7-Day Japan Itinerary: The Classic First Week
7 days: Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka. Every stop below is backed by 26 roundups of Japanese comment-section consensus — including which famous stops Japanese commenters 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
- Shin-Okubo Cafe Queues: Is the Viral One Worth It?Japanese visitors say skip41,720 likes on the top commentHas a “go here instead” pick4 places named
- Quiet Onsen Near Tokyo: 20+ Towns That Aren't Hakone118 likes on the top commentHas a “go here instead” pick13 places named
Book on Agoda: Takaragawa OnsenTatsumikan
Day 4 · Hakone
Everything Japanese commenters say about Hakone →Day 5-6 · Kyoto
Everything Japanese commenters say about Kyoto →Day 7 · Osaka
Everything Japanese commenters say about Osaka →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 “go here instead” pick6 places named
- Arashiyama Street Food: Japan's Bluntest ReviewJapanese visitors say go1,107 likes on the top comment5 places named
- Gyukatsu Motomura Price: Japanese Diners Say Quality FellJapanese visitors say skip28,150 likes on the top comment1 place named
If you came for the baths
How onsen and ryokan actually work, and the quieter baths Japanese regulars use instead of the famous ones.
If it's anime, arcades and theme parks
What Japanese fans 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 “go here instead” pick4 places named
- USJ Food Prices: Worth It? 10,863 Likes AnswerJapanese visitors split10,863 likes on the top commentHas a “go here instead” pick3 places named
- Is Tokyo Disneyland Worth It? Japanese Fans' VerdictJapanese people split7,781 likes on the top comment2 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 Japanese commenters said about this route
Roundups that didn't fit a day above, but are about the same stops on Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka.
- Teishoku in Tokyo: 5 Halls Where Regulars Actually Eat23 likes on the top comment5 places named
- All-You-Can-Eat Sushi in Tokyo: Is Kakida Worth It?Japanese visitors say skip30,739 likes on the top comment1 place named
- Kyoto Cheap Eats: The Diners Japanese Regulars Use16 likes on the top comment7 places named
- Zenkashoin, Kyoto: The Cafe Japan's Harshest ApprovedJapanese visitors say go13,133 likes on the top commentHas a “go here instead” pick1 place named
- Japan Escalator Etiquette: Left or Right? Riders Are Split459 likes on the top comment
- Is Ameyoko Worth It? Don't Buy the Fish, Japanese SayJapanese visitors split1,300 likes on the top commentHas a “go here instead” pick3 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.