Self-Launched Splendid Japan: Osaka to Tokyo in 8 Days

Land at Kansai International (KIX) and take the Nankai Rapi:t or Nankai Airport Express train into Namba — the airport express to Namba costs about £8-9 and takes 40-45 minutes on the express. (The tour's first-night hotel, Star Gate Hotel Kansai, is one stop from the airport, but for a self-launched trip, one night in Namba is better value and puts you in the middle of the Dotonbori action — if you land very late, pick a cheap airport-area hotel instead and move in the morning.) Check in, then walk Dotonbori for takoyaki, okonomiyaki and neon. Pick up a Suica/ICOCA card at the station and sort a pocket wifi or eSIM.

🚌Nankai Express KIX → Namba, approx £9

🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel near Namba/Daikokucho (e.g. hostel dorm £15-20, basic business hotel single £30-40)

• →Nankai Airport Express to Namba
• →Evening walk along Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi

Take the Kintetsu Nara Line from Osaka-Namba direct to Kintetsu Nara station (about 40 minutes, ~£4.50), which drops you a 5-minute walk from Nara Park. Spend the morning feeding the free-roaming deer (senbei crackers are about ¥200/£1 a pack), then walk into Todaiji Temple to see the giant Daibutsu bronze Buddha (admission ~£4.50). Continue on foot through the park to Kasuga Taisha shrine and its lantern-lined approach — walk it yourself rather than paying for a guided tour; signage in English is excellent and the whole park is easily self-navigable. Head back to Osaka for the evening. Optional: GetYourGuide runs a Nara half-day walking tour from Osaka (~£45) if you want local commentary.

🚌Kintetsu Nara Line return Osaka-Namba ↔ Kintetsu Nara, approx £9 total

🛏Same hostel/budget hotel in Namba, Osaka (£15-40)

• →Nara Park deer feeding (senbei ~£1)
• →Todaiji Temple & Daibutsu (~£4.50)
• →Kasuga Taisha shrine (free grounds)
• →Optional: Nara half-day walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£45)

The original offers Hiroshima as a paid optional (¥54,000 / roughly £280 per person with a guide). You can do it yourself far cheaper: Osaka to Hiroshima on the Sanyo Shinkansen is about 1h20 on the Sakura/Mizuho (approx £50-55 one way, or use a JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass ~£110 for 5 days if you're doing multiple JR trips). From Hiroshima station take the tram to the Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Dome (free to walk, Peace Memorial Museum admission ~£1.20), then the JR Sanyo line + ferry to Miyajima for Itsukushima Shrine (ferry ~£2, shrine ~£2) — but be realistic: Hiroshima + Miyajima in one day is tight. If you want it, either leave Osaka very early or consider a Hiroshima overnight instead. Otherwise, keep a relaxed Osaka day: Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle park, Shinsekai and a rooftop or onsen evening.

🚌Optional: Sanyo Shinkansen Osaka ↔ Hiroshima, approx £55 each way; or local Osaka subway day pass ~£5

🛏Same hostel/budget hotel in Namba, Osaka (£15-40)

• →Peace Memorial Park & Atomic Bomb Dome (free)
• →Peace Memorial Museum (~£1.20)
• →Miyajima ferry + Itsukushima Shrine (~£4)
• →Or: Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle park, Shinsekai

Take the JR Kyoto Line or Keihan/Hankyu from Osaka to Kyoto (about 30-45 minutes, ~£3-4; a JR Pass or Kansai Area Pass covers JR options). Get to Fushimi Inari Taisha early — it's free and 24 hours, and before 8:30am the vermilion torii tunnels are near-empty (this is your biggest advantage over a coach tour that arrives mid-morning). Then use the city bus or subway to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (~£3). Afterwards ride the JR San-in line to Saga-Arashiyama for the bamboo grove (free) and Togetsukyo Bridge. In the late afternoon, hop the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya (about 35 minutes, ~£22-25) and stay near Nagoya Station — the original does something similar but with its own hotel; a Narita/Meitetsu-area budget inn works fine.

