Japan rewards the curious. In a single week you can ride from futuristic Tokyo to serene Kyoto, swapping neon-lit crossings for moss gardens, standing sushi bars for kaiseki, and towering observatories for temple verandas. This itinerary balances headline sights with hidden corners, pacing your days to savor both the spectacle and the small rituals—an early-matcha morning, a lantern-lit stroll, a perfectly timed train.

Tokyo’s story is one of reinvention—from Edo’s samurai-era canals to a capital of cutting-edge design and pop culture. You’ll browse centuries-old markets, step into immersive art, and taste everything from crisp tonkatsu to refined tempura. Kyoto, spared much wartime damage, keeps Japan’s classical heartbeat: pagodas at dusk, silent bamboo, and alleys where geiko still glide to evening appointments.

Practical notes: tap to pay with a Suica/PASMO IC card, carry some cash for small shops, and book popular restaurants and teamLab tickets ahead. Spring cherry blossoms and autumn foliage are peak seasons; winter is clear and crowd-light. For flights into Tokyo, compare fares on Trip.com or Kiwi.com; for Japan trains (including Shinkansen), check schedules and fares on Trip.com Trains.

Tokyo

Tokyo dazzles because it’s a collage: shrine forests beside fashion avenues, 24/7 ramen counters near Michelin temples of cuisine, and quiet backstreets lined with kissaten coffeehouses. Base yourself in Shinjuku or Shibuya for easy transit and nightlife, or in Asakusa for tradition at your doorstep.

Top picks include Senso-ji’s thunder gate, the living food museum that is Tsukiji Outer Market, vertigo-inducing views from Shibuya Sky, and the immersive digital art of teamLab Planets in Toyosu. Food-wise, chase contrasts: a standing sushi bar at lunch, then a craft cocktail temple at night.

• Where to stay: Browse apartments and family-friendly stays on VRBO Tokyo or compare hotels by neighborhood on Hotels.com Tokyo. Shinjuku for nightlife and transit, Ginza for upscale dining and calm nights, Asakusa for old Tokyo charm.
• Getting in: Haneda is closest (15–30 minutes to the center), Narita ~60 minutes. Search flights on Trip.com or Kiwi.com.

Day 1: Arrival, Shinjuku First Impressions

Morning: Fly into Tokyo. If you arrive ahead of schedule, drop bags at your hotel and grab a pour-over at Verve Coffee Roasters Shinjuku or a silky latte at Blue Bottle Shinjuku for a quick reset.

Afternoon: Stretch your legs in Shinjuku Gyoen, a former feudal garden turned city oasis. Stroll the Japanese, English, and French sections; in spring, its cherry trees bloom spectacularly. Late afternoon, head up the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s free observatory for skyline views.

Evening: Welcome dinner in Omoide Yokocho, where tiny yakitori counters char-grill skewers over binchotan; try Negishi for beef tongue or Torien for classic chicken. Cap the night with a gentle Golden Gai bar-hop—peek into Albatross G for chandeliers and vinyl, or Bar Araku for whisky-forward cocktails.

Day 2: Asakusa, Ueno, and Akihabara

Morning: Start at Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple. Enter through the red lantern of Kaminarimon, then snack your way down Nakamise-dori—hot melonpan from Asakusa Kagetsudo and ningyo-yaki sponge cakes. Coffee at Coffee Wrights Asakusa before exploring the temple’s incense-scented grounds.

Afternoon: Walk or subway to Ueno Park. If you pick one museum, make it the Tokyo National Museum for samurai armor and Hokusai prints. Wander Ameya-Yokocho market for street bites—takoyaki, karaage—and pick up matcha sweets.

Evening: Cross to Akihabara, where arcades, retro game shops, and anime stores stack sky-high. Dinner nearby: Kanda Matsuya for hand-cut soba with tempura, or Tonkatsu Marugo for a juicy pork cutlet with panko crunch. Finish with matcha parfaits at a kissaten-style cafe.

Day 3: Toyosu + Tsukiji, teamLab, and Ginza Nights

Morning: Optional pre-dawn: watch the tuna auction from the public gallery at Toyosu Market (free, limited viewing slots). After sunrise, graze Tsukiji Outer Market: sushi at Sushi Zanmai main branch, knife browsing at Aritsugu stalls, and tamagoyaki on sticks. Coffee at Turret Coffee for a rich, roasty espresso.

Afternoon: Immerse in teamLab Planets (Toyosu)—barefoot, water-and-light installations; book timed entry (~¥3,800). Then head to Ginza for window-shopping and wagashi at a traditional sweets shop.

Evening: Dinner options: Tempura Kondo for feather-light tempura; Ginza Kagari for rich tori paitan ramen; or Sushi no Midori for high-value nigiri (expect lines). Cocktails after: Bar High Five or Star Bar Ginza, both masters of precision ice and classic builds.

Day 4: Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya

Morning: Enter the cedar-scented calm of Meiji Jingu through towering torii. Brunch nearby at Bread, Espresso & for custardy French toast and espresso, or The Roastery by Nozy Coffee for single-origin pour-overs.

Afternoon: Stroll Omotesando’s architectural catwalk, then browse Cat Street’s boutiques. Move to Shibuya for Shibuya Sky’s open-air deck—best light mid-to-late afternoon. Snack on Harajuku crepes or taiyaki en route.

