Intensive
Japan's Greatest Hits
Greatest hits, no padding, mostly trains.
- First visit
- Base cities: Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka
- culture
- food
- urban
- history
Itinerary
The Deep North, End to End
- 14 nights
- Medium pace
- Returning visitor
Medium pace
Two weeks to cross the deep north end to end, the Honshu the bullet train hurries past. From Sendai and the pine islands of Matsushima up through Hiraizumi's golden hall, Morioka, the folk valleys around Tono, Aomori and Hirosaki, then down the Sea of Japan side through Akita and the samurai streets of Kakunodate.
The deep north end to end. Pine islands, samurai towns, lantern festivals, mountain onsen.
Trip facts
- Length14 nights
- PaceMedium
- Designed forReturning visitor
- GatewaysIn and out via Tokyo
The route, city by city
Where you sleep and what each base is for. Load it into the planner to reshape the cities, dates, and day-by-day plan.
- Day 1Arrive
The world's largest city and Japan's beating heart - an overwhelming, endlessly layered metropolis where every kind of Japan coexists.
- Day 2Travel in
- Day 3Day trip: Matsushima
- Day 4Day trip: Yamadera
Tohoku's largest city, the 'City of Trees', gateway to Matsushima and famous for beef tongue cuisine.
One of Japan's three scenic views - 260 pine-clad islands across a calm bay with an ancient Zen temple at their heart.
A mountain temple town with 1,015 stone steps climbing a cliffside, where Matsuo Basho wrote his most famous haiku.
- Day 5Travel in
- Day 6Explore
A UNESCO World Heritage town that was once the glittering capital of a northern Buddhist kingdom rivalling Kyoto.
- Day 7Travel in
- Day 8Day trip: Tono
A castle city and Tohoku's literary capital, famous for three distinct noodle cultures and the wanko soba eating tradition.
Japan's folklore capital - the land of kappa river sprites, zashiki-warashi child ghosts, and traditional magariya farmhouses.
- Day 9Travel in
- Day 10Day trip: Hirosaki
A lively northern city home to Japan's most energetic summer festival and the remarkable Nebuta Museum WA RASSE.
Tohoku's finest castle town with an original Edo castle and the most celebrated cherry blossom display in northern Japan.
- Day 11Travel in
- Day 12Day trip: Kakunodate
Akita Prefecture's capital, famed for the Kanto Festival of lantern poles, beautiful sake, and distinctive folk art.
The 'Little Kyoto of Tohoku' - a preserved samurai district of black-walled houses and weeping cherry trees.
- Day 13Travel in
- Day 14Depart
The world's largest city and Japan's beating heart - an overwhelming, endlessly layered metropolis where every kind of Japan coexists.
Your JP Adventure
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