Are you visiting Japan for the first time and not sure what to see and do? This efficient and easy-to-follow 2 week Japan itinerary shows you how to see the best of this beautiful country.

Japan is one of my all-time favourite travel destinations. I was dreaming about it since I was 13 years old. When I was finally able to visit it, 10 years later, it turned out to be even better than expected. 

My two weeks in Japan are by far my favourite trip to date! Planning for it was a little stressful though because I wanted to make the most out of it.

Are you in the same boat? Do not worry, I’ve got you covered! My two week Japan itinerary is perfect for those who are visiting the country for the first time and want to see the main sights of this beautiful country.

Let’s dive in.

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Spending two weeks in Japan is the perfect amount of time when you’re visiting for the first time. It allows you to see a few cities and it gives you a great first impression of this beautiful country without having to rush. In this itinerary, we visit Tokyo (5 days), Hakone (1 day), Kyoto (3 days), Osaka (2 days), Nara (1 day) and Kobe (1 day).

Tokyo is an incredibly big and exciting city. It’s hard to know where to start! When spending your first few days of this trip in Tokyo, you want to try and cover as much as possible. But before we dive into the best things to do in Tokyo, here is some handy travel information:

This Japan itinerary starts in Tokyo, because most international flights arrive in either Haneda or Narita airport. If you have the choice, I recommend flying to Haneda instead of Narita, because it’s located much closer to the city. It’ll save you a lot of time and hassle, especially if this is your first time in Japan.

From both airports, you can take public transport, hire an airport transfer or get a taxi. Even though it may seem a bit intimidating, using public transport is probably your best bet. It is much cheaper and really not that difficult! 

Get yourself a Suica Card at the airport train station, top it up with some yen and you’re good to go.

It’s easiest to stay in Tokyo during the first six nights of your trip. The first five days we spend exploring the city and on the fifth day, we take a day trip from Tokyo. To avoid having to carry suitcases around, it’s much easier to stay in the same hotel.

As Tokyo is one of the largest and busiest cities in the world, it may be a little overwhelming to choose where to stay. For first-time visitors, Shinjuku or Central Tokyo are your best choices. Both of these wards are busy and safe wards with easy access to transport to get to any of the other places you want to see during your time in Tokyo.

I’ve got a full guide on where to stay in Tokyo, but here are my best recommendations for first-time visitors:

Tokyo is huge! It’s almost impossible to see the city’s highlights in only a few days. This is why we decided to explore Tokyo for five days during this itinerary. You could spend a month in Tokyo and still find new places to discover!

For these five days, I’ve broken down five of the main districts, alongside some other things to do while in Tokyo. Some of these districts are near each other and can be combined, but you can do so according to your own wishes. I’ve got a 6 day Tokyo itinerary to help you (five days in the city, one day trip).

Let’s start with one of the most famous and best districts in Tokyo: Shibuya. Even if you decide to spend less than five days in Tokyo, Shibuya should be on your list. This exciting and vibrant part of the city is filled with people, restaurants, business offices and stores. It’s one of the business and entertainment hearts of Tokyo.

Harajuku is the area nestled between Shibuya and Shinjuku near Harajuku station. The colourful and eccentric fashion style called “Harajuku” got its name from this area. But apart from seeing tons of crazy fashion, Harajuku has a lot of other things to offer:

In Asakusa, you can see a bit more of Tokyo’s past. The oldest temple of the city is located here and it’s also a popular place to stay if you’re on a budget.

Business, entertainment and shopping – that’s Shinjuku for you. It’s one of the best areas to find a hotel in Tokyo, as there are lots to do nearby and the location makes it very easy to make your way to other wards. Here are the best things to do in Shinjuku:

Akihabara is also known as “Electric Town”. It’s the best place in the city for all your anime, manga and video game wishes. If possible, plan to visit Akihabara on a Sunday – they close the roads for cars so you can walk freely around the main streets.

Of course, there are many more things to do in Tokyo. If you want to put together your own itinerary for your five days in the city, here are some extra things you can plan in:

On the sixth day of our two weeks in Japan, we take a day trip to Hakone. From Tokyo, there are many options for day trips but Hakone is one of the favourites. It takes around 1.5–2 hours to get there from Tokyo.

With beautiful scenery, shrines, hot springs and a stunning view of Mount Fuji, it’s the complete opposite of the busy metropolitan city of Tokyo.

After spending six wonderful days in and around Tokyo, it’s time to move west towards Kyoto. Kyoto is known to be the cultural capital of Japan, filled with shrines, temples and old Geisha districts. In this 2 week Japan itinerary, we’re spending two days in Kyoto.

Kyoto is our next stop, and you can get there by taking the shinkansen (also known as the bullet train) – this is one of the fastest trains in the world and it’s able to reach speeds of more than 300 km/h!

