EKTA
Gold
2k$36.48 AUD
The highlights of Japan, planned day by day
A highlights trip to Japan draws on all three: Yamazaki distillery, Gion Make Your Own Chopsticks with Engraving Option. Choose laid-back for two things a day, or packed for four.
Your 5-day highlights plan for Japan
Where you stayOsaka 3 nightsTokyo 2 nightsabout 400 km between them
5 days · packed · 13 of 19 bookable now · activities from about $1,144
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Day 1 Osaka
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morning
Yamazaki distillery
Japanese whisky distillery. Dates from 1923.
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afternoon
Kyoto: Gion Make Your Own Chopsticks with Engraving Option
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evening
Osaka Kimono/Yukata Rental & Photography Experience (Provided by Oukakimono)
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evening
Fu Fu No Yu Onsen Admission Ticket in Kyoto
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Day 2 Osaka
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morning
Universal Studios Japan Studio Pass
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afternoon
Kitayama Botanical Garden
Botanical garden in Hyōgo, Japan. Dates from 1982.
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evening
Kobe Beef Steak SAKURA Teppanyaki - Kobe
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evening
Hakodateyama Ski Resort Beginner Lesson & Snow Fun from Osaka
Where to eat
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Lunch
The restaurant was opened in May 2008 and only a year and a half later received a three-star rating in the Michelin Guide, then the only restaurant in Osaka to receive that distinction.
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Day 3 Osaka
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morning
Kyoto Kimono Rental Experience (Optional Elegant Hairstyle/Japanese Makeup/Photography) (Ookini Kimono Rental Yasaka Shrine Gion Store)
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afternoon
Sake brewery walking tour in Nada, home to Japan's No. 1 sake district (Kobe)
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evening
Osaka: Japanese Massage, Head Spa & Facial at the Temple (180-min)
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evening
Kyoto: Shiatsu Body Massage (Arashiyu Gion Bettei)
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Day 4 Tokyo
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Travel day
Osaka to Tokyo
Journey time is an estimate rather than a timetable - check the operator before you book anything tight on either side of it. Klook sells Japan Shinkansen & Train Tickets, which covers this country rather than this leg - you pick the route and date at checkout.
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afternoon
Tsukiji fish market
Fish market in Tokyo, Japan. Dates from 1935.
Just turn up -
evening
Shinjuku Gyoen
Park and garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Dates from 1892.
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evening
Tsukiji Outer Market food walk
The wholesale market moved to Toyosu; the outer market kept the knife shops, tamagoyaki stands and standing sushi counters.
Just turn up
Where to eat
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Breakfast
Tomodachiga Yatteru Cafe
The café was ranked in several top trend lists for 2023.
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Lunch
Rengatei
A yōshoku restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo established in 1895.
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Dinner
A Michelin 3-star sushi restaurant in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan.
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Day 5 Tokyo
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morning
Toyosu market
Central wholesale market in Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Dates from 2018.
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afternoon
Tokyo Disney Resort - Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo DisneySea Park Tickets
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evening
Tokyo's popular head spa DRYHEADSPA UTATANE
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evening
Hakone Kamakura Pass
Where to eat
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Dinner
The first sushi restaurant to receive three stars from the Michelin Guide.
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Prices are indicative and in Australian dollars. Flights and accommodation are not included. Distances between stops are straight-line, so a walking or driving route will be longer, and they are shown only where both stops have a known location. Items marked also worth doing sit outside the highlights theme and are there because they are among the best things to do in Japan.
Before you fly to Japan
The part an itinerary app leaves out. These are Japan's rules for Australian passport holders, re-read from the official source and dated below.
Entry
No - Australian passport holders can enter Japan without a visa for up to 90 days.
Passport
Check your passport covers the whole trip with room to spare. A fare is non-refundable long before a passport renewal is.
Your checklist
21 things to sort for Japan, built from these same rules, 3 of them essential.
- Passport valid - valid for the duration of your stay
- Take out travel insurance
- Get an International Driving Permit
Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Entry requirements change without notice. Always confirm with the official sources below before you book or fly.
Sort these before you go
The two things worth having arranged before a highlights trip to Japan, compared on price.
Japan travel insurance
Klook
Travel insurance
Set at quote
Fast Cover Best value
Standard Saver
9k$19 AUD
Compare only
Japan eSIM plans
Airalo
1GB · 7 days
32k$6.50 AUD
Saily Cheapest 10GB
10GB · 15 days
6k$11.50 AUD
Airalo Recommended
10GB · 15 days
32k$13 AUD
Prices are indicative, shown in AUD and refreshed from provider APIs where available. Always confirm the final price on the provider's site - it is the price that applies. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never changes what you pay. Partners are listed before providers who pay us nothing, as our terms set out; sorting by price ignores all of that and orders on the number alone. How we make money.
Highlights trip questions
What goes into a highlights plan?
It rotates between wellness, sightseeing and food items rather than clustering them, so no single day is three museums or three meals. If you would rather lean one way, switch the theme at the top of the page and the plan rebuilds.
Can I change the plan once it is built?
Yes. Pace and length are controls on the page, and changing either rebuilds the plan instantly. The itinerary is deterministic, so the same choices always produce the same plan - you can send someone the link and they will see what you see.
Other ways to do Japan
Japan wellness itinerary
Hot springs and spa days, but also gyms, yoga, hiking and open water. Rest and movement, not one or the other.
Japan sightseeing itinerary
Coastlines, lookouts, day trips and the landmarks that are actually worth the queue.
Japan food itinerary
Markets, cooking classes, wine regions and the places worth planning a day around.
Highlights trips in other countries
Still deciding where to go? These are built the same way - real activities, in an order that works, with the entry rules for Australians attached.
🇮🇩 Indonesia highlights itinerary
Visa on arrival, plus two fees most Australians don't budget for.
🇹🇭 Thailand highlights itinerary
60 days visa-free - but the arrival card is now compulsory.
🇻🇳 Vietnam highlights itinerary
E-visa required - and Australians legally can't drive here.
🇵🇭 Philippines highlights itinerary
Visa-free for 30 days, with a compulsory eTravel registration.