🚌Osaka → Kyoto local train ~£3.50; Kyoto city bus/subway day pass ~£5; Kyoto → Nagoya shinkansen ~£23

🛏Budget business hotel near Nagoya Station or Sakae (e.g. £30-40 for a small single; hostel dorm £18-22)

• →Fushimi Inari Taisha at dawn (free)
• →Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion (~£3)
• →Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Togetsukyo Bridge (free)

Morning at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya (admission ~£3; 10 minutes' walk/tram from Nagoya Station — book ahead on weekends). Then take the JR Shinano limited express to Nagiso station (~£13-15, about 50 minutes) to reach Tsumago and Magome, the preserved Edo-era post towns on the Nakasendo trail. Walk the 8km Magome–Tsumago path if you're up for it (it's the classic stretch, well marked and mostly downhill from Magome, though bus connections to Magome village take extra time) — otherwise just wander Tsumago's wooden inns and the old checkpoint. Continue by JR Shinano to Matsumoto in the evening (~£13), a much-loved castle town and a good base for the next day.

🚌JR Shinano Nagoya → Nagiso ~£14; Nagiso → Matsumoto ~£13; local buses to post towns ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel near Matsumoto Station (dorm £18-25, private room £35-45)

• →Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (~£3)
• →Tsumago & Magome post towns (free)
• →Optional 8km Nakasendo trail walk (free)
• →Evening in Matsumoto

Start with Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's few original-wood castles (admission ~£4), then take the JR Chuo line via Kofu to Otsuki (~£25-30, about 2.5-3 hours) and the Fujikyu line onward toward Lake Yamanaka / Fujiyoshida. From Fujiyoshida or Kawaguchiko station, use the Fujikyuko buses: the Mt Fuji 5th Station bus (seasonal, roughly late April to early November) is about £8-10 return, but check current status before relying on it — off-season you can only get as far as the Subaru Line gate by bus. For a lake boat ride, the Kawaguchiko sightseeing boat or a Lake Yamanaka swan-boat hire is ~£7-9 — cheaper and more flexible than the tour's chartered cruise. Stay in a hostel or minshuku near Lake Yamanaka or Kawaguchiko. Book ahead in cherry-blossom and autumn-colour season; budget rooms here sell out.

🚌JR Chuo line Matsumoto → Otsuki ~£28; Fujikyu line + local buses ~£12; Fuji 5th Station bus ~£9 return (seasonal)

🛏Hostel or minshuku near Kawaguchiko/Lake Yamanaka (dorm £20-28, private £45-60)

• →Matsumoto Castle (~£4)
• →Mt Fuji 5th Station (bus ~£9 return, seasonal)
• →Lake Yamanaka/Kawaguchiko boat ride (~£8)
• →Komitake Shrine (free)

Travel to Tokyo by highway express bus from Kawaguchiko/Fujiyoshida to Shinjuku (~£15-20, about 2 hours; cheaper and more comfortable than the train for this leg, and you arrive right in Shinjuku — the same neighbourhood as the tour's Far East Village Hotel Ariake, which you can replace with a Shinjuku or Asakusa hostel/budget hotel). Drop bags, then self-guide the city on the subway: Meiji Shrine (free) — go early if possible — walk through Omotesando to Takeshita Street in Harajuku, then Tokyo Tower observation deck (main deck ~£7.50, book online to skip queues). In the evening, explore Shinjuku's Kabukicho and Omoide Yokocho for yakitori; a Tokyo Metro 24-hour pass is about £4.50. A GetYourGuide Tokyo walking tour (~£35-45) is available if you'd like a guide for the Meiji-Omotesando stretch, but everything here is walkable and signposted.

🚌Highway express bus Kawaguchiko/Fujiyoshida → Shinjuku ~£18; Tokyo Metro 24h pass ~£4.50

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Shinjuku/Asakusa (dorm £20-28, budget twin £40-55)

• →Meiji Shrine (free)
• →Omotesando & Takeshita Street (free)
• →Tokyo Tower main deck (~£7.50)
• →Shinjuku Kabukicho evening (free)
• →Optional: Tokyo walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£40)

Use your last morning for what you missed — a Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast (~£8-10), the free Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck in Shinjuku, or an onsen. Then head to the airport: Haneda is 25-35 minutes from central Tokyo on the Keikyu or Tokyo Monorail (~£3), while Narita is 60-90 minutes on the Keisei Skyliner or Narita Express (~£14-17). Budget extra time for Narita — this is exactly what surprised the original tour's reviewers. If you're flying out of Haneda, the Keikyu line from Shinjuku via Shinagawa is the cheapest sensible route.

🚌Haneda via Keikyu/monorail ~£3; Narita via Keisei Skyliner ~£15

🛏None (departure day)

• →Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast
• →Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building free observation deck
• →Airport transfer