Kanazawa, Takayama and Kyoto en route to Hiroshima and Miyajima.
Stay three nights in Tokyo, two in Kanazawa, two in Takayama, three in Kyoto and three in Hiroshima. That gives you a full day in each smaller city, two days apiece in Tokyo and Kyoto, and separate days for Hiroshima’s memorial sites and Miyajima. Four journeys connect the five hotels, including a reserved mountain bus.
Choose this route for Kenrokuen’s pond and a samurai house alongside Takayama’s wooden merchant streets, riverside market and old government office. The planned visits need no car. Carry your own small bag between bases, sending the main suitcase ahead before the mountain bus.
Fly into Tokyo and depart from Hiroshima; the final morning includes its fifty-minute airport bus. A Tokyo return flight changes the ending, as the FAQ explains. There’s no Osaka overnight here. For two nights at a Hakone inn with dinner and a bath, see the ten-day route.
Compare Kenrokuen’s broad Kasumigaike Pond, pines and stone lanterns with Nomura House’s smaller garden, seen from its rooms. The house also has painted sliding doors and a coffered ceiling: look up as well as towards the stream. Together, they show two different uses of a garden, one for a large public landscape and one beside a home.
Behind Takayama Jinya’s official rooms stands a large rice-tax granary, moved from the castle in 1695. Its heavy roof and open interior contrast with the administrative rooms. Elsewhere, look for the small rabbit-shaped nail covers, easily missed if you hurry along the corridors. These details give you reasons to pause beyond the main displays.
Browse Miyagawa’s riverside stalls for vegetables, pickles, wooden crafts and sarubobo dolls. Some sell gifts; others stock food for local kitchens. The market occupies a short stretch of river, so it fits into the morning before Jinya. Small handmade dolls are easier to carry through the remaining hotel changes than wooden serving pieces or produce.
Belongings and personal accounts at the Peace Memorial Museum put individual lives beside the historical events. The East Building explains the bombing and its wider context. Spend time with the objects that hold your attention; you needn’t read every panel. Afterwards, sit in the memorial park beside the river before deciding what to do next.
Miyajima’s tourist association gives tide thresholds for two views: above 250 cm for the torii’s floating appearance, below 100 cm for walking towards it. Even the day’s lowest tide may be too high for the walk. Use its tide table, whose times refer to Hiroshima Port, with Miyajima slightly earlier. Allow time for the shrine corridors whichever view you choose.
April–May and October–November suit these garden and town walks, though Takayama’s spring and autumn festivals make rooms scarcer. June brings rain; July and August are hot for Tokyo and Kyoto. Winter means shorter Takayama opening hours and colder, unheated Jinya rooms. Pack layers for the mountain town, whose weather differs from the cities.
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For fewer hotel changes, spend longer in three cities. This version has five hotels and a mountain-bus journey; a step-free trip needs advance arrangements for that bus and the older buildings.
StartBooker answer
Start with three nights in Tokyo, then spend two each in Kanazawa and Takayama, three in Kyoto and three in Hiroshima. Take the reserved bus between Kanazawa and Takayama, and travel onwards by Hida via Nagoya. In Hiroshima, use one full day for the memorial museum and another for Miyajima, leaving the final morning for departure. Buy individual intercity tickets and send your main suitcase from Kanazawa to Kyoto, carrying a small bag for the two Takayama nights.
These base choices make each arrival and the following departure easier. The photographs show places to visit in each destination; use the hotel map to locate your room.
5 stops · swipe
1
Asakusa streets, Ueno museums and Harajuku shops
Ginza keeps your first dinner and Tokyo Station departure on the same side of the city. Ueno suits the museum day. Compare the nearest station entrance as well as the neighbourhood: a short map distance can include several flights of stairs.
Watch out: A Ginza room usually costs more than a compact hotel around Ueno.
Read the Tokyo guide →
2
Kenrokuen, a samurai house and seafood bowls
Kanazawa Station avoids a luggage transfer before day six’s reserved bus. Korinbo puts Kenrokuen and Nagamachi closer, with a separate station journey.
Watch out: For an early departure, allow time to reach the station’s west-side bus stop.
Read the Kanazawa guide →
3
Timber shopfronts, river stalls and Hida beef
Stay between Takayama Station and Sanmachi to walk to transport and timber streets. An inn with dinner adds a different evening; agree your arrival and meal time.
Watch out: A remote inn adds a shuttle or taxi to the next train journey.
4
Palace interiors, a torii walk and brewing streets
Shijo and Kawaramachi suit this plan’s restaurant evenings. Kyoto Station shortens the arriving train connection, the JR trip to Inari and the Hiroshima departure. Balance those journeys against the room price and any walk with bags from a pretty side street.
