Japan in 10 Days — Golden Route + Hiroshima & Miyajima

Don't pack the first day too tight — you'll be tired from the journey. Drop your bags at the hotel and start easy at Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, wandering Nakamise street for hot snacks. In the evening, ride out to Shibuya to watch a thousand people cross the scramble at once, then head up to the Shibuya Sky deck for the city after dark.

Start the morning at Meiji Shrine, set in a forest in the middle of the city, then walk out into Harajuku for the youth fashion. Pick your afternoon by taste — art lovers to teamLab, gadget fans to Akihabara. Finish up the Tokyo Skytree for the city from above, or stroll Ginza for upscale shopping.

Catch the Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone in about 80–85 minutes. Today, ride the ropeway up to Owakudani to see sulphur steam rising from the volcanic vents, then take a pirate ship across Lake Ashi with Mount Fuji as the backdrop. In the evening, check into your ryokan, change into a yukata, and have a long soak in the onsen before your kaiseki dinner.

Have one last morning soak and breakfast, then come down from Hakone to catch the shinkansen at Odawara straight to Kyoto (~2 hr 15 min). Drop your bags at the hotel and spend the afternoon at Fushimi Inari, walking up through tens of thousands of red torii gates. In the evening, stroll Gion and you might spot a geisha slipping through the old wooden lanes.

A full day of classic Kyoto. Start at the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) mirrored in its pond, then on to Arashiyama to walk through the towering bamboo grove and cross the Togetsukyo bridge. In the afternoon, climb up to Kiyomizu-dera, with its wooden stage jutting out over the valley, then wander down the old Sannenzaka lane for souvenirs.

In the morning, take the train from Kyoto to Nara (~45 min) to feed the tame deer in the park, then step into Todai-ji temple to see the giant bronze Great Buddha inside an enormous wooden hall. Late afternoon, carry on by train to Osaka, check into your new hotel, and spend the evening at Dotonbori eating street food under the Glico sign.

Start the morning at Osaka Castle, a white-and-gold keep in a wide park, and go up the tower for the city view. Mid-morning, stop by Kuromon Market for fresh seafood — grilled squid, scallops on the shell. In the afternoon, shop the kilometre-long Shinsaibashi arcade. If you'd rather, swap the whole day for Universal Studios Japan.

Catch the morning shinkansen from Shin-Osaka west to Hiroshima (~1 hr 25 min). Drop your bags, then walk the Peace Memorial Park, see the A-Bomb Dome — the building shell preserved as a memorial — and visit the Peace Memorial Museum, which tells the story plainly and honestly. In the evening, try Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki with yakisoba noodles layered in.

In the morning, take the JR to Miyajimaguchi and the ferry across to Miyajima island. The highlight is the floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine — at high tide it appears to float on the sea, and at low tide you can walk right out to it. Deer roam the whole island, and if you're up for it, take the ropeway or hike up Mount Misen for views over the Inland Sea.

The last day depends on your flight home. If you can fly out of Kansai (KIX), you skip the train back to Tokyo entirely and get another half-day in Hiroshima/Osaka. If you have to fly from Tokyo, allow for the Hiroshima–Tokyo shinkansen of about 4 hours before heading to the airport. Stop at a station along the way to pick up regional treats — they carry a full range of local foods.