Sample Itinerary
Japan
April 3–12, 2026 · 10 Days
One family. Four travelers. Ten days.
Ten days across Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, and Miyajima — timed to land in the heart of Japan’s cherry blossom season. One family, two kids, one country that rewards precision. Transfers and tours are arranged. Every Shinkansen is confirmed. Every day is routed so you move forward, never backtrack, and end each evening at a restaurant we’ve handpicked for the occasion.
10
Days
6
Cities
4
Hotels
3
Shinkansen Rides
4
Travelers
2
Kids
{Client} Family
2 adults + 2 kids · Flying from United States
Day 1 — Afternoon arrival at Narita (NRT)
Japan is 13–16 hours ahead of the continental US. Bodies will wake at 4–5 AM Tokyo time for the first 2–3 days. Early morning activities are a gift, not a push.
2 adults, 2 kids. Fine dining reservations secured at each destination.
3 Nights · Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier
Tokyo
Arrive Tokyo
Thursday, April 3
You land in a country that runs like clockwork. The airport transfer is waiting, the hotel is in the heart of Ginza — Tokyo’s most refined district — and the only agenda tonight is landing softly. Let the first evening be about noticing: spotless streets, vending machines glowing on every corner, the quiet efficiency of everything. If there’s energy left, the cherry blossoms along the Imperial Palace moat — lit up at twilight — are a short walk from the hotel. But sleep is also a perfectly good plan. Tomorrow starts at dawn.
Land at Narita (NRT)
Private transfer pickup at arrivals (Alphard)
Check in — Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier
Walk to konbini. Stock up on water, snacks, tomorrow’s on-the-go items. 7-Eleven egg sandwiches, onigiri, fruit, drinks. This isn’t a compromise — Japanese convenience stores are a genuine cultural discovery.
Dinner: ESTERRE by Alain Ducasse — Palace Hotel Tokyo, 1-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku. One Michelin star. French cuisine with Japanese terroir, overlooking the Imperial Palace moat. 15-min walk or short taxi from the hotel. A refined first evening in Tokyo.
Early sleep. Your body is still on US time. Let it win tonight.
Meiji Jingu → Harajuku → Shibuya Sky
Friday, April 4
You’ll wake before dawn — jet lag almost guarantees it. Use that gift. Meiji Jingu at 7 AM is a completely different shrine than Meiji Jingu at 10 AM: empty gravel paths, birdsong, forest light filtering through towering trees, and a spiritual calm that vanishes once the tour buses arrive. The day builds from calm to color to spectacle: forest quiet → Harajuku pop-culture chaos → Omotesando’s cherry-tree-lined boulevard → Shibuya Sky at sunset, where Tokyo turns gold and then electric beneath your feet.
Meiji Jingu Shrine — forested approach, towering torii gate, wide gravel paths. At this hour, you may be the only visitors.
Harajuku / Takeshita Street — playful Tokyo. Character shops, crepe stands. Let the kids stop at every store.
Omotesando stroll — Tokyo’s most elegant boulevard. Cherry blossoms in side streets.
Lunch in the Omotesando area.
Shibuya Scramble Crossing — watch from Starbucks 2F window first, then cross it yourselves.
Rest break at the hotel. A sunset rooftop ahead — this pause makes the evening work.
Shibuya Sky (timed sunset entry). Open-air, 230m up. Tokyo turns from gold to neon. The glass platform is the family photo.
Dinner: Joël Robuchon — Yebisu Garden Place, 1-13-1 Mita, Meguro-ku. Three Michelin stars. The most prestigious French restaurant in Asia. One stop from Shibuya on the JR Yamanote Line. Chateau atmosphere, Baccarat chandeliers.
Mt Fuji Day Trip
Saturday, April 5
The private van collects you from the hotel and you drive west out of Tokyo’s density into open sky and volcanic ridgelines. The anchor moment is Chureito Pagoda: a five-story pagoda on a hillside surrounded by cherry trees, with Fuji rising behind it. In early April, if the blossoms have opened and the sky cooperates, you’re looking at the single most iconic photograph in Japan — pagoda, cherry blossoms, and Fuji in one frame. 398 steps to the viewing platform. Everyone remembers this one.
Pickup from hotel (Hiace van). Confirm custom route with driver: Chureito Pagoda first, then Kitaguchi Shrine, Oshino Hakkai, Lake Kawaguchiko.
Chureito Pagoda — morning light is best. Cherry trees line the stairway. If they’re blooming, linger.
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine — ancient forest approach, quieter and more meditative.
Oshino Hakkai — crystal-clear spring-fed ponds, thatched-roof buildings, rural calm.
