How to plan a classic two-week trip in Japan

This take on Japan’s most popular itinerary celebrates quieter corners as well as big hitters, delivering a quintessential taste of the country — from shrines to matcha tea, volcanic peaks to rich wildlife, city thrills to samurai history — across a two-week itinerary.

Days 1-4: Tokyo pop culture, temples & onsen

Spend your first day soaking up the neon lights in Shinjuku, quirky teen culture in Harajuku and the trendy cafes and izakayas (pubs) in Shimokitazawa — all in Tokyo’s west. If jet lag is keeping you up, there’s karaoke, late-night bars and drag shows in Shinjuku’s nightlife district, Kabukicho.

During the following days, turn back the clock with a visit to Asakusa district’s lantern-lined temple Sensoji and a wander through Ueno Park, home to the Tokyo National Museum. Or visit interactive digital gallery teamLab Borderless in Azabudai Hills and scale the 2,080ft Tokyo Skytree for city views. tnm.jp

Take a day trip to the hot springs resort town of Hakone, an 80-minute ride on the Odakyu Romancecar train, to experience Japanese onsen culture and catch views of Mount Fuji. Try Tenzan onsen in Hakone-Yumoto.

Day 5: Mountains in Toyama

From Tokyo, the Shinkansen can whisk you to Omachi, in Nagano Prefecture, for a day in the Japanese Alps. Hop on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (open 15 April to 30 November), which includes railway, cable-cars, ropeways and buses reaching 2,500 metres (8,200ft). End with a night in Toyama, home to rice paddies and ryokans (traditional inns). In winter, visit the thatched houses of Shirakawa village.

Day 6: Garden strolls in Kanazawa

It’s just an hour-long train ride from Toyama station to Kanazawa, a well-preserved Edo centre with geisha teahouses, a historic samurai district and one of Japan’s most highly prized gardens, Kenrokuen. This is a great spot for stays in ryokans such as Auberge Maki No Oto.

Days 7-10: Street food, geishas & ninjas

Basing yourself in Osaka, take day trips out to explore the wider region via the train network and use the evenings to seek out the metropolis’s famed street food. The lively Shinsekai district is where you can find Osaka’s kushikatsu (deep-fried skewer) scene; Kuromon Market, meanwhile, is famous for its fish.

Kyoto can be reached via a 30-minute train ride from Osaka and has many temple highlights worth a day. These include the shimmering, golden Kinkakuji temple; Fushimi Inari Shrine, amid thousands of red torii gates; and vast Kiyomizudera temple, founded in the eighth century. Also visit Nara ­— capital of Japan before the city ceded the title to Kyoto in 794 ­— which has equally impressive temples an hour’s train ride from Osaka. Or spend a day in the ninja capital and castle town of Iga, which is around two hours from Osaka by train.

Day 11: Buddhist reflection in Koyasan

One of Japan’s holiest places, set on a mountain plateau, the temple settlement of Koyasan provides a reflective atmosphere for an overnight shukubo (temple stay) at Daienin. See the bright red Konpon Daito Pagoda and Daimon Gate by day and visit sacred Okunoin Cemetery with a guide by night, when the towering forest and stone lanterns are particularly atmospheric. Next morning, rise early for a Buddhist prayer ceremony in one of the many local temples. To get to Koyasan from Osaka, it’s a scenic 90-minute ride via train, bus and funicular.

Days 12-13: Hiroshima homage & island escape

It’s difficult not to be moved by a visit to the site of the devastating atomic bomb that landed on Hiroshima in 1945. In the heart of the modern city, a half-day journey from Koyasan, a skeleton-like bombed-out dome sits across from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum — an essential stop for any visitor to the city. While based in Hiroshima for two nights, you can also sample the local okonomiyaki savoury pancake, uniquely stuffed with noodles, and visit the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan’s first contemporary art museum.

Finish off with one of Japan’s most iconic sights: the island of Miyajima, famed for its red torii gate rising dramatically from the surrounding waters. It can be visited as a day trip from Hiroshima, via train and ferry (around 1.5 hours) or take a direct boat from Hiroshima Peace Park (45 minutes, but more expensive). Once you’ve got photographs, take a hike around the green, hilly island or ride the ropeway up Mount Misen.

Day 14: Shopping in Tokyo

The return journey to Tokyo takes around four hours on the Shinkansen. Before flying home, stock up on souvenirs: Shibuya has big branches of shops such as Don Quijote, Hands and Loft. Across their multi-floor emporiums, you’ll find everything from seaweed snacks and chopsticks to cute stationery.