2 Weeks in Japan Itinerary: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima Without Hauling Your Luggage
A classic 2 weeks in Japan itinerary for first-timers is 4 nights in Tokyo, 1 in a Hakone onsen ryokan, 4 in Kyoto (with a day trip to Nara), 2 in Osaka and 2 in Hiroshima for Miyajima, flying into Tokyo and home from Kansai Airport. That is 13 nights and 6 moving days. On each moving day your big suitcase can go ahead from one hotel front desk to the next while you ride the train with a day bag, so the Shinkansen, mountain trains and city buses never involve dragging luggage.
Key takeaways
- The route runs one way, east to west: Tokyo (4 nights) → Hakone (1) → Kyoto (4, including Nara) → Osaka (2) → Hiroshima (2) → fly home from Kansai Airport (KIX).
- Booking an open-jaw ticket, into Narita or Haneda and out of Kansai, saves you from backtracking to Tokyo at the end of the trip.
- On the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen, bags of 161–250 cm in total dimensions need a reserved seat with an oversized baggage area, or you pay ¥1,000; bags over 250 cm aren't allowed.
- All six luggage legs in this plan (airport → Tokyo, Tokyo → Hakone, Hakone → Kyoto, Kyoto → Osaka, Osaka → Hiroshima, Hiroshima → KIX) could be booked on LuggAgent's booking page as of October 2026.
- In Japan, most luggage delivery services need to be booked at least 24–72 hours in advance; the exact cutoff is shown on the booking page. Choose a 09:00–11:00 pickup time and leave bags at the hotel front desk before then for delivery by 21:00 (18:00 with priority). Long-distance legs take longer, and the delivery time is shown when you book.
2 weeks in Japan itinerary: the day-by-day plan
This is a 14-day, 13-night plan that stays at least two nights in most places, so you only pack up six times. Travel times are approximate; check the operators' timetables for your dates.
| Day | Sleep in | Plan | Your luggage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | Land at Narita or Haneda; evening walk around Asakusa | Hand it over at the airport (09:00–18:00) → Tokyo hotel |
| 2 | Tokyo | Senso-ji, Ueno, Akihabara | Stays in your room |
| 3 | Tokyo | Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya | Stays in your room |
| 4 | Tokyo | Toyosu, Ginza, or a day trip to Kamakura or Yokohama | Stays in your room |
| 5 | Hakone | Romancecar from Shinjuku (about 80 min); Hakone loop: mountain train, ropeway, Lake Ashi | Tokyo front desk before your 09:00–11:00 pickup time → ryokan |
| 6 | Kyoto | Hakone-Yumoto → Odawara, Shinkansen to Kyoto (about 2 h); Fushimi Inari late afternoon | Ryokan front desk at checkout → Kyoto hotel |
| 7 | Kyoto | Higashiyama: Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka, Gion | Stays in your room |
| 8 | Kyoto | Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji | Stays in your room |
| 9 | Kyoto | Day trip to Nara (about 35–45 min by train): Todai-ji and Nara Park | Stays in your room |
| 10 | Osaka | Kyoto → Osaka (about 30 min by JR Special Rapid); Osaka Castle, Dotonbori at night | Kyoto front desk before your 09:00–11:00 pickup time → Osaka hotel |
| 11 | Osaka | Kuromon Market and Shinsekai, or Universal Studios Japan | Stays in your room |
| 12 | Hiroshima | Nozomi from Shin-Osaka (about 1 h 20 min); Peace Memorial Park and Museum | Osaka front desk → Hiroshima hotel |
| 13 | Hiroshima | Miyajima: JR to Miyajimaguchi (about 30 min) and ferry (about 10 min) | Stays in your room |
| 14 | — | Shinkansen and limited express to Kansai Airport (allow about 3 h); fly home | Hiroshima front desk → KIX; we recommend a delivery time at least 2 h before take-off |
Flying home in the morning or around midday? Swap the last two stops: go from Kyoto to Hiroshima on Day 10 and finish with two nights in Osaka, which is about an hour from Kansai Airport. Both orders can be booked hotel to hotel.
