The second-trip mistake is building the same trip with one new city bolted on. You fly into Tokyo, Shinkansen to Kyoto, squeeze in Hiroshima as a "bonus," and spend half the week on platforms you've already stood on. Skip all of that. Pick one region, fly in directly, and give it the full seven days. All three routes below work entirely by train, no car needed. Our Beyond the Golden Route guide helps you choose which region. This article gives you the day-by-day.
Here for the food? Kyushu. Fly into Fukuoka for yatai ramen, Beppu's onsen, and the most underpriced eating in Japan.
Mountains and seafood? The Alps loop. Kanazawa to Takayama, one direction through the mountains, ending in Osaka.
History and an island? West Japan. Hiroshima's Peace Museum, an overnight on Miyajima, and Himeji Castle on the way back.
Three Routes, Side by Side
| Route | Fly In | Fly Out | Best For | Days on Trains | Rail Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Japan | Osaka (KIX) | Osaka (KIX) | History, coast, food | 2 of 7 | Kansai-Hiroshima Area ¥17,000 |
| Alps Loop | Tokyo (NRT/HND) | Osaka (KIX) | Mountains, seafood | 3 of 7 | Individual tickets ~¥32,000 |
| Kyushu | Fukuoka (FUK) | Fukuoka (FUK) | Food, onsen, volcano | 3 of 7 | All Kyushu 5-Day ¥24,000 |
Route 1: West Japan
Osaka is the base, Hiroshima and Miyajima are the destinations, and Himeji Castle fills the return leg. The longest train ride is 90 minutes. You sleep in three cities, and the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass covers every JR train, the Sanyo Shinkansen, and the Miyajima ferry.
Day 1: Arrive Kansai International. Nankai Rapi:t to Namba (34 min). Evening in Dotonbori for takoyaki and the full neon-sign street-food circuit.
Day 2: Nara. Train from Osaka (35-45 min). Todai-ji, the deer park, and lunch in Naramachi where the old merchant houses have turned into small restaurants and craft shops. Back by dinner.
Day 3: Shinkansen to Hiroshima (90 min from Shin-Osaka). The Peace Museum takes most of the afternoon. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki for dinner, layered with noodles and cabbage instead of mixed into the batter like the Osaka version.
Day 4: Train to Miyajimaguchi (25-30 min), JR ferry to Miyajima (10 min). Itsukushima Shrine, the Great Torii by boat if the tide cooperates, Mt. Misen if you want the hike. Stay overnight on the island. It empties after the last ferry, and the shrine lit up at night with nobody around is a completely different experience.
Day 5: Morning on Miyajima. Ferry back, Shinkansen to Himeji (about 1 hour). Castle in the afternoon. Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka (30 min).
Day 6: Osaka food day. Kushikatsu in Shinsekai, the backstreets of Namba at night, whatever the evening brings.
Day 7: Departure from KIX.
Business hotels in Namba run ¥8,000-12,000/night. A Miyajima ryokan with dinner starts at ¥15,000, the one splurge night on this route.
Route 2: The Alps Loop
You land in Tokyo and skip the city. Shinkansen straight to Kanazawa, then south through the Japanese Alps to Osaka. One-way trip, no backtracking, never the same train twice. Book open-jaw flights (into Narita or Haneda, out of KIX) so the one-way works without a return day eating into the trip.
Day 1: Arrive Tokyo. Kagayaki Shinkansen to Kanazawa (2 hours 30 min). Evening walk through the Higashi Chaya tea district, latticed wooden facades and lantern light.
Day 2: Kanazawa. Omicho Market for crab, yellowtail, and uni in the morning. Kenrokuen Garden. 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art if it rains.
Day 3: Bus to Shirakawa-go (1 hour 15 min, all seats reserved, book at least a month ahead). Afternoon among the thatched-roof farmhouses. Bus to Takayama (50 min).
