Japan Travel Guide: Best First-Timer Route + Itinerary

If you're planning your first trip to Japan, I'm going to share my full itinerary with you because I think it was the perfect first-timers trip. We had a great mix of Tokyo energy, low-key hot spring towns, lots of history, food, and classic Japanese experiences. It was a nice balance of hot spots and hidden gems. We went for three weeks, about 20 days, but if you don't have that much time, don't worry. I'll tell you how many nights we stayed in each place and where you could cut down the time so that you can still do most of this itinerary. We also created this itinerary for the best flow as far as minimizing lengthy travel days to make the most out of our time. We took trains everywhere and we didn't do any driving. We did a slightly modified golden route. Here's the areas we're covering. We started in Tokyo, then Hakone, on to Kyoto, up to Kinosaki Onsen, then over to Kanazawa before heading back to Tokyo. This route works really well because it follows a natural loop and keeps most train rides under a few hours. We started in Tokyo and stayed in the Asuka neighborhood. This was the best decision. This is Tokyo's old soul neighborhood. It's best known for Sensoji Temple, traditional streets, and a glimpse of what the city felt like before it went ultra modern. For first-time visitors, it's the easiest place to experience classic Japan. Temples, street food, souvenir shops, and river views all in one compact walkable area. It's a little further out than more popular areas like Shibuya or Shinjuku, but our hotel was a five-minute walk from one train station and a nine-minute walk from another, so it was really easy to get around. We stayed at this hotel. It was the perfect introduction to Japan because as soon as you walk in, it feels like a traditional Japanese inn rather than a plain corporate hotel. There's tatami flooring, so you leave your shoes and lockers at the front, and then you can walk around in your socks, which makes the hotel very clean and very comfortable. The rooms are small, but pretty typical for Japanese size. They do have king bedrooms, but you have to book those early enough to get one. If you've never been to Japan before, just mentally prepare yourself for compact hotel rooms. The room was well equipped though with a fridge, kettle, and coffee, and some toiletry amenities. You also get loungewear, which you can wear all around the hotel. There's so many other great amenities like free late night ramen, massage chairs, and ice cream snacks. We took a rickshaw tour through the Asuka neighborhood and explored the famous Sensoji temple many times since our hotel was only about a one-minute walk away. This is Tokyo's oldest and most iconic Buddhist temple, known for its dramatic gate, incense-filled courtyard, and the lively shopping street leading up to it. There's lots to see and do around here, and it gets busy, so it was really nice being so close. We used the onsen every day, which was so nice and relaxing after a busy day exploring Tokyo, and it's open from 3 p.m. all the way until 10 a.m. the next morning, which is perfect for those first couple days of jet lag. We stayed in Tokyo for six nights, but you could probably do four nights. We're working on a full Tokyo video, but here are some of the highlights and things that we did. The Asahi Sky Room is definitely a must visit. You get amazing views 300 feet above the ground. Okay, so as you guys know, we are beer drinkers. We have specifically made pilgrimage to countries specifically for their beer and their beer culture. So now we are in Tokyo, and we are currently in the Asahi headquarters building, which is actually shaped like a beer with gold windows and the foam on top and everything. So now we are currently enjoying an Asahi Super Dry in the Asahi headquarters in Tokyo in a building that looks like a mug of beer. Nearby there's also Hoppy Street, which is a lively old-school street lined with casual izakayas where locals and visitors gather to drink cheap beer, eat comfort food, and soak up Tokyo's nostalgic no-frills nightlife vibe. One of our favorite experiences was the sumo show. This was so much fun. Not only was it entertaining and hilarious and interactive, we actually learned so much about sumo wrestling. And it came with an all-you-can-eat dinner, which is a classic sumo wrestler meal called chanko nabe. We booked this through Klook, so I'll leave a link if you want to check it out. We also did a walking food and izakaya tour in the Shinjuku neighborhood. Highly recommend doing this on your first or second night. It helped us get familiar with Tokyo as well as trying all kinds of different foods and sake, and our guide gave us all kinds of great recommendations to check out for the rest of our trip. We booked this one on Viator, so you can find the link in the description below. Of course, it's so much fun to experience Shibuya Crossing. This is the world's busiest pedestrian intersection and a quintessential Tokyo moment. It's where hundreds of people surge across all at once beneath the neon lights, giant screens, and non-stop city energy. Now there's a lot more to Tokyo, but we have a dedicated video coming out, so please subscribe so you don't miss it. After the intensity of Tokyo, we moved on to Hakone for a scenic mountain side trip. This is a nice little retreat area just outside of Tokyo known for hot spring ryokans, views of Mount Fuji, and an easy loop of lakes, ropeways, and historic trails that make it a perfect first-timer's side trip. To get there, we took a cab to Ueno station, and then we took the Yamanote line to Shinjuku station. From there, we took the Odakyu romance car for the 1 p.m. departure and arrived at 2 30 p.m. in Hakone. This was perfect for a 3 p.m. check-in time. From the train station, you can take a bus to get to where you're staying, but we just took a cab. So then we checked into a ryokan for two nights. