Japan is the most fascinatingly different country most Westerners will ever visit — a place where ancient ritual and hyper-modern technology coexist effortlessly. The food alone is worth the flight. Add cherry blossoms, powder snow, temple gardens, and some of the world's most courteous people.
📅 Day-by-Day Itinerary
📅 Tokyo
Shibuya Crossing at rush hour, Senso-ji Temple at dawn, TeamLab digital art museum, the Tsukiji outer market at 5am for the freshest sushi of your life. Day trip to Nikko — UNESCO shrines in cedar forest. Ramen in a 10-seat basement counter in Shinjuku.
📅 Hakone & Mount Fuji
Ryokan stay with private onsen and Mount Fuji views across Lake Ashi. Soak in outdoor hot spring at dawn. Take the ropeway over volcanic Owakudani. Hike to Fuji 5th Station for the closest view without summiting.
📅 Kyoto
Fushimi Inari's 10,000 torii gates at sunrise (before the crowds). Arashiyama bamboo grove. The Golden Pavilion. Geisha spotting in Gion at dusk. Tea ceremony in a 16th-century machiya townhouse. The Philosopher's Path under cherry blossoms.
📅 Osaka & Nara
Osaka's Dotonbori neon district — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu. Nara: 1,200 wild deer roam freely around ancient temples and bow for crackers. Osaka Castle at sunrise. The best izakaya food culture in Japan.
📅 Hokkaido (Winter) or Hiroshima
Winter: Niseko powder skiing — 15m+ annual snowfall, the world's lightest snow. Or: Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the A-Bomb Dome, and the floating torii gate at Miyajima Island — one of Japan's three most iconic views.
🏨 Where to Stay
Park Hyatt Tokyo
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lost in Translation hotel — 41st floor, city views, legendary jazz bar
💡 Key tips: Get a JR Pass before you arrive — it pays for itself on day 2. IC card (Suica/Pasmo) for all city transport — tap in, tap out. Cash is king in Japan — carry ¥10,000 at all times. Shoes that slip on/off easily for temples. Cherry blossom timing is unpredictable — check the Japan Meteorological Corporation forecast.
