Japan Itinerary: Tokyo and Kyoto in 10 Daysמסלול טיול ליפן: טוקיו וקיוטו ב-10 ימים

When friends ask me for a Japan itinerary, I always answer the same thing: do not try to see everything. Japan is not a to-do list, it is a rhythm. The route I love divides ten days between two cities only, Tokyo and Kyoto, and leaves enough air for you to fall in love.

Days 1 to 4: Tokyo

You land tired, and that is fine. I dedicate the first day to a single district, usually Shibuya or Shinjuku, with no plans. Day two: the Tsukiji markets in the morning, and a quiet afternoon in Shinjuku Gyoen. Day three: art at teamLab and then an evening in tiny Golden Gai. Day four I keep for a side trip, usually to Hakone, for the onsen and for a Mount Fuji that may reveal itself, or may not.

The best advice I ever got about Tokyo: do not measure the day by how many things you saw, but by how many times you stopped out of sheer beauty.

Day 5: the train to Kyoto

The Shinkansen takes about two and a half hours, and it is part of the experience. Buy a bento at the station, sit by the window on the right side, and if the sky is clear, Mount Fuji will accompany you for a moment. Arrive in Kyoto in the afternoon, check in, breathe.

Days 6 to 9: Kyoto

Kyoto is the opposite of Tokyo, low, slow, ancient. I start very early at Fushimi Inari, before the crowds, when the red gates still belong only to you. Another day for the Arashiyama district and the bamboo forest, a day for the eastern temples, and one day, most important of all, with no temples at all. Just wandering Gion, drinking matcha, buying ceramics, dissolving slowly into the city.

Day 10: slowly home

I never plan anything for the last day. It is for repeats, for a beloved cafe, for the purchase you forgot. Japan teaches you that sometimes the most beautiful day is the one with nothing in it.

Where to sleep

In Tokyo I am loyal to the Park Hyatt, and in Kyoto to the Ritz-Carlton on the riverbank. Both are expensive, both are worth every shekel for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. On a tighter budget, a traditional ryokan in Kyoto will give you a deeper experience than any international hotel.

When to travel

That is too big a question to squeeze in here, so I wrote about it separately: the best time to visit Japan. And if you are just starting out, Tokyo for first-timers will help you not get lost.