# Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka in 12 days

Twelve days along the Tokaido shinkansen line: three nights in Tokyo at Hoshinoya Tokyo, two ryokan nights in Hakone at Gora Kadan, four nights in Kyoto at the Imperial Hotel Kyoto in Gion, with a day in Nara, then two nights in Osaka at Patina Osaka. The Nozomi shinkansen links Tokyo and Kyoto in about 2 hours 10 minutes.

Source : https://umika-travel.com/en/ideas/tokyo-hakone-kyoto-osaka-12-days/

This 12-day trip follows the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka line by Shinkansen (Japan's high-speed rail), with two ryokan nights in the mountains of Hakone and a day in Nara: it is the most common first trip to Japan, for a couple or friends, in spring or autumn. Eleven nights in four hotels from Umika's selection, with only three changes of hotel.

## The trip at a glance

| Days | Stage | Hotel | Nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Tokyo, Otemachi | Hoshinoya Tokyo | 3 |
| 4 to 6 | Hakone, Gora | Gora Kadan | 2 |
| 6 to 10 | Kyoto, Gion, with a day in Nara | Imperial Hotel Kyoto | 4 |
| 10 to 12 | Osaka | Patina Osaka | 2 |

Japan is a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop. You arrive in Tokyo and leave from Osaka, through Kansai airport, so there is no backtracking.

## Days 1 to 3: Tokyo

Haneda airport is about 15 minutes by train from Shinagawa; from Narita, the Keisei Skyliner reaches Ueno in 41 minutes at its fastest. By taxi, [Hoshinoya Tokyo](/en/hotels/hoshinoya-tokyo/) is about 20 minutes from Haneda and 60 from Narita.

The hotel is a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, set over 17 floors in Otemachi, a 10-minute walk from Tokyo Station. Each floor gathers six rooms around a shared lounge, the ochanoma, and the 17th floor holds an indoor and open-air onsen (hot-spring bath), fed by a spring drawn from 1,500 m down and open from 3 pm to 11.30 am the next day. Check-in from 3 pm.

Three days are enough for the main districts, from old to new:

- **the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace**, laid out on the enclosures of the former Edo Castle, free entry, closed on Mondays and Fridays;
- **Asakusa and Senso-ji**, whose main hall opens at 6 am, 6.30 am from October to March;
- **Meiji Jingu shrine**, in a 70-hectare forest, open from sunrise to sunset;
- **the Tokyo National Museum** in Ueno, closed on Mondays, open until 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays;
- **Hama-rikyu garden**, an Edo-period garden whose pond is fed by seawater.

The [Tokyo](/en/japan/tokyo/) page covers these sights and the other districts.

## Days 4 and 5: Hakone

On day four, the Odakyu Romancecar leaves Shinjuku and reaches Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes, with an express supplement of 1,200 ¥ (about 7 €) on top of the ordinary fare. The Hakone Tozan mountain railway then climbs to Gora, where the [Gora Kadan](/en/hotels/gora-kadan/) shuttle collects guests on request, in about 5 minutes.

Gora Kadan occupies the grounds of Prince Kan'in's former summer villa. Its kaiseki dinner, a seasonal meal of many courses, is served in the room at 6 or 7 pm; many rooms have their own open-air hot-spring bath, and a private bath can be booked for 40 minutes at no charge.

Day five makes the round of [Hakone](/en/japan/hakone/):

1. the Hakone Ropeway, from Sounzan to Togendai over the steaming crater of Owakudani, about 45 minutes in three sections, 2,000 ¥ (about 12 €) per person;
2. the crossing of Lake Ashi in the special cabin, from Togendai to Moto-Hakone or Hakone-machi, 25 to 40 minutes, 2,500 ¥ (about 15 €);
3. at Moto-Hakone, Hakone Shrine and its torii (shrine gateway) standing in the water.

The ropeway closes by sections for maintenance: Owakudani-Sounzan from 7 to 24 December 2026, Togendai-Owakudani from 12 January to 26 February 2027, with replacement buses. Hakone-yama volcano has been at alert level 1 of the JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) since 2019: check the level before going up to Owakudani.

## Days 6 to 9: Kyoto and Nara

On day six, the Hakone Tozan railway runs back down towards Odawara, where you take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto. The [Imperial Hotel Kyoto](/en/hotels/imperial-hotel-kyoto/), opened on 5 March 2026, is 15 minutes by taxi from Kyoto Station, in the heart of Gion: it occupies the Yasaka Kaikan, a 1936 building, on the grounds of the theatre where geiko, Kyoto's geishas, dance the Miyako Odori in spring. Its 55 rooms measure 50 to 128 m².

