From Haneda (HND) take the Keikyu line to Asakusa directly (~40 min, ~¥620). From Narita (NRT) take the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno and one stop over (~65 min). Skip the Airport Limo Bus unless you have toddlers or four suitcases.

Book three nights in Asakusa. Mid-range sweet spot: Richmond Hotel Premier Asakusa International or The Gate Hotel Kaminarimon. Budget pick: Wise Owl Hostels River Tokyo.

Walk to Ichiran for the famous silent-booth tonkotsu, or the classier Asakusa Menchi for a menchi-katsu and a beer. If you’re still standing, climb the Sumida riverside for a first look at Tokyo Skytree lit up.

Ride the JR Yamanote line to Harajuku. Walk into Meiji Shrine by 8am. The cedar avenue is silent if you’re early and a tourist scrum by 10. Come out south, into Takeshita-dori, for the Harajuku contrast.

Omotesando Ukai-tei if you want a proper lunch course (book ahead). Or a ¥1,000 katsu sandwich from any depachika basement in Omotesando Hills.

Walk Omotesando down to Shibuya. Stand at the Starbucks above the scramble for the photo, then do the scramble. Ride up to Shibuya Sky for a proper wide shot of Tokyo unfurling to Mt. Fuji on clear days.

Train to Shinjuku. Walk Omoide Yokocho (grilled yakitori alley) before dinner, eat your way through two or three stalls, then end at Golden Gai — three square blocks of 200 bars, most seating 6 people. Pick one with an English-friendly sign out front.

Tsukiji Outer Market is still the real one. Be there by 7:30 with an empty stomach. Tamago-yaki on a stick, fresh uni, tuna cheek grilled over charcoal. Tsukiji Hongan-ji temple is two blocks away for a quiet moment after.

Book teamLab Planets in Toyosu in advance — slots routinely sell out. It’s the one tourist experience that genuinely surprises jaded travelers.

Back to Asakusa. Sensoji is lit up by 6pm. Cross the Sumida river, walk up to Tokyo Skytree for the night panorama, or skip the tower and have a seat at a riverside izakaya in Oshiage.

Aim for the 10am Nozomi. Grab an ekiben (station bento) from the platform shop — the gyu-tan one is good. Sit on the right for Mt. Fuji views around minute 45. Arrive Kyoto 12:15.

Three nights in Higashiyama or Gion, on the east bank of the Kamogawa, within walking distance of Kiyomizu. Mid-range pick: Cross Hotel Kyoto or The Thousand Kyoto. Ryokan splurge: Tsukihitei, Ryokan Motonago.

Drop bags at the hotel. JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station to Inari (5 min). Climb the gates at 4pm — the afternoon light on the vermilion is the actual reason you came. Most day-trippers leave by 5:30; the upper gates are yours alone.

Back down, train to Gion-Shijo station. Wander Hanamikoji-dori and the Shirakawa canal after dark. Dinner: kaiseki at Gion Karyo (book), or a casual sit-down at Menbakaichidai (fire-ramen). Stay on the pedestrian-only side — since April 2024 the private streets fine tourists ¥10,000 for entering.

Catch the 7:15 JR Sagano-san-in train to Saga-Arashiyama. Walk the bamboo grove by 8am — by 10 it’s a selfie scrum. Tenryu-ji temple is two minutes away, and its pond garden is one of the prettiest in Kyoto. Breakfast: the tofu set at Shoraian overlooking the Oi river.

Bus 59 north to Kinkakuji (golden pavilion). It’s small but the reflection shot is the reason. From there, Ryoanji’s rock garden is 10 minutes on foot — sit for ten minutes, don’t photograph it, let it do its work.

Bus back down to Shijo Karasuma. Walk Nishiki from its west end to east: tako-tamago skewers, yuba tofu, sake tastings, fresh mochi. Dinner: stand-up sushi at Iyomata, or beef tongue shabu-shabu at Gyutan Masabi.

Kintetsu Limited Express to Kintetsu-Nara (35 min). Walk through Nara Park to Todai-ji. 1,200 semi-tame deer will bow if you bow first (they’re trained for deer-crackers sold in the park). Todai-ji’s Great Buddha is worth the entry fee — it’s one of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Kintetsu from Nara to Osaka-Namba (40 min). Check in near Namba station — it puts Dotonbori on your doorstep. Mid-range: Cross Hotel Osaka, Hotel Monterey La Soeur.

Walk to Dotonbori after dark. This is the neon moment. Eat your way along the canal: takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers). Finish at a Hozenji-yokocho alley bar for a quiet drink after the noise.

Check out. Leave bags at the hotel. Metro to Osaka-jo Koen. The castle is a 1930s concrete reconstruction, but the grounds and moat are genuinely beautiful, and the top floor has a clean panorama. Coffee at Jo-Terrace.

Train to Umeda. Okonomiyaki at Kiji (basement of the Sky Building). Ride up to Umeda Sky Building’s Floating Garden Observatory for the last postcard view.

Collect bags. From Namba, the Nankai Rapi:t runs direct to KIX (~40 min). For ITM (Itami), the airport bus from OCAT is simplest. Leave 3 hours before an international flight in 2026 — immigration lines have been long since the post-COVID travel boom.