Land of the Samurai — Self-Launched Japan Rail Adventure
12 days · Japan (Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Hiroshima)
On The Go Tours charges £2,585
No-markup version: ~£818 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of On The Go Tours' 12-day "Land of the Samurai" itinerary, following the same Tokyo → Fuji Five Lakes → Kyoto → Himeji → Hiroshima → Miyajima → Kyoto route but with hostels and business hotels, a 7-day Japan Rail Pass, and locally booked activities. You'll hit the same headline sights — Sensoji, Tokyo National Museum, the Kamakura Big Buddha, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya, the Fuji ropeway, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji, Himeji Castle, Miyajima's floating torii and the Hiroshima Peace Park — for roughly a third of the tour price. Paced like the original: fairly fast, one activity block in the morning, free time in the afternoons. Costs are approximate backpacker/budget-hotel rates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Tokyo
Tokyo
Fly into Narita or Haneda and make your way into the city. Narita Express or the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno will set you back around £12-15 (or a ¥1,500 airport limousine bus). Check into a hostel dorm or an Asakusa/Ueno business hotel, pick up a Suica or Pasmo IC card at the airport (¥500 deposit, load ¥3,000) and take an easy evening wander around Asakusa's illuminated Nakamise arcade and the Sumida River with the Skytree glowing overhead.
🚌Airport train or bus into central Tokyo (~£12-15)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel, Asakusa/Ueno area (£15-30pp per night)
- →Pick up Suica/Pasmo IC card
- →Evening walk along Sumida River and Asakusa
Tokyo — Ueno, Sensoji and the National Museum
Tokyo
Replicate the tour's first full day: start at Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park (¥1,000 entry) for the samurai swords, armour and Buddhist sculpture galleries, then walk 25 minutes to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa — one of Tokyo's oldest and free to enter. Browse the souvenir and craft stalls of Nakamise Street. A GetYourGuide or Klook half-day guided walking tour of Ueno/Asakusa costs around £25 if you'd like context from a local guide.
🚌Metro/train hops on IC card (~£4)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel, Asakusa/Ueno (£15-30pp per night)
- →Tokyo National Museum entry ¥1,000 (~£5)
- →Sensoji Temple and Nakamise shopping street (free)
- →Optional guided Asakusa walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£25)
Kamakura day trip — Big Buddha and Hokokuji bamboo
Tokyo → Kamakura → Tokyo
Head south on the JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo Station to Kita-Kamakura (~50 min, covered by your JR Pass). Walk to Hokokuji Zen Temple (¥400) and sip matcha in its beautiful bamboo grove (extra ¥700 for tea), then continue to the Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotoku-in (¥300). Finish with the cobbled Komachi-dori shopping street. Return to Tokyo in the evening.
🚌JR Yokosuka Line Tokyo–Kita-Kamakura return (~£10, or included in JR Pass)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel, Asakusa/Ueno (£15-30pp per night)
- →Hokokuji Zen Temple and bamboo garden ¥400 + ¥700 tea
- →Kotoku-in Great Buddha ¥300
- →Komachi-dori shopping street
Tokyo — Meiji Shrine, Shibuya and Takeshita Street
Tokyo
Morning at Meiji Jingu, the forested shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji — free entry, and chances of seeing a traditional Shinto wedding. Walk to the neighbouring Harajuku district for Takeshita Street's crepe stalls, vintage shops and cat cafés, then head south to Shibuya Crossing for the obligatory scramble-crossing photo and the Shibuya Sky observation deck (¥2,500, book online in advance). Between May and September you can try for sumo tournament tickets at Ryogoku Kokugikan — they sell out fast so book through the official Oosumo site the day they release.
🚌JR Yamanote Line loop on IC card (~£5)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget business hotel, Asakusa/Ueno (£15-30pp per night)
- →Meiji Shrine (free)
- →Takeshita Street and Harajuku
- →Shibuya Crossing
- →Shibuya Sky observation deck ¥2,500 (~£13)
- →Optional sumo tournament (¥3,500-8,500), May & Sep departures only
Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchi — Fuji ropeway and ryokan night
Lake Kawaguchi
Take the JR Chuo Line to Otsuki then the private Fujikyu Railway to Kawaguchiko (~2h 45m total, ~£20-25 on top of the JR Pass; bus directly from Shinjuku also works, ~£12). Ride the Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway (¥1,000 return) and the observatory for classic lake-and-Fuji views. In spring (15 Apr–20 May) the Fuji Shibazakura Festival adds carpets of pink moss phlox (¥1,000-1,200 plus shuttle). Splash out on one night in a traditional ryokan with dinner — this replaces the tour's included ryokan dinner and onsen soak.
🚌JR to Otsuki + Fujikyu Railway to Kawaguchiko (~£22); buses around the lake (¥1,500 pass)
🛏Kawaguchiko ryokan or guesthouse with onsen (twin room from ~£70-110/room; hostel dorms also available ~£25)
- →Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway ¥1,000
- →Kawaguchiko lakeside walk and Momiji Tunnel
- →Optional Shibazakura Festival (spring departures)
Lake Kawaguchi to Kyoto — Sanjusangen-do and Gion
Lake Kawaguchi → Kyoto
Morning hike (free) along the southern lakeshore for more Fuji views if the sky is clear, then bus back to Otsuki and take the JR to Kyoto via Tokyo or Nagoya (~4-5 hours, use your JR Pass). Check into a Kyoto hostel or budget hotel near Kyoto Station or Kawaramachi. Visit Sanjusangen-do Temple (¥600) with its 1,001 golden Kannon statues, then explore the Gion geisha district at dusk. Book seats for a Gion Corner cultural performance (maiko dance, tea ceremony, koto — ¥5,500, book online or via hotel) if it appeals.
