Japan, 6–13 May 2027

Why 6–13 May, not 1–5 May

29 April to 5 May is Golden Week, Japan's own national holiday. Every Japanese family travels then: trains sell out, Kyoto is shoulder-to-shoulder, hotels charge peak rates. It ends on Wednesday 5 May. Arriving on Thursday 6 May gets the same weather (about 23°C days, 13°C nights, before the rainy season) with the crowds gone.

Mon

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Apr26

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May1

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Golden Week (avoid)Our trip

Flights from Kolkata do not get pricier in Golden Week (Thai showed the same ₹69,645 on 20 and 29 Apr). The saving is inside Japan: hotels, trains and queues.

The route

路線図

TK1
Tokyo 東京
3 nights · Days 1–3
Shinkansen 35 min
HK4
Hakone 箱根
1 night, onsen · Day 4
Shinkansen 1h43
KY5
Kyoto 京都
2 nights · Days 5–6
JR 45 min
NR7
Nara 奈良
Afternoon stop · Day 7
JR 50 min
OS7
Osaka 大阪
1 night · Days 7–8
Rapi:t 40 min
KIX8
Kansai Airport 関西空港
Fly home · Day 8

Why Hakone, not Kawaguchiko: Hakone's station (Odawara) is on the shinkansen line to Kyoto, so no backtracking with 11 people's bags. If Fuji hides in cloud, Hakone still has the ropeway over the volcano vents, the lake boat and an outdoor sculpture museum the kids will love. Hiroshima doesn't fit in 8 days without dropping Hakone or Nara.

Day by day

旅程

Each day is planned around one rule: reach the famous place before the tour buses, then spend the busy middle of the day somewhere locals go. Times are when to arrive.

とうきょう

東京

Day 1 · Thu 6 May · Arrive Tokyo

Kolkatavia Bangkok D1 AsakusaDay 2

Tokyo at night from the Metropolitan Government towerPhoto: Takashi Hososhima, CC BY-SA 2.0

LandNarita	Keisei Skyliner to Ueno, about 45 min About ¥2,580 adult, half for kids. Buy at the airport counter. (Landing at Haneda instead? The Keikyu line is cheaper.)
Arrival	Set up phones and Suica Install eSIMs before leaving Kolkata. iPhones add Suica in Apple Wallet; Android users buy a Welcome Suica card at the airport.
Evening	Check in at Asakusa, easy walk by the Sumida river Dinner nearby. Early night: tomorrow starts at 7:30.

Sleep: Minn AsakusaSpend: about ¥2,580 transfer + dinner

あさくさ

浅草

Day 2 · Fri 7 May · Old Tokyo

TokyoDay 1 D2 ShinjukuDay 3

Kaminarimon gate, Senso-jiPhoto: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

7:30	Senso-ji temple busy by 10 Grounds are open early and nearly empty; the Nakamise shops open around 9–10 and the crowds come with them. Free.
10:00	Yanaka Ginza and Nezu Shrine quiet Old-Tokyo shopping street and a shrine with a tunnel of red torii, without the crowds. Free.
13:00	Ueno Park and lunch at Ameyoko market Street food, cheap fruit, room for kids to run.
17:00	Akihabara Anime, games and arcades. The kids' evening.

Yanaka GinzaPhoto: Stephen Kelly, CC BY 2.0

Get around: Tokyo Subway 72-hour ticket, ¥2,000 adult / ¥1,000 child (doesn't cover JR lines)

しんじゅく

新宿

Day 3 · Sat 8 May · Modern Tokyo

AsakusaDay 2 D3 HakoneDay 4

The great torii, Meiji JinguPhoto: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

7:00	Meiji Jingu shrine Saturday crowds by 11 A forest walk in the middle of the city. Opens around sunrise. Free.
9:30	Harajuku Takeshita Street, before the shops fill Rainbow candy floss and crêpes for the kids.
12:00	Kiyosumi Teien garden quiet Stepping stones across a pond, turtles and koi. ¥150. Coffee shops of Kiyosumi-Shirakawa next door. Quieter than Shibuya on a Saturday.
17:30	Tokyo Metropolitan Government tower, Shinjuku Free observation deck, 45th floor. On a clear evening you can see Fuji. Then Shinjuku's lanes for dinner.
Night	Send big suitcases to Kyoto important Hotel front desk, Yamato takkyubin, about ¥2,630 per large case. They arrive in Kyoto on Monday. Carry one small overnight bag per family to Hakone.

