Japan itinerary in 14 days: two full weeks

Two weeks is, for many travellers, the perfect itinerary through Japan: the one that covers the classic Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka route and also gives room for the two extensions almost everyone would want to include and that on shorter trips have to be sacrificed: Hakone, to see Mount Fuji and sleep in a ryokan with an onsen, and Hiroshima with Miyajima, which many consider the most powerful moment of the whole trip.

Compared with the 10-day itinerary, the extra days are spread between those two stops and a fourth full day in Kyoto, which is the city that most appreciates the time. It is still a comfortable trip: all the transfers are made on the Shinkansen and the route moves in a single direction, from Tokyo westwards, without backtracking.

About the JR Pass it is best not to be guided by intuition. Although the trip lasts two weeks, this route moves in a single direction and without returning to Tokyo, so the sum of long legs (Odawara–Kyoto, Kyoto–Hiroshima and Hiroshima–Osaka) stays well below the price of the 14-day pass. We break it down in the budget section: in most cases individual tickets are better value.

On a two-week trip with four or five bases, logistics matter more than on a short trip. These details make the difference between dragging suitcases and travelling light:

• Luggage forwarding (takuhaibin). The Japanese courier service (Yamato, Sagawa) takes your suitcase from one hotel to another in 24 hours for 1,500–2,500 ¥. It is ideal on the day you go to Hakone: send the large suitcase straight from Tokyo to Kyoto and do Hakone with just a one-night backpack. The hotel reception arranges the shipment.
• One checked suitcase and a day backpack. With five cities, travelling light is key. Japanese hotels have small rooms and station lockers come in limited sizes. Check what to bring in the packing guide for Japan.
• Laundry mid-trip. Almost all mid-range hotels have coin laundries for 200–400 ¥ a cycle. Doing a wash around day 6–7 (in Kyoto) lets you bring half the clothes.
• Calculate the JR Pass before buying it. On this one-way route individual tickets are usually cheaper than the 14-day pass, but it changes if you add long detours. If it does turn out to be worth it, remember the pass is activated on the date you choose and lasts 14 consecutive calendar days: since you spend day 1 jet-lagged in Tokyo without moving, it is best to activate it on the day of the first long leg. Run the numbers with the JR Pass calculator.
• Book the Hakone ryokan in advance. Good ryokan with an onsen and a kaiseki dinner sell out, especially at the weekend and in momiji season. Book it as soon as you have the dates, before the rest of the hotels.
• Constant internet connection. To move between five cities with Google Maps and train schedules, an eSIM or pocket wifi is essential. You have the options compared in the guide to internet in Japan.

Estimate for one person in mid-season, with mid-range accommodation (a 3-star hotel or a quality hostel). In April and November prices rise by 30–40%. These are indicative figures, not a fixed budget.

Be careful with the JR Pass: for this one-way route (Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Hiroshima → Osaka, without returning to Tokyo) the long Shinkansen legs add up to around 33,000–35,000 ¥ bought individually, well below the 80,000 ¥ (about 435 €) the 14-day pass costs. Unless you add big detours (Kanazawa, Fukuoka or the north), the 14-day JR Pass usually is not worth it on this route. Check it with your exact itinerary in the JR Pass calculator, review the updated prices in the JR Pass guide and work out the cash to bring with the yen converter.

Fourteen days give plenty of scope to adjust the route without giving up the essentials. Some common variants:

• Not interested in Hiroshima? Swap those two days for Kanazawa (Kenroku-en garden and historic districts) or for more time in Tokyo.
• Want more nature? Replace an urban day with Takayama and the village of Shirakawa-go in the Japanese Alps.
• Travelling with children? Reserve an Osaka day for Universal Studios and spread the Kyoto temples with more breaks. Ideas in Japan with kids.
• Tight budget? Stay in Osaka the last nights and weigh up whether the 14-day JR Pass is worth it.

The fastest way to adapt it is to say how many days you have, how many of you there are, your budget and your pace: from there the nights are distributed between cities, the costs are estimated and the hotel links are generated automatically.