers, and Osaka-style snacks. Budget about ¥1,500–¥3,000 per person, and carry cash as smaller vendors may not accept cards. The market can be crowded, so keep bags close and avoid stopping in the middle of the covered arcade; some stalls also close earlier than their listed hours once food sells out.
Walk west from Kuromon Ichiba Market toward Hozenji Yokocho, a compact lantern-lit alley tucked behind the main Namba streets. Give yourself about 45 minutes to explore the stone lanes and visit Hozenji Temple, where visitors traditionally splash water over the moss-covered Fudo Myoo statue. From there, it is only a short walk to Dotonbori. Come as the signs begin to glow, then follow the canal promenade and nearby side streets for an easy two-hour evening. Try takoyaki from a busy stall or settle into a casual okonomiyaki restaurant—allow roughly ¥2,000–¥4,000 per person. Dotonbori is busiest after dinner, so wander one street back from the canal when you want a calmer drink or a less crowded meal; your Osaka hotel is best reached from Namba Station, a short walk south of the main lights.
Keep the final morning simple and start early at Sumiyoshi Taisha, ideally around 8:00–8:30. From central Osaka, take the Nankai Main Line to Sumiyoshi Taisha Station—about 10–20 minutes from the Namba area—then walk a few minutes to the shrine. Allow roughly 1½ hours for the approach over the distinctive red bridge, the main sanctuary buildings, and a quiet circuit of the grounds. Entry to the shrine precincts is free; opening access is generally available from early morning, though individual facilities may have shorter hours. This is a good last stop because it feels spacious and unhurried, rather than like another crowded city attraction.
Return by Nankai train toward Namba, then continue on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line to Tennoji; allow about 35–45 minutes including the transfer and walking. Leave time to store or collect luggage before going up Abeno Harukas, where Harukas 300 occupies the upper observatory floors. The visit takes about 1½ hours, with the clearest long-distance views usually earlier in the day. Observatory admission is commonly around ¥2,000–¥2,500, but check the current price and whether a timed reservation is required before setting out. If you have a little time before heading to the airport, the department-store food floors in the building are convenient for a final Japanese lunch or packaged snacks.
From Tennoji, take the JR Haruka limited express or a Nankai connection via Namba to Kansai International Airport. Plan on roughly 1½–2 hours door to door once luggage collection, platform time, and the airport walk are included; the train ride itself is shorter. For an international flight, leave central Osaka about three hours before departure, and more if you need airline bag drop, tax-free procedures, or have a checked suitcase. Confirm your airline’s terminal and the day’s timetable before leaving—KIX is connected by rail, but terminal transfers can add time. After check-in, security, and immigration, the Osaka–Beijing flight is typically around 3–4 hours in the air, with the actual schedule, baggage rules, and arrival procedures dependent on your booking.
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