Stepping stones, Kiyosumi TeienPhoto: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0

If Kanda Matsuri falls this weekend: 2027 is its big year, held mid-May (the 2025 parade was 10 May). Dates aren't out yet; check kanda-myoujin.or.jp. A free bonus if it lands on Day 3.

はこね

箱根

Day 4 · Sun 9 May · Mountains and onsen

ShinjukuDay 3 D4 KyotoDay 5

Woods of Net, the kids' climbing pavilion, Hakone Open-Air MuseumPhoto: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0

11:00	Shinkansen Tokyo → Odawara, 35 min shinkansen Hikari or Kodama (Nozomi doesn't stop). About ¥4,270 adult reserved. Leaving late misses the Sunday day-trippers.
12:00	Buy the Hakone Freepass at Odawara 2 days, ¥6,000 adult / ¥1,500 child. Covers the mountain train, cable car, ropeway, lake boat and buses.
14:00	Hakone Open-Air Museum Giant sculptures on a hillside, a climbable net castle for kids, a hot-spring footbath. ¥1,800 adult / ¥600 child if bought online.
Evening	Inn, hot spring bath, early dinner Most inns have family-size Japanese rooms with futons for 4–6.

Hakone ropeway with Fuji behindPhoto: Ka23 13, CC BY-SA 4.0

Cheaper, not shinkansen: the Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku goes straight to Hakone-Yumoto, ¥7,100 Freepass + ¥1,200 seat. Saves about ¥2,000 per adult.

きょうと

京都

Day 5 · Mon 10 May · Hakone loop, then Kyoto

HakoneDay 4 D5 FushimiDay 6

Lake Ashi, the Hakone Shrine torii and FujiPhoto: Charlie fong, CC BY-SA 4.0

8:30	The Hakone loop weekday morning Cable car up from Gora, ropeway over the steaming Owakudani vents (best Fuji view), down to Lake Ashi, pirate-ship boat to Moto-Hakone, the red torii standing in the lake. All on the Freepass.
12:30	Bus back to Odawara, lunch at the station
14:00	Shinkansen Odawara → Kyoto, 1h43 shinkansen Hikari, ¥12,100 adult reserved, half for kids. Only some Hikari stop at Odawara, so book the exact train. Sit on the right side (seat E) for a Fuji view.
18:00	Gion and Shirakawa at dusk Lantern-lit canal and wooden teahouses. Free.

Gion Shirakawa at nightPhoto: Yiannis Theologos Michellis, CC0

Sleep: MIMARU Kyoto Shinmachi SanjoBags: waiting at the hotel

ふしみ

伏見

Day 6 · Tue 11 May · Temples of Kyoto

KyotoDay 5 D6 NaraDay 7

Torii tunnel, Fushimi InariPhoto: Paul Vlaar, CC BY-SA 3.0

6:30	Fushimi Inari, the thousand red gates packed after 9 Open 24 hours, free. Before 8:30 you get the photo with nobody in it. Walk 20–30 min up, the upper trail is quiet even later.
9:00	Tofuku-ji quiet One stop away. Zen gardens and a wooden bridge over a maple valley. ¥1,000 combined ticket.
13:00	Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher's Path to Nanzen-ji Silver Pavilion ¥1,000. A 2 km canal-side walk, mostly downhill.
16:30	Kiyomizu-dera avoid midday The tour groups have left; closes 18:00. ¥500 adult / ¥200 child.

Tofuku-ji (autumn; green maples in May)Photo: lumoplank, CC0

Kiyomizu-dera stage (autumn)Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quieter swap: replace the Ginkaku-ji afternoon with Uji (Byodo-in temple, ¥700, and the best matcha in Japan), 30 min by JR.

Get around: Kyoto bus + subway day pass, ¥1,100 / ¥550. With 11 people, 3 taxis are often as cheap.

