Japan in Cherry Blossom: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka

1. Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo

   Tokyo Haneda or Narita airport to your hotel in central Tokyo

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Tokyo
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT). A driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you to the hotel: about 30 to 45 minutes from Haneda, about 90 minutes from Narita. The hotel is central and within a few minutes' walk of a metro or JR station. Plan to land by about 3 pm to make the evening meeting; the exact time comes with your final itinerary. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the lobby for a short briefing: where the blossom stands that week, how the metro works, how your suitcase is forwarded to Kyoto on day 3, and why three mornings start early. Each guest gets a loaded IC card for the trains. Then we walk to a neighbourhood izakaya for a welcome dinner of small plates to share. If the evening is fine and you are not too tired, the guide can show you the nearest street of cherry trees on the way back.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • IC transit card for the Tokyo metro
   • Welcome dinner at an izakaya

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   Activity: From Narita the transfer is about 65 km and 90 minutes; from Haneda it is shorter.

2. Day 2: Ueno, Yanaka and Chidorigafuchi at dusk

   Ueno Park and Yanaka, then the Imperial Palace moat at Chidorigafuchi

   • By train
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Tokyo
   Day 2 details

   We leave the hotel at about 7:15 to be in Ueno Park by 7:30. In blossom week its long central avenue of cherry trees fills with picnic blankets by late morning; at this hour there are dog walkers, a few early tarps and the light coming through the petals. We walk past Shinobazu Pond and Bentendo temple, then up into Yanaka, one of the few Tokyo neighbourhoods that survived the 1923 earthquake and the war, where the cemetery's main path runs under an arch of old cherries. Coffee and a wander down Yanaka Ginza's small shopping street follow, with lunch on your own (your guide has a list). The afternoon is free to rest. At about 5 pm we meet again and take the metro to Chidorigafuchi, where cherry trees lean over the moat of the old Edo Castle. We walk the moatside path as the light goes, when in most years the trees are lit, and finish near Yasukuni-dori with dinner free.

   Included

   • Ueno Park and Shinobazu Pond at 7:30 am with your guide
   • Yanaka cemetery's cherry avenue and Yanaka Ginza
   • Chidorigafuchi moat walk at dusk

   Optional experiences

   • A rowing boat on the Chidorigafuchi moat (queues are long in blossom week; pay on the spot)

   Easier option: Skip Yanaka and return to the hotel after Ueno, then rejoin for Chidorigafuchi.

   Free time: Lunch on your own; afternoon free; dinner free

   Activity: About 9 km on foot across the day with a long break. Roughly 90 minutes in Ueno, 90 minutes in Yanaka and an hour at Chidorigafuchi.

3. Day 3: Zojo-ji under Tokyo Tower and a hanami picnic

   Zojo-ji and Shiba Park, then a picnic in Shinjuku Gyoen

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Tokyo
   Day 3 details

   A slower morning. At about 8:30 we reach Zojo-ji, the Tokugawa family temple in Shiba Park, where cherry trees frame the great Sangedatsumon gate with Tokyo Tower rising behind. From there the metro takes us to Shinjuku Gyoen, the former imperial garden, which opens at 9 am and has many cherry varieties planted across English, French and Japanese garden sections, so some are in bloom across a longer stretch than in most parks. This is our hanami: we spread blankets under the trees and eat a picnic bento lunch, the way Tokyo has marked spring for centuries. Alcohol is not allowed in this garden, which keeps it calm. The afternoon is free: Meiji Jingu is about a 20-minute walk away, or rest. Before dinner, leave your suitcase at the front desk with the forwarding slip your guide prepares; it travels to Kyoto by courier. Pack an overnight bag for Hakone. In the evening, your guide can point you to the lantern-lit cherries along the Meguro River.