Lake Kawaguchiko — lakeside walk with Fuji views. Lunch at a lakeside restaurant.
Return to Tokyo.
Dinner: Ginza Ukai-Tei — Jiji-tsushin Bldg 1F, 5-15-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku. One Michelin star. The finest teppanyaki in Tokyo — premium wagyu prepared on an iron griddle before you, in an art-nouveau interior filled with antiques. Private rooms available. 10-min taxi from the hotel.
Pack konbini snacks before departure — egg sandwiches, onigiri, fruit — for the morning stops before lunch.
Senso-ji → TeamLab → Shinkansen to Kyoto
Sunday, April 6
The last Tokyo morning is a tale of two speeds: ancient Senso-ji at dawn, then TeamLab Planets’ barefoot digital dreamscape. By afternoon, you’re on the Shinkansen — Japan’s bullet train — watching the city dissolve into rice fields and mountain silhouettes. The 3:00 PM departure gives you a clean morning without rushing. Two hours and fifteen minutes later, you step off in Kyoto — a city that moves at a different tempo entirely.
Senso-ji Temple (Asakusa) — Tokyo’s oldest and most iconic temple. Cherry blossoms frame the five-story pagoda.
Nakamise-dori — quick browse. Street snacks: senbei, melon pan, dango.
TeamLab Planets (confirmed booking). Barefoot, immersive, water walks between digital art installations.
Lunch near TeamLab Planets.
Arrive Tokyo Station. Pick up konbini snacks for the train.
Shinkansen: Tokyo → Kyoto (Nozomi, ~2h15m). Seats on right side (D-E) for Mt Fuji glimpse ~45 minutes in.
Arrive Kyoto. Taxi to DoubleTree by Hilton (~5 min from station).
Dinner: Teppanyaki Gozanbo — Hotel Granvia Kyoto, 15F. Premium teppanyaki with panoramic views of Kyoto and Kyoto Tower. Directly inside the JR Kyoto Station building — no need to venture out after a long travel day. Seasonal Japanese beef and fresh seafood prepared before you.
3 Nights · DoubleTree by Hilton
Kyoto
Nara Day Trip + Gion Evening
Monday, April 7
Nara is the gentlest day on this itinerary — and in cherry blossom season, one of the most beautiful. Wide open parkland, sacred deer wandering under canopies of pink blossoms, and the Great Buddha inside Todai-ji, whose scale genuinely surprises everyone who walks through the door. The kids will remember feeding the deer. The adults will remember the lantern-lined forest paths of Kasuga Taisha. On the way back, you’ll be dropped off in Gion — Kyoto’s geisha district at dusk — where stone streets glow under paper lanterns and you might glimpse a geiko in full dress heading to an evening engagement.
Pickup from hotel (Hiace van). Custom route: Todai-ji → Nara Park → Kasuga Taisha → Kofuku-ji. Drop-off in Gion (not hotel).
Todai-ji Temple + Nara Park — Great Buddha (world’s largest wooden building, 15m bronze Buddha). Then into the park: deer wandering among cherry blossoms.
Lunch in Nara — near the park.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine — 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns lining the forest path. Moss-covered, atmospheric.
Kofuku-ji — five-story pagoda, calm precinct.
Yasaka Shrine → Maruyama Park — the park’s massive weeping cherry tree (shidarezakura), illuminated after dark.
Hanamikoji Street (Gion) — stone flags, wooden machiya, paper lanterns. The window when geiko appear.
Dinner: Gion Maruyama — 570-171 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku. Two Michelin stars. Exquisite Kyo-kaiseki in the heart of Gion. Private tatami rooms available. Children’s kaiseki sets offered — a rare family-friendly gesture at this level.
Arashiyama → Kinkaku-ji → Nishiki → Kiyomizu-dera
Tuesday, April 8
This is the full Kyoto spectrum in one day, routed west-to-east so you never double back. The bamboo grove at 7:30 AM — before anyone else arrives — is worth the early alarm. Towering green stalks, shafts of light, near-silence. By 9 AM it’s shoulder-to-shoulder selfies; at 7:30 it’s cinematic. Then: gold pavilion reflected in mirror water, a market corridor where the kids graze on street snacks, and finally the grand temple on the hill — Kiyomizu-dera — where the wooden stage extends over a valley of cherry trees in afternoon light.
Pickup from hotel. Confirm route: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (early) → Kinkaku-ji → Nishiki Market → Kiyomizu-dera.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — nearly empty at this hour. Light filters through in shafts. The sound is wind through bamboo and gravel underfoot.
