Next year's trip starts in Tokyo. This note collects what is worth seeing, how to route it without spending half the trip in transit, and the rule changes from 2026 that will apply in 2027. For how Tokyo itself grew into the world's largest city, see Tokyo: How the World's Biggest City Got That Way.
Tokyo Station, above, is where the bullet trains to Kyoto, Kanazawa and Osaka leave from. Most routes out of the capital start here.
What changed for a 2027 trip
| Entry | Visa-free for up to 90 days on a German passport |
| JESTA | Japan's new electronic travel authorisation. Law passed May 2026, must start by 31 March 2029, not live yet |
| Arrival forms | Visit Japan Web pre-fills immigration and customs as a QR code. Free, optional |
| Departure tax | ¥3,000 per person since 1 July 2026, up from ¥1,000, built into the ticket |
| Tax-free shopping | From 1 November 2026: pay the tax in the shop, claim it back at airport customs |
| Flights from Munich | Lufthansa and ANA fly nonstop to Haneda, about 12 hours 20 minutes |
2 of those need a check before booking. JESTA could go live inside 2027, so confirm on the day you book whether you need it. And the tax-free change is a real change in practice: the refund now happens at customs on departure, the ¥5,000 minimum per store per day still applies, and refund operators take a handling fee of roughly 1.5% to 2%, so the refund is not the full 10%.
The departure tax increase is confirmed on JNTO's own site. Nonstop flights run on Lufthansa and ANA, both landing at Haneda, which is 30 minutes from central Tokyo rather than the hour-plus from Narita.
When to go
- Cherry blossom. Full bloom averages 31 March in Tokyo and 4 April in Kyoto. Be in Tokyo in the last week of March and Kyoto in the first week of April. It shifts by a week either way, year to year.
- Autumn colour. Tokyo peaks in late November, Kyoto later, into early December. Do Tokyo first and Kyoto last.
- Avoid Golden Week (about 29 April to 5 May) and Obon (about 13 to 16 August). Japan travels domestically then, and trains and hotels fill nationwide.
- June to mid-July is the rainy season. August to early October is typhoon season, and summer is hot and humid.
Getting around
The Shinkansen makes a 3-week route realistic:
| Route | Train | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo to Kyoto | Tokaido Shinkansen, Nozomi | About 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Tokyo to Kanazawa | Hokuriku Shinkansen | About 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Kyoto to Hiroshima | Via Shin-Osaka | About 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Kanazawa to Takayama | Limited express via Toyama | 2.5 to 3 hours |
| Tokyo to Osaka | Tokaido Shinkansen | About 2 hours 30 minutes |
The Japan Rail Pass rises again on 1 October 2026, so a 2027 trip pays the new prices:
| Pass, ordinary class, adult | Price |
|---|---|
| 7 days | ¥53,000 |
| 14 days | ¥84,000 |
| 21 days | ¥105,000 |
It does not cover the fastest trains, Nozomi and Mizuho, without a separate supplement ticket. It pays off only with several long hops in a short window. A single Tokyo to Kyoto return costs well under the 7-day price, so price the actual route before buying.
For the city itself, a Suica in Apple Wallet covers trains, buses and convenience stores.
What to see
Tokyo and around
The arrival base. Tokyo has no single centre, so pick districts rather than sights: Asakusa for Senso-ji and the old town, Shibuya and Harajuku for the crowds, Shinjuku for the station and the nightlife, Ginza for the department stores, Akihabara for electronics, Ueno for the museums and park. The district table in Tokyo: How the World's Biggest City Got That Way covers what each one is known for.
Day trips that earn their place:
- Nikko. Shrines and temples in cedar forest, about 2 hours north.
- Kamakura. The Great Buddha and seaside temples, about 1 hour south.
- Hakone. Hot springs, Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji views on a clear day, 1.5 to 2 hours. Worth a night rather than a day.
