Japan Cherry Blossom 10-Day Tour: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Nara & Osaka

Arrival in Tokyo · 300 min

Welcome to Japan in sakura season. Your driver meets you at Narita or Haneda and takes you straight to your hotel in central Tokyo. If you land early, take a first evening stroll — in bloom weeks almost every neighbourhood has a lit-up row of cherry trees within walking distance.

Tokyo Sakura — Chidorigafuchi, Imperial Palace & Meguro River · 480 min

The classic Tokyo hanami day. Row a boat beneath the cherry tunnel of Chidorigafuchi, the moat of the Imperial Palace, then walk the East Gardens. After lunch, join the crowds under the old trees of Ueno Park — one of Japan's most famous hanami grounds since the Edo era. As the lanterns come on, finish along the Meguro River, where thousands of blossoms lean over the water.

Mt. Fuji & Lake Kawaguchi — Chureito Pagoda · 480 min

Drive out to Fuji Five Lakes. Climb the steps of Arakurayama Sengen Park to the Chureito Pagoda for the postcard view — the five-storey pagoda, a sea of cherry trees and Mt. Fuji in one frame. Continue around Lake Kawaguchi and the lakeside cherry rows of Oishi Park, then check in to an onsen ryokan: dinner in yukata, hot spring under the stars.

Hakone — Lake Ashi, Ropeway & Odawara Castle · 480 min

Cross the Hakone hills: a cruise on Lake Ashi with Fuji on the horizon, the ropeway over the volcanic valley of Owakudani, and its famous black eggs. On the way back, stop at Odawara Castle, whose keep rises out of a park of cherry trees — one of Kanagawa's best sakura spots. Return to Tokyo in the evening.

Shinkansen to Kyoto — Philosopher's Path & Ginkaku-ji · 480 min

Ride the bullet train to Kyoto — with a window seat on the right, Fuji sees you off. In the afternoon, walk the Philosopher's Path, a canal lined end to end with cherry trees, to the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji. Evening free in the old capital.

Kyoto Sakura — Kiyomizu-dera, Maruyama Park & Gion · 480 min

Kyoto's signature day. Kiyomizu-dera's wooden stage floats over a valley of blossoms; walk down through the preserved lanes of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka. In Maruyama Park, the great weeping cherry is the city's most loved tree. End the day in Gion — in bloom season, geiko districts and cherry petals share the same lanes.

Arashiyama & Daigo-ji · 480 min

Morning in Arashiyama: the Togetsukyo bridge over the Katsura River, riverbanks of cherry trees, and the bamboo grove. In the afternoon, Daigo-ji — the temple where Toyotomi Hideyoshi held his legendary hanami party in 1598; its pagoda is Kyoto's oldest building. A quieter, deeper Kyoto than the morning crowds.

Nara — Deer Among the Blossoms, then Osaka · 480 min

Day trip to the first capital. In Nara Park, wild deer graze under the cherry trees — bow and they bow back. Visit Todai-ji and its Great Buddha, then the lantern-lined path of Kasuga Taisha. Nara's many late-blooming varieties often stretch the season here longer than in Kyoto. Drive on to Osaka for the night.

Osaka Sakura — Kema Sakuranomiya & Osaka Castle · 480 min

Osaka's riverside finale. Kema Sakuranomiya Park runs for kilometres along the Okawa River under an unbroken line of cherry trees; boats drift below the blossoms. Osaka Castle rises from Nishinomaru Garden's six hundred cherry trees. In the evening, dive into Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi — neon, street food and one last night out.

Departure — Kansai Airport · 300 min

Breakfast, check-out, and a private transfer to Kansai International Airport. If your flight leaves late, squeeze in a last hanami walk — in season, even the airport train passes cherry trees.