   Included

   • Zojo-ji and Shiba Park with your guide
   • Shinjuku Gyoen entry (booked ahead where the garden requires it)
   • Hanami picnic bento lunch under the cherry trees
   • Suitcase forwarding from your Tokyo hotel to your Kyoto hotel

   Optional experiences

   • Meguro River cherry trees in the evening (on your own, directions from your guide)

   More active option: Walk on from Shinjuku Gyoen to Meiji Jingu and Harajuku with your guide, about 3 km.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 45 minutes at Zojo-ji and 2.5 hours in Shinjuku Gyoen including the picnic. About 6 km on foot. Shinjuku Gyoen entry is booked ahead, since the garden has used timed reservations on peak blossom days; if no slots are available, the picnic moves to another cherry park nearby.

   

4. Day 4: The Hakone loop and a ryokan night

   Tokyo to Odawara by Shinkansen, then the Hakone Tozan Railway, cable car, ropeway and Lake Ashi cruise

   • By train
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Hakone
   Day 4 details

   We leave Tokyo mid-morning with only an overnight bag. The Tokaido Shinkansen reaches Odawara in about 35 minutes, and we start with a short walk in the grounds of Odawara Castle, whose moats are lined with cherry trees that usually bloom with Tokyo's. Then the Hakone loop on the Hakone Free Pass: the Hakone Tozan Railway climbs on switchbacks to Gora, about an hour with a change at Hakone-Yumoto, a cable car rises to Sounzan, and the Hakone Ropeway swings over Owakudani, a volcanic valley of steam vents and sulphur. We stop there for lunch and a black egg boiled in the hot springs. If a volcanic alert closes the ropeway, a bus covers the same ground. From Togendai a boat crosses Lake Ashi to Moto-Hakone, with Mount Fuji over the far shore if the spring haze allows. Hakone is higher and cooler than Tokyo, so its trees may still be in bud. By late afternoon we are at the ryokan: a yukata, the onsen and a kaiseki dinner of small seasonal courses.

   Included

   • Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara
   • Odawara Castle grounds
   • Hakone Free Pass: Hakone Tozan Railway, cable car, Hakone Ropeway and the Lake Ashi cruise
   • Owakudani and lunch at the top
   • Night in a traditional ryokan with onsen
   • Kaiseki dinner at the ryokan

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening at the ryokan

   Activity: Mostly seated on trains, the ropeway and the boat, with short walks between them. About 45 minutes at Odawara Castle and an hour at Owakudani, with lunch.

   

5. Day 5: Hakone Shrine early, then Kyoto and Maruyama at night

   Moto-Hakone and Odawara, the Shinkansen to Kyoto, then Gion and Maruyama Park

   • Drive about 42 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kyoto
   Day 5 details

   An early soak while the onsen is quiet, then a Japanese breakfast. We leave at about 8 and reach Moto-Hakone by 8:30, before the queue builds at Hakone Shrine's red torii standing in Lake Ashi. We climb the cedar-lined steps to the shrine, then walk on to Onshi-Hakone Park, the grounds of a former imperial villa on a headland, for the view across the lake. Late in the morning our vehicle takes us down to Odawara, about 40 minutes, for the Shinkansen to Kyoto: about 2.5 to 3.5 hours depending on the train, since the fastest trains do not stop at Odawara and we book a Hikari that does. Lunch is a bento on board. We reach Kyoto by mid-afternoon and your suitcase is waiting at the hotel. After a rest, we walk into Gion at dusk: the Shirakawa canal under its cherries, Yasaka Shrine as the lanterns are lit, and Maruyama Park behind it, where a great weeping cherry is lit at night in blossom season and the lawns fill with picnics. Dinner is on your own.

   Included

   • Hakone Shrine and its lakeside torii by about 8:30 am
   • Onshi-Hakone Park
   • Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto, with a bento lunch on board
   • Shirakawa, Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park at night with your guide

   Easier option: Stay at the ryokan for a slower morning and join the group at Odawara station.

   Free time: Afternoon rest in Kyoto; dinner free

   Activity: About 45 minutes at Hakone Shrine, 30 minutes in Onshi-Hakone Park and 2 hours in Gion and Maruyama Park. Maruyama Park is very busy on blossom evenings; your guide keeps the group together.

