East Asia
Japan itineraries
Whether the rail pass still pays for itself decides the whole shape of the trip, and since the 2023 price rise, for most routes it does not.
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Japan · 14 days
14 days in Japan without the rail pass
Tokyo, the Japanese Alps, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Hiroshima, and the arithmetic showing the rail pass loses money on it.
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Japan · 10 days
10 days in Japan: Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima done properly
The Golden Route, which at ten days is the right answer, and still not worth a rail pass.
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Japan · 7 days
7 days in Japan: Tokyo and Kyoto, in that order
Two cities, one train, and an open-jaw ticket that removes the day everyone else spends going back.
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Japan · 5 days
5 days in Japan: Tokyo and Kyoto, and nothing else
The shortest trip that still gets both cities, made possible by a 2h15 train and an open-jaw ticket.