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn that typically includes tatami mat rooms, futon bedding, yukata robes, and onsen baths. Many ryokan stays also include set meals such as a kaiseki dinner and a Japanese breakfast served either in room or in a designated dining area. And ryokans are commonly found in peaceful settings often surrounded by nature. For our very first ryokan stay, this was an exceptional experience. The service was incredible, we had a traditional style room, and we got to wear our yukata robes everywhere. Honestly, it felt like we were in a movie. Hakone is also known for healing hot spring water, and there are a selection of private and shared onsens here at this ryokan. We were then served what felt like a Michelin star meal in the privacy of our own room. I just published a full video about our stay here. I think it's a perfect stop between Tokyo and Kyoto. So check out that video for more details and to find out about the samurai trail that led us to a 400 year old tea house. Now if you don't have time to spend two nights, since Hakone is about 90 minutes from Tokyo, you could probably spend one night here and still get the full ryokan experience. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, we checked out and made our way to the train station to finally experience our first bullet train, the shinkansen. For this trip, we booked our seats on Klook, which was pretty seamless, and we didn't need to use luggage forwarding because we just had carry-on luggage, which easily fit on top. And every great Japanese shinkansen journey starts with a bento box meal. Buy one at the train station along with some drinks and then enjoy the ride. And if it's a clear day, make sure to sit on the right side of the train in the D window seat for views of Mount Fuji, which we are so lucky that we got. Now one thing that made traveling around Japan ridiculously easy was having data on our phones anywhere we went. We were constantly using Google Maps, translating menus, and checking train times. And that's where today's sponsor comes in, which is Saily, and that's the eSIM that we used for this trip. If you've never used an eSIM before, it just means you can download a data plan directly to your phone. There's no physical SIM card, no hunting around at the airport, and no paying those painful roaming fees. We activated ours before we left home, and the moment we landed in Tokyo, we had data instantly. It was especially useful having internet to navigate the chaos of Shinjuku station and its 200 plus exits. All you do is download the Saily app, choose your country or region, pick a data plan, and that's it. When you land, you turn it on and you've got data and you're connected to the internet. It works in over 190 countries, and I found their plans are usually cheaper than the other eSIM options. And you'll get a notification when you've used 80% of your data, so you can top up if you need. What's great is that you just download it once, and you can switch regions easily just by buying a new plan, which will then activate instantly. This year we'll be using it for not only Japan, but for our trips to Ireland, Portugal, and Greece as well. If you want a stress-free way to stay connected while traveling, head to saily.com slash ali smalls, and if you use my link, you'll get 15% off your plan. So with Google Maps guiding us the whole way, we arrived in Kyoto and checked into our hotel for five nights. We like this hotel. It was pretty modern and in a nice spot, a pretty quiet area. There's a lounge that's open for guests for tea and coffee, and then in the afternoon there's a free happy hour with wine and beer and snacks. Our room was nice and modern. It had a big comfy bed, a small seating area, and a little fridge and tea station. The bathroom was actually huge and had a really nice shower, so that was a nice treat. I feel like Kyoto doesn't really need an introduction. It's lovely to walk around and explore all the old neighborhoods and temples. There's really nowhere else like it. But it's insanely busy. We were there in mid-October. I'm not sure if there was something in particular going on, but it was packed everywhere. So we ended up pivoting a little bit and skipped a few of the main sites and tried to look for some things that were a little more low-key. First, the samurai movie star experience. This turned out to be one of our favorite memories from the trip. We were given directions to a temple in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Then we met our instructors, who are actually professional samurai actors. They taught us the proper and traditional samurai fighting techniques, and then we got to practice our moves. Next, we picked out our outfits, got suited up, and with that, we were officially samurai. With our costumes on and our moves choreographed, we were ready to film. With swords in hand, we