Tokyo House
Hotel
Days 1–3
Japan Golden Route - 7 Days (Tokyo, Hakone, Mount Fuji, Kyoto & Arashiyama)
Seven days along the Tokaido, with Fuji on a clear morning. Seven days with reserved shinkansen seats, central hotels in all three cities and a bilingual guide on the Tokyo and Kyoto days.
Meridian Overland
Runs this trip
Group trips
Seven days along the Tokaido, with Fuji on a clear morning
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Shibuya CrossingGet the Suica on day one; it pays for every train, bus and vending machine for the rest of the trip. Senso-jiSenso-ji at 8 AM is empty and at 11 AM is not. OwakudaniFuji is visible about half the time and almost always in the morning. Lake AshiThis day is front-loaded for that reason. Fushimi InariFushimi Inari never closes, and after five in the afternoon the tunnel of gates thins out almost completely. Todai-jiThe Nara deer bow for crackers and will absolutely go through your bag for them.
Itinerary
Get the Suica on day one; it pays for every train, bus and vending machine for the rest of the trip.
TokyoHow the day runs
- 1 hrsMonorail and JR to the hotel
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationTokyo House
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Suica card loaded
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Shibuya Crossing Shinjuku Start point Tokyo, Haneda Airport (HND), Tokyo 06:00 - 22:00Senso-ji at 8 AM is empty and at 11 AM is not. The order of this day is deliberate.
TokyoHow the day runs
- 1 hrs9:00 AM — Ginza line to Asakusa
- 1 hrs4:00 PM — across to Shibuya and Shinjuku
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationTokyo House
Included Activities
- Guided walking day
- All metro fares
Optional Activities
- TeamLab digital art museum
LANDMARKS Senso-ji Nakamise-dori Shibuya Crossing Omoide Yokocho Fuji is visible about half the time and almost always in the morning. This day is front-loaded for that reason.
Tokyo, Hakone, Mount FujiHow the day runs
- 2 hrs7:30 AM — Odakyu Romancecar out of Shinjuku
- 1 hrs11:00 AM — the ropeway over Owakudani
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationTokyo House
Included Activities
- Hakone Free Pass
- Ropeway and pirate boat
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Owakudani Lake Ashi Hakone Shrine torii Fushimi Inari never closes, and after five in the afternoon the tunnel of gates thins out almost completely.
Tokyo, KyotoHow the day runs
- 2 hrs9:00 AM — Nozomi to Kyoto
- 0 hrs3:00 PM — Nara line to Fushimi Inari
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationKyoto Lodge
Included Activities
- Shinkansen ticket
- Hotel night in Kyoto
Optional Activities
- Gion after dark
LANDMARKS Fushimi Inari Gion Kyoto Station The bamboo grove is genuinely worth a 7 AM start and genuinely not worth a 10 AM one.
Kyoto, ArashiyamaHow the day runs
- 1 hrs7:30 AM — the grove before the crowds
- 1 hrs12:00 PM — across to Kinkaku-ji
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationKyoto Lodge
Included Activities
- Temple entries
- Guided day
- All local transport
LANDMARKS Arashiyama bamboo grove Kinkaku-ji Philosopher's Path The Nara deer bow for crackers and will absolutely go through your bag for them.
Kyoto, Nara, OsakaHow the day runs
- 1 hrs8:30 AM — the Nara line south
- 1 hrs3:00 PM — on to Osaka for the night
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationOsaka House
Included Activities
- Todai-ji entry
- Hotel night in Osaka
Optional Activities
- Dotonbori street food crawl
LANDMARKS Todai-ji Nara Park Dotonbori Kansai is an hour out on the Haruka. Flying home from Osaka rather than Tokyo saves a whole backtrack day.
OsakaHow the day runs
- 1 hrsHaruka express to Kansai International
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Suica card loaded
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 2Guided walking day
- Day 2All metro fares
- Day 2TeamLab digital art museumCosts extra
- Day 3Hakone Free Pass
- Day 3Ropeway and pirate boat
- Day 4Shinkansen ticket
- Day 4Hotel night in Kyoto
- Day 4Gion after darkCosts extra
- Day 5Temple entries
- Day 5Guided day
- Day 5All local transport
- Day 6Todai-ji entry
- Day 6Hotel night in Osaka
- Day 6Dotonbori street food crawlCosts extra
- Day 1 · 3 nightsTokyo House
- Day 4 · 2 nightsKyoto Lodge
- Day 6 · 1 nightOsaka House
- Day 1Tokyo to TokyoMonorail and JR to the hotel
- Day 2Tokyo to Tokyo9:00 AM — Ginza line to Asakusa
- Day 2Tokyo to Tokyo4:00 PM — across to Shibuya and Shinjuku
- Day 3Tokyo to Hakone7:30 AM — Odakyu Romancecar out of Shinjuku
- Day 4Tokyo to Kyoto9:00 AM — Nozomi to Kyoto
- Day 4Kyoto to Kyoto3:00 PM — Nara line to Fushimi Inari
- Day 5Kyoto to Arashiyama7:30 AM — the grove before the crowds
- Day 6Kyoto to Nara8:30 AM — the Nara line south
- Day 6Nara to Osaka3:00 PM — on to Osaka for the night
- Day 7Osaka to OsakaHaruka express to Kansai International
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Kyoto Lodge
Lodge
Days 4, 5
Osaka House
Hotel
Day 6
What you'll eat
6 breakfasts and 1 dinner across 7 days, at the lodges you sleep in. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 7.
- DinnerServed on day 1
- BreakfastServed on days 2–7
7 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered everywhere; Jain and gluten-free on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.5/5
Based on 56 reviews
Review summary
Food4.4/5
Guide4.2/5
Itinerary4.4/5
Transport4.2/5
Accommodation4.3/5
Tour operator4.4/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
N
Nina Hoffmann – Auckland2026-05-21 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Good value for what's included.
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5
O
Owen Clarke – London2026-05-21 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Worth every rupee.
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2
A
Arjun Pillai – Jaipur2026-05-21 · Verified booking
Too much time on the coach and not enough at the places we'd come for.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.
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4
C
Carla Mendes – Amsterdam2026-05-21 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. No hesitation recommending them.
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5
M
Meera Iyer – Jaipur2026-04-27 · Verified booking
Kanto & Kansai done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Hotels were clean and central, which saved a lot of time. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it. Worth every rupee.
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5
T
Tara D'Souza – Hyderabad2026-04-27 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Solid operator.
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4
T
Tara D'Souza – Pune2026-04-27 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. Worth every rupee.
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5
T
Tom Bergman – London2026-04-27 · Verified booking
Good mix of the obvious things and a few places we'd never have found. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Meals were good throughout and the vegetarian options weren't an afterthought. Would book with them again.
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