なら

奈良

Day 7 · Wed 12 May · Bamboo, deer, Osaka

FushimiDay 6 D7 OsakaDay 8

Arashiyama bamboo pathPhoto: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 4.0

7:00	Arashiyama bamboo grove wall-to-wall by 10 Free. Then Tenryu-ji garden at its 8:30 opening (¥500). Leave by 10:30, as the crowds arrive.
12:00	JR to Nara via Kyoto Station, about 1h15 Bags: ask the Kyoto hotel desk the evening before to forward big cases to the Osaka hotel.
13:00	Isui-en garden quiet, then Todai-ji Isui-en is the calm garden next to busy Todai-ji (¥1,200). Todai-ji's giant Buddha hall ¥800. Bow to the deer and they bow back.
16:00	Kasuga Taisha lantern path 3,000 stone lanterns through the forest. Then JR to Osaka.
19:30	Dotonbori, Osaka Neon, the Glico running man, takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Loud and fun at night.

Nara's deerPhoto: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0

Isui-en garden, NaraPhoto: Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0

Sleep: Dormy Inn Premium Namba (onsen + free late-night ramen)

おおさか

大阪

Day 8 · Thu 13 May · Castle, market, home

NaraDay 7 D8 Kolkatafrom KIX

Osaka Castle and the business districtPhoto: 663highland, CC BY 2.5

7:00	Osaka Castle park Grounds open early; the tower opens at 9:00. ¥1,200 adult, free for kids up to junior high.
11:00	Kuromon market for lunch Grilled scallops, wagyu skewers, fresh fruit.
Flight −3h	Nankai Rapi:t to Kansai Airport, about 40 min ¥1,350 with the discount ticket. Reach the airport 3 hours early: since November 2026 the tax-free refund happens at the airport, and the queue takes time.

Kuromon marketPhoto: Mr.ちゅらさん, CC BY-SA 4.0

Where to stay

宿

The cheapest per head for families isn't a regular hotel, it's an apartment hotel: one unit sleeps 5–8, with a kitchen and washing machine. Two units take the whole group. Prices are per unit per night unless marked.

TK1

Tokyo 東京

3 nights · 6–8 May

Minn Asakusa PICK

Asakusa station 2 min · 58 m² apartments for 5, 6 or 8 · kitchen, washer-dryer

¥20,900≈ ₹12,800 / unit

Two units (6 + 5) hold all 11 at about ¥3,500 per person. Cheapest family option in Tokyo. Price seen for Oct 2026; May may differ.

MIMARU Tokyo Ueno Inaricho

Inaricho 3 min, JR Ueno 5 min · 38–40 m², 4 adults + 2 kids per unit · whole-floor rental for big groups

¥37,300≈ ₹22,800 / unit

Comfort pick. Three units on one floor for the group. Ueno has the Skyliner from Narita and shinkansen.

MIMARU Tokyo Asakusa Station

Asakusa 1 min · 1-bedroom 52 m² for 6 · 2-bedroom 71 m² for 8

¥53,000from, room type not shown

Bigger units, so two of them fit the group.

Richmond Premier Asakusa International

Regular 3-star hotel · Asakusa

¥31,7002 guests, avg weeknight

Fallback if the apartments sell out. Rooms for 4 not confirmed.

HK4

Hakone 箱根

1 night · 9 May (Sunday)

K's House Hakone PICK

Tonosawa, 5-min bus from Hakone-Yumoto · Japanese rooms for 4–6 · onsen, shared kitchen

from ¥7,000estimate, per room or person unclear

Budget hot-spring inn with family tatami rooms. Budgeted at about ¥6,000 per person. Get a written group quote.

Yoshiike Ryokan

Hakone-Yumoto 7 min walk · Japanese rooms, some with private outdoor bath

¥17,600per room, no meals · ¥26,950 pp with dinner + breakfast

Comfort pick: a proper ryokan night with a multi-course dinner.

Hakone Pax Yoshino

5-min shuttle · rooms 39–45 m², max 4, in-room onsen

¥15,000–40,000pp with meals, estimate

Mid option. Ask for vegetarian dishes by phone ahead.

KY5

Kyoto 京都

2 nights · 10–11 May

MIMARU Kyoto Shinmachi Sanjo PICK

Karasuma-Oike 5 min · 40 m² for 4 adults + 2 kids · 60 m² deluxe for 6 + 2

¥27,900≈ ₹17,000 / unit · Apr 2027 rate

Best value in Kyoto at about ¥5,000–7,500 per person. Central, on the subway line.

