Itinerary · 9 min read
Japan in 15 days with a group of six
Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima in one open-jaw route — no backtracking, and the logistics that keep six people moving together.
By the Next Getaway team · Updated September 2026
Fly into Tokyo, fly out of Osaka. Five nights in Tokyo, one on Lake Kawaguchi under Mount Fuji, one in a Hakone onsen, four in Kyoto with a Nara day, and three in Osaka with a Hiroshima day. Sights only — food gets its own post. Every day is one neighbourhood or one region, because six people move at the pace of the slowest.
- 15 days — Open jaw: Tokyo in, Osaka out
- 6 travelers — One split-up afternoon per city
- 2 shinkansen legs — Odawara → Kyoto, Osaka ↔ Hiroshima
01 · Tokyo — arrival in Shinjuku
Land at Haneda or Narita, pick up a Welcome Suica for all six at the airport counter, and take the Limousine Bus or Narita Express into Shinjuku. Nobody is sharp on arrival day, so keep it walkable.
Ride up the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatory — free, open late, and the best way to understand how big the city is. Then Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho and the Godzilla head on the Toho building.
02 · Tokyo west side — Shibuya and Meguro
Meiji Jingu early, before the tour groups, then out through Harajuku and Takeshita Street. Walk Omotesando and Cat Street down into Shibuya.
Shibuya Crossing from the Mag’s Park rooftop, Hachiko, and Shibuya Sky at sunset — timed tickets, so book six seats the day they release. Finish with the Nakameguro canal walk.
03 · Tokyo old town — Taito, Sumida and Chūō
Senso-ji and Nakamise-dori in Asakusa before 9 am. Cross the Sumida River by water bus or on foot to Tokyo Skytree.
Afternoon in Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum, then Ameyoko market. Evening in Ginza: the Ginza Six rooftop garden, and a single-act ticket at Kabuki-za if the group is game.
04 · Tokyo north side — the Ikebukuro day
Ikebukuro is the ward most visitors skip, which is why it works for a group. Start at Sunshine 60 Observatory Tenbou-Park and the Sunshine Aquarium on the roof of the same building.
The anime half of the group gets Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo and Animate Ikebukuro inside Sunshine City. The calm half gets Rikugien Garden in Bunkyo. Meet back at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre plaza at dusk.
05 · Tokyo bay — Minato and Koto
Morning at teamLab Planets in Koto — timed entry, book six together weeks ahead. Then Odaiba: the Unicorn Gundam, the Rainbow Bridge view, the waterfront.
Split for the afternoon. Half A: Tokyo Tower, Zojoji and the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi. Half B: Akihabara arcades and retro game shops.
Send the big suitcases ahead to your Kyoto hotel tonight by takkyubin (luggage forwarding, about ¥2,500 a bag, arrives next day). Carry two nights of clothes. This one move is what makes the Fuji and Hakone nights painless for six people.
06 · Mount Fuji — Kawaguchiko
Highway bus from Shinjuku, about two hours — reserve six seats. Go straight to Chureito Pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Park for the postcard shot. It is 400 steps; the view earns them.
Lake Kawaguchi’s north shore and Oishi Park in the afternoon, then the Kawaguchiko Ropeway for the lake-and-mountain view. The thrill seekers can swap the ropeway for Fuji-Q Highland. Sleep lakeside — Fuji is clearest at dawn.
07 · The Hakone loop
Bus from Kawaguchiko via Gotemba to Hakone, about two hours. Buy the Hakone Free Pass — it covers every leg of the loop.
Hakone Open-Air Museum, then the ropeway over Owakudani (black eggs) and down to Lake Ashi. Pirate ship across to Hakone-machi and the torii of Hakone Shrine standing in the water. Onsen night at a ryokan; book a private bath for six.
08 · Hakone → Kyoto, east Kyoto
Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto in about two hours ten. Reserve six seats in one block a month ahead on SmartEX.
Afternoon on the Higashiyama slope: Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, the Yasaka Pagoda. Gion at dusk — Hanamikoji, Yasaka Shrine, Pontocho alley.
09 · Kyoto — Fushimi and the south
Fushimi Inari at 7 am. Go to the top, or at least to the Yotsutsuji viewpoint; the crowd thins after the first thousand gates. Tofuku-ji on the way back, then the five-storey pagoda at To-ji.
Nishiki Market counts as a sight even when you are not eating. Late afternoon on the Philosopher’s Path down to the Nanzen-ji aqueduct.
10 · Nara day trip
Kintetsu limited express from Kyoto, 35 minutes. Nara Park and its deer, the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji, and the balcony view from Nigatsu-do.
Kasugataisha Shrine along the lantern paths, the Kōfuku-ji pagoda, then Naramachi’s old merchant quarter. Isuien Garden if the group wants quiet. Back to Kyoto for the evening.
11 · Kyoto — Arashiyama and the north
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove at opening, Tenryu-ji garden next door, then Togetsukyo Bridge. The fit half climbs to Iwatayama Monkey Park.
Taxi or bus up to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, then the rock garden at Ryoan-ji. Nijo Castle on the way back if there is time. Ship the suitcases to Osaka tonight.
12 · Kyoto → Osaka
Thirty minutes by train. Drop the bags and go straight to Osaka Castle and its park.
Kuromon Market, the Shinsaibashi arcade and Amerikamura in the afternoon. Dotonbori at night: the Glico sign, a canal cruise, and the moss-covered Hozen-ji temple tucked behind it.
13 · Osaka — pick one big day
Option A: Universal Studios Japan all day. Super Nintendo World needs a timed-entry ticket, and Express passes for six are worth every yen.
Option B: Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku, the Abeno Harukas 300 observatory, the Kaiyukan aquarium, and the Umeda Sky Building’s Kuchu Teien observatory at sunset.
14 · Hiroshima and Miyajima
Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka, an hour and twenty-five minutes. Leave by 7 am. Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Children’s Peace Monument, and two hours in the Peace Memorial Museum.
JR to Miyajimaguchi and the ferry across: the floating torii of Itsukushima Shrine, Senjokaku, and the ropeway to Mount Misen if the tide and the clock cooperate. Last shinkansen back to Osaka.
15 · Departure from Kansai
A late flight buys a morning at Sumiyoshi Taisha or the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park. Then the Nankai Rapi:t or the airport limousine to Kansai and home.
Six people, fifteen days, two shinkansen legs and one forwarded suitcase per person. The route never doubles back, and every day has one anchor.
The short version
- Fly into Tokyo, out of Osaka — no backtracking
- Tokyo by ward: one neighbourhood a day, five days
- Skip the nationwide JR Pass; reserve point-to-point shinkansen seats in one block
- Forward the big suitcases Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka
- Book first: teamLab Planets, Shibuya Sky, USJ Express, Kabuki-za
- One split-up afternoon per city — six people move at the pace of the slowest
- Best months: late March to early April, or mid-November
