Simply Japan: Self-Launched Tokyo to Kyoto Adventure

Fly into Haneda or Narita and take the Keisei Skyliner or airport limousine bus to Asakusa (~£10-15). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Asakusa — the same neighbourhood the tour uses, so you're steps from Senso-ji and the Sumida River. Pick up a Suica/Pasmo IC card at the station (~£12 loaded) and a pocket wifi/eSIM. Evening: wander Nakamise-dori after the crowds thin and grab ramen or tempura at a local counter.

🚌Airport train/bus to Asakusa ~£12; IC card top-up £12

🛏Asakusa hostel or budget hotel (dorm £18-25, private £45-60)

• →Settle in Asakusa
• →Evening stroll along Sumida River
• →First ramen dinner

Free DIY walking day hitting the tour's included sights. Start early at Senso-ji and Kaminarimon Thunder Gate before 8am. Walk or take the Toei Oedo line to Fukagawa Fudo-do (~£1.50) to catch the morning Goma fire ceremony (daily, roughly 9am and 11am — free, no booking). Afternoon: metro to Harajuku for Meiji Jingu shrine and the forest approach, then cross into Shibuya for the scramble crossing.

🚌Metro day of rides ~£4-5

🛏Asakusa hostel or budget hotel

• →Senso-ji Temple & Kaminarimon
• →Goma fire ceremony at Fukagawa Fudo-do (free)
• →Meiji Jingu shrine
• →Shibuya Crossing

Pick your own adventure. Cheapest classic: take the JR Chuo line to Otsuki then the Fujikyu line to Kawaguchiko for Lake Kawaguchi Fuji views (~£12 each way, covered partly by a JR pass) — go early for clear skies. Alternative: JR to Kamakura (~£6) for the Great Buddha, Hokoku-ji bamboo temple and Yuigahama beach. Or stay local: Tokyo Skytree, Hamarikyu Gardens and a Sumida River cruise (~£12).

🚌Day trip train ~£12-25 return

🛏Asakusa hostel or budget hotel

• →Lake Kawaguchi Fuji day trip OR Kamakura Great Buddha & beaches OR Skytree + Sumida cruise

Activate your Japan Rail Pass (7-day pass ~£175, worth it for the Matsumoto–Kanazawa–Hiroshima–Kyoto legs) and take the JR Chuo line limited express from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, about 2h45 (~£35 without pass). Drop bags at a guesthouse near the station and spend the afternoon inside Matsumoto Castle — the original 16th-century wooden keep, entry ~£4. Evening: shinshu soba or miso ramen at a local noodle shop (~£8).

🚌JR limited express Tokyo–Matsumoto ~£35 (or JR Pass)

🛏Matsumoto guesthouse or budget hotel (dorm £18-22, private £40-50)

• →Matsumoto Castle interior & grounds (£4)
• →Nawate shopping street
• →Shinshu soba dinner

Take the JR Shinonoi line to Nagano then the Nagano Dentetsu private line to Yudanaka (~£12 total, private line not on JR Pass), then a local bus to Kanbayashi Onsen (~£2.50). Walk 25 minutes to Jigokudani Monkey Park (entry ~£4) to see the snow monkeys bathing — magical, especially in winter. Bus back to Nagano, visit Zenkoji Temple, then check into a shukubo (temple lodging) such as Yakuo-in for a vegetarian Buddhist dinner and futon room (~£55-70 including meals).

🚌JR to Nagano ~£15 (pass), Dentetsu line + bus ~£15

🛏Zenkoji temple lodging (shukubo) with dinner & breakfast ~£60

• →Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park (£4)
• →Zenkoji Temple & approach
• →Temple lodging with shojin ryori dinner

Join the monks for morning prayers and a blessing (free, included with your stay). Travel back via Matsumoto and take the JR Shinano line to Nagano then the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa (~3h30-4h, ~£65 without pass, covered by JR Pass). Settle into a hostel or budget hotel near Kanazawa Station, then wander the Nagamachi samurai district in late afternoon light (free) and optionally the Nomura Samurai House (~£3).

🚌JR trains Nagano–Kanazawa ~£65 (or JR Pass)

🛏Kanazawa hostel or budget hotel (dorm £18-25, private £45-55)

• →Morning prayers & blessing at Zenkoji
• →Nagamachi samurai district walk
• →Nomura Samurai House (£3)

Start at Omicho Fish Market (~9am) for chirashi-zushi or a seafood bowl (~£10). Walk to Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's three great gardens (entry ~£2, free before 7am for the early riser). Afternoon in the Higashi Chaya and Kazuemachi teahouse districts — free to wander, ~£4 for matcha and wagashi in a traditional teahouse. Evening: local izakaya near Katamachi (~£12).

