7 Days in Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka: The Golden Route

Sensō-ji Temple

Tokyo's oldest temple — arrive at opening to walk through Kaminarimon before the crowds build. The five-storied pagoda and main hall reward an early start.

• It draws about 30 million visitors a year — go at opening.

Asakusa guided walking tour

A local-led walk through Sensō-ji, backstreets and food stops. The fastest way to read old Tokyo.

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo's landmark broadcasting tower. The observation decks give you the whole Kanto plain on a clear day — book a timed slot ahead.

Kiyomizu Kannon-do

A hillside temple with a stage view over the pond. Look for the famous moon pine tree.

• Don't miss the 'moon pine tree'.

Tokyo National Museum

Japan's oldest and largest museum: samurai armor, ukiyo-e and ceramics. Give it two unhurried hours.

• Japan's oldest and largest museum — plan a full morning for Ueno's museums.

National Museum of Western Art

Monet and Rodin inside a Le Corbusier building. The architecture is half the visit.

• The building itself was designed by Le Corbusier.

Meiji Jingu Shrine

A forest shrine in the middle of the city. The walk under the towering torii gates resets you completely.

Shibuya Sky

The rooftop observatory above Shibuya. Time it for sunset and watch the city light up.

Shibuya Crossing

The world's busiest scramble. Cross it once, then watch the choreography from above.

• Described as the world's busiest pedestrian crossing — cross at rush hour for the full effect.
• Cross the scramble, then see it from above at Shibuya Sky.

Kiyomizu-dera

Kyoto's most famous temple, founded in 778. The wooden stage juts 13 meters over the hillside — stand on it for the classic panoramic view of the city. The three-story Koyasu Pagoda and the Otowa Waterfall (drink from one of three streams for health, longevity, or success in studies) are in the same complex.

• UNESCO World Heritage site. Arrive by 8am when the gates open to see it without the midday crowds.

Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka

Stone-paved pedestrian lanes below Kiyomizu-dera lined with wooden machiya teahouses and craft shops, preserved as a historic district.

• Check the Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka listing for current hours and details.

Yasaka Shrine

Gion's guardian shrine, affectionately called Gion-san. The lantern-lit grounds are beautiful at dusk, and the main hall is a National Treasure. This is the home of the Gion Matsuri, Japan's most famous festival, held every July.

• Visit in the early evening when the lanterns are lit — it's on the way from Kodai-ji to Gion's restaurant streets.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Start Day 2 at dawn in Kyoto's iconic bamboo grove. The 500-meter path of towering stalks and filtered green light is magical before the crowds arrive — and it's free and open 24 hours. The rustling sound is on Japan's list of '100 Soundscapes to Preserve.'

• Go before 8am or after 5pm. Midday the path is packed shoulder-to-shoulder — at dawn you might have it to yourself.

Tenryu-ji Temple

Arashiyama's headliner: a UNESCO Zen temple founded in 1339. The Sogenchi pond garden by Muso Soseki is one of Japan's finest — it borrows the Arashiyama mountains as a backdrop. The temple is right at the north exit of the bamboo grove.

• Enter from the bamboo grove's north gate — the garden is the highlight, so allow 45 minutes.
• Tenryu-ji is at the bamboo grove's north exit — walk straight through.

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple

The payoff for hiking past the bamboo crowds: a mossy hillside temple guarded by 1,200 whimsical stone rakan statues, each carved by a different visitor with its own expression — laughing, drinking, h

• Check the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple listing for current hours and details.

Dotonbori

Osaka's famous canal district: giant neon signs, theaters and street-food stalls along the water. Come after dark, when the reflections hit the canal. It dates to 1612, dug by merchant Yasui Doton.

• Start at Ebisubashi bridge for the classic Glico photo, then walk the canal both ways.

Hozenji Yokocho

A stone-paved alley of lantern-lit traditional restaurants beside Hozenji Temple: a pocket of old Osaka in Minami. Come for dinner and pick a counter that smells good.

• Hozenji Yokocho is three minutes off the canal: duck in after the neon for the lantern-lit alley and the temple.
• Honke Otako is in the alley itself: eat takoyaki at one of Dotonbori's oldest counters, steps from the temple.

Ebisubashi Bridge and Glico Running Man sign

The photo everyone takes in Osaka: the glowing Glico Running Man billboard above Ebisubashi bridge. The sign first went up in 1935; the LED version you see is the sixth generation, from 2014.

• The current LED version is the 6th generation, installed in 2014: come at night for the shot.
• The Glico sign hangs right over Ebisubashi bridge: stand mid-bridge and look up. One minute from the canal promenade.

Tsutenkaku

Shinsekai's retro-futuristic tower: observation decks, the Billiken good-luck statue and neon night lighting. The 103-meter tower is a 1956 rebuild of the 1912 original.

• General observatory admission is 1,200 yen; open 10:00-20:00 with last entry at 19:30.

Shinsekai streets

Showa-era streets of giant food signs, kushikatsu shops and retro arcades under the Tsutenkaku tower. Come hungry at night, when the signs all light up.

• The tower rises over Shinsekai's streets: walk the giant food signs first, then ride up for the view.
• Ganso Daruma is on the main Shinsekai strip: the 1929 original, birthplace of the no-double-dip rule.

Abeno Harukas 300 observatory

A glass-walled observation deck on the 60th floor of the 300-meter Abeno Harukas skyscraper. Sunset over the bay is the move.

• At 300m, Abeno Harukas was Japan's tallest skyscraper when it opened in 2014.