each became action heroes and our instructors filmed our very own movie. Stay tuned to the end of the video for the full cut because it was super fun. This was such a unique experience. We had an absolute blast doing it. Definitely worth it. Check out the link in the description if you're planning to visit Kyoto. Very good. Very good. We also took part in a matcha tea ceremony. They dressed us up in traditional kimonos, which was an experience in itself. We then entered a historic home to begin the tea ceremony, and we were told this was pretty authentic, and it certainly felt like it. Our host explained the history and significance of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and guided us through each of the steps and utensils to use and taught us how to make our own matcha green tea using high quality matcha powder. And it's harder than it looks. This was another great experience. We learned a lot and got to dress up and take lots of photos. It was definitely a little touristy, but worth it touristy. Lots of fun. And not too far from the tea ceremony, we found a great spot for a traditional kaiseki meal to round out the full experience. With a kaiseki meal, you get small courses and it's all plated so lovely. My favorite course was the matsutake mushroom soup. Another low-key spot we fell in love with was the Philosopher's Path. This is a peaceful canal-lined walking trail about two kilometers in length. It's lined with cherry trees and connects several temples and offers a quieter, more reflective side of the city away from the crowds. And I think in the spring during cherry blossom season, oh my goodness, it would be so beautiful. There's little shops and cafes and ice cream stops along the way and even a cat park. We really enjoyed Nijo Castle. This was the former lavish residence of the shoguns who were Japan's military rulers for over 700 years. And here you can walk through the expansive grounds and beautifully preserved palace interiors. Inside is a very cool experience. You get to explore rooms known for their nightingale floors which make squeaky sounds on purpose and they were designed this way to alert against intruders. No photos were allowed inside, but it's a really interesting spot. And also the grounds and gardens are beautiful along with some nice lookout spots. And there's a lovely tea house on site too. For our last full day in Kyoto as our home base, we decided to take a day trip to Hiroshima because it's actually pretty easy to get to on the bullet train. Depending on which train you take, it's about a 90 minute to two hour ride. This was kind of a random last minute decision but it turned out to be a perfect little day trip. I mean seeing the A-Dome with our own eyes was a pretty surreal experience and I think a place everyone should visit once in their lifetime. The memorial park and museum is beautiful and it's highly emotional. And while here we also learned that Hiroshima is famous for some of Japan's best oysters and that's thanks to the cold nutrient rich waters of the nearby Seto inland sea that makes oyster farming a major local specialty. Hiroshima also grows a specific type of lemon with thin less bitter peels which are commonly used in lemon sours giving the drink a brighter fresher citrus flavor compared to versions made with standard lemons. So we found a standing lemon bar that served oysters and lemon sours. Chris got his fill in, I on the other hand was saving room for dinner. I'm working my way up to liking oysters. We hopped back on the Shinkansen but before arriving in Kyoto we made a stop in Kobe for dinner. Kobe is best known for Kobe beef, a highly prized regional wagyu known for its intense marbling and tenderness. It's exceptionally tender because the cattle are raised under strict standards with carefully controlled diets and very low stress environments that promote even fat distribution. And that's what creates intense marbling which melts as it cooks and gives it its signature softness and rich flavor. So we found a spot for teppanyaki and it is absolutely worth the price tag. I am born and raised in Alberta, Canada which has some of the best beef in the entire world and this meal was like I've never tasted beef before. Incredible. So as I said we spent a total of five nights in Kyoto but I think it could be done in three or four nights depending how much you want to see and whether or not you want to take any day trips. A day trip to Nara and Uji is a popular one but we enjoyed visiting Hiroshima instead. And yes we did skip Osaka on this trip. We wanted to visit a couple other spots which I'll talk about next and it's simply not possible to fit everything into one trip. And Osaka is also only about a 30 minute train ride from Kyoto so if you don't want to miss it you could easily spend a day there from Kyoto. So after Kyoto we made our way to Kinosaki Onsen. This was a bit of a journey, a couple of train rides but nothing crazy. This is an adorable traditional onsen town known for its seven public bath houses all accessible with a single onsen pass. And what's unique about Kinosaki Onsen is that all the onsens here are tattoo friendly which is not always the case around Japan. And visitors can walk around the town in their yukata robes moving between baths along this beautiful willow lined canal. The experience centers on onsen hopping, simple meals, and the rhythm of a classic Japanese spa town. It