🚌City bus day pass ~£5

🛏Kanazawa hostel or budget hotel

• →Omicho Fish Market
• →Kenrokuen Garden (£2)
• →Higashi Chaya & Kazuemachi teahouse districts
• →Matcha in a teahouse (£4)

Take the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, then the scenic Hida limited express upriver to Takayama (~2h30, ~£45, covered by JR Pass). Afternoon: choose a small sake brewery in the Sanmachi Suji old town for a tasting (many offer free or ~£3 tastings; a proper brewery tour needs pre-booking via the Hida Takayama tourist office, ~£10). Evening: splurge once on Hida beef skewers or a yakiniku dinner (~£20).

🚌JR Toyama–Takayama ~£45 (or JR Pass)

🛏Takayama guesthouse or hostel (dorm £20-25, private £50)

• →Hida limited express scenic ride
• →Sanmachi Suji old town
• →Sake brewery tasting (£3-10)
• →Hida beef dinner (£20)

A long rail day: Hida express back to Toyama, Shinkansen to Tokyo? No — take Hida to Nagoya then Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen to Hiroshima, roughly 5-6 hours (~£130 without pass, covered by JR Pass). Stay near Peace Memorial Park. Late afternoon visit the Peace Memorial Park and A-Bomb Dome (free), then the Peace Memorial Museum (~£1.50, closes 6pm June-Sept / 5pm off-season). Dinner: Hiroshima okonomiyaki at a Nagataya-style counter (~£8).

🚌JR trains Takayama–Hiroshima ~£130 (or JR Pass)

🛏Hiroshima hostel or budget hotel near Peace Park (dorm £20, private £45-55)

• →Peace Memorial Park & A-Bomb Dome
• →Peace Memorial Museum (£1.50)
• →Okonomiyaki dinner

Take the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi (~£4, pass-covered), then the JR ferry to Miyajima (foot passengers ~£1.50 each way, pass-covered). Check the tide tables — high tide for the floating torii, low tide to walk to it. Wander Daisho-in Temple spinning the prayer wheels, then either hike Mt Misen (2-2.5h up through forest, includes Inland Sea views and monkeys) or take the ropeway (~£12 return). Return to Hiroshima for a second night.

🚌JR train + ferry ~£11 return (or JR Pass)

🛏Hiroshima hostel or budget hotel

• →Itsukushima Shrine torii gate (shrine entry £2 / free at high tide view)
• →Daisho-in Temple
• →Mt Misen hike or ropeway (£12)

Sanyo/Tokaido Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Kyoto, about 1h40 (~£75 without pass, covered by JR Pass). Check into a hostel or budget inn near Kyoto Station. Afternoon: Nijo Castle, the shogun's palace with its nightingale floors (entry ~£8). Evening: stroll Pontocho alley along the Kamo River and eat at a yoshoku or ramen shop (~£10).

🚌Shinkansen Hiroshima–Kyoto ~£75 (or JR Pass)

🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel near Kyoto Station (dorm £22-28, private £55-70)

• →Nijo Castle (£8)
• →Pontocho alley evening walk

Get to Fushimi Inari by 7am (free, JR Nara line) to walk the torii tunnels without crowds. Mid-morning: walk the Philosopher's Path south from Ginkakuji Silver Pavilion (£4) past Eikando and Nanzenji temples. Book a small-group tea ceremony in a machiya townhouse via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£25-35, includes matcha and wagashi). Afternoon: Nishiki Food Market for tamagoyaki and pickles (~£8).

🚌JR + bus ~£5

🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel

• →Fushimi Inari Shrine at dawn
• →Ginkakuji Silver Pavilion (£4)
• →Philosopher's Path & Nanzenji
• →Self-booked matcha tea ceremony (£30)
• →Nishiki Food Market

JR Sanin line to Saga-Arashiyama (~£2). Walk to the bamboo grove early (before 9am) then into Tenryu-ji Temple and its UNESCO garden (£4). Cross Togetsukyo Bridge and hire a bike (~£7/day) to loop the rural Sagano lanes out to Adashino Nenbutsuji. Finish with matcha sweets on the shopping street, then a final dinner back in Kyoto — perhaps a kaiseki-lite set or an okonomiyaki counter (~£20).

🚌JR ~£4 return; bike hire £7

🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel

• →Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
• →Tenryu-ji Temple & garden (£4)
• →Togetsukyo Bridge
• →Bike loop to Adashino Nenbutsuji (£7)
• →Final dinner in Kyoto (£20)

Last morning: revisit a favourite temple or grab a final kissaten breakfast before heading out. Take the JR Haruka limited express to Kansai International Airport (~75 min, ~£20 with IC card, or covered by a JR Pass if timed right) or the limousine bus to Osaka Itami (~£8). Time your departure to make the most of a morning in Kyoto.

🚌Haruka train to KIX ~£20

🛏—

• →Final Kyoto morning walk
• →Last-minute souvenir shopping