Japan,
the first time.

Pick a season and how long you have. These are the plans that simply work. Not offbeat at all. For that, there's Offbeat Japan.

The best all-round season. Leaves turn in the mountains in October and reach Kyoto in late November.

4 plans for 1 month in autumn

30 daysAll yearMost popular

The Big Loop

A month lets you do the classic properly and add the Alps and Kyushu. Long stays in the big cities, one-night stops in between.

For first-timers with time and village lovers

30days
16places to sleep
27 h 50on trains

Day by day

Days 1 to 5
Tokyo

Worth it. Asakusa before 8am, then an evening walking the backstreets from Shibuya to Harajuku.
Skip. Paying for the Skytree. The Metropolitan Government towers in Shinjuku have the same view for free.
Eat. Sushi, ramen, tempura, and the food halls in department store basements.
2 h by train
Day 6
Nikko

Worth it. Toshogu, the most lavish shrine in Japan, then the bus up to Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji.
Skip. A weekend in late October. The road to the lake becomes a three-hour traffic jam.
Eat. Yuba, delicate tofu skin, served every possible way.
3 h 30 by train
Day 7
Hakone

Worth it. One night in a ryokan with a hot spring bath and dinner in your room. Splurge here, not in Tokyo.
Skip. Coming as a day trip to see Mount Fuji. It hides in cloud more often than not.
Eat. Black eggs at Owakudani, soba in Hakone-Yumoto, a kaiseki dinner at your ryokan.
3 h 30 by train
Day 8
Matsumoto

Worth it. The black castle, one of only twelve originals left, with the Alps behind it.
Skip. Skipping the inside. The steep wooden stairs to the top are half the fun.
Eat. Soba, the pride of the Shinshu region.
2 h 30 by train
Days 9 and 10
Takayama

Worth it. The old merchant streets early in the morning, Hida beef for lunch, and a sake brewery tasting.
Skip. Sanmachi street between 11am and 3pm. Walk it at 8am instead.
Eat. Hida beef, as sushi, steak or on a skewer.
50 min by train
Day 11
Shirakawa-go

Worth it. A night in a thatched farmhouse, when the day buses have gone and the village goes quiet.
Skip. A tour bus at midday. Take the first public bus from Takayama or Kanazawa.
Eat. Hoba miso, grilled on a magnolia leaf.
1 h 15 by train
Days 12 and 13
Kanazawa

Worth it. Kenrokuen garden at opening time, the Higashi Chaya teahouse district, and sushi at Omicho Market.
Skip. Treating it as a small Kyoto and rushing it in half a day. It has its own pace.
Eat. Seafood bowls, and snow crab from November to March.
2 h 10 by train
Days 14 to 18
Kyoto

Worth it. Fushimi Inari at 7am or after dusk. Keep climbing past the halfway point and you have it to yourself.
Skip. The Arashiyama bamboo grove at midday. It is a short path and you shuffle through it shoulder to shoulder.
Eat. Kaiseki, tofu, obanzai home cooking and matcha everything.
45 min by train
Day 19
Nara

Worth it. The Great Buddha at Todai-ji, then the quiet walk up to Nigatsu-do for the view.
Skip. Buying deer crackers by the station entrance. The deer there are pushy. Walk deeper into the park first.
Eat. Kakinoha sushi, wrapped in persimmon leaves.
2 h by train
Day 20
Koyasan

Worth it. A night in a temple lodging, and the lantern-lit walk through Okunoin cemetery after dark.
Skip. Coming for the day. The evening and the morning prayers are the whole point.
Eat. Shojin ryori, the monks' vegetarian cuisine, at your temple lodging.
1 h 45 by train
Days 21 and 22
Osaka

Worth it. Eating your way through Namba and Shinsekai at night. This is the city for it.
Skip. Going inside Osaka Castle. It is a 1931 concrete rebuild with a lift. Enjoy it from the park.
Eat. Takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu. The local motto is eat till you drop.
1 h 25 by train
Days 23 and 24
Hiroshima

Worth it. Two unhurried hours in the Peace Memorial Museum, then okonomiyaki, layered the Hiroshima way.
Skip. Doing it as a day trip from Kyoto. It deserves more than a rushed afternoon.
Eat. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and oysters.
45 min by train
Day 25
Miyajima

Worth it. Sleeping on the island. The floating gate at high tide, after the day visitors have gone, is the real thing.
Skip. Arriving without checking the tide times. At low tide the gate stands in mud.
Eat. Grilled oysters, anago rice and maple-leaf cakes.
1 h 40 by train
Day 26
Fukuoka

Worth it. Ramen at a yatai street stall by the river, shoulder to shoulder with locals.
Skip. Expecting big sights. Come to eat, and use it as the door to Kyushu.
Eat. Hakata tonkotsu ramen, mentaiko and motsunabe hot pot.
1 h 30 by train
Days 27 and 28
Nagasaki

Worth it. The Peace Park, the old trading post of Dejima, and the night view from Mount Inasa.
Skip. Squeezing it into one day from Fukuoka. The city only makes sense slowly.
Eat. Champon noodles and castella sponge cake.
2 h 15 by train
Days 29 and 30
Kumamoto and Aso

Worth it. Kumamoto Castle, then a day out to the crater of Mount Aso, one of the largest calderas on earth.
Skip. Going to Aso without checking the gas alert. The crater closes when the volcano is in a mood.
Eat. Kumamoto ramen with black garlic oil.