For our second trip to Japan, 10 days in Japan was the perfect amount of time to discover so much more of the country. We spent 10 days in Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima, which were jam-packed with iconic Japanese sights, cities and experiences.
This itinerary for 10 days in Japan includes some of the most beautiful temples in Kyoto, four Japanese castles & palaces including the iconic Himeji Castle, the stunning Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island, gorgeous Japanese gardens like Kokoen and Shukkien, Osaka Aquarium and absolutely incredible food, from the bustling Kuromon Market and Nishiki Market, to the restaurant precincts of the Dotonbori in Osaka and Pontocho in Kyoto, to fine dining Kaiseki cuisine to the cheap and cheerful Okonomimura in Hiroshima.
On our first trip to Japan, we spent one week in Tokyo (and a day trip to Mt Fuji), which is why we didn’t include Tokyo in this trip.
Read on for my itinerary for 10 Days in Japan, which we used on our most recent trip, as well as tips on taking the Shinkansen, getting around Japan & when to visit at the end of the post.
Getting around Japan
Japan is one of the easiest countries to travel in, that I have ever visited. While English is not widely spoken outside Tokyo, there are often English-speaking team members at large train stations and airports who will be able to assist you.
The easiest thing to do is to get a Suica Card, which you can add to your Apple Wallet. Topping up on the go takes seconds if you have Apple Pay, and you can use the Suica all over Japan on buses, trains, trams, subways and even the ferry to Miyajima! You just can’t use it on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train).
eSiM & Transport Card for Japan
Airalo eSim – This was my first time using Airalo and it was SO much cheaper than paying $5 a day roaming charges. Use my referral code GENEVI0792 to get $3 USD off your first eSim. A 7-day e-sim for Japan cost $4.50 USD, we were there for 10 days so I ended up topping up near the end of the trip.
Suica Card (Apple Wallet) – This is Japan’s national transport card, which you can use on all trains, buses, subways and even the ferry to Miyajima. You just can’t use it on the Shinkanksen. We added it to our apple wallet, topping up takes just seconds. We used it all over Japan!
I spent exactly 10,000 yen ($100 AUD) for all the public transport on this trip. I know because I accidentally loaded $100 AUD instead of $10 AUD on our first night in Osaka haha.
Buying Shinkansen Tickets
We purchased our Shinkansen Tickets at the train stations immediately before travel, but I don’t recommend doing this. While it all worked out fine, we had to queue at the ticket office every time, and sometimes this would take 45 minutes or so. There are ticket machines, however you can only buy one type of Shinkansen ticket, and for some journeys we needed two. We couldn’t figure out how to know if we needed a second ticket, or how to purchase it.
You can buy tickets in advance on Klook, which my friend who travelled to Japan the week after me did, and she had a seamless experience. I’d do this next time!
Shinkansen tickets are very expensive, but it’s an excellent way to travel. There are two classes of seats, as well as reserved vs non reserved seats. If you have a reserved seat, you get a seat number and can stow your bags in a central compartment on the train. However, we learned that you can actually take your suitcases on with you, in a non-reserved seat, if you can squeeze them in front of your legs. We had no issues with this, even with large suitcases.
Buy Shinkansen Tickets on Klook
Day 1 & 2: Osaka & Himeji Castle
Our 2 days in Osaka were pretty jam-packed, and I could have easily filled a third day in the city. We spent our first day in Osaka visiting the major sights, including the Kuromon Market, Osaka Aquarium, Osaka Castle and the famous Dotonbori precinct.
We spent half of our second day in Osaka visiting Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden, which is an easy day trip from Osaka using the Shinkansen. Visiting Himeji was completely worth it, and I’d highly recommend it. Check out my post about 2 days in Osaka for more detail!
Visiting the Kuromon Market was one of my favourite food experiences in Japan, and arriving at around 8am meant we had around 30 minutes to browse before the crowds descended.
The Dotonbori is the most famous neighbourhood in Osaka, and a must visit in my opinion. It’s named for the Dotonbori Canal, and is surrounded by the most incredible and eye-popping restaurant street I have ever seen in the world. We visited two nights in a row! On the second night, we also visited the lively Amerika-mura neighbourhood and tried takoyaki, Osaka’s signature street food.
Himeji Castle is the biggest and most beautiful castle in Japan. It escaped bombing raids in World War II, unlike Osaka Castle and so many others. Himeji Castle is more beautiful on the outside than the inside, which is a simple and traditional interior, but if you go inside the castle you can climb the five or six floors, and enjoy great views over the town of Himeij.
Next to Himeji Castle is the Kokoen Garden, which is one of the most beautiful gardens we visited in Japan. It’s extensive, with nine Edo-style gardens, so you could spend quite some time here. You can buy combined entry tickets to Himeji Castle & Kokoen, at the Himeji ticket counter.
