What is a good 10-day Japan itinerary that includes the Japan Alps?

1. 1Tokyo3 days
2. 2Takayamamorning markets and old town2 days
3. 3Kanazawavia Shirakawa-go1 day
4. 4Kyoto3 days
5. 5Osakalast night; fly out of Kansai1 day

The plan at a glance

• Days 1–3, Tokyo: Asakusa, Ueno and Yanaka, the Imperial Palace moat and Shinjuku after dark.

• Day 4, Tokyo to Takayama: a long travel day into the Hida mountains.

• Day 5, Takayama: the morning markets, Sanmachi old town, Takayama Jinya, Hida Folk Village.

• Day 6, Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa: bus to the thatched village, a few hours there, then on to Kanazawa.

• Day 7, Kanazawa to Kyoto: Kenroku-en first thing, then about 2 hours by train to Kyoto.

• Days 8–9, Kyoto: Higashiyama and Gion, Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari.

• Day 10, Osaka: Dotonbori for the last evening, fly out of Kansai the next day.

We picked Takayama as the one Alps stop because it has the most to do in two nights and puts Shirakawa-go on the way to Kanazawa. Matsumoto is the alternative; see the last section.

Tokyo to Takayama: two ways in

• Via Nagoya (fastest): the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the JR Limited Express Hida to Takayama, about 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes on the Hida leg. Both are JR, so this is the route to use with a rail pass.

• Via Matsumoto (the way our route went): the JR Limited Express Azusa from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, about 2.5 to 3 hours, then the Alpico / Nohi highway bus to Takayama, about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2.5 hours and ¥4,400, reservation required. Leave early and you can see Matsumoto Castle between the two.

Either way it is most of a day, so arrive in Takayama for an evening walk along the river and dinner. Forwarding your big bag from Tokyo to Kyoto with a luggage forwarding service and traveling the mountain section with a small bag makes the buses much easier.

Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa

Day 5: be at the Miyagawa Morning Market by 7am, walk across to the Jinya-mae market, go into Takayama Jinya when it opens, then spend late morning in the Sanmachi lanes and their sake breweries. Hida Folk Village fills the afternoon. Our Takayama guide has the details; most shops in Sanmachi close by 5pm.

Day 6: take the Nohi Bus to Shirakawa-go (about 50 minutes), climb to the Shiroyama viewpoint and go inside one farmhouse, then continue to Kanazawa (about 75 minutes). Book both legs ahead, ¥2,800 each, and use the bus terminal lockers. Our Kanazawa to Takayama bus guide covers reservations and luggage.

Day 7: give the morning to Kenroku-en, which opens early for free in season, and the Higashi Chaya teahouse district, with lunch at Omicho Market. Our Kanazawa guide has the rest. Take an afternoon train to Kyoto.

Kanazawa to Kyoto, Kyoto and Osaka

Since March 2024, Kanazawa to Kyoto means the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga and a change to the Thunderbird limited express, about 2 hours in total.

Days 8–9, Kyoto: with two full days and an evening, do southern Higashiyama and Gion on the first evening or morning, Arashiyama early one day and Fushimi Inari at dawn the next. Our 3 days in Kyoto itinerary sets out each district, and how many days in Kyoto explains what you give up with less time.

Day 10, Osaka: about half an hour from Kyoto. Stay in Namba for Dotonbori and the direct train to Kansai Airport; see our Osaka guide. If you fly home from Tokyo instead, spend the last night in Kyoto and take the Shinkansen back in the morning.

JR Pass or separate tickets?

A 10-day trip is too long for the 7-day pass (¥50,000), and the 14-day pass costs ¥80,000. The buses through Shirakawa-go are not JR, and neither is the Matsumoto–Takayama bus, so check the fares for your exact legs before buying a pass; for most people on this route, separate tickets cost less. The JR legs (Shinkansen to Nagoya, the Hida, the Hokuriku Shinkansen and the Thunderbird) can all be booked as point-to-point tickets.

Our Shinkansen and JR Pass guide explains booking, and our full 33-day route covers the regional passes for the Alps.

Swapping Takayama for Matsumoto

If castles interest you more than old merchant towns, stay two nights in Matsumoto instead: an original 16th-century keep, one of five ranked as National Treasures, about 2.5 to 3 hours from Shinjuku on the Azusa. You lose Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa, and the onward trip to Kyoto goes via Nagoya, which gives that night back to Kyoto. Our Matsumoto guide covers the town.

With 14 days, our 14-day Japan itinerary adds Hakone, Hiroshima and Miyajima instead; its advice is to add Kanazawa and Takayama only with at least three extra nights.

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