Planning a Japan Trip from India? Here's Our 10-Night Itinerary, Hotels, Shinkansen & Lessons Learned
A few days ago, I shared the detailed post on Japan Trip Cost from India
and one question kept coming up:
>"Can you share your itinerary?"
This is not a itinerary that may fit everyone. It was designing the trip so that every city offered a different experience and it was for our taste and preferences.
- Tokyo for modern Japan, shopping and technology.
- Kyoto for history and traditional Japan.
- Hiroshima for reflection and resilience.
- Miyajima for nature.
- Osaka for food, shopping and a relaxed finish.
Every Itinerary Has Trade-offs
Ours was shaped by a few practical constraints:
- First week of June travel after our kids' exams, June mid rains start in Japan
- Comfort over rushing - We don't wake up early and are not willing to run all day during vacations
- A balance of cities, history, nature and shopping
Instead of trying to optimise every hour, we built the itinerary that worked best for our family.
A Small Request
Japan's biggest attraction isn't just the trains or temples.
It's the people.
Everyone queues patiently, speaks softly on public transport, keeps public spaces clean and is incredibly considerate of others. No eating while walking, no finger pointing, screaming or loud laughs in public. They don't smile or socialize much, just busy with their life.
We also saw a lot of noisy people, all were tourists 😄
We tried our best to follow those same norms, and I'd encourage every visitor to do the same. It makes the experience better for everyone.
10-Night Itinerary at a Glance
| Day | Theme | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival & Recovery | Arrive in Tokyo, pick up Welcome Suica cards, settle into the hotel and enjoy a relaxed first evening. |
| Day 2 | Modern Tokyo | teamLab Borderless, Azabudai Hills, Ginza shopping, department stores and cafés. |
| Day 3 | Tokyo Icons | Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya Sky, Don Quijote. |
| Day 4 | Old Tokyo & Tech | Senso-ji, Nakamise Street, Akihabara, Yodobashi Camera. |
| Day 5 | Transition to Kyoto | Shinkansen, Nishiki Market and evening walk through Gion. |
| Day 6 | Slow Kyoto | Shopping, Gion, Yasaka Shrine and a relaxed day instead of rushing between temples. |
| Day 7 | Classic Kyoto | Kiyomizu area, Sannenzaka and an evening visit to Fushimi Inari. |
| Day 8 | Hiroshima -Reflection | Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Museum, shopping and Okonomiyaki. |
| Day 9 | Miyajima- Nature | Miyajima, ferry, Ropeway, Mt. Misen and the floating Torii gate. |
| Day 10 | Osaka | Dotonbori, Namba, shopping and food. |
| Day 11 | Departure | Osaka Castle grounds, final shopping and late-night flight home. |
Accommodation Strategy
Instead of looking for luxury hotels, we optimised for convenience.
Our selection criteria were:
- Quadruple family rooms - all 4 of us in one room- kids are teens needed beds.
- Within a 5–10 minute walk of a major train station
- Has a front desk with real people, not a virtual or automated one
Finding rooms for four is much harder than booking double rooms, so I'd recommend booking early.
| City | Hotel Name |
|---|---|
| Tokyo | Karaksa Hotel Tokyo Station |
| Kyoto | Hotel Monterey Kyoto |
| Hiroshima | Hotel Mystays Hiroshima Peace Park |
| Osaka | Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka |
Looking back, I wouldn't change this strategy. We spent very little time in the hotel, but staying near stations saved us countless hours over the trip.
Transport Strategy
Our transport was almost entirely public.
- Singapore Airlines (HYD → SIN → Tokyo / Osaka → SIN → HYD)
- The best airline and the award winning Changi airport and not to forget our own RGIA airport in Hyderabad with good staff, smooth immigration counters and comfortable spaces ❤️
- Shinkansen
- Our first Bulllet train experience and we used it 3 times
- Tokyo Metro
- Kyoto Subway
- Bus
- Miyajima Ferry
- Occasional taxis - Very expensive
Google Maps was incredibly accurate throughout the trip.
The only thing we underestimated was the amount of walking inside stations. Tokyo Station alone feels like a small city.
Comfortable walking shoes are probably the best investment you'll make.
Shinkansen & Luggage
If your itinerary is fixed, book your Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets as soon as reservations open.
I booked ours around 21 days before travel to get discounted fares. That meant waking up around 6 AM IST on booking day because the discounted seats disappear quickly.
If you're carrying suitcases around 25–26 inches or larger, don't forget to reserve Oversized Luggage Seats. These seats are located behind the last row of specific coaches and make boarding and getting off much easier. Carrying oversized luggage without the appropriate reservation can also attract penalties.
The smartest logistical decision of the trip was using Takkyubin (Yamato luggage forwarding).
On the day we left Tokyo, we sent two large suitcases filled with shopping, laundry and everything we wouldn't need- directly to our final destination Osaka hotel. We travelled through Kyoto and Hiroshima carrying only what we needed for those four days.
The Tokyo hotel concierge handled the form filling and handing over to Yamato, and our bags were already waiting in our Osaka hotel room when we checked in.
I genuinely wish we had a service like this in India.
One thing to remember: Takkyubin works best between established hotels. If you're staying in Airbnbs or apartment hotels without a full time manned front-desk, check beforehand whether they support luggage forwarding.