MIMARU Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station Hachijo exit 2 min · family apt 40 m² for 4 + 2 · connecting 80 m² for 8 + 4

¥36,900train-view family apt

Comfort pick. Right at the shinkansen, easiest with bags.

Hotel Vischio Kyoto

Hachijo exit 2 min · family room 39.5 m² for 3–4 · large public bath

¥40,250triple, no breakfast

A regular hotel if you'd rather not cook.

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Hachijoguchi

Station 3–5 min · connecting room for 4 · coin laundry

¥7,410+per person, autumn dates

Rates vary a lot; worth checking for May.

OS7

Osaka 大阪

1 night · 12 May

Dormy Inn Premium Namba PICK

Nippombashi 5 min · rooms for 4 adults, 27 m² · rooftop onsen, coin laundry, free late-night ramen

¥29,400≈ ₹18,000 / room of 4

Three rooms hold everyone, about ¥8,000 per person. The real price for 12 May 2027.

Super Hotel Namba-Nihonbashi

Connecting rooms for 4 · triples · breakfast included

¥26,800for 4 · Nov 2026 rate

Cheapest with breakfast.

MIMARU Osaka Shinsaibashi West

Yotsubashi 2 min · Premium unit for 7 + 1-bedroom for 5

¥1,24,800both units, real 12 May 2027 price

Comfort pick: the whole group across two apartments.

Hotel taxes are small: Kyoto ¥400 per person per night, Osaka ¥200, Tokyo zero for rooms under ¥13,000 per person. About ¥15,000 for the whole group, included in the totals. Book now with free cancellation: Japanese sites (Jalan, Rakuten) already take May 2027.

Shinkansen and trains

新幹線

Don't buy the 7-day JR Pass. It costs ¥50,000–53,000 per adult. Every JR train on this route adds up to about ¥18,000. Buy point-to-point tickets on SmartEX instead: booking opens about a month before travel.

Leg	Train	Time	Adult	Child 6–11
Narita → Ueno	Keisei Skyliner	45 min	¥2,580	¥1,290
Tokyo → Odawara	Shinkansen Hikari/Kodama	35 min	¥4,270	¥2,135
Hakone, 2 days	Hakone Freepass from Odawara	all local	¥6,000	¥1,500
Odawara → Kyoto	Shinkansen Hikari	1h43	¥12,100	¥6,050
Kyoto → Nara → Osaka	JR local/rapid	45 + 50 min	¥1,540	¥770
Namba → Kansai Airport	Nankai Rapi:t	40 min	¥1,350	¥680
Intercity total			¥27,840	¥12,425

Children 12 and over pay the adult fare. Kyoto–Nara–Osaka fares are estimates. City metro passes (Tokyo ¥2,000, Kyoto ¥1,100) are on top.

Big suitcases on the shinkansen

Bags over 160 cm (length + width + height) need a "seat with oversized baggage area", booked with the ticket at no extra cost. Without it: ¥1,000 fee and you may be moved. Over 250 cm isn't allowed. Easiest: send big cases ahead by takkyubin (about ¥2,630 each) and ride with daypacks.

Paying for local trains

Suica in Apple Wallet (iPhone) or a Welcome Suica card (Android) works on trains, buses and convenience stores in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Top up at any station machine.

Flights from Kolkata

航空券

No non-stop flights exist; everything stops once. Fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka (open-jaw) so you never backtrack. Book it as one multi-city ticket.

Airline	Via	Journey	Return, per adult	Bags
Thai Airways PICK	Bangkok	10h25 to Narita	₹69,645	23 kg (check fare type)
Singapore Airlines	Singapore	12h25	₹67,584	included
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur	13h50	₹79,833+	included
Thai AirAsia + AirAsia X	Bangkok (Don Mueang)	14–16h	₹49,000–58,000	7 kg cabin only
IndiGo + JAL	Delhi	13–14h	₹1,07,846	included
Air India	Delhi	12h	₹1,22,900	included

Prices seen on Google Flights and Kayak, 10 Oct 2026, for Jan–Apr 2027 departures. May 2027 isn't on sale yet. Singapore's ₹67,584 was a short-lived Kayak deal.

Why Thai

Shortest journey, full-service with checked bags, and the same ₹69,645 fare held for every date checked from January to late April. It flies to both Tokyo and Osaka. The AirAsia saving disappears once 11 people pay for checked bags, and it adds a 5–7 hour layover with kids.