Senso-ji in Asakusa, an easy first evening after landing in Tokyo. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Why fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka (open-jaw)?
An open-jaw ticket lands you in one city and flies you home from another: here, into Narita or Haneda and out of Kansai Airport. It suits a one-way trip west for two reasons:
- No backtracking. A return ticket to Tokyo means riding back east at the end (about 2.5 hours from Shin-Osaka on the fastest trains).
- One less day of luggage. One fewer hotel change, one fewer packing session.
Airline and booking sites sell this as a "multi-city" ticket; compare the fare with a return before you book. Hiroshima Airport has far fewer international routes than Tokyo or Osaka, so most travellers from the US, Europe or Australia fly home from Kansai.
Where your luggage goes on each transfer day
Moving day is when luggage gets hard: Hakone's mountain trains, Shinkansen platforms, Kyoto's crowded buses and the Miyajima ferry are all easier with just a day bag. Each leg below links to a guide with the full transport options.
With LuggAgent, choose a pickup time between 09:00 and 11:00 when booking, leave bags at the hotel front desk before then and send a photo to customer support, and they reach the next front desk by 21:00 (18:00 with priority). The long legs (Hakone → Kyoto, Osaka → Hiroshima, Hiroshima → KIX) take longer, cost more than short hops, and show their delivery time when you book. See the Tokyo, Mt Fuji & Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima luggage delivery pages.
Day 1: Narita or Haneda → your Tokyo hotel
Hand your bags over in arrivals (09:00–18:00) and ride into the city with a day bag. Landing after 18:00, take them on the airport bus or train; landing before 09:00, see Early-Morning Arrival in Japan Before Check-In: A Luggage and Time Plan for Red-Eye Flights. Haneda works the same way. Details: Narita and Haneda Luggage Delivery to Your Tokyo Hotel: Same-Day Options vs N'EX and Limousine Bus.
Day 5: Tokyo → Hakone
Pack an overnight bag and send the suitcase; Hakone's mountain train and buses have little luggage space. Ryokan dinners often start early, so consider priority delivery (by 18:00). Details: Tokyo to Hakone or Lake Kawaguchiko with Luggage: Romancecar, Fuji Excursion and Hotel-to-Ryokan Delivery.
Day 6: Hakone → Kyoto
Leave your bags at the ryokan front desk at checkout. This is a long-distance leg: check the delivery time on the booking page, and if it's late, keep a night's essentials in your day bag. Details: Hakone or Kawaguchiko to Kyoto or Osaka: Getting to the Shinkansen Without Hauling Your Suitcase.
Deer in Nara Park, an easy day trip from a Kyoto base with no luggage to move. Photo: Daniel Lu (User:dllu) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Day 10: Kyoto → Osaka
Only about 30 minutes by train, but Kyoto's buses and Osaka's subway stairs make even short moves tiring. Send the bags and spend the day at Osaka Castle. Details: Moving Hotels Between Kyoto and Osaka: Kyoto to Osaka with Luggage, Trains and Same-Day Delivery.
Osaka Castle's south outer moat, a good first afternoon in Osaka once your bags are on their way. Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Day 12: Osaka → Hiroshima
Take the Nozomi and spend the afternoon at the Peace Memorial Park; your bags follow on a long-distance leg. Details: Kyoto or Osaka to Hiroshima and Miyajima with Luggage: Shinkansen, Rail Passes and Bag Delivery.
Day 14: Hiroshima → Kansai Airport
The suitcase goes from your Hiroshima hotel to Kansai Airport, where our agent hands it back; we recommend choosing a delivery time at least 2 hours before your flight departs. This suits an evening flight; for an earlier one, end the trip in Osaka.