Where to Stay in Osaka
I was really overwhelmed and confused about where to stay in Osaka before our trip, but since visiting it all makes so much more sense!
Read more: Where to Stay in Osaka – Best Areas & Hotels
Hotel Lively Osaka Honmachi – We stayed at this hotel in Osaka, and it was definitely the coolest hotel of our trip. Hotel Lively is a stylish hotel located in Honmachi, which is a business district roughly halfway between Minami and Kita. I really liked the central location, especially as it was near the Midosuji subway line.
Getting to & around Osaka
We flew in & out of Kansai Airport. The airport is around an hour from downtown Osaka by train, which is why it’s useful to have your Suica card ready to go when you land.
Osaka has excellent public transport. We used the subway the entire time, especially the Midosuji Line – it’s helpful to stay at a hotel near this subway line.
Day 3-5: Kyoto
Kyoto is one of the most iconic cities in the world, and after visiting I can see why. It is truly like nowhere else on the planet. Kyoto is home to more UNESCO World Heritage Sites and more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in the world!
We had three full days in Kyoto, but you could easily spend up to five fully days here on your first visit and still have more to see.
Kyoto’s main historic districts are Northern Higashiyama, Southern Higashiyama and Gion, which is a downtown precinct.
Most sights were within these areas, but we also ventured out to the famed Arashiyama, to see the bamboo groves (extremely overrated in my opinion) and Tenryu-ji temple, which was worth the visit. One of Kyoto’s most famous temples, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), is on the outskirts of Kyoto, but is also well worth taking the time to visit.
The Fushimi Inari Shrine’s famous torii gates, are on the southern outskirts of Kyoto, but were comically overcrowded and would be more enjoyable as one of the first visitors of the day.
We also had incredible dining experiences in Kyoto. Kyoto was one of Japan’s imperial cities, and as a result, was the home of royal cuisine. Kyoto’s kaiseki cuisine is the most elevated cuisine in Japan, and is best experienced at a traditional kaiseki restaurant. We had a kaiseki lunch at Roan Kikunoi, which was an incredible experience while in Japan.
My favourite temples and gardens were Kiyomuzidera, Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji) and Tenryu-ji.
One of my favourite sights in Kyoto was Nijo-Ji, Kyoto’s samurai castle and palace. You can’t take photos inside the palace, but the painted walls are absolutely stunning and have left a lasting impression. I would probably even re-visit, if we returned to Kyoto, despite there being so many other places I’d also like to visit.
Where to stay in Kyoto
Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo – We stayed at this hotel, and loved it! The location was perfect, with downtown Kyoto on one side, and the beautiful Ponotocho dining precinct just a few blocks in the other direction. The rooms are small but very stylish.
Getting to & around Kyoto
We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Osaka to Kyoto. The journey only takes 15-20 minutes.
Kyoto has an excellent bus system, which we used almost exclusively. It’s even possible to get to the more remote sights such as Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and Arashiyama using public transport.
Day 6 & 7: Miyajima (Itsukushima)
Miyajima, also known as Itsukushima, is a beautiful island in the Bay of Hiroshima. Miyajima is famous for being home to the Itsukushima Shrine, an icon of Japan. The shrine’s enormous vermilion torii gate appears to be floating during high tide, and is one of the most beautiful sights in Japan.
Miyajima is only a 10 minute ferry trip from Hiroshima, so it is possible to visit as a day trip from Hiroshima. However, I’m really glad we stayed on Miyajima overnight, because seeing the floating torii gate after dark, after the crowds of day trippers had left, was so special. At night, we had the view of the gate nearly entirely to ourselves, and it was so peaceful.
Staying overnight on Miyajima also meant we could get an early start the next morning to get the cable car to Mt Misen shortly after it began operating for the day. Even in November, an hour after opening, there were already announcements over the loudspeaker at the observation deck that there were large crowds and long wait times to ascend or descend.
The other benefit of visiting overnight is that you will be able to guarantee that you’ll see the torii gate during high tide. If you only visit for a few hours, your visit might coincide with low tide, when the gate is surrounded by mud flats, rather than water. It is still beautiful, but not the iconic image that you may be expecting.
We arrived in the afternoon, visited the Itsukushima Shrine, and visited the Omotesando Shopping Street, a collection of gift shops, restaurants and bars. Hiroshima Bay produces the most oysters in Japan, and they’re known for their large size and rich flavour. We tried some deep fried oysters at the market with lemon-flavoured alcoholic slushies, which were so refreshing and delicious!
We stayed at Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto, which is a large, traditional hotel and one of the few on the island. Our “included dinner” was in fact a multi-course kaiseki feast, which was incredible!
The next morning, we had an early start to visit Mt Misen. There are a few hiking trails, which take a few hours, but instead we took the cable car to the first observation deck. There is a second cable car, and a steep walking trail to reach the absolute summit, which was well worth the steep hike and offers panoramic views over the Seto Inland Sea.
