This 7-day Japanese vacation takes advantage of excellent rail infrastructure to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nikko, and Nara. It features moderate accommodations, independent touring, and a 7-day Japan Rail Pass.
Your Japanese rail journey begins in Tokyo, the nation’s capital and largest city. There are futuristic cities and then there is Tokyo, a mind-blowing showcase of state-of-the-art technology, world-class transit, and looming skyscrapers all next to ancient temples and remnants of the imperial past. Spend two nights exploring the city, seeing grand temples like Senso-ji or the Meiji Shrine, or experience a taste of futuristic Japan at Shibuya Crossing, Shinjuku, or Akihabara “Electric Town,” where manga, video games, and pop culture reign supreme. Spend a day in Nikko to the north, a city of shrines and temples that culminates in Toshogu, which is dedicated to the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate and the most lavish shrine in the entire nation.
Ride the rails to Kyoto, the former imperial capital and Japan’s loveliest city. Spend the rest of the day after arrival seeing a few of its many temples and imperial sights, from Nijo Castle and the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the golden pavilion of Kinkaku-ji and the thousand vermillion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine, which climbs a mountain in the city’s east. Take a day to connect southwest to Hiroshima, the city forever in the shadow of the atom bomb. Visit the Atom Bomb Domb and the Peace Memorial Park, dedicated to the memories of the victims of the atom bomb that detonated over the city in 1945 to close World War II. Then ride the ferry to Itsukushima, the small island to the city’s south that is more popular known as Miyajima, where you’ll see the nation’s most famous red torii gate, which is partially submerged by the tide each day.
On your final full day in Japan, head to nearby Nara, the nation’s first permanent capital and a historical gem of UNESCO World Heritage Sites within a very walkable city core. See the statue of the Giant Buddha at Todai-ji before strolling through Nara Park to befriend the partially-domesticated deer that have lived there for over a millennium.
At the end of your stay, connect to the airport in Osaka for onward travels.