🚌Bus to Otsuki + JR to Kyoto (~£38, included if using JR Pass)
🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel (~£18-35pp per night)
- →Lakeside hike (free)
- →Sanjusangen-do Temple ¥600
- →Gion district evening walk
- →Optional Gion Corner performance ¥5,500 (~£28)
Kyoto — Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji and Fushimi Inari
Kyoto
Hit Nijo Castle (¥1,300) early to see the nightingale floors and shogun's palace, then bus or cycle to the Golden Pavilion, Kinkakuji (¥500). In the afternoon hire a kimono in Gion (~£25-35 with Klook) and walk the photogenic lanes, or take a 2-hour Japanese cooking class (~£40 via GetYourGuide). Sunset is the magic hour for Fushimi Inari's thousands of vermilion torii gates — free, and far quieter after 5pm.
🚌City bus 1-day pass ¥700 (~£4)
🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel (~£18-35pp per night)
- →Nijo Castle ¥1,300
- →Kinkakuji ¥500
- →Fushimi Inari Shrine (free)
- →Optional kimono rental (~£30) or cooking class (~£40)
Kyoto to Himeji to Hiroshima — the white heron castle
Himeji → Hiroshima
Use your JR Pass on the shinkansen: Kyoto to Himeji in 45 minutes on the Hikari/Sakura, then spend the morning at Himeji Castle (¥1,000, plus ¥1,050 for the Koko-en garden combo) — Japan's finest surviving feudal castle. On Saturdays, browse the market stalls around Miyuki-dori. Continue by shinkansen to Hiroshima (~1h), check into a hostel near the station, and if it's baseball season grab tickets for a Hiroshima Carp game at Mazda Stadium (¥2,000-4,000, book online). Finish with okonomiyaki at a Nagataya-style counter — Hiroshima's own layered version.
🚌Shinkansen Kyoto–Himeji–Hiroshima (~£80, included in 7-day JR Pass)
🛏Hiroshima hostel or budget business hotel (~£18-30pp per night)
- →Himeji Castle ¥1,000 + Koko-en garden ¥1,050
- →Optional Hiroshima Carp baseball game
- →Hiroshima okonomiyaki dinner
Miyajima Island and Mount Misen
Hiroshima → Miyajima → Hiroshima
Take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi (25 min, JR Pass valid) and the JR ferry across to Miyajima (included). Time your visit for high tide to see the floating red torii of Itsukushima-jinja (¥300 to enter the shrine; the torii viewed from the shore is free). Ride the Miyajima Ropeway (¥2,000 return) up Mount Misen and hike the final stretch to the summit for views over the Seto Inland Sea, then wander the shrine-lined lanes of the island village before returning to Hiroshima.
🚌JR train + JR ferry to Miyajima (included in JR Pass); ropeway ¥2,000
🛏Hiroshima hostel or budget business hotel (~£18-30pp per night)
- →Itsukushima-jinja Shrine ¥300
- →Miyajima Ropeway and Mount Misen hike ¥2,000
- →Island shrine and pagoda walk
Hiroshima Peace Park and back to Kyoto
Hiroshima → Kyoto
A sobering, essential morning: Hiroshima Peace Park, the Children's Peace Monument with its folded cranes, the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum (¥200). Allow 2-3 hours in the museum. Consider a GetYourGuide or Peace Park volunteer-guide walk (~£15-20) for context. After lunch, shinkansen back to Kyoto (~2h, JR Pass) and settle in for your last two nights.
🚌Hiroshima tram (~£2) + shinkansen Hiroshima–Kyoto (~£65, in JR Pass)
🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel (~£18-35pp per night)
- →Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum ¥200
- →A-Bomb Dome and Peace Park (free)
- →Children's Peace Monument
- →Optional guided peace walk (~£18)
Kyoto free day — Nara day trip option
Kyoto / Nara
Keep it flexible like the original's free day. Option one: day trip to Nara on the JR Nara Line (~45 min, JR Pass) — Nara Park's free-roaming deer, Todai-ji's giant bronze Buddha (¥800) and Kasuga Taisha's lantern-lined paths. Option two: stay in Kyoto and cycle the Philosopher's Path, explore Nishiki Market's food stalls, and hit Arashiyama's bamboo grove early. Finish with a walk up to Kiyomizu-dera for sunset.
🚌JR Nara Line return (~£10, JR Pass) or Kyoto bus day pass ¥700
🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel (~£18-35pp per night)
- →Nara Park and Todai-ji ¥800
- →Kasuga Taisha
- →or Nishiki Market, Arashiyama bamboo grove, Kiyomizu-dera (¥400)
Depart Kyoto
Kyoto
A slow final morning — last-minute souvenir shopping at Kyoto Station's Isetan or a coffee in a kissaten — then transfer out. If you're flying from Tokyo, the shinkansen back takes 2h 15m (~£80, or use the last day of a JR Pass if timed right); from Kansai Airport, the Haruka express runs direct from Kyoto Station in 75 minutes (~£15).
🚌Haruka express to Kansai Airport (~£15) or shinkansen to Tokyo (~£80)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Kyoto Station shopping
- →Departure transfer
Self-launched vs. On The Go Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | On The Go Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£818 | £2,585 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,767 per person (68%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more On The Go Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£818
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Land of the Samurai — Self-Launched Japan Rail Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £818 per person for 12 days in Japan (Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Hiroshima). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with On The Go Tours?+
Yes — On The Go Tours charges around £2,585 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £818 — a saving of roughly £1,767 (68%) per person.
How long is the Japan (Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Hiroshima) trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Japan (Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Hiroshima).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, budget, foodie trip through Japan (Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Hiroshima), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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