was so fun roaming around everywhere in our yukatas, all around town, in the restaurants, in the bars, and even inside shops and stores. It's the only place I've ever been where wearing pajamas to dinner is not only acceptable it's expected. The hot spring water here is sacred and believed to have healing properties. People have been coming here to heal bodily ailments for hundreds of years. In fact the town recently celebrated their 1300th birthday. And you can even cook your own egg in the hot spring water in about nine minutes. And there's also foot baths all around town if you don't want to do the full body soak. Futsun. Futsun. We stayed at another ryokan style inn. The whole place was so calming and definitely had zen vibes. This was really nice after the crazy hot spring baths. The hot spring baths were a little bit We had another nice little Japanese style room and this ryokan has two private onsens that you can use. On the top floor there's a lovely lounge area overlooking the town and this is where meals are served too. And we were spoiled with another free pour happy hour for guests. And dinner was definitely an experience in itself. You have a selection of seafood and meats and vegetables that you can pick to create your own steam box. But that's just the appetizer. Then all these other courses come out like sashimi, soups, and then kobe beef and rice. We stayed for two nights which was really nice to relax and just roam around and hot spring hop. We ate and drank and shopped. It was lovely. But you could easily get away with spending just one night here. From Kinosaki Onsen we hopped back on the trains to spend a couple of days in Kanazawa as a stop on our way back to Tokyo. Kanazawa is a more laid-back and intimate version of Kyoto. It's a historic city known for its well-preserved samurai and geisha districts. And it's easy to explore the compact neighborhoods on foot. We had some rain but it made for a lovely day of exploring old samurai quarters, gardens, and zen-like matcha tea rooms. At this point in the trip we realized we hadn't tried sukiyaki yet. So we found a nice little local spot. It's a Japanese hot pot dish made by simmering thinly sliced beef with vegetables, tofu, and noodles in a shallow pan with a sweet savory soy-based sauce. And you crack an egg and dip your cooked beef just before eating it and this adds richness and softens the flavor. It's delicious. Kanazawa also produces 99% of Japan's gold leaf which is used in cosmetics, crafts, and foods. And you can even get golden soft serve vanilla ice cream. It tasted nothing like gold and exactly like good old classic vanilla ice cream. It was pretty delicious though and worth it for the photo. Our hotel was another good pick. We actually had quite a large room with a dedicated entryway to remove your shoes and more yukatas to wear around the hotel. It came with a fridge and beverage station and we even had a little balcony which was nice for some fresh air and to hang some laundry. The bathroom was bright, well-equipped, and a good size. And this time came with a tub. And they also gave us some bath bombs to use. But if you have big feet, I would recommend bringing your own hotel slippers. You mean there's no size 13 men yukata shoes? The hotel has a nice lounge area and bar where you can purchase sake and they do have a free soba noodle hour for guests. And there are a couple washing machines too. Since our flight home was departing from Tokyo, we wanted to spend a few more nights before going home. This was mostly spent doing some shopping, trying some more food spots, doing karaoke, and just soaking up Tokyo energy. We stayed at the Bespoke Hotel in Shinjuku. This is a nice little modernized hotel and it was very close to Shinjuku station so it made getting around really easy. And with our hearts packed fuller than our duffel bag full of Don Quixote goodies, we hopped on the Narita Express train back to the airport. So that was how we spent our 20 days in Japan. If you want to do this same itinerary but don't have as much time, you could probably do it in 12 to 14 nights. And here's how I would split it up. Four nights in Tokyo, one night in Hakone, three or four nights in Kyoto, one night in Kinosaki Onsen, and then I would skip Kanazawa and go back to Tokyo for two nights. That gives you a total of 11 or 12 nights. If you have a full two weeks, I would add an extra night in Hakone and another night in Kyoto. In this itinerary, you'll notice we skipped a lot of the popular places and attractions that you'll see in many other videos and travel guides. And so my best advice for planning your trip to Japan is to do the things that you want to do, not just because they're popular. But after this trip, I really don't feel like we missed out on anything because there are always alternatives to be found that can be just as nice or even better. I'm working on a more detailed blog post and travel guide that outlines the exact route that we took so you can follow along if you want to plan a similar trip. And all the links to the exact hotels and ryokans and tours we booked can be found in the description box below and in the first comment. Stay tuned for lots more Japan content because we are now officially obsessed. So if you're planning your trip to Japan, I hope you have the most amazing time. I know you absolutely will. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next video.