Watch out: Kyoto’s accommodation tax is a separate per-person, per-night cost.
Read the Kyoto guide →
5
Memorial history, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and Miyajima
Hiroshima Station simplifies the airport bus and Miyajima train. Hondori brings restaurants and Peace Memorial Park closer, with a tram back to the station. For the museum day, choose a room you’ll enjoy returning to and dinner within a short walk.
Watch out: Use the correct station exit for the airport bus: the Shinkansen Gate.
Read the Hiroshima guide →Days four, six, eight and eleven move you to a new hotel. The final morning is for departure, with Miyajima on the previous day. Visit times below are planning estimates.
From Haneda Terminal 3, Keikyu reaches Shinagawa in roughly 15–20 minutes for a ¥330 paper ticket; the onward city connection costs extra. Use Keikyu’s route search for your hotel station. After airport formalities, the onward train and a luggage drop at reception, take an easy hour around Ginza if your arrival time allows and you’re staying there. If still open, its department-store food floors offer takeaway food for the first evening, or try a nearby rice bowl or noodles. Put your passport and train-booking details together before bed, leaving the museum and shopping for tomorrow.
Base: Tokyo
Spend about two hours around Sensoji and Asakusa, including Kappabashi’s kitchenware shops. Before buying a bowl or pan, think about the bag you’ll carry through Takayama. Continue to Ueno for lunch and the Tokyo National Museum collection, ¥1,000 per adult, buying at the ticket desk or linked online seller. Allow another two hours inside: the whole outing takes roughly five to six hours. Leave suitcases at your hotel; they cannot enter the museum. Monday is normally its closed day, with closure moving after a Monday holiday. Read the calendar for extra full or partial closures before choosing between days two and three. If neither date works, visit Ueno Park and Ameyoko instead of the collection. Soba near Asakusa or a simple set lunch around Ueno gives you a seated break before the galleries.
Base: Tokyo
Enter Meiji Jingu from the Harajuku side for about an hour among its trees and shrine buildings; the grounds are free. Give Harajuku’s smaller shops and Omotesando’s avenue another two to three hours, with a crepe as a snack and lunch before continuing towards Shibuya. Meiji Jingu’s visitor page lists seasonal gate hours. Finish at the crossing and eat dinner near your room. Tonight, collect your Tokyo–Kanazawa reservation and locate the Hokuriku Shinkansen departure area at Tokyo Station for tomorrow’s journey.
Base: Tokyo
A Kagayaki from Tokyo takes about 2h30–2h40; budget roughly ¥14,400–15,000 for an Ordinary reserved seat through JR-EAST Train Reservation. Leave your bags at the hotel, then try a seafood bowl at Ohmicho Tototo. Budget roughly ¥1,800–4,000 for this lunch. Give Nagamachi and Nomura House about two hours in the afternoon. Nomura costs ¥550. April–September visits end at 17:30, with last entry at 17:00; October–March closing is 16:30, with last entry at 16:00. Eat lunch first so you reach the house while its rooms are open, leaving station shopping for the evening.
Base: Kanazawa
Pay ¥320 for daytime entry to Kenrokuen, allowing about two hours for its paths and pond. The garden accepts cash, cards and transport IC payment; the prefectural visitor page lists seasonal hours. Continue through the adjoining castle area, then have a seafood lunch near the market or noodles near your hotel. Keep another two hours for shops and a slower walk. Before setting out, dispatch your main suitcase for the agreed Kyoto delivery on day eight, following the hotel’s cutoff. The packing list is in the booking notes below.
Base: Kanazawa
Take the through bus from Kanazawa Station’s west side to Takayama, via Shirakawa-go, in about 2h15. The current 08:10 service arrives at 10:25. Reserve through the J-Bus link on Nohi’s route page: adults pay ¥4,200, rising to ¥4,400 on 1 December 2026. Leave your bags at the room, then spend about two hours along Sanmachi’s wooden shopfronts, spotting the cedar balls outside sake breweries. Find a Hida-beef lunch or a simpler noodle bowl in the centre, and agree dinner timing with the inn. Nohi warns that traffic, snow or highway closures can cause delays of two hours or more; keep the inn’s contact details with you and call if arrival slips.
Base: Takayama
Miyagawa’s free morning market runs until noon, opening at 07:00 from April to November and 08:00 in winter. Browse the riverside stalls for about an hour, then visit Takayama Jinya. Admission is ¥500; allow about ninety minutes for the rooms and granary, including a free 30–40-minute English guide when available. Jinya closes from 29 December to 3 January and may have temporary closures. Use its visitor calendar when choosing the date; if unavailable, keep the market and Sanmachi streets as the day’s main visits. Bring thick socks in winter: the building is unheated. For lunch, Aji no Yohei’s Hida-beef set costs ¥3,750 for the 70 g version; reserve through the restaurant’s website.
