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.

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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: Hotel Gracery 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: Hotel Keihan Kyoto HachijoguchiBags: 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

Every option gives each family its own private room: three rooms for the families of three, one for the couple. No dorms, no shared rooms. Prices are live rates for your exact nights (seen 10 Oct 2026), for the whole group, taxes and fees included.

TK1

Tokyo 東京

3 nights · 6–9 May

Hotel Gracery Asakusa entrance — Photo: Agoda

Hotel Gracery Asakusa PICK

Tawaramachi / Asakusa · family room for 3 (queen + single) · twin for the couple · free cancellation

₹2,77,8254 rooms, 3 nights, taxes in

Real triple rooms, one per family: 3 family rooms ($754 each) + twin ($619). Walk to Senso-ji for the 7:30 start. See rooms on Agoda ↗

Minn Kappabashi apartment — Photo: Agoda

Minn Asakusa Kappabashi

Kappabashi · apartment for 4 with kitchen per family (twin beds + bunk) · non-refundable

₹2,14,8764 apartments, 3 nights

Cheaper, and each family gets its own kitchen. Kids on the bunk; non-refundable at this price ($2,547 refundable). See rooms on Agoda ↗

HK4

Hakone 箱根

1 night · 9 May

Hakonenomori Okada Hotel pool — Photo: Agoda

Hakonenomori Okada Hotel PICK

Hakone-Yumoto, shuttle from the station · Japanese room for 4 (futons, 43 m²) per family · twin for the couple · free cancellation

₹92,5444 rooms, room only

Private tatami rooms, hot-spring baths and a pool the kids will love. 3 rooms ($264 each) + twin ($167). See rooms on Agoda ↗

Hidamari Ichinoyu

Western room for 3 with its own open-air bath · breakfast included · free cancellation

₹1,30,3334 rooms, with breakfast

A step up: every room has a private outdoor bath. See rooms on Agoda ↗

KY5

Kyoto 京都

2 nights · 10–12 May

Hotel Keihan Kyoto Hachijoguchi lobby — Photo: Agoda

Hotel Keihan Kyoto Hachijoguchi PICK

Kyoto Station Hachijo exit 1 min · triple (3 single beds) · twin · free-cancellation rate

₹1,30,4294 rooms, 2 nights

Real triples right at the shinkansen exit, so no taxi with bags. See rooms on Agoda ↗

Hotel Keihan Kyoto Ekiminami

Kyoto Station south side · triple · economy twin · free cancellation

₹1,56,3614 rooms, 2 nights

Backup if Hachijoguchi sells out. See rooms on Agoda ↗

OS7

Osaka 大阪

1 night · 12 May

Dormy Inn Premium Namba hot-spring bath — Photo: Agoda

Dormy Inn Premium Namba PICK

Nippombashi 5 min · triple (2 beds + sofa bed) · double · rooftop onsen · free cancellation

₹58,6114 rooms, room only

Not a dorm, despite the name: a business-hotel chain where every room is private with its own bathroom. Free late-night ramen. 3 triples ($167 each) + double ($107). See rooms on Agoda ↗

Hotel Keihan Namba Grande

Namba · triple · double · free cancellation

₹73,5534 rooms

Newer and quieter, a little dearer. See rooms on Agoda ↗

One whole home per city, with a bedroom for each family and a kitchen. Every listing shows a Japanese licence number and is bookable for your dates. Prices include cleaning and service fees; local accommodation tax is paid on top. Every home has at least 3 bathrooms. In Japan some hosts count a separate toilet as a bathroom, so check the photos and "Where you'll sleep" before booking.

TK1