Where to stay in Miyajima
Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto – We stayed at this hotel in Miyajima, which was the most expensive of our trip, but well worth it. The hotel is a fairly traditional Japanese hotel, with large rooms, an on-site onsen, and the option to sleep on tatami mats, or a western bed. The included dinner was incredible, with multiple courses.
For breakfast, you could choose a Japanese or western style breakfast. We chose the Japanese breakfast, which was also a multi-course affair! Some reviews complain that the rooms are a bit dated for the price – they aren’t recently renovated, but they are large and comfortable.
Getting to & around Miyajima
Our travel day from Kyoto to Miyajima was a bit of a hike, but I think it was better to do it this way, rather than have to get from Miyajima all the way to Osaka on our last day of the trip.
Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima – We took the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima, and then hopped on a tram from Hiroshima Station to the ferry terminal, and then took the ferry to Miyajima. It took about half the day, despite none of the journeys being very long. The shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima takes 1 hr 40 minutes.
Ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima – The ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima leaves frequently and takes approximately ten minutes. You can tap on with your Suica card, it couldn’t be much easier!
Once on Miyajima, we walked everywhere – it is fairly compact. We used the hotel’s free shuttle service between the hotel and the ferry, which was appreciated!
Day 8 & 9: Hiroshima
Hiroshima is best known for its terrible history, as the victim of the first atomic bomb, which was dropped on August 6, 1945. Today, Hiroshima honours the victims of the a-bomb with the Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Atomic Bomb dome, a building which miraculously maintained some of its shape during the bombing.
Beyond Hiroshima’s history, I didn’t know what to expect. I was surprised to find that Hiroshima is one of the loveliest cities I’ve visited in Japan. Hiroshima is cleaved by waterways of the Ota River, which creates a beautiful setting. The city feels very elegant, and reminds me of a smaller Tokyo.
We visited Hiroshima Castle, which is a reconstruction, which is beautiful from the outside, and has a detailed museum on the inside – and barely any crowds compared to Osaka Castle.
The highlight of our time in Hiroshima was visiting Okonomimura, three-storeys of tiny okonomiyaki restaurants in downtown Hiroshima. Hiroshima has its own distinct style of okonomiyaki, which includes noodles, and in my opinion, is tastier than the style of okonomiyaki found elsewhere across Japan. It was so delicious, and such a novel dining experience, that we visited on both of our two nights in Hiroshima!
Where to stay in Hiroshima
Candeo Hotels Hiroshima Hatchobori – We stayed at this hotel, which was well priced, well located and lovely. The only drawback was the buffet breakfast offering, which offers Asian and western offerings – I wouldn’t pay for this again. There is so much good food in Hiroshima, you don’t really need this.
Getting to & around Hiroshima
Hiroshima has excellent public transport, with an extensive tram network. Hiroshima is smaller than Osaka and Kyoto, so we spent less time on public transport.
Day 10: Osaka
We flew out of Kansai Airport in Osaka, so on our final day in Japan we took the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka, and then had a few hours to kill in Osaka before we went out to the airport. We left our suitcases at a luggage storage facility at Osaka Station, and spent a couple of hours exploring Nakazakicho, a trendy “hipster” neighbourhood in Kita (Umeda).
Is Japan expensive?
There hasn’t been a better time to visit Japan in the last decade. The declining value of the yen made travelling in Japan 30% cheaper than our first visit in 2016, and we really noticed the difference. The AUD is a fairly weak currency, so travellers from countries with stronger currencies (USD, GBP, Euro, etc), will not find Japan particularly expensive.
While there are lots of opportunities to splurge in Japan, such as on kaiseki meals, wagyu and high end sushi, it is also easy to have a very affordable trip.
Direct flights to Japan
We flew in & out of Osaka’s Kansai Airport. There are direct flights from Australia to Osaka, from Brisbane and from Cairns. We live in Melbourne, so we had a connecting flight in Australia on both journeys.
When to visit Japan
We visited in the first week of November. I was hoping this would mean we’d see fall foliage, but we were too early! I think the second half of November would be a safer bet for autumn colours in Japan. We had a bit of rain in Kyoto and Osaka, but I had a fab new raincoat for the trip so I was not bothered!
It was tee-shirt and jeans weather most of the time, but on most days we’d take our jumpers (sweaters) on and off a few times.
Hello! I’m an Australian travel blogger, living in Melbourne, Australia. I grew up in Brisbane, studied in Paris, lived & worked in New York City and now live in Melbourne, Australia.
I love sharing specific and useful recommendations, itineraries and guides for the most beautiful things to see, do, experience & eat wherever I go.
My favourite travel destinations are Australia, New York City & surrounds, France, Greece & Japan, but I’m always excited to explore somewhere new!
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