Japan in 7 Days: What to Book, and When (2026)
A first week in Japan fits three nights in Tokyo, then the Shinkansen to Kyoto and Osaka, flying home from Kansai Airport. The trains are easy. The catch is that the popular tickets open on different days, some two months ahead and some only two weeks ahead.
This page lists what to book for that week, in the order sales open. The short verdict on rail passes: for this route, a 7-day JR Pass costs more than the single tickets.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. We say when the official site or the station is cheaper, and for the JR Pass on this route it is.
What does a classic 7-day route look like?
Arrive in Tokyo, leave from Osaka. Flying "open jaw" saves you the 2 h 30 min trip back to Tokyo. If you have to fly home from Tokyo, swap one Osaka night for a last Tokyo night.
- Day 1Arrive at Narita or Haneda. Get an IC card, check in, an evening in Shibuya or Shinjuku.
- Day 2Tokyo: Asakusa, Ueno, a timed ticket such as teamLab or SHIBUYA SKY at sunset.
- Day 3Tokyo, or a day trip to Mt Fuji (Kawaguchiko) or Hakone.
- Day 4Shinkansen to Kyoto (about 2 h 10 min). Afternoon: Kiyomizu-dera and Gion.
- Day 5Kyoto: Fushimi Inari early, Arashiyama in the afternoon.
- Day 6Nara by morning (JR from Kyoto, ¥720), Osaka by evening: Dotonbori.
- Day 7Osaka Castle or Universal Studios, then the airport, or fly out on day 8.
What should I book first?
Work backwards from your dates. Each of these opens on its own rule, so set alarms in Japan time. Our release calculator shows each moment in your own time zone.
Is a 7-day JR Pass worth it for this route?
Not for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The 7-day pass is ¥50,000 on the official site (¥53,000 from agencies). The trains you actually take on this route cost far less, and the pass does not even cover the fastest train, Nozomi, without an extra ¥4,960 ticket.
Single tickets: about ¥14,750
Tokyo → Kyoto Nozomi ¥14,170, Kyoto → Osaka JR ¥580. Add Kyoto → Nara ¥720 and you are still under a third of the pass.
Single tickets: about ¥29,470
Tokyo → Kyoto ¥14,170, Kyoto → Osaka ¥580, Shin-Osaka → Tokyo ¥14,720. Still about ¥20,000 less than the pass.
Add Hiroshima and more
Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka → Hiroshima → Tokyo is about ¥45,460 in single tickets, close to the pass price. Check your exact trips first.
The official site is ¥3,000 cheaper for the 7-day pass. Affiliate link on the second button.
How do I book the Shinkansen to Kyoto?
- Pick a Nozomi. About 2 h 10 min Tokyo → Kyoto, ¥14,170 for a reserved seat. Seats go on sale at 10:00 Japan time one month before.
- Choose seat E for Mt Fuji. Fuji is on the right-hand side going towards Kyoto: seat E in ordinary cars, weather permitting. Which seat for Mt Fuji →
- Reserve a luggage seat for big suitcases. Bags of 161–250 cm in total size need an oversized-baggage seat; without one you pay ¥1,000 on board. Oversized luggage rules →
- Or buy at the station. Station machines and ticket offices sell seats too, including on the day if seats are left. The full guide: How to book a Shinkansen →Agencies also sell JR seats with an English checkout. Compare their total with the JR price before you pay.Tokyo → Kyoto on Klook ↗
What to book for the Tokyo days
SHIBUYA SKY
On sale two weeks ahead at 0:00. Web tickets cost less than the counter and can be cancelled free until the day before.
Affiliate linkTokyo Subway Ticket
Unlimited Tokyo Metro and Toei subway for 24 h ¥1,000, 48 h ¥1,500, 72 h ¥2,000.
Affiliate linkMt Fuji day tour from Tokyo
Day tours from Tokyo to the Mt Fuji area and back. Check the stops and what's included on the product page. The alternative is the highway bus or train on your own.
Affiliate linksWhat to book for Kyoto and Osaka
Kyoto adds an accommodation tax per person per night, from ¥200 (rooms under ¥6,000) up, since March 1, 2026. Kyoto guide →
Getting in and out of the airports
What if…?
…the Ghibli Museum is sold out?
The museum's only other official channel is the Sunrise Tours (JTB) special bus tour, which includes admission; check its dates. Your options →
…my Shinkansen date is in Golden Week or New Year?
Every Nozomi is reserved-only in peak periods. Book at 10:00 one month before. Peak season rules →
…I want to see more than three cities?
Look at a 14-day route, or add Hiroshima and check whether a pass starts to pay. Japan in 14 days →
What we checked
Japan Rail Pass official site: ¥50,000 (online) and ¥53,000 (agencies) for 7 days; the Nozomi ticket ¥4,960. JR Central and JR West releases: the Shinkansen and Kyoto–Osaka/Nara fares.
Tokyo Disney Resort FAQ (sales two months ahead at 14:00), Ghibli Museum, Pokémon Café, teamLab Planets, SHIBUYA SKY, Sagano Scenic Railway and the Nintendo Museum release rules.
Kyoto City Bus fares and passes, the Kyoto accommodation tax, Keisei Skyliner, JR East N'EX and JR West HARUKA ticket pages.
The day-by-day plan is a suggestion, not a timed run. Disney and USJ prices change by date, so we left them out.
Ready to book?
Start with whatever opens first for your dates, then the Shinkansen and the Sagano train one month out, and SHIBUYA SKY two weeks out. Temples, buses and Nara need no booking.
Affiliate link