Arashiyama riverside / Togetsukyo Bridge — cherry trees along the Katsura River banks. Optional: Iwatayama Monkey Park (20-min uphill, monkeys at summit).
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) — gold leaf over the mirror pond. Morning light is ideal. Matcha and wagashi at the tea house.
Lunch en route to central Kyoto.
Nishiki Market (“Kyoto’s Kitchen”) — 400m covered arcade. Yuba, tsukemono, dango, matcha soft serve, mochi. Budget 60–90 minutes.
Kiyomizu-dera + approach streets — walk up Ninenzaka → Sannenzaka → temple. Main stage: view across Kyoto’s eastern hills with cherry blossoms in afternoon light.
Dinner: MOKO — 235-2 Tamauecho, Nakagyo-ku. One Michelin star. Modern French cuisine using Kyoto’s seasonal ingredients, served in a converted traditional machiya townhouse. Chef trained in Paris and London. Dedicated children’s course available.
This is the longest temple day. Build in rest time in the van between stops. Nishiki Market is the energy reset.
Fushimi Inari → Ninja → Shinkansen to Hiroshima
Wednesday, April 9
Last morning in Kyoto starts at Fushimi Inari — 10,000 vermillion torii gates climbing a forested hillside — at the hour when they’re nearly empty. At 7 AM, the lower gate tunnels belong to your family: shafts of morning light through red columns, no crowds, no noise. You don’t need the summit; the most powerful stretch is the first 15 minutes of the trail. Then breakfast (fluffy soufflé pancakes the kids won’t believe), a ninja experience that might be the highlight of the entire trip, and a clean exit to Kyoto Station for the 5:00 PM Shinkansen to Hiroshima.
Uber or taxi to Fushimi Inari. Route: Fushimi Inari (early) → breakfast → ninja experience → hotel by 3 PM.
Fushimi Inari Taisha — the red torii gate tunnels. At 7 AM, near-empty and extraordinary. Turn back at Yotsutsuji intersection (panoramic viewpoint).
Japanese soufflé pancakes — towering, jiggly, dusted with powdered sugar. The kids will photograph them before eating.
Ninja experience (confirmed) — dress up in ninja gear, learn shuriken technique, weapons handling. A trip highlight for the kids. View details →
Lunch near the ninja venue.
Return to hotel. Collect luggage. Check out.
Shinkansen: Kyoto → Hiroshima (Nozomi 75, ~1h40m).
Arrive Hiroshima. Sheraton Grand (~2 min from station).
Genbaku Dome (A-Bomb Dome) — 15-minute walk along the river. Powerful at twilight, illuminated against the evening sky.
Dinner: Miyabi-Tei — Sheraton Grand Hiroshima, 7F. Teppanyaki, kaiseki, and sushi under one roof. Seasonal Hiroshima ingredients and Seto Inland Sea seafood. Directly connected to the station — no need to navigate an unfamiliar city after a long travel day.
2 Nights · Sheraton Grand Hiroshima
Hiroshima & Miyajima
Miyajima Island
Thursday, April 10
A full, unhurried day on one of Japan’s most sacred islands. The early ferry means you arrive before the day-trippers from Osaka and Kyoto, and Itsukushima Shrine is nearly yours alone. The floating torii gate at high tide is the photograph everyone comes for — but it’s the quieter moments that stay with you: moss-covered statues at Daisho-in Temple, wild deer sleeping in shrine corridors, the sound of waves lapping against stone lanterns. Lunch on the island, an afternoon exploring the mountain trails or just sitting by the water, and then the ferry back to Hiroshima for dinner.
JR train Hiroshima → Miyajimaguchi (~30 min), then JR Miyajima Ferry (~10 min). The torii gate grows larger as you approach.
Itsukushima Shrine + Floating Torii Gate — one of Japan’s most iconic sights. At this hour the shrine is quiet and the light is gentle on the water.
Daisho-in Temple — moss-covered statues, prayer wheels the kids love spinning, atmospheric forest paths. One of the most underrated temples in Japan.
Miyajima town stroll + lunch on the island. Try momiji manju (maple leaf cakes — filled with red bean or custard cream, buy fresh and hot). Grilled oysters if the season is right.
Optional: Mt Misen ropeway — cable car to the summit for panoramic Inland Sea views. Or continue exploring the shoreline and deer paths at a relaxed pace.
Ferry back + JR train to Hiroshima.
Rest at the hotel. Recharge before tomorrow.
Dinner: Miyabi-Tei — Sheraton Grand Hiroshima, 7F. Teppanyaki section tonight — premium Hiroshima beef and Seto Inland Sea seafood prepared on the iron griddle before you.