6. Day 6: The Philosopher's Path at 7 am

   Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path and Honen-in, then Nanzen-ji and the Okazaki canal

   • Drive about 18 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kyoto
   Day 6 details

   Kyoto's best-known blossom walk, before anyone else. Our vehicle drops us at the north end of the Philosopher's Path at about 7 am, and we walk south along the narrow canal under the cherry trees that line it for about 2 km, when the water is still and petals float on it. We loop up to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, as its gates open at 8:30, with its raked sand garden and moss, and step into the quiet thatched gate of Honen-in on the way. The path ends near Nanzen-ji, where we walk under the brick aqueduct that still carries water from Lake Biwa. Lunch is yudofu, simmered tofu, a dish this neighbourhood has served temple visitors for centuries. Afterwards we follow the Okazaki canal, where cherry trees hang over the water, to the Heian Shrine, whose garden is known for its weeping cherries. By about 2 pm you are free for the rest of the day: Nishiki Market, a nap, or the blossom along the Kamo River at sunset.

   Included

   • The Philosopher's Path at 7 am with your guide
   • Ginkaku-ji at opening and Honen-in
   • Nanzen-ji and the Suirokaku aqueduct
   • Yudofu lunch near Nanzen-ji
   • The Okazaki canal and the Heian Shrine garden

   Easier option: Walk only the first half of the Philosopher's Path and meet the group at lunch by taxi.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: Breakfast from about 6:15; we leave at about 6:40. About 8 km on foot, flat apart from the slope up to Ginkaku-ji. Roughly an hour on the path, 45 minutes at Ginkaku-ji, 45 minutes at Nanzen-ji and 45 minutes in the Heian Shrine garden.

7. Day 7: Nara, then Fushimi Inari late in the day

   Kyoto to Nara by Kintetsu, then JR to Fushimi Inari and back to Kyoto

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kyoto
   Day 7 details

   After yesterday's early start, a later one. Nara was Japan's capital in the 8th century, before Kyoto. We leave the hotel at about 8:15 for the Kintetsu limited express, about 35 minutes, and walk through Nara Park, where the deer wander under the cherry trees and bow for rice crackers, to Todai-ji. Inside its vast wooden hall sits the bronze Great Buddha, about 15 metres tall. We go on past the Ukimido pavilion on its pond to Kasuga Taisha and its paths of stone lanterns, then sit down to a long lunch in Naramachi, the old merchant quarter. In the afternoon the JR Nara line takes us back towards Kyoto, stopping at Inari for Fushimi Inari Taisha, open day and night. By late afternoon the day crowds thin, and we walk up through the tunnels of vermilion torii gates as the light turns gold. We are back at the hotel by about 6:30, with the evening free.

   Included

   • Kintetsu limited express from Kyoto to Nara
   • Todai-ji and the Great Buddha Hall
   • Nara Park, the Ukimido pavilion and Kasuga Taisha with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in Naramachi
   • JR Nara line to Inari and Fushimi Inari Taisha late in the day

   Easier option: Take the train straight back to Kyoto after lunch and skip Fushimi Inari, or walk only its first tunnels of gates, about 15 minutes.

   More active option: Climb on with your guide to the Yotsutsuji crossroads at Fushimi Inari, about 45 minutes uphill on steps, for the view over Kyoto at sunset.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: The longest day on foot, about 10 km, broken by a long seated lunch and the train. About an hour at Todai-ji, 90 minutes in Nara Park and Kasuga Taisha, and 90 minutes at Fushimi Inari.

   

8. Day 8: Arashiyama at 7 am and a tea ceremony

   The Arashiyama bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji and the Togetsukyo bridge, then central Kyoto

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kyoto
   Day 8 details

   Our second early start in Kyoto, and the last. Our vehicle leaves at about 6:30 for Arashiyama on the city's western edge, about 30 minutes, and at 7 am we walk through the bamboo grove while it is quiet enough to hear the stalks knock together. When Tenryu-ji's gates open at 8:30 we are first into its garden, laid out in the 14th century around a pond against the hills, with weeping cherries by the main hall. We then walk down to the Oi River and the Togetsukyo bridge, where the hillside of Arashiyama is planted with cherry trees, and up into Kameyama Park above the river for the view. Lunch is shojin ryori, the vegetarian cooking of Zen temples, served in small dishes. Our vehicle takes us back to the hotel by about 1 pm to rest. At about 3:30 we walk to a tea room for a tea ceremony, where the host shows you how to whisk your own bowl of matcha, then a short class making wagashi, the seasonal sweets served with tea. The evening is free.