Evening: Slurp a solo booth bowl at Ichiran Ramen Shibuya or citrusy yuzu-shio ramen at Afuri Harajuku. Cross the famous Shibuya Crossing—its organized chaos dates to the 1970s and remains a rite of passage—then tuck into Nonbei Yokocho’s lantern-lit microbars or seek a destination drink at Bar BenFiddich (reservation recommended).

Kyoto

Kyoto is poetry in wood and stone: 1,000+ temples, riverside willows, and alleys where paper lanterns glow at dusk. The city’s cuisine leans seasonal and delicate—obanzai small plates, tofu prepared a dozen ways, and kaiseki that reads like a micro-seasonal calendar.

Base near Gion or Pontocho for atmosphere, or by Kyoto Station for transit. Days here are for slow walks—Higashiyama’s preserved lanes, moss gardens at Saiho-ji (advance application), and the rhythmic climb beneath Fushimi Inari’s torii.

• Where to stay: Townhouses and river-adjacent stays on VRBO Kyoto, or compare ryokan-style hotels and modern suites on Hotels.com Kyoto.
• Tokyo to Kyoto: Take the Shinkansen Hikari from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station (~2 hr 20 min). Expect ~¥14,000–¥15,500 one-way (~$95–$110) depending on reserved/non-reserved seats. Check times and fares via Trip.com Trains. Depart in the morning to maximize your day.

Day 5: Travel to Kyoto, Higashiyama and Gion

Morning: Pick up an ekiben bento at Tokyo Station (look for salmon harasu or wagyu sukiyaki boxes) and board the Hikari. Enjoy glimpses of Mt. Fuji on clear days from right-side seats.

Afternoon: Drop bags at your Kyoto stay and head to Higashiyama. Wander Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka’s stone slopes to Kiyomizu-dera; step onto the wooden stage for city views. Coffee stop at % Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama for a river of crema.

Evening: Stroll Gion at dusk; you may spot geiko on their way to appointments. Dinner ideas: Gion Tanto for homestyle obanzai and tofu; Chojiro Shijo-Kawaramachi for conveyor-belt sushi with surprisingly high quality; or yakitori at Torito Pontocho. Nightcap at L’Escamoteur, a whimsical cocktail bar with a magician-bartender’s flair.

Day 6: Arashiyama, Zen Gardens, Pontocho

Morning: Arrive early in Arashiyama before crowds. Coffee at % Arabica Arashiyama by the Katsura River, then enter the Bamboo Grove’s emerald corridor. Visit Tenryu-ji’s gardens—seasonal color against raked gravel and pond reflections.

Afternoon: Tofu lunch at Yudofu Sagano (gentle, silky, very Kyoto). Continue to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), then Ryoan-ji’s famed rock garden—fifteen stones arranged so you can never see all at once, a 500-year-old lesson in perspective.

Evening: Ramble Pontocho Alley. Grab Kyoto-style tsukemen at Wajoryomen Sugari (smoky broth, handmade noodles) or book a modern kaiseki at Giro Giro (multi-course creativity at friendly prices). Try a nihonshu tasting at a small sake bar along the Kamogawa after dinner.

Day 7: Fushimi Inari and Optional Nara

Morning: Sunrise at Fushimi Inari Taisha rewards you with near-empty paths through thousands of vermilion torii. Espresso and toast at Vermillion - espresso bar beside the shrine. If you like, continue a short hike to quieter upper loops.

Afternoon: Optional half-day trip to Nara: JR from Kyoto Station to Nara (~45–60 minutes, ~¥720–¥1,000). See Todai-ji’s Great Buddha and mingle with the bowing deer in Nara Park. Back in Kyoto, snack through Nishiki Market—grilled eel skewers, yuba (tofu skin), pickled vegetables.

Evening: Farewell dinner. Book ahead for a seasonal kaiseki at Kikunoi Roan (downtown branch) for an accessible introduction to Kyoto haute cuisine, or go casual with izakaya small plates at Kappa in Pontocho. If time allows, a final riverside walk along the Kamogawa completes the week.

Departure: Travel back to Tokyo by Shinkansen (~2 hr 20 min) if your flight leaves from there, or take a limited express to Kansai International Airport if flying out of Osaka. Compare flights on Trip.com or Kiwi.com, and check train times on Trip.com Trains.

Tokyo food and drink quick hits: Afuri (yuzu ramen), Ichiran (customizable tonkotsu), Sushi no Midori (value nigiri), Tempura Kondo (reservations), Tonkatsu Marugo (juicy cutlets), Coffee Wrights and Onibus (third-wave coffee), Bar High Five (classic cocktails), BenFiddich (aromatics and house infusions).

Kyoto food and drink quick hits: Inoda Coffee (retro breakfast), % Arabica (espresso), Nishiki Market snacks (yuba, tsukemono, soy doughnuts), Wajoryomen Sugari (noodles), Chojiro (sushi), Gion Tanto (obanzai), L’Escamoteur (cocktails), local sake bars along Kiyamachi.

Wherever you land, secure lodgings first: browse VRBO Tokyo, Hotels.com Tokyo, VRBO Kyoto, and Hotels.com Kyoto. Then book flights on Trip.com or Kiwi.com, and lock in Shinkansen seats via Trip.com Trains.

In a week, you’ll have zipped from Tokyo’s skyline to Kyoto’s temple bells, tasted the spectrum from market sushi to multi-course kaiseki, and learned to love the quiet moments between. Japan rewards return visits—but this itinerary gives you a beautiful first chapter.