Peace Museum → Shinkansen to Tokyo
Friday, April 11
The most moving morning of the trip. Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Museum is one of the most important museums in the world, and the Peace Park that surrounds it — the Cenotaph, the Peace Flame, the Children’s Peace Monument with its thousands of paper cranes — gives weight and context to everything you’ve seen on this journey. By afternoon, you’re on the final Shinkansen: four hours east through the Japanese countryside, arriving in Tokyo for the last night in Ginza.
Walk to Peace Memorial Park (~15 min from hotel along the river). Morning light on the A-Bomb Dome.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Take your time. Consider splitting: older kids walk through the museum exhibits. Younger kids: Peace Park grounds, Sadako statue, paper cranes.
Regroup at the Children’s Peace Monument. Walk through the park — Cenotaph, Peace Flame, Memorial Mound.
Return to Sheraton Grand. Collect luggage. Check out.
Lunch at Hiroshima Station before the train.
Shinkansen: Hiroshima → Tokyo (~4 hours). Last train ride of the trip. Stock up on ekiben and snacks at the station.
Arrive Tokyo Station. Walk to Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station (~5 min, directly adjacent). Check in, freshen up.
Final dinner in Tokyo. We’ll secure a reservation at a Ginza fine dining venue befitting the last night — omakase sushi, high-end tempura, or a kaiseki sendoff.
The Peace Museum is emotionally heavy but profoundly important. Having Miyajima the day before — beauty first, then meaning — gives this day the right emotional arc.
1 Night · Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station
Tokyo — Departure
Ginza Morning → Departure
Saturday, April 12
Last morning in Japan, and Ginza rewards those who linger. This is Tokyo’s most refined shopping district — wide boulevards, flagship boutiques, and some of the best specialty food shops in the world. The morning is yours for souvenirs: beautifully wrapped Japanese chocolate boxes from the basement food halls (depachika), artisan ceramics, handmade paper goods, matcha sets. Nothing rushed. Noon checkout, and the Alphard takes you to Narita with ten days of Japan behind you.
Breakfast at the hotel, or walk to Tsukiji Outer Market (~15 min) for tamagoyaki, fresh fruit, and juices.
Ginza morning shopping. The depachika (basement food halls) at Mitsukoshi and Matsuya open at 10 AM — this is where you find exquisitely wrapped Japanese chocolate boxes, wagashi gift sets, and artisan confections that make perfect souvenirs. Browse Itoya (9-story stationery paradise), Uniqlo Ginza (12 floors), and the side-street boutiques for ceramics, textiles, and handmade paper goods.
Return to hotel. Final packing.
Check out Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station. Alphard transfer to Narita (NRT). Afternoon departure.
For chocolate souvenirs: the depachika counters at Mitsukoshi Ginza and Ginza Six are unmatched. Look for seasonal limited editions — the packaging alone is a work of art. Royce, Meiji The Chocolate, and Mary’s are beloved Japanese brands, but the real finds are the small-batch artisan chocolatiers tucked inside the department stores.
Practical Details
Everything You Need
Tokyo Station → Kyoto Station
Kyoto Station → Hiroshima Station
Hiroshima Station → Tokyo Station
IC Transit Cards
Buy Welcome Suica cards at Narita Airport on arrival (Day 1). One per person, including kids. Tap-and-go on all JR trains, subways, buses, convenience stores, vending machines. If unavailable due to chip shortages, set up Mobile Suica on iPhones via Apple Wallet.
Cash
Japan is more cash-dependent than you’d expect. Temples, shrines, street food, small restaurants, and some taxis are cash-only. Withdraw yen at any 7-Eleven ATM on arrival. Carry ¥15,000–20,000 per family per day.
Stroller vs Carrier
For younger children: a lightweight umbrella stroller works for city walking and markets, but temples have steps, gravel paths, and uneven stone — a backpack carrier is better on shrine-heavy days. Bring both if possible.
Download Apps
Google Maps (works excellently in Japan, real-time transit). Japan Transit Planner (Navitime or HyperDia) for Shinkansen schedules.
Restaurant Reservations
Fine dining in Japan requires advance booking, especially Michelin-starred restaurants. We handle all reservations — including concierge services for properties that don’t accept international bookings directly.
Michelin-starred restaurants secured at each destination
Narita Airport → Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier
Chureito Pagoda • Kitaguchi Shrine • Oshino Hakkai • Lake Kawaguchiko
Timed entry — barefoot immersive digital art
Todai-ji • Nara Park • Kasuga Taisha • Kofuku-ji • Drop-off in Gion
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove • Kinkaku-ji • Nishiki Market • Kiyomizu-dera
Ninja training + complimentary museum tour
Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station → Narita Airport
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