Climbing Mount Fuji is summer only and now costs ¥4,000 per climb on all 4 official trails. The Yoshida Trail caps climbers at 4,000 a day and needs an online reservation before the 5th station. Seeing it from Hakone is free.
Kyoto, Nara and Osaka
The classic triangle, all within an hour of each other. Kyoto's temples are the reason most people come, which is exactly the problem: go early. The famous ones feel like a different city at 7am compared with noon.
Kyoto raised its hotel tax on 1 March 2026, per person per night:
| Room rate per person per night | Tax |
|---|---|
| Under ¥6,000 | ¥200 |
| ¥6,000 to ¥19,999 | ¥400 |
| ¥20,000 to ¥49,999 | ¥1,000 |
| ¥50,000 to ¥99,999 | ¥4,000 |
| ¥100,000 and above | ¥10,000 |
Kyoto's tourism office has the details. At normal hotel prices it adds ¥400 to ¥1,000 a night per person.
Nara is a half-day from Kyoto: Todai-ji and the deer. Osaka is the food city, and a good last stop because it's 2.5 hours back to Tokyo.
Hiroshima and Miyajima
About 1 hour 45 minutes west of Kyoto. The Peace Memorial Park and museum in the city, then the ferry to Miyajima for the floating torii gate. 2 nights is right.
The case for skipping the famous five
A thread by Silvina Dell'Isola, a Spanish-language travel writer whose line is "places less obvious", argues the opposite of every standard itinerary. It's in Spanish; translations are mine.
Her "worst cities to visit": Tokyo (too many people for everything), Kyoto (temples turned into queues), Osaka (noise, neon and crowds), Nara (deer surrounded by tourists) and Yokohama ("Tokyo without being Tokyo"). She judges on whether a place meets the expectations it creates, value for money, crowding, and how much local life survives.
Her 5 alternatives:
| Town | Her case |
|---|---|
| Kanazawa | Gardens, geisha districts and samurai houses. Kyoto's tradition, a different experience |
| Takayama | Wooden houses, morning markets, mountains. Rural Japan's best-known old town |
| Matsumoto | The black castle against the Japanese Alps. Compact, with mountain country on the doorstep |
| Kurashiki | Canals, old storehouses and white houses in the Bikan district |
| Nagasaki | Foreign-influenced history and architecture, between mountains and sea |
Her closing line: "El error es cruzar medio mundo para visitar exactamente el mismo Japón que todos." The mistake is crossing half the world to see exactly the same Japan as everyone else.
My take: half right. Skipping Tokyo when you land there isn't practical, and Kyoto at dawn answers most of her complaint. But her list is useful for a different reason: 4 of her 5 towns sit neatly on a route that starts in Tokyo. Kanazawa is one Shinkansen ride away. Takayama is south of it, through Shirakawa-go. Kurashiki is 15 minutes from Okayama, on the line between Kyoto and Hiroshima. Only Nagasaki needs real extra days.
A route that uses both
About 3 weeks, Tokyo in, home from Osaka or back to Tokyo:
| Nights | Base | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tokyo | Arrival, the city, Nikko and Kamakura as day trips |
| 1 | Hakone | Onsen, Fuji views |
| 2 | Kanazawa | Gardens, geisha and samurai districts |
| 2 | Takayama | Old town and markets, Shirakawa-go on the way in |
| 4 | Kyoto | Temples early in the day, Nara as a half-day |
| 1 | Kurashiki | The Bikan canal district |
| 2 | Hiroshima | Peace Memorial, Miyajima |
| 2 | Osaka | Food, then home |
Matsumoto fits if you loop back to Tokyo through the Alps instead of heading west. Nagasaki is a separate trip, or 3 extra days at the end.
For me
- Watches. The Seiko Museum Ginza, Grand Seiko boutiques in Ginza, and Nakano Broadway for vintage watches and cameras. Background in Grand Seiko and Seiko.
- Tech. Akihabara for electronics and camera gear.
- Chocolate. Minimal, a Tokyo bean-to-bar maker, for the radar in Chocolate.
Further Reading
