Japan · By train
Kyoto, Nara and Osaka
Temples at dawn and street food after dark.
- Length
- 4 days
- Best for
- The big trip you've always talked about
- When to go
- Spring or autumn
Where you'll go
Kyoto
Shrines, gardens and old wooden streets.
Nara
Great temples and free-roaming deer.
Osaka
Neon, noise and some of Japan's best street food.
The plan
- Day 1
Fushimi Inari
Go early to walk the shrine's red gates, then explore the Gion district.
- Day 2
Arashiyama
Walk through the bamboo grove and along the river in western Kyoto.
- Day 3
Nara day trip
See Tōdai-ji temple and meet the deer in Nara Park.
- Day 4
On to Osaka
Take the short train ride and spend the evening eating around Dōtonbori.
Good to know: Popular Kyoto sights get crowded, so start as early as you can.
Don't tell them yet.
Turn this trip into a surprise, and reveal it with a letter they can open.
