The Golden Route
Japan’s Golden Route is the classic tour that you will find offered on almost every website. Why? Because it’s popular and fun! It includes a few days in exciting, dynamic Tokyo, a visit to one of Japan’s natural playgrounds, Hakone, and ends in the classic city of Kyoto with all of its history and traditions.
We have curated the internet to bring together all the information you need to plan your trip in one handy page. You can easily arrange this entire tour on your own using our simple, do-it-yourself instructions and links to transportation, hotels, train information and more!
Tokyo
3 nights
Tokyo is an extraordinary city—both a large and sprawling metropolis as well as a collection of small neighborhoods bound together both by excellent public transport and centuries of tradition, and it is the capitol of Japan today. This incredible city is also known for its many museums, theaters, gardens, and the world’s most famous fish market. Tokyo holds vast and incredibly lit shopping districts, stunning architectural buildings, and the sprawling Meiji Shinto Shrine, known for its towering gate and surrounding woods in the middle of downtown Tokyo. It is a mixture of the ultramodern and traditional, from the neon-lit skyscrapers to the historic temples.
Hakone
1 night
Hakone is located along Lake Ashi at the bottom of the iconic volcano Mount Fuji in Japan’s Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, just west of Tokyo. The town of Hakone is best known for its hot springs resorts and its views of Mt. Fuji. Fuji san overlooks the Hakone Shrine which stands next to Lake Ashi with a bright red “torii” gate entrance. The town has been a favorite of tourists and locals for hundreds of years, with its expansive views, boiling sulfur spring, gondola ride on the Hakone Ropeway, and hot spring baths.
Kyoto
3 nights
Kyoto is the former capital of Japan, famous for its temples, shrines, Geisha, textiles, festivals, and traditional stone streets. It is home to seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple (the famed “Golden Pavillion”), Ryoan-ji Temple, and Nijo Castle. After the sun sets, you can sometimes see a geisha dressed in a colorful kimono, silently walking from one tea house to the next in the Gion district. Several times a year Kyoto is the home to festivals that showcase the history of the city and region with parades featuring stunning costumes and elaborate floats.