Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, sits almost 10,000 km from France. In May 2024 we spent two weeks crossing it. Here is our full day-by-day route and the real budget for those 15 nights — no agency, no JR Pass, and no nasty surprises.
✓ May 2024
Before you follow this route
Flights, entry formalities, transport passes, internet and cash — the six steps we followed to plan the trip are in a separate article.
Day 2:Roppongi and the Imperial Palace — evening in Shibuya
Day 3: Evening in Akihabara
Day 4 → 5
Kawaguchiko — Mount Fuji
Day 4: Travel from Tokyo and cycling around Lake Kawaguchiko
Day 5: Walk around the lake — or the Chureito Pagoda if the weather clears
Day 6 → 9
Kyoto & Nara
Day 6: Travel from Kawaguchiko and visit Gion
Day 7:Adashino Nenbutsu-ji and Giō-ji temples, then Arashiyama
Day 8: Day trip to Nara — the deer park, Gangō-ji, Kikusui-rō and Kasuga-taisha
Day 9:Heian-jingū, the craft market, Kinkaku-ji and the Kyōto-gosho imperial gardens
Day 10 → 14
Osaka & Kobe
Day 10: Travel from Kyoto, then Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi-suji
Day 11:Kaiyūkan Aquarium, then the Tsūtenkaku tower in Shinsekai
Day 12: Day trip to Kobe
Day 13:Universal Studios Japan — Express Pass booked a month ahead
Day 14:Osaka Castle and shopping in Namba
✎ flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka saves you a full day — a multi-city ticket rarely costs more than a standard return
02Total budget
Hotels (15 nights, 2 pers.)€1,927
Transport / pers.€175
Food / pers.€300
Activities / pers.€225
Total / person€1,665
✎ flight not included — we booked in January for a May departure
✎ €175 of transport for 15 days, without a JR Pass. This is the question we get most often. On a route built around three or four cities, buying Shinkansen tickets individually works out considerably cheaper than the pass — whose price has risen again since our trip.
03Where to stay
Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
Tokyo · 4 nights · ¥109,674 (€666)
Five minutes from Shinjuku Station, the busiest in Tokyo. Japanese or continental breakfast included, laundry machines, currency exchange and a restaurant on site. No lodging tax at the time.
Kawaguchiko Park Hotel
Mt Fuji · 2 nights · ¥52,000 (€316)
A traditional Japanese hotel one kilometre from the station and the lake. Private men's and women's onsen, massage chairs, free drinks, restaurant, and shuttles to the station at 9 and 10am. Lodging tax ¥150 per person per night.
Hotel Resol Trinity Kyoto
Kyoto · 4 nights · ¥57,024 (€351)
A modern hotel close to downtown and a station. Private onsen, laundry machines, restaurant, breakfast available separately. Lodging tax was ¥150 per person per night in 2024 — worth rechecking, as Kyoto's rates changed entirely in March 2026.
Hotel The Lively Osaka Honmachi
Osaka · 5 nights · ¥91,492 (€544)
The most unusual of the four: billiards, a rooftop, free beers from 5:30pm and a DJ every evening. Restaurant on site. Lodging tax ¥120 per night.
✎ no waste — every hotel leaves free toiletries at the front desk rather than in the rooms
✎ budgeting for 2026 — Kyoto's lodging tax moved to five brackets on 1 March 2026, reaching ¥10,000 per person per night at the top end; nights under ¥6,000 stay at ¥200. The national departure tax rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026, included in your air ticket.
✎ if you travel after 1 November 2026 — tax-free shopping is no longer deducted at the till. You now pay the 10% consumption tax up front and claim it back at the airport, so budget for it and allow extra time on departure day.