   Included

   • Arashiyama bamboo grove at 7 am with your guide
   • Tenryu-ji garden at opening
   • Togetsukyo bridge and Kameyama Park
   • Shojin ryori temple vegetarian lunch
   • Tea ceremony and a wagashi class in central Kyoto

   Optional experiences

   • Sagano Romantic Train along the Hozu gorge (seats sell out in blossom season; ask when you book)

   Easier option: Stay at the hotel for breakfast and join the group at Tenryu-ji at 8:30 by taxi.

   Free time: Early afternoon rest; evening free

   Activity: We leave at about 6:30 with breakfast boxes for the van. About 30 minutes in the bamboo grove, an hour at Tenryu-ji, an hour on the river and in Kameyama Park, and 90 minutes for the tea ceremony and wagashi class. About 7 km on foot.

9. Day 9: Osaka Castle in blossom and a Dotonbori farewell

   Kyoto to Osaka by road, Osaka Castle park and the Okawa river, then Dotonbori

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Osaka
   Day 9 details

   A gentle morning. We leave Kyoto at about 9:30 with the suitcases in our vehicle and reach Osaka Castle park in about an hour. The castle keep, rebuilt in 1931 on the original stone walls, stands above moats lined with cherry trees, and the Nishinomaru Garden on the west bailey is a lawn ringed with blossom under the keep, the best place to see both together. From the castle we walk a short way north to the Okawa river, where a long promenade of cherry trees runs along the bank at Kema Sakuranomiya. Lunch is on your own; your guide has a list. In the early afternoon we check in to a hotel near Namba and you have a few hours free. In the evening the farewell: a street-food walk through Dotonbori under the neon and the Glico running man sign, past the moss-covered statue in Hozenji Yokocho, tasting takoyaki, kushikatsu and okonomiyaki as we go, and ending around one table for a last dinner together.

   Included

   • Transfer to Osaka with your suitcases
   • Osaka Castle park and the Nishinomaru Garden with your guide
   • The Okawa riverbank at Kema Sakuranomiya
   • Dotonbori and Hozenji Yokocho street-food walk
   • Farewell dinner

   Optional experiences

   • The Osaka Castle keep museum (on your own)

   Easier option: Stay in the Nishinomaru Garden and skip the river walk.

   Free time: Lunch on your own; afternoon free before the evening walk

   Activity: About 90 minutes in the castle park and 45 minutes on the river, about 5 km on foot, and about 2 hours on the Dotonbori walk and dinner.

10. Day 10: A free morning in Osaka and home

    Osaka to Kansai International Airport

    • Drive about 1 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 10 details

    The morning is yours. Kuromon Market is a short walk from Namba for a last snack of fresh fruit or grilled seafood, and the shopping arcades of Shinsaibashi start next to the hotel. If the blossom is late this year, your guide can point you to a park that is still in flower. Check-out is usually at 11 am, and the hotel holds your bags. Our vehicle then takes you to Kansai International Airport (KIX), about an hour by road and across the bridge onto the airport island, timed to your flight. For an international flight, book one leaving after about 2 pm to keep the free morning; if you fly earlier, we leave earlier. If you are flying from Osaka Itami (ITM), staying on in Osaka or travelling on by train, tell us when you book and we arrange the drop-off to match. Your guide says goodbye at the hotel, and we send you the photos the group shared during the trip.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Kansai International Airport (KIX)

    Free time: Morning free

    Activity: Book an international flight leaving after about 2 pm to keep the free morning.

Wildlife and weather: Late March and early April are mild by day, often 12 to 18 C, and cool at night, with some rain; a day of wind or rain can bring the petals down early. Hakone sits higher and is colder, and its trees often bloom later than Tokyo's. Mount Fuji is often hidden by spring haze or cloud. The blossom draws Japan's biggest spring crowds, especially at weekends.

• Tokyo3 nights
• Hakone1 night
• Kyoto4 nights
• Osaka1 night