Base: Takayama
Take a reserved Hida to Nagoya and a Nozomi onwards to Kyoto. Selected daytime connections take about 3h15–3h25 station to station with a short Nagoya change; choosing a longer transfer increases the total. Budget roughly ¥11,700–12,500 for Ordinary reserved seats on a through journey. Find the connection with JR-West’s Route Finder, then buy the Takayama–Kyoto through journey at a JR reserved-seat machine or ticket office. Give yourself a comfortable Nagoya change if you need lifts or time to find the platform. Follow Nagoya Station’s shinkansen signs as you leave the Hida platform. Have a bento on the train or lunch after arrival, then settle into your hotel and collect the forwarded suitcase if the agreed delivery has arrived. Leave about an hour for the Kamo River and eat noodles around Shijo for dinner.
Base: Kyoto
Spend about two hours at Nijo Castle with the ¥1,300 adult ticket for the grounds and Ninomaru Palace, sold at the gate or through the official website’s online seller. Honmaru needs a separate ticket; today’s visit uses Ninomaru. Ninomaru is closed from 26 December to 3 January, and on Tuesdays in January, July, August and December. A holiday Tuesday opens, with closure moving to the following day. The castle grounds have a shorter New Year closure, 29–31 December. Swap Kyoto visits if the palace opens on another day; if it stays closed, use the grounds when available or spend the day around Shijo and the river. After lunch, allow another two hours for Shijo’s shopping streets and the Kamo River, travelling there by subway if you started at the castle. Finish with a seated dinner near your hotel.
Base: Kyoto
From Kyoto Station, the JR Nara Line reaches Inari in roughly five to ten minutes for ¥150. The shrine is free: spend about ninety minutes on the lower torii paths, climbing farther if you want a longer outing. JR-West’s Route Finder covers the train, while the shrine website describes the walk. Walk from the shrine to Keihan Fushimi-inari for a local or semi-express train south to Chushojima, with a noodle lunch before Gekkeikan’s museum. Its ¥600 ticket for visitors aged twenty and over includes three tastings. Allow forty to sixty minutes and bring a payment card. Online reservations open two weeks ahead; walk-ins depend on remaining space. The museum closes on 13–16 August and 28 December–4 January, with other dates listed on its calendar.
Base: Kyoto
A direct Nozomi takes about 1h35–1h45 from Kyoto to Hiroshima, with Ordinary reserved seats around ¥11,700–12,500 through SmartEX or a JR ticket office. Leave your bags at the hotel, then spend about two hours around Hondori’s restaurants and river streets. Trams towards the centre cost ¥240; Hiroden’s map shows the stops and nearby walks. With Suica or ICOCA, tap the MOBIRY DAYS reader when boarding and leaving. For a child’s fare, tell staff before tapping out. For dinner, try Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, with cabbage, egg and other ingredients layered over griddle-cooked noodles. Enjoy the food streets this evening and leave the memorial museum for tomorrow.
Base: Hiroshima
The Peace Memorial Museum costs ¥200 per adult. Allow two to three hours inside and another hour around the park’s cenotaph and Atomic Bomb Dome. Book the admission ticket on Klook: online tickets are required for the first hour and last ninety minutes. Opening is normally 07:30–19:00. August visits run until 20:00, or 21:00 on 5–6 August; December–February closing is 18:00. It closes on 30–31 December and three days in mid-February; use its calendar to identify the February dates. Switch days twelve and thirteen if that permits entry; if both dates are closed, keep the park and river outing without the museum. Visit in the morning, followed by the park and a seated lunch, perhaps a rice-and-fried-oyster set. Leave the afternoon for your room or a short river walk.
Base: Hiroshima
Take a JR Sanyo local to Miyajimaguchi, about 27 minutes and ¥420 each way, then walk to the JR ferry. The ten-minute crossing costs ¥200 each way plus the ¥100 arrival tax: transport totals ¥1,340 return per adult. Itsukushima Shrine adds ¥300. Plan to enter before its seasonal closing, as early as 17:00 in December. Use JR-West’s Route Finder and the ferry timetable; boats need no seat reservation. Allow six to eight hours from Hiroshima for the shrine, waterfront and lunch. Try anago rice or a maple-shaped momiji manju cake, then take the return ferry to Miyajimaguchi and the JR train towards Hiroshima before packing at your hotel.
