In March, with the planner's pick for each leg; you can switch any leg in the plan.
Delhi → KyotoFlight via Osaka · 16h 18m · One stop via Bangkok, Hong Kong or Tokyo; Air India non-stop to Kansai planned from 2 Feb 2027 (4 a week) (one stop) to Osaka, then train
Hakone → TokyoTrain · 1h 48m · Odakyu Romancecar (Shinjuku–Hakone-Yumoto), or shinkansen via Odawara
Tokyo → DelhiFlight · 10h 48m · Air India / ANA / JAL non-stop to Haneda
About this circuit
Japan's classic first trip, from Kansai to Tokyo: through Osaka to Kyoto for Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, the Golden Pavilion and Gion; the shinkansen to Odawara and the mountain railway up to Hakone for a ryokan night, the ropeway over Owakudani and Fuji across Lake Ashi; then the Romancecar to Tokyo, and home on a non-stop flight from Haneda.
Why it matters
Kyoto was the imperial capital for over a thousand years and has 17 UNESCO-listed temples, shrines and castles; Hakone is the classic hot-spring getaway from Tokyo; and Tokyo is the landing city for every non-stop flight from India.
Stop by stop
How the 9 days split across the 3 stops, and what each one costs on the ground for two.
The imperial capital for over a thousand years, with 17 UNESCO-listed temples, shrines and castles: the thousands of vermilion gates at Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera on its wooden stage, the Golden Pavilion, the Arashiyama bamboo grove and the wooden lanes of Gion. Kyoto is Japan's most crowded city in cherry-blossom and autumn-leaf weeks; go to the big sights at opening time. Temple vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori) is a real option here.
The classic onsen getaway from Tokyo: a loop by mountain railway, cable car, ropeway over the steaming Owakudani valley, and a mock pirate ship across Lake Ashi, with Mount Fuji in view on clear days (more often in winter). Stay a night in a ryokan with its own hot-spring bath and a multi-course kaiseki dinner. The ropeway and Owakudani close when volcanic-gas levels rise.
Don't miss: Owakudani's steaming vents and black eggs · Hakone Ropeway with Fuji views.
How long: 2 days, which is the recommended stay.
Haneda Airport (HND), 80 km
2 days for two from ₹31,274 · ₹67,838 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
Japan's capital and the landing city for every non-stop flight from India: Senso-ji in old Asakusa, the forest shrine of Meiji Jingu, the Shibuya crossing, Shinjuku's skyscrapers and lanes of tiny bars, and a different neighbourhood for every interest, from Akihabara's electronics to Ginza's department stores. Trains and subways reach everything. Indian restaurants are everywhere, and Nishi-Kasai in the east is Tokyo's Little India.
Don't miss: Senso-ji and Nakamise street in Asakusa · Meiji Jingu forest shrine.
How long: 4 days, which is the recommended stay.
Haneda Airport (HND), 15 km
4 days for two from ₹61,716 · ₹1,30,752 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
What it costs
from ₹1,46,750 a person
The whole 9-day trip as the planner prices it in March, for two sharing at budget stays: flights from India and back, travel between the stops, stays, food, getting around, entry fees and the planner's buffer.
The visa for an Indian passport, about ₹1,300 a person, is on top.
When to go
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March to May and October to November are the seasons, and the busiest: in cherry-blossom weeks (late March to mid-April) and the autumn leaves (mid-November) Kyoto's hotels cost up to two or three times the usual
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹1,300
Book an appointment at the Japan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) for your area and apply for the single-entry tourist visa, no more than three months before you travel. Walk-ins ended in February 2026. The visa fee is ₹500, plus VFS's service charge of ₹800.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Make it yours
Opens in the planner with all 3 stops, suggested days and your home city pre-filled, in March. Swap anything.
·Indian passports need a visa: book a VFS appointment and apply 3-4 weeks before you fly, no earlier than three months
·Add up your shinkansen tickets before buying a JR Pass: the 7-day pass often doesn't pay, and it doesn't cover the private lines such as Odakyu
·The Hakone Freepass covers the loop of railway, cable car, ropeway, Lake Ashi boat and buses; the ropeway closes when volcanic gas or wind is too strong
·Send big bags ahead by luggage service: on the Tokaido shinkansen a suitcase over 160 cm needs a reserved seat with luggage space
·In Kyoto reach Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera and Arashiyama before 08:00; photographing in Gion's private lanes is banned