Four nights leave three full days:

**A day in Higashiyama.** Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6 am; Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, from 8.30 am to 5 pm from March to November. In the afternoon, the private tea ceremony at the Camellia Flower teahouse in Higashiyama lasts 45 minutes, for 8,000 ¥ (about 46 €) per person. In Gion, the district council asks visitors not to photograph a geiko or maiko (apprentice geiko) without her consent.

**A day at Fushimi Inari and in the north-west.** Fushimi Inari Taisha, with some 10,000 torii, is 5 minutes from Kyoto Station on the JR Nara Line; Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, is open from 9 am to 5 pm.

**A day in Nara.** The Kintetsu limited express links Kyoto to Kintetsu-Nara in about 34 minutes. Todai-ji and its Great Buddha Hall open from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm from April to October and from 8 am to 5 pm from November to March, for 800 ¥ (about 5 €); deer roam freely in the 660-hectare park around it, along with Kasuga Taisha and Kofuku-ji. Late in the day, in Naramachi, the Harushika brewery pours a tasting of five sakes in about 30 minutes, for 700 ¥ (about 4 €).

The [Kyoto](/en/japan/kyoto/) and Nara pages give all the opening hours.

## Days 10 and 11: Osaka

From Gion, the Keihan line reaches Yodoyabashi in Osaka in about 48 minutes; the JR Special Rapid links Kyoto and Osaka stations in 30 minutes. [Patina Osaka](/en/hotels/patina-osaka/), opened in May 2025, is a minute's walk from the castle park: 221 rooms of 50 to 233 m², a heated indoor pool and a 1,400 m² wellness area looking onto the castle.

For these two days:

- **Osaka Castle**, whose museum keep was rebuilt in 1931, open from 9 am to 6 pm;
- **Dotonbori**, a district that grew up around the canal dug from 1612, with its giant signs;
- **Kuromon market**, a 580 m covered arcade with about 150 shops;
- **the Kuchu Teien observatory**, on the 39th and 40th floors of the Umeda Sky Building, open until 10.30 pm, 2,000 ¥ (about 12 €).

## Day 12: departure

Patina Osaka is 50 to 55 minutes by car from Kansai airport; by train, the Nankai Rapi:t limited express links the airport with Namba in about 40 minutes.

## When to go and how to book

The recommended months run from March to May and from October to November; our guide to seasons and cherry blossom gives flowering and autumn-colour dates. Trains are covered in our guide to [trains and the Japan Rail Pass](/en/guides/japan-trains-jr-pass/). The price shown covers the hotels and the listed activities; meals are set out on each hotel page, while flights, trains and accommodation taxes are extra.

## Frequently asked questions

### How long does it take to get from Tokyo to Kyoto?

The Nozomi Shinkansen links Tokyo and Kyoto in about 2 hours 10 minutes, the Hikari in about 2 hours 50. On this trip you leave from Hakone: the Hakone Tozan railway runs down towards Odawara, where you board the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto.

### Can you visit Nara from Kyoto in a day?

Yes, the Kintetsu limited express links Kyoto to Kintetsu-Nara in about 34 minutes, and the JR Rapid reaches JR Nara Station in about 41 minutes. Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha and Kofuku-ji all lie in Nara Park. One day is enough for all three.

### Is the Hakone Ropeway open in winter?

It closes by sections for maintenance: Owakudani-Sounzan from 7 to 24 December 2026, Togendai-Owakudani from 12 January to 26 February 2027. Replacement buses run roughly every 15 minutes during the closures. The rest of the year it runs from 9 am to 5 pm, and from 9 am to 4.15 pm in December and January.

### Why two nights in Hakone?

The first night lets you arrive in the afternoon and enjoy Gora Kadan's onsen and kaiseki dinner. The second leaves a full day for the ropeway, Owakudani and Lake Ashi. You leave for Kyoto on the third morning.

### Is this trip right for a first visit to Japan?

It is the classic first-trip route: Tokyo, a mountain ryokan, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, linked by the Shinkansen and express trains. All four hotels are no more than 10 minutes from a station, on foot or by hotel shuttle. You arrive in Tokyo and leave from Osaka.