Japan'S Golden Route By Rail
7 day Roadigo trip with 27 stops
Arrival in the Neon Jungle
Welcome to Japan! After clearing customs, grab your JR Pass or Suica card. We’re heading straight into the heart of the city to drop bags.
Narita Airport
Welcome to Japan! After clearing customs, grab your JR Pass or Suica card. We’re heading straight into the heart of the city to drop bags.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Shinjuku Gyo-en or Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large public garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. It later became a garden under the management of Japan Imperial Household Agency. It is now a national garden under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment.
Omoide Yokocho
Also known as "Memory Lane," this tiny alleyway is packed with yakitori stalls. Grab a stool, order some grilled skewers, and soak in the old-school Tokyo atmosphere.
Shinjuku
Shinjuku (新宿) is a central ward of Tokyo known as the metropolis' second center (副都心, fukutoshin). The area surrounding Shinjuku Station is a huge business, commercial, and entertainment center atop the world's busiest railway station complex. To the north lies Takadanobaba (高田馬場), where students from nearby Waseda University cross paths.
Old Meets New Tokyo
Tokyo’s oldest temple in Asakusa. Walk through the Kaminarimon Gate and browse the Nakamise-dori stalls for some fresh age-manju (fried bean cakes).
Senso-ji
Sensō-ji , is an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple, and one of its most significant. It is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. Structures in the temple complex include the main hall, a five-story pagoda and large gates. It is the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually.
Akihabara Electric Town
Whether you're into anime or just want to see the "Electric Town" madness, this is the place. Check out the multi-story hobby shops like Mandarake.
Shibuya Crossing
Shibuya Scramble Crossing , commonly known as Shibuya Crossing, is a scramble crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located near Shibuya Station in Shibuya, a major commercial and entertainment district in Tokyo. It has been described as the world's busiest pedestrian crossing, with as many as 3,000 people crossing during a single green light cycle.
Harajuku
For the fashionable teenager, spending time in Harajuku (原宿) on the weekends is practically a necessity. Older folks will want to visit too, to see Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingū) and Yoyogi Park.
The Bullet Train to Zen
Grab an ekiben (station bento box) and board the Shinkansen. Keep your eyes peeled on the right side of the train about 45 minutes in for a view of Mt. Fuji.
Tokyo Station
Grab an ekiben (station bento box) and board the Shinkansen. Keep your eyes peeled on the right side of the train about 45 minutes in for a view of Mt. Fuji.
Kyoto Station
Welcome to the cultural capital. This station is an architectural marvel—head to the sky deck for a view of the Kyoto Tower.
Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Kita-Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a hibutsu statue of Jūichimen Kannon. The temple's full name is Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera. The temple is the 16th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route.
Gion District
Kyoto’s geisha district. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot a Meiko hurrying to an appointment. It’s the most atmospheric place for a traditional Kaiseki dinner.
Arashiyama & Golden Pavilions
Get here early to beat the crowds. The sound of the wind through the tall bamboo stalks is incredibly peaceful.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
The Bamboo Forest, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, or Sagano Bamboo Forest is a natural bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan. It consists mostly of mōsō bamboo and has several pathways for tourists and visitors. The Ministry of the Environment considers it a part of the soundscape of Japan.
Tenryu-ji Temple
Right next to the bamboo, this Zen temple has one of the most beautiful landscape gardens in Japan.
Kinkaku-ji
Kinkaku-ji , officially named Rokuon-ji , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan and a tourist attraction. It is designated as a World Heritage Site, a National Special Historic Site, a National Special Landscape, and one of the 17 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. The temple is nicknamed after its reliquary (shariden), the Golden Pavilion , whose top two floors are coated in 0.
Ryoan-ji
Ryōan-ji is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism.
The Gates & The Deer
Hike through the thousands of vermilion torii gates. The higher you climb, the thinner the crowds get.
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is 233 metres (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.
Nara Park
Nara Park is a public park located in the city of Nara, Japan, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa. Established in 1880, it is one of the oldest parks in Japan. Administratively, the park is under the control of Nara Prefecture. The park is one of the "Places of Scenic Beauty" designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
Todai-ji
Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE.
Dotonbori
Dōtonbori or Dōtombori is a district in Osaka, Japan. Known as one of Osaka's principal tourist and nightlife areas, the area runs along the Dōtonbori canal from Dōtonboribashi Bridge to Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba district of the city's Chūō ward.
Osaka Spirit & History
Explore the grounds of this massive fortress. The museum inside gives a great breakdown of the city's warring states history.
Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period.
Kuromon Ichiba Market
Osaka’s "Soul Food" market. Try some fresh grilled scallops or fatty tuna (otoro) right at the stalls.
Shinsekai
Shinsekai is a neighbourhood located next to south Osaka City's downtown "Minami" area. The neighbourhood was created in 1912 with New York as a model for its southern half and Paris for its northern half. At this location, a Luna Park amusement park operated from 1912 until it closed in 1923. The centrepiece of the neighbourhood was Tsutenkaku Tower.
Umeda Sky Building
The Umeda Sky Building is a two-tower mixed-use skyscraper in Osaka, Japan. Located on the outskirts of the Umeda business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, the Umeda Sky Building consists of two 40-story towers interconnected at their two uppermost stories via glass bridges with escalators and elevators that cross an open atrium space. It is currently the fifteenth-tallest building in the prefecture.
The Final Stretch
Osaka’s answer to Harajuku. It’s great for last-minute quirky souvenir shopping and people-watching.
Amerikamura
Amerikamura is a sizable retail and entertainment area near Shinsaibashi in the Chūō-ku district of Osaka, Japan. It is usually referred to by locals as "Ame-mura". Amerikamura is an area stretching from Nagahori Street to Dotonbori, located in the west side of the Shinsaibashi station.
Namba
Minami (大阪 ミナミ) is the largest commercial area in Osaka, Japan. All manner of shops and entertainment can be found in the Minami Area, which stretches from Semba (Honmachi) to the area surrounding Namba station. In Minami, locals and tourists alike can enjoy the city atmosphere of Osaka.
Kansai International Airport
Take the Haruka Express train directly to the airport for your flight home.
- Day 1: last activity ends 20:00 — aim to wrap by ~18:00 or drop a stop
- Day 2: last activity ends 19:00 — aim to wrap by ~18:00 or drop a stop
- Day 6: last activity ends 19:00 — aim to wrap by ~18:00 or drop a stop
- 🛫 Route includes 0 flight + 2 rail segments. Map shows them as dashed lines (connection only, not real road).