From Tokyo, it only takes around 2.5 hours. If you’re going to follow this itinerary, it may be worth buying a JR Pass. This pass allows you to take unlimited trips on the JR lines for a certain number of days. Depending on your itinerary, it can save you some money – but it’s worth doing the calculations before purchasing one. 

Check out my Japan Rail Pass review for everything you need to know and find out whether it will save you money.

In this itinerary, we’re planning to stay in Kyoto for two nights. Because this is not a very long time, it’s best to stay in Downtown Kyoto. It’s near the main train station where you’ll arrive after taking the shinkansen, so you don’t have to drag your suitcases all across town. Plus, it gives you super easy access to all the sights in this itinerary.

Because Kyoto is a more traditional city than Tokyo, you may want to opt for a Ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn). Most of these are located in Higashiyama, the old Geisha District.

I’ve got a full guide on where to stay in Kyoto, but here are my best recommendations for first-time visitors:

Spending two days in Kyoto may not seem like a lot, but it gives you more than enough time to see some of the city’s best highlights. I have a more detailed 2-day Kyoto itinerary on my blog if you want a complete breakdown of the days, but these are the things I recommend you to check out:

Next on this Japan itinerary is Osaka. This seaside city is just south of Kyoto, known for its amazing street food, fantastic aquarium and Dotonbori. 

If you’re planning to follow this two week Japan itinerary, make sure you stay in Osaka for four nights. Since the two day trips (Nara and Kobe) after our time in Osaka are very close to the city, it’s much easier to stay in the same hotel. This way, you don’t have to worry about moving suitcases around.

Plus, Osaka is a pretty cheap city to stay in – definitely cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto!

From Kyoto, you can take the shinkansen to get to Osaka. This will only take around 15-30 minutes. This route is also covered by the JR Pass.

As previously mentioned, in this itinerary, we’re staying in Osaka for four nights. This gives us time to spend two full days in Osaka and take two day trips from the city. 

Osaka is reasonably affordable compared to other big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. During our time in Osaka, we stayed in the Sonezaki Luxe Hotel. Even though it was the cheapest hotel on our trip, it was also the largest and most comfortable. I still highly recommend it to anybody who’s travelling to Osaka – it’s located in a quiet area and close to the main train station.

I’ve got a full guide on where to stay in Osaka, but here are my best recommendations for first-time visitors:

After having explored Osaka for two days, we take a day trip to Nara. Nara was the capital of Japan for a short while in the 8th century and still houses some beautiful temples today.

Since we’re staying in Osaka, you can hop on the train from Osaka and get to Nara in 30–40 minutes. Once again, this trip is part of the JR line so you can use your Japan Rail Pass.

You can see quite a lot when spending one day in Nara. Make sure to add the following sights to your list:

Kobe is another perfect day trip destination from Osaka. One of its specialities: Kobe beef steak. But there’s more to this harbour town than its steaks.

From Osaka, it takes about an hour to get to Kobe. And again, you can use the JR Pass to get from Osaka to Kobe.

When spending one day in Kobe, here are some great things to do:

And on the last day of this two week Japan itinerary, we make our way back to Tokyo for our flights home. While it only takes around 2.5–3 hours to get back from Osaka to Tokyo, I decided to leave this day open so it would work in case you have an early flight.

If you do have some more time, you can easily spend some more time in Tokyo.

Because the train from Osaka to Tokyo can get quite pricey, I think it’s worth getting a JR Pass if you’re planning on following this itinerary. 

You’ll only need it for one week – simply activate it when you go from Tokyo to Kyoto on day 7. This way, the two longest train rides (Tokyo–Kyoto and Osaka-Tokyo) are both covered. On top of all the smaller trips.

Planning a trip to Japan can be a little overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time! I hope this two week itinerary has helped a bit – but be sure to check out my other posts on my Japan travel blog. There are tons of city guides, travel tips and other information to make this your best trip yet!

Two weeks is definitely enough time to see some of Japan’s main highlights. In this two week Japan itinerary, you’ll visit Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Kobe – it’s the perfect amount of time when you’re visiting Japan for the first time. 

You can make your trip to Japan as cheap or as expensive as you’d like. To give you a bit of guidance, we spent around £2,100 per person for this two week trip. This includes flights, hotels, food, souvenirs, all activities and any extras. I have a full breakdown of the cost of going to Japan on my blog too – it includes our exact spending for this trip.

And that concludes one of my all-time favourite trips. Spending two weeks in Japan gave me such a great insight into the country and it was wonderful checking most of the highlights off my list.

If you have a little more time to visit Japan (or want some other ideas of what to include in your own itinerary), I recommend reading my 3 week Japan itinerary. It includes some additional places to see!

But for now – happy travel planning and I hope you have the most amazing time in Japan!

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Nele (Nay-la) graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with an English and Creative Writing Degree and has lived in the UK for nearly 10 years. She has had an interest in Japan and its culture for as long as she can remember. Since her first trip in 2018 surpassed all expectations, she has continued to return to Japan to explore more of all it has got to offer. You can read her full story here.

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