Tokyo · Hakone · Kyoto
Japan – The Golden Route
The classic first Japan, and the one we'd point most people to. Three nights in Tokyo to begin — the old temples of Asakusa, the markets and gardens, the neon of Shibuya. Then up into the mountains at Hakone, where the ropeway crosses a steaming crater, the lake gives back Mt Fuji on a clear day, and the night is spent at a ryokan with a private open-air bath and a dinner served course by course. The bullet train carries you on to Kyoto for the temples, the tunnels of vermilion torii, and the wooden lanes of Gion — with a day among the deer and great halls of Nara. Eight days, unhurried where it counts.
A full itinerary — five guided touring days and one relaxed travel day, mornings from around 9:00. Fully customizable for a gentler pace.
- Length
- 8 days
- Regions
- 3
- Transport
- Private chartered car throughout — English-speaking guide on touring days, English-speaking assistant on transfer days; Green Car (first-class) bullet train Odawara–Kyoto.
Day by day
Day 1 — Arrive Tokyo (at leisure)
You land at Narita and, once through immigration, an English-speaking assistant meets you at the arrival gate and rides with you by private car to The Peninsula Tokyo. The hotel sits beside the Imperial Palace grounds, a few minutes’ walk from Ginza. The rest of the day is yours to rest and adjust after the flight.
Overnight, The Peninsula Tokyo.
Day 2 — Tokyo (full-day, guided)
Your English-speaking guide meets you at 9:00 and you set out by private car. Begin in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, entering through the Otemon Gate onto the old Edo Castle grounds, on to the Ninomaru garden with its pond and small waterfall. Cross the city to Asakusa, Tokyo’s most atmospheric old quarter — the shop-lined Nakamise approach and the great red lantern of Sensoji Temple. From there to Kappabashi, the kitchenware street famous for its lifelike plastic food and its knife shops, then Akihabara for the electric world of games, manga and anime. If it’s available, finish at teamLab Borderless, the immersive digital-art museum in Azabudai Hills. Back to the hotel by around 17:00.
Overnight, The Peninsula Tokyo. Optional private experiences today: a hands-on calligraphy introduction, a sake or whisky tasting, a sushi class in a private restaurant, a soba or ramen class, or an architecture tour.
Day 3 — Tokyo (full-day, guided)
Another start with your guide. Begin at the Tsukiji Outer Market — even with the old fish market gone, the outer lanes still hum with food stalls and everyday Tokyo life. Walk the landscaped calm of Hamarikyu Garden, then out to Shibuya and its famous scramble crossing. Continue to the vast, tree-shaded Meiji Shrine, raised in 1920 in honor of Emperor Meiji. The day closes with a cultural experience in the intimate setting of a private house — Shodo, the quiet art of Japanese calligraphy. Back by 18:00.
Overnight, The Peninsula Tokyo.
Day 4 — Tokyo to Hakone (full-day, guided; ryokan night)
Check out and meet your private guide, then drive to Hakone (about 1½–2 hours). Hakone is a volcanic national park in the shadow of Mt Fuji. Ride the ropeway over Owakudani, the crater valley left by Mt Hakone’s last eruption, where hot springs steam and the air smells faintly of sulfur. On the far side, a private cruise on Lake Ashi looks for Fuji reflected in the water (weather permitting). Then the Hakone Open-Air Museum, where sculpture stands among the hills — Rodin, Miró, a large Henry Moore collection and a Picasso pavilion. Transfer to Gora Kadan and check in by 16:00 — a traditional inn with a private open-air bath and a multi-course dinner.
Overnight, Gora Kadan, half board.
Day 5 — Hakone to Kyoto (at leisure)
A relaxed morning. Your large luggage is sent ahead to Kyoto by overnight courier — your assistant arranges it — so you carry only a small overnight bag for the train. Late morning, transfer by private car to Odawara station for the bullet train to Kyoto (a Hikari service, Green Car, roughly two hours). At Kyoto your assistant meets you on the platform and transfers you to Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, next to Nijo Castle in the heart of the old city. The rest of the day is yours.
Overnight, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto.
Day 6 — Kyoto (full-day, guided)
A 9:00 start. Begin at Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head shrine of Inari, with its mountain trails of vermilion torii gates, each given by a Japanese business. On to Tofuku-ji, a great Zen temple of 1236, and Sanjusangendo, the long hall famed for its 1,001 gilded Kannon figures. Climb to Kiyomizu-dera for its wide wooden veranda and the view over the city, then walk down into Gion, the old geisha district of wooden teahouses. Back by 17:00.
Overnight, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto. Optional private experiences today: a tea ceremony with a master, a meeting with a Zen monk, a private geisha dinner, kimono or samurai dress-up, woodblock printing, pottery, or ikebana.
Day 7 — Kyoto: a day trip to Nara (full-day, guided)
Your guide takes you by car to Nara, Japan’s capital in the 8th century. Nara Park first, where tame deer roam among the sights. Then Kasuga Taisha, the Fujiwara family’s shrine of 768, hung with rows of bronze and stone lanterns; the vast Todaiji, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, sheltering its great bronze Buddha; and finally Naramachi, the old merchant quarter that came through the last war untouched. Back to Kyoto by 17:00.
Overnight, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto.
Day 8 — Depart (Kansai International Airport)
After breakfast, an English-speaking chauffeur meets you in the lobby and transfers you by private car to Kansai International Airport for your flight home. An airport assistant can be added on request.
Where you'll stay
Included
- Seven nights as listed: The Peninsula Tokyo (3, breakfast), Gora Kadan ryokan in Hakone (1, half board), Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto (3, breakfast)
- A private chartered vehicle throughout, with an English-speaking guide on the full touring days and an English-speaking assistant on arrival and transfer days
- Airport meet-and-assist on arrival at Narita
- Full-day guided sightseeing on Days 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, with entrance fees to the listed sights
- Green Car (first-class) seats on the bullet train from Odawara to Kyoto, with your main luggage forwarded ahead by overnight courier
- The Gora Kadan ryokan night on half board — a multi-course dinner and breakfast — with a private open-air bath
- A 24-hour support line while you travel
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance — required, and we'll help you choose
- Lunches, and dinners other than the ryokan night
- Optional private experiences
- A departure-day airport assistant (available on request)
- Gratuities and personal expenses
What we'd rather tell you now
Most of what goes wrong on a trip is an expectation nobody corrected in advance. So here's what this journey is not, before you spend anything.
- The price is land only Flights aren't included. You arrive into Tokyo (Narita) and depart from Osaka (Kansai), because the journey ends in Kyoto. We'll advise routings and arrange flights if you'd like.
- Your main luggage travels ahead of you On the Hakone-to-Kyoto train day, your large bags go by overnight courier and reach the next hotel the following day, so you carry a small overnight bag on the bullet train. Your assistant handles the paperwork.
- The ryokan night is a traditional stay One night at Gora Kadan with a private open-air bath and a multi-course dinner. It's a highlight; the form differs from a Western hotel, which is worth knowing before you go.
- The touring days are full days Guided days run roughly 8–9 hours. It's a rich itinerary — and fully customizable, so if you'd prefer a gentler pace we can open up more time at leisure.
- Some items can't be refunded once booked Train tickets, private experiences and restaurant reservations are non-refundable from the moment they're arranged. Your required travel insurance is what covers you if plans change — which is why we insist on it.
Plan this journey
Every price here is a starting point. Tell Milli your dates and who's traveling, and she'll come back with the exact trip and the exact number, in a written quote — not a brochure.
Plan your Journey →