Japan Golden Route

Tokyo–Mt. Fuji–Nagoya–Kyoto–Nara–Osaka: Japan's classic first-visit route, strung together by one shinkansen line.

The "Golden Route" is the Japanese tourism industry's name for the corridor between Tokyo and Osaka. It runs along the Tokaido Shinkansen and is the standard itinerary for almost every first-time visitor to Japan. It roughly covers the Tokyo metropolitan area, Mt. Fuji and Hakone, Nagoya, and Kansai's Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. The core appeal is the sharp contrast between a modern metropolis and ancient capitals: Tokyo's Asakusa, Shibuya and Ginza; Hakone's hot springs and views of Fuji from Lake Ashi; Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama; Nara's Todai-ji and its deer; and Osaka's Dotonbori and Universal Studios Japan. The classic plan is to fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka, or the reverse, in 7–10 days: Tokyo 3 days, Fuji–Hakone 1–2 days, Kyoto 2–3 days, Nara 1 day, Osaka 1–2 days. Transport is mainly by shinkansen, with Tokyo to Kyoto taking about 2 hours 15 minutes. Foreign visitors can compare the price of a JR Pass against individual tickets for their itinerary, and highway buses suit the Fuji Five Lakes direction better. In cherry blossom and autumn leaf seasons, book hotels several months ahead, and try to reach popular temples and shrines right when they open in the morning.

Destinations

Itineraries