Book These Early
Hotels
Family rooms near major stations sell out quickly. Room sizes are small in Japan.
Shinkansen
Book as soon as reservations open if your itinerary is fixed.
Oversized Luggage Seats
Reserve them when booking your Shinkansen tickets.
Shibuya Sky
If you want sunset or evening slots, be online 14 days before your visit. I booked through Klook, and the best slots disappeared within minutes. Treat it like booking IRCTC tickets in India.
Japan Visa
We applied through VFS. Everyone travelling must visit the VFS centre in person. Documents included ITR, bank statements, leave approval and other supporting documents for salaried employees like us. Our visas took about 10 days.
Travel Insurance
We bought Digit's international travel insurance covering medical emergencies, cancellations and delays. It cost around ₹3,500 for the family and was well worth the peace of mind.
Food
Before leaving India, we took one challenge. No Indian food for the entire trip. For 10 nights we ate only Japanese, Korean and Chinese food, and honestly, we never missed Indian food.
Some favourites were:
- Sushi -Conveyor belt sushi! Raw sushi (tuna and salmon)
- Tempura
- Ramen
- Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki - had never heard about this before!
- Udon noodles
- Onigiri - from 7-eleven
- Bento meals from the super markets - Our dinner on most days
- Matcha - was not impressed in India, same in Japan- Don't know what the craze is about!
- Convenience store snacks - Anytime you are hungry
One thing we completely underestimated was how pork-centric Japanese food is. Many ramen broths, gyoza and even Hiroshima's famous okonomiyaki contain pork.
Chicken was much less common than we'd expected.
Seafood, on the other hand, is everywhere and we loved it.
We don't prefer to eat beef and the only time ate pork before was once in Goa. Avoiding beef was fairly easy, but avoiding pork was much harder than we expected.
If you're a total vegetarian or a person who eats non-veg but avoids certain meats I'd strongly recommend researching restaurants beforehand and using Google Translate's camera mode to understand menus and ingredients.
Shopping
Shopping was one of the main reasons we chose Japan. Tourists get 10% discount if the bill amount is >5000 Yen, you need to show your passport and Visa and sometimes there is a separate queue for this.
Our main targets were:
- Electronics
- Watches
- Running shoes and Onitsuka Tiger
- Uniqlo - where it originated
- MUJI - Authentic Japanese minimalist brand
- Cosmetics - Its the best quality as per the reviews in many categories
- Japanese Knife - Again worlds best knife makers are in Japan
- Souvenirs from every city
One surprise was the craze for Onitsuka Tiger. The Tokyo stores were packed, with queues and limited stock in popular sizes. I almost thought I wouldn't get my pair.
A few days later, I walked into the Hiroshima Parco store. No queue. Much quieter. Full stock. Yes the deal is good, almost 50% saving compared to Indian prices.
Don't assume Tokyo always gives the best shopping experience.
Expectations vs Reality
No trip goes exactly as planned, and a few places were very different from what social media had led us to expect.
TeamLab Borderless
The visuals were impressive, but for us it felt more like a high-tech light and projection exhibition than a must-do attraction. We enjoyed it, but if I had to cut something from the itinerary, this would probably be it.
Itoya
Social media reels had convinced me Itoya was the worlds largest stationary store and something I couldn't miss.
It's a nice stationery store with quality products, but nowhere near as spectacular as I'd imagined. We did buy pens, notes, pencils and stationary- but they were available in many other places too.
Fun fact: itoya is not worlds largest or even Japan's largest stationary store. Its 12 floors, but a narrow building - each floor may be 4000 sq feet or so, but very crowded due to the hype. I think, Sapna book house in Bangalore felt bigger than this 😄
Hiroshima
The biggest surprise of the trip.
We expected a one-night stop focused on the Peace Memorial.
Instead, it became one of our favourite cities. Relaxed, uncrowded, easy to walk around, great food and surprisingly good shopping.
Miyajima
Another pleasant surprise.
Watching the island transform between high tide and low tide, riding the rope-way and simply spending an unhurried day, friendlier deer, there made it the highlight of our trip.
Things We'd Definitely Do Again
- Stay within walking distance of major train stations.
- Book family rooms early.
- Book Shinkansen tickets as soon as reservations open with discounts
- Reserve oversized luggage seats.
- Use Takkyubin luggage forwarding.
- Book Shibuya Sky the day reservations open - 14 days before
- Spend a full day on Miyajima.
- Stay overnight in Hiroshima - Peace park is beautiful and almost empty at night
- Keep at least one relaxed day in Kyoto.
- Eat local food instead of searching for Indian restaurants (unless you have dietary restrictions).
- Don't miss the shop MUJI. The minimalist design philosophy is genuinely impressive.
- Visit 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson. They're part of the Japan experience.
- Shop beyond Tokyo.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, the itinerary balanced different sides of Japan.
Tokyo gave us energy.
Kyoto slowed us down.
Hiroshima made us reflect.
Miyajima became our favourite day.
Osaka was the perfect place to finish with great food and shopping.
If there's one thing I'd leave you with, it's this:
>Japan rewards good planning. But some of the best memories come from the moments you never planned.