Base: Hiroshima
Choose the airport bus first, working back from your airline’s check-in deadline. Have breakfast only if that leaves enough time, then collect your bags and go to Hiroshima Station’s Shinkansen Gate for the airport bus at stop five. The airport lists a fifty-minute ride for ¥1,500 per adult, paid with an accepted IC card or an online MOBIRY TRAVEL ticket. Activate a MOBIRY digital ticket only as you board: the active screen is valid for five minutes. Add the hotel-to-stop journey and airport time to the bus ride; use the current timetable rather than assuming the fifty-minute road journey is guaranteed. For a later flight, have noodles or a takeaway rice bowl near the station.
Base: Hiroshima
These adult one-way estimates use Ordinary reserved seats on the trains and a reserved seat on the bus. City rides, the island outing and the airport bus are separate.
4 transfers
Tokyo Kanazawa
Tokyo Station → Kanazawa by Kagayaki on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Allow ~¥14,400–15,000 per adult.
Booking note: Reserve on JR-EAST Train Reservation; Kagayaki has reserved seating throughout. Choose a morning arrival for the afternoon house visit.
Kanazawa Takayama
Kanazawa Station west side → Takayama by through Nohi-group bus via Shirakawa-go. ¥4,200 adult, or ¥4,400 from 1 December 2026.
Booking note: Reserve through the J-Bus link on Nohi’s route page. The through ticket takes you to Takayama; a village stop needs separate tickets.
Takayama Kyoto
Takayama → Nagoya by Hida, then Nagoya → Kyoto by Nozomi. Allow ~¥11,700–12,500 Ordinary reserved on a through journey.
Booking note: Buy the through journey at a JR ticket office or reserved-seat machine. Use JR-West’s Route Finder to select the Nagoya connection.
Kyoto Hiroshima
Kyoto → Hiroshima on a direct Nozomi. Allow ~¥11,700–12,500 Ordinary reserved.
Booking note: Book through SmartEX or a JR ticket office. Cases with a combined height, width and depth of 161–250 cm need designated baggage space; a combined total over 250 cm cannot travel on this service.
Times cover station or bus-terminal legs; add hotel walks, local connections and platform access. Rail ranges use regular to busiest dates; quieter dates cost less. Bus fares include December’s change.
The hotel estimate is per shared room for two adults; transport and admission amounts are per adult. Flights, drinks, shopping and accommodation taxes sit outside these totals. The fourteen-day Ordinary Japan Rail Pass is ¥80,000 on the official site or ¥84,000 through overseas agents. Point-to-point tickets are cheaper here, and using Nozomi with the pass requires its additional ticket.
Booking tips
Compare Kyoto Station for the rail connections with Shijo and Kawaramachi for the restaurant evenings. Use the map to find the nearest station entrance.
The five markers show the overnight bases. The bus connects Kanazawa and Takayama; the following rail journey goes south to Nagoya before turning west to Kyoto.
Kyoto
Yes. Reserve Kanazawa–Shirakawa-go and Shirakawa-go–Takayama separately; a through ticket isn’t a hop-off ticket. Each sector costs ¥2,800, rising to ¥2,900 from December 2026, so the stop also costs more than the direct ride. Keep the second reservation in hand before leaving Kanazawa, and shorten the planned Takayama arrival walk to make room for the village visit.
Yes, with a changed ending. For Tokyo, add a return journey and preferably a night before an early flight. For Kansai, move the last Hiroshima night to an airport-accessible base. Shorten the Miyajima outing and choose the onward train and airport connection before making that change. Keep thirteen nights overall, or add a night if you want the original Hiroshima stay.
Yes. Use the Hasuikemon or Zuishinzaka gate and leave fifteen minutes before paid opening. Early hours vary: from 16–31 October entry starts at 05:00, with departure by 07:45. Return during paid hours if you want a longer visit without that early exit.
Yes, with changes arranged ahead. Jinya has entrance steps, staff-set ramps and a special chair for tatami areas, with a companion needed for assistance. Arrange the bus boarding and hotel access directly before reserving. Choose shorter shrine and street walks around the access that works for you.
It depends on their age and comfort with the subject. The victim accounts and belongings can be upsetting. Read the museum’s visitor material together, agree on a shorter visit if needed and leave time outside in the park afterwards. An adult can take a child out while others finish.
Yes, but it takes much longer. Hiroden lists about 72 minutes from Hiroshima Station to Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi, compared with roughly 27 minutes on JR. The tram can suit a hotel beside its route; from the main station, use JR for the island day.
Reviewed by StartBooker
Last checked 2026-10-04
Updated
How this route was checked: Fares and connections checked with JR, Nohi and the Miyajima ferry; admission details with attractions and public tourism offices. Japan Guide and independent travel editors informed trip-planning questions. Prices are adult rates unless stated; hotel, meal and visit-duration estimates allow for personal choices.
73 references reviewed
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