From the bullet train to the Okinawa sea

Tokyo, from Asakusa to Shinjuku; Kyoto, about 2h15 away by Shinkansen, with Kiyomizu-dera, Arashiyama and Nijō Castle; and Okinawa, the island of the old Ryukyu Kingdom, with Shuri Castle, the memorials of 1945, the Churaumi aquarium and the boat of about 50 minutes to the Kerama Islands.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Tokyo → Kyoto → Okinawa · 10–14 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

JapanTokyo
Days
3–5
When
Mar–Apr · Oct–Dec
Per person/day
Average 20,000–30,000 JPYMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. The figures are the guide’s estimate.
JapanKyoto
Days
3–4
When
Spring and autumn
Per person/day
Average 15,000–20,000 JPYMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
JapanOkinawa
Days
4–5
When
Apr · Oct–Nov
Per person/day
Average 18,500 JPYMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For travellers who want the classic first trip to Japan with a few days by the sea at the end, and a history, that of Ryukyu, which neither Tokyo nor Kyoto tells.

Not for anyone who wants beach time in the hottest months: from June to September Okinawa can get typhoons, and July and August are Tokyo’s hardest stretch of heat and humidity.

The strategy

Tokyo gets three days, one for each side of the city, and five if Kamakura and Hakone fit in. From Tokyo Station, the Shinkansen reaches Kyoto in about 2h15; with a Japan Rail Pass, take the Hikari, because the Nozomi is not covered. Kyoto gets three days, by area: Higashiyama, the north-west with Arashiyama, and the centre with Nijō and Nishiki, plus a fourth for Nara. For Okinawa, fly from Kansai (KIX), 75 to 80 minutes from Kyoto on the Haruka express, or from Itami (ITM), 55 to 70 minutes by bus. Okinawa gets four or five days: Shuri and central Naha; the south with the Battle of Okinawa memorials and Sefa Utaki; the boat to the Kerama Islands; and a day’s drive in the north, with Churaumi and Nakijin Castle, sleeping in Motobu or Onna. The monorail links the airport with central Naha, but outside the capital a rental car is the practical choice, driving on the left and, as a rule, with an International Driving Permit. The fast boat to Kerama takes phone bookings from one month ahead and none on the day itself. November suits all three cities, and so do the first two weeks of April, before Golden Week, 29 April to 5 May. For the way home, Naha has domestic flights to the whole of Japan.

What you will see

Sensō-ji, Tokyo. Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple, founded according to tradition in 628 and rebuilt in concrete in 1958 after the bombing.
Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto. A shrine from 711 dedicated to Inari, the deity of rice and commerce, with about 10,000 torii donated by companies.
Cape Manzamo, Okinawa. A 20-meter limestone cliff above the sea, on the Onna coast, with a visitor center.

Day by day