Day 4: Takayama morning markets and old town. Hida beef for lunch. Sake breweries open their cellars in the afternoon along the Sanmachi Suji district.
Day 5: JR Hida limited express to Nagoya (2 hours 20 min). Shinkansen to Osaka (under 1 hour).
Day 6: Osaka. Or a day trip to Nara (40 min each way from Namba).
Day 7: Departure from KIX.
No single rail pass covers this entire route economically. Individual tickets total about ¥32,000 for the full Tokyo-to-Osaka journey. The Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass (¥19,800 for 5 days) covers the Kanazawa-to-Osaka segment including buses, but you still need a separate Tokyo-to-Kanazawa ticket (~¥14,000), so it breaks roughly even.
Route 3: Kyushu
Fly directly into Fukuoka and loop the island. The Kyushu Shinkansen runs the west coast top to bottom in under two hours, and the All Kyushu Rail Pass covers every JR train. This is the cheapest of the three routes, with business hotels outside Fukuoka running ¥6,000-9,000/night.
Day 1: Arrive Fukuoka. Subway from the airport to Hakata Station (5 min, one of the shortest airport transfers in Japan). Yatai stalls on the Nakasu River after dark: counter seats under a tarp, ramen and yakitori alongside strangers.
Day 2: Fukuoka food day. Fish market in the morning, tonkotsu ramen for lunch, evening back at the yatai or exploring Tenjin.
Day 3: Limited express Sonic to Beppu (2 hours). Onsen circuit in the afternoon: public baths in every neighborhood, sand baths on the beach, and more hot spring water per day than anywhere else in Japan. Overnight.
Day 4: Beppu morning for the jigoku (hot spring "hells") and another soak. Return to Hakata (2 hours). Shinkansen to Kumamoto (40 min). Kumamoto Castle in the late afternoon. Overnight.
Day 5: Shinkansen to Kagoshima (45 min). Ferry to Sakurajima, an active volcano 15 minutes from the city center. Kurobuta pork for dinner. Overnight.
Day 6: Kagoshima morning. Shinkansen back to Hakata (1 hour 20 min). Final evening in Fukuoka.
Day 7: Departure.
Swap Kagoshima for a day trip to Nagasaki (about 90 min from Hakata by train, with a transfer at Takeo Onsen) if history interests you more than volcanoes.
Which Rail Pass Saves Money?
| Pass | Route | Cost | vs. Individual | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area (5 days) | Route 1 | ¥17,000 | ~¥23,000 | Saves ~¥6,000 |
| Individual tickets | Route 2 | ~¥32,000 | N/A | No pass needed |
| All Kyushu (5 days) | Route 3 | ¥24,000 | ~¥31,000 | Saves ~¥7,000 |
Routes 1 and 3 are clear pass wins. Route 2 is a wash: buy individual tickets and you can ride the Nozomi between Nagoya and Osaka, the fastest Shinkansen service that rail passes exclude. The full 7-day JR Pass at ¥50,000 costs more than any option here and doesn't cover the best connections.
What Doesn't Work in 7 Days?
Hokkaido. It needs five days minimum just for the Sapporo-Hakodate corridor, and anything beyond those cities adds days quickly. Give it a dedicated trip.
Combining two of these routes in one week doesn't work either. Osaka to Hiroshima to Kanazawa to Takayama means a new hotel every night and three-plus hours on trains most days. You'd see platforms more than cities. Pick one route. Save the others.
What if You Have Two Weeks?
Route 2 into Route 1 connects naturally. The Alps loop ends in Osaka, and Route 1 starts there. Kanazawa, Takayama, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Himeji: two regions, zero overlap, and one spare day in Osaka to eat without a plan.
Route 1 into Route 3 also works. Finish in Osaka, fly to Fukuoka (75-minute flight, often under ¥10,000 on Peach or Jetstar), and start the Kyushu loop. Four regions in two weeks if you count Nara.