A practical, car-free Japan by train itinerary: 11 days from Kyoto through Nara, Osaka and Himeji to Hiroshima and the floating torii of Miyajima, with rail-pass and timing advice.
Western Japan is built for the train. The Shinkansen links its great cities in minutes, regional lines and ferries handle the last mile, and a single rail pass ties it all together. This Japan by train itinerary runs west along the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen corridor, from the temples of Kyoto through Nara, Osaka and Himeji to Hiroshima and the sacred island of Miyajima. You never need a car, and you would not want one: tolls are high, parking is scarce, and the bullet train is faster than the motorway anyway.
Kyoto to Hiroshima takes under two hours by Shinkansen, and the short hops in between are measured in minutes. A Japan Rail Pass or the regional Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass covers nearly every leg of this route, including the JR ferry across to Miyajima. Trains are frequent, punctual and comfortable, so the planning is simple: turn up, tap in, and watch the country slide past the window. It is the calmest way to see a lot of Japan in a short time.
This is a one-way, west-bound route rather than a loop. You arrive into Kyoto, the eastern gateway to the Kansai region, and finish near Hiroshima at Miyajima, flying home from Hiroshima or Osaka rather than doubling back.
Late March to early April brings the cherry blossom, and October to November the autumn colours, and both are the loveliest and busiest times to travel. The climate is mild for most of the year, with a wetter spell in June and July. Book trains and rooms well ahead in the two peak seasons, especially around the blossom.
Start in Kyoto, the cultural heart of the trip and the natural rail gateway to the west. Three nights give you time to see the big sights without sprinting: the torii tunnels of Fushimi Inari at dawn, the bamboo grove and temples of Arashiyama, the wooden terraces of Kiyomizu-dera, and the lantern-lit lanes of Gion in the evening. Kyoto Station sits on the Shinkansen and the local Nara line, so everything that follows is a short walk from your hotel.
Nara is an easy 45-minute train from Kyoto and makes a gentle change of pace. Japan's first permanent capital is famous for the free-roaming sika deer of Nara Park, which bow for crackers beneath giant cedars, and for Todai-ji, whose great hall shelters one of the largest bronze Buddhas in the world. Stay a night to enjoy the temples once the day-trippers have gone, then take a morning train on to Osaka.
White chalk cliffs, a Norman conquest battlefield, cobblestoned medieval streets and a seaside city that refuses to be ordinary: this East Sussex road trip itinerary covers it all in seven days.
Osaka is Kansai's brash, food-obsessed second city, and a lively contrast to Kyoto. Eat your way along the neon canals of Dotonbori and through Kuromon market, climb the reconstructed keep of Osaka Castle, and spend an evening bar-hopping in Namba. When it is time to move on, Shin-Osaka Station is the launch point for the Sanyo Shinkansen heading west, so leave from there rather than central Osaka Station.
Break the journey at Himeji, a 30-minute Shinkansen hop from Shin-Osaka. The town is built around Himeji Castle, the finest surviving feudal fortress in Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its brilliant white keep, nicknamed the White Heron, stands a ten-minute walk straight up the avenue from the station. Stay overnight so you can tour the castle interior and the neighbouring Koko-en gardens at a relaxed pace, rather than squeezing it into a connection.
Hiroshima is a modern, open city rebuilt after the atomic bombing of 1945, and its centre is the Peace Memorial Park. The preserved A-Bomb Dome, the cenotaph and the Peace Memorial Museum make for a sober but essential half-day, told with care and clarity. Give yourself the rest of the time to see the gardens of Shukkei-en and to try the city's layered okonomiyaki, cooked on a hot plate in front of you. Hiroshima is also the comfortable base for the short trip out to Miyajima.
Finish on Miyajima, reached by a 25-minute JR train to Miyajimaguchi and a short JR ferry, both covered by the rail pass. The island's symbol is the great vermilion torii of Itsukushima Shrine, which seems to float on the water at high tide and stands clear on the sand at low tide, so check the day's tides before you go. Ride the ropeway and walk the last stretch to the summit of Mount Misen for views over the Seto Inland Sea, then stay the night to enjoy the shrine and the quiet streets after the day boats have left.
Decide early between the nationwide Japan Rail Pass and the regional Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass; for a trip that stays in this corridor, the regional pass is usually better value. Reserve seats on busy Shinkansen services in advance, especially in blossom and autumn seasons. A prepaid IC card such as ICOCA covers local trains, subways, buses and the Miyajima ferries, so you can tap through everything without buying single tickets. Pack light, because you will be moving between hotels by train and lifting bags onto luggage racks.
This is one of the most rewarding car-free trips in Asia. The trains turn long distances into short, scenic hops, the cities each have a distinct character, and the route builds naturally from Kyoto's temples to the quiet of Miyajima at the end. For a first Japan by train itinerary that is relaxed, efficient and full of highlights, this western Japan corridor is the one to book.
An 8-day Northern Arizona road trip looping from Phoenix through Jerome, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon South Rim and Route 66 Williams. Full itinerary with drives, stops and the best time to go.
The full route — stops, maps, and driving times — is on Routebook by Kington.
An 11-day, car-free journey by bullet train and ferry across western Japan, from the temples of Kyoto through Nara, Osaka and Himeji to Hiroshima's Peace Park and the floating torii of Miyajima.
Routebookby Routebook