Booking 11 seats

Airlines treat 10+ as a group. Ask Thai (or a Kolkata agent) for a group quote: usually a fixed fare, names added later, a deposit instead of full payment. Compare it with the website price. If the cheap fare runs short, split into 6 + 5 on the same flights. Set a Google Flights alert for 5–13 May now.

Where the money goes

費用

Item, whole group of 11	Basis	Total
Flights	Thai return ₹69,645 × 11 (kids priced as adults to be safe)	₹7,66,100
Hotels, 7 nights	Pick hotels above, ¥4,46,700 + 25% margin + tax	₹3,50,500
Food	¥5,000 per adult per day, kids 60%	₹2,39,600
Trains and bags	Intercity + city passes + airport trains + 8 cases forwarded	₹2,01,400
Entry tickets	Temples, gardens, museum, castle: about ¥9,000 adult	₹50,400
Visa	₹500 visa + about ₹800 VFS fee, each	₹14,300
Phone data	8-day unlimited eSIM, about ₹1,300 × 8 phones	₹10,500
Total		₹16,32,800

Not included: travel insurance (required for the visa file), shopping, and anything in Kolkata. Kids' shares assume ages 6–11; a 12–14-year-old pays adult train fares.

What to book, and when

準備

Check passportsValid 6+ months after travel (so to at least Nov 2027), 2 blank pages. Kids too.
Now
Hold hotels with free cancellationFamily apartments sell out first. Jalan and Rakuten already take May 2027.
Oct–Nov
Book flightsKolkata → Tokyo overnight 5–6 May, Osaka → Kolkata on 13 May (check arrival times once May schedules publish). Group quote vs website.
Nov–Jan
Visa at VFS Global, KolkataNot earlier than 3 months before travel. Flight + hotel bookings, day-by-day plan (this page), bank statements and ITR, employer letter, insurance. About 5 working days.
Early Feb
Travel insuranceNeeded for the visa file.
Jan
Shinkansen seats on SmartEXTokyo → Odawara (9 May) and Odawara → Kyoto (10 May). Book together; add oversized-bag seats if carrying big cases.
~9 Apr
eSIMs and Visit Japan WebBuy eSIMs; fill Visit Japan Web (immigration + customs QR) at least 6 hours before landing.
Late Apr
Send big bags Tokyo → KyotoFrom the Tokyo hotel desk on Saturday night.
8 May

Ticks are saved on this phone only.

Money in Japan

Cards work almost everywhere; carry some cash for temples and small food stalls. 7-Eleven ATMs take Indian Visa and Mastercard cards with an English menu. No tipping, anywhere. From November 2026, tax-free shopping means paying full price in the shop and claiming the 10% back at the airport.

Food, and Indian fallbacks

Konbini breakfast about ¥600, ramen or set-meal lunch ¥1,000–1,500, family-restaurant dinner ¥2,000–3,000. When someone wants dal and roti: Vege Herb Saga near Ueno (thali ¥1,980), Samrat in Aoyama, RAJU in Kyoto, Shama in Osaka. Indo-Nepali curry houses are in every neighbourhood.

Why 6–13 May, not 1–5 May

The route

Tokyo 東京

Hakone 箱根

Kyoto 京都

Nara 奈良

Osaka 大阪

Kansai Airport 関西空港

Day by day

東京

浅草

新宿

箱根

京都

伏見

奈良

大阪

Where to stay

Tokyo 東京

Minn Asakusa PICK

MIMARU Tokyo Ueno Inaricho

MIMARU Tokyo Asakusa Station

Richmond Premier Asakusa International

Hakone 箱根

K's House Hakone PICK

Yoshiike Ryokan

Hakone Pax Yoshino

Kyoto 京都

MIMARU Kyoto Shinmachi Sanjo PICK

MIMARU Kyoto Station

Hotel Vischio Kyoto

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Hachijoguchi

Osaka 大阪

Dormy Inn Premium Namba PICK

Super Hotel Namba-Nihonbashi

MIMARU Osaka Shinsaibashi West

Shinkansen and trains

Big suitcases on the shinkansen

Paying for local trains

Flights from Kolkata

Why Thai

Booking 11 seats

Where the money goes

What to book, and when

Money in Japan

Food, and Indian fallbacks