🗾 Japan · printable plan
Tokyo and Kyoto for a first trip
By TopVacay @topvacay. Inspired by Nomadic Matt. Prices last checked 2026-10-27. Totals are estimates: $5,270 for 2 travelers.
Recomputed from the price lines stored on each trip. No live hotel, ticket, or airfare feed is connected.
Day by day
Day 1
Land at Haneda and stop. Jet lag wins tonight.
- Morning · Convenience-store dinner
- Overnight · Tokyo hotel in a rail neighborhood
Day 2
Old Tokyo in the morning, lights later.
- Morning · Senso-ji and Asakusa
- Afternoon · teamLab ticket
- Overnight · Tokyo hotel in a rail neighborhood
Day 3
One neighborhood done properly.
- Morning · Meiji Shrine and Harajuku walk
- Afternoon · Sushi counter dinner
- Overnight · Tokyo hotel in a rail neighborhood
Day 4
Bullet train west.
- Morning · Tokyo to Kyoto shinkansen
- Overnight · Kyoto machiya-style inn
Day 5
The torii gates before the buses arrive.
- Morning · Fushimi Inari climb
- Overnight · Kyoto machiya-style inn
Day 6
Arashiyama, then a class if the timing works.
- Morning · Arashiyama temple and bamboo
- Afternoon · Tea ceremony class
- Overnight · Kyoto machiya-style inn
Day 7
Train back toward the airport city.
- Morning · Kyoto to Tokyo shinkansen
- Overnight · Airport-line hotel
Packing
- Comfortable walking shoesThe plan is on foot more than in a car.
- Day bagA small bag holds the water, the layer, and the tickets.
- Light layerMuseums and evenings run cooler than the street.
- Compact umbrellaA short rain should not cancel the afternoon.
Reserve ahead
- American DFW to HNDday 1 once you set dates · Hold the seats before the fare you estimated moves.
- American HND to DFWday 7 once you set dates · Hold the seats before the fare you estimated moves.
- Convenience-store dinnerday 1 once you set dates · Popular tables go early. Book the seating, then build the rest of the day around it.
- Tokyo hotel in a rail neighborhoodday 1 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.
- teamLab ticketday 2 once you set dates · Buy the ticket for this day so the morning is not spent in a ticket line.
- Tokyo hotel in a rail neighborhoodday 2 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.
- Sushi counter dinnerday 3 once you set dates · Popular tables go early. Book the seating, then build the rest of the day around it.
- Tokyo hotel in a rail neighborhoodday 3 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.
- Kyoto machiya-style innday 4 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.
- Kyoto machiya-style innday 5 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.
- Kyoto machiya-style innday 6 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.
- Airport-line hotelday 7 once you set dates · This is the room for that night. Reserve it before you count on the rate.