The Full Golden Route
10 days: Tokyo → Mt. Fuji & Kawaguchiko → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka. Every stop below is backed by 30 roundups of Japanese comment-section consensus — including which famous stops locals tell you to skip, and where they go instead.
Read before you go
Day 1-3 · Tokyo
- Kamata Izakaya Guide: Where Tokyo Locals Drink15 likes on the top comment7 places named
- Gyukatsu Motomura Price: Is It Still Worth It?Japanese visitors say skip28,150 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative1 place named
- Quiet Onsen Near Tokyo: 20+ Towns That Aren't Hakone118 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative13 places named
Book on Agoda: Takaragawa OnsenTatsumikan
Day 4 · Mt. Fuji & Kawaguchiko
We haven't published a local roundup for Mt. Fuji & Kawaguchiko yet — it lands here automatically when we do.
Day 5 · Hakone
Everything locals say about Hakone →Day 6-8 · Kyoto
- Best Ramen in Kyoto? What Japanese Ramen Fans Say23 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative4 places named
- Kiyomizu-dera Street Food: The ¥250 Cucumber WinsJapanese visitors say go3,938 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative2 places named
- Should I Stay in Nara or Kyoto? What Japanese SayJapanese visitors split392 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative8 places named
Day 9-10 · Osaka
- Best Takoyaki in Osaka? Where Locals Actually Go297 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative6 places named
- 551 Horai Pork Buns: the Train Rule Riders Beg You to Keep1,552 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative2 places named
- Which USJ Hotel Is Worth It? What Japanese Guests Book28 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative8 places named
Book on Agoda: Hotel Universal PortLiber Hotel OsakaHotel Universal Port Vita
If eating is the point
Not on the main route above, but these are the ones Japanese comment sections argue about hardest.
- Hakone Street Food: Japanese Picks and Black Egg TruthJapanese visitors say go349 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative6 places named
- Arashiyama Street Food: Japan's Bluntest ReviewJapanese visitors say go1,107 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative5 places named
- Why Is Saizeriya So Cheap? Japanese Diners Say Raise PricesJapanese people say go438 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative3 places named
If you came for the baths
How onsen and ryokan actually work, and the quiet ones locals use instead of the famous baths.
If it's anime, arcades and theme parks
What locals say the otaku districts have become, and whether the parks are worth a whole day.
- Is Akihabara Worth It Anymore? What Japanese Otaku SayJapanese visitors split93 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative4 places named
- USJ Food Prices: Worth It? 10,863 Likes AnswerJapanese visitors split10,863 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative3 places named
- Which Tokyo Disney Hotel Is Worth It? Japanese Guests35 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative6 places named
If you're doing it cheap
The cheap sleeps and cheap chains Japanese people actually rate — not the tourist-facing ones.
More of what locals said about this route
Roundups that didn't fit a day above, but are about the same stops on Tokyo → Mt. Fuji & Kawaguchiko → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka.
- Teishoku in Tokyo: 5 Halls Where Regulars Actually Eat23 likes on the top comment5 places named
- Is Ameyoko Worth It? Don't Buy the Fish, Japanese SayJapanese visitors split1,300 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative3 places named
- Kyoto Cheap Eats: The Diners Japanese Regulars Use16 likes on the top comment7 places named
- Is Nishiki Market a Tourist Trap? Japanese Visitors AnswerJapanese visitors say skip20,198 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative1 place named
- What Is Nikusui? Osaka's Hangover Soup, Explained1,722 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative1 place named
- Cheapest Place to Stay in Osaka: What ¥2,800 Really GetsJapanese visitors split502 likes on the top commentHas a locals' alternative3 places named
Every route is assembled from our own translated roundups of Japanese YouTube comment sections — nothing here is invented. Opening hours and prices change, so we link out to maps and to the original videos instead of stating them.
Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you book through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Which places appear here is decided by the source comments only.