Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima

We're traveling to Japan June 4-14 with two older teens and I'm trying to figure out a reasonable # of days to spend in each of these places. We want to have a broad taste of modern Japan, coupled with history and culture. My son wants to spend some time in Akhiabara since he is into all things tech, gaming, and anime, but other than that we're not sure how much time to actually spend in Tokyo. We thought a couple days on each end of the trip. We want to do a day of hiking near Mt. Fuji (5 lakes area) and maybe one night in that area, and then head to Kyoto for a few days with a side trip to Nara. My daughter wants to go to the Arashiyama monkey park. We plan to go to Hiroshima to the Peace Memorial even though it is quite a distance, and assume we can do one night in Hiroshima and then back to Tokyo. Any recommendations on how many nights to spend in each place? We plan to get a 7 day JR Pass, but what other transportation passes will we need based on our itinerary. I understand that local lines aren't included in the JR pass. Is it reasonable to take trains every place or do we need to factor in buses? We really don't want to get international drivers licenses.

Since your vacation is 10 days long, I suggest you split the time 3&7 and utilize the 7-day JR Pass for outside of Tokyo. Within Tokyo, there are other passes you can use (like 72 hour subway pass) to explore the city.

How many days to spend in Fuji-Kyoto-Hiroshima depends on your interest. You can do 2-3-2 comfortably, or spend more time in Kyoto if you are into temples/shrines, etc.

JR Pass does not cover everything, but you still get your money's worth if your trip includes RT from Tokyo to Hiroshima.

Hi Rebecca,

I think your travel plan is sounding pretty good! Dividing Tokyo between the start and end of your trip is a great idea, especially if you�fre not used to big, busy crowds. I�fm from a small city in Australia, and I was surprised at how overwhelmed I was by the �ebusy-ness�f of Tokyo when I first holidayed here – I still had a great time, but if I�fm honest I enjoyed our time in Kyoto and Osaka more, back then. For a trip of this length, I would think 3 - 4 days in total for Tokyo would be enough.

If your kids like amusement parks, I would consider adding an extra day to your Fujigoko / Fuji Five Lakes stay. There�fs a popular amusement park called Fuji-Q Highland - one of the rollercoasters there holds a Guinness World Record, so that could be fun!

Kyoto is really beautiful, and offers a great mix of city-based and nature-based attractions which is great for when you might be feeling a bit �ecitied out�f and in need of some nature time! Perhaps consider spending 3 days in Kyoto, including your Nara day trip. There�fs a lot to do in the city, but there�fs also really nice hiking nearby!

I know we�fre �erunning out of days�f, but have you considered adding Osaka to your itinerary? It's only an hour or so out from Kyoto by train and it's a really vibrant, fun city that is well worth a visit. There's a really spectacular aquarium there, and it's a great city for walking tours as many of the signs and statues have interesting histories and superstitions attached. If you do decide to check it out, I�fd recommend spending 2 days there if you can!

I don�ft really know enough about the trains to comment on that part of your post, sorry! But you can definitely do everything you mentioned on trains / busses so no need to get an international driver�fs license ☺