How to use LuggAgent (3 steps)
- Book your route. Choose your pickup and delivery addresses, the date and the number of bags. Most services need to be booked at least 24–72 hours in advance; the exact cutoff is shown on the booking page. If you're picked up at an Airbnb or homestay, meet the driver in person at the pickup time you chose (09:00–11:00) with your bags; if your bags are delivered to one, send the full address and entry details (door code, key box or building access) by 13:00 local time on the service day, and you don't need to be there. Check the size and content limits in the luggage rules.
- Hand over your bags. At a hotel, choose a pickup time between 09:00 and 11:00 when booking, leave them at the front desk before that time and send us a photo; you don't need to wait for the driver. At the airport, meet our agent at the meeting point in your confirmation (handovers 09:00–18:00). Bags are photographed at pickup and at delivery.
- Travel hands-free. Collect your bags at the next hotel's front desk, or from our agent at the airport. The full process is on How it works.
Meeting LuggAgent at the airport
There's no LuggAgent counter. After baggage claim, go to the meeting point in your confirmation, where our agent waits with a LuggAgent sign. Can't find them? Contact customer service.
- Arriving (Day 1): we recommend choosing a pickup time about 1 hour after your flight lands, so you have time for immigration and baggage claim (handovers 09:00–18:00).
- Departing (Day 14): we recommend choosing a delivery time at least 2 hours before your flight departs. 15:00–21:00 has no time surcharge.
- Running late: 30 minutes of free waiting, then a waiting fee; flight delays of up to 1 hour are adjusted automatically.
Details are on the airport meeting points page.
Taking big luggage on the Shinkansen: the reservation rule
On the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen (Days 6, 12 and 14), a bag of 161–250 cm (length + width + height) needs a reserved "seat with an oversized baggage area"; without one you pay ¥1,000, and bags over 250 cm aren't allowed.
| Bag size (L + W + H) | What you need | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 160 cm | Nothing; overhead rack or at your feet | Free |
| 161–250 cm | Seat with an oversized baggage area | Same as a reserved seat; ¥1,000 without one |
| Over 250 cm | Not allowed on board | — |
These seats sell out in peak season. See JR Central's oversized baggage rules and our guide Shinkansen Oversized Baggage Reservation: Do You Need One? 2026 Rules.
Is the JR Pass worth it for this itinerary?
It depends on how many long rides fall within the pass's validity, so add up your fares first. Per the official JR Pass site, an Ordinary Car pass bought online costs ¥50,000 for 7 days and ¥80,000 for 14 days (adult).
- Nozomi and Mizuho are not covered unless you also buy the pass-holder "special ticket"; Hikari and Sakura trains are covered (conditions of use).
- Not JR: the Odakyu Romancecar, the Hakone Tozan line and Kintetsu trains to Nara are paid separately.
- Miyajima: the JR Miyajima Ferry is covered, but the ¥100 Miyajima Visitor Tax is extra.
Here the long JR rides are Days 6, 12 and 14; Tokyo days use mostly subways. More in Tokyo to Kyoto Shinkansen Guide 2026: Fares, JR Pass and Luggage Rules.
Best time to go: seasons, holidays and the Australian summer break
The route works year-round, but some dates fill trains, hotels and luggage slots fast.
| When | What to expect | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Late March – early April | Cherry blossoms in Tokyo and Kyoto; dates vary each year | Book hotels and Shinkansen seats early |
| 29 April – 5 May (Golden Week) | Japanese holiday week; trains and sights packed | Avoid moving cities on these days if you can |
| June – mid-July | Rainy season, then hot and humid summer | Plan indoor options; keep a light rain jacket in your day bag |
| Mid-November – early December | Autumn leaves in Kyoto (typically) | Base yourself near Kyoto Station; see Kyoto Autumn Leaves Without the Crowds |
| Late December – January | Australian summer school holidays; Japanese New Year (around 29 Dec – 3 Jan) | Check opening days; book everything early |
Coming from Australia over Christmas and New Year? It's winter in Japan, so pack layers. Christmas is a normal working day, but around New Year many shops, museums and restaurants close for a few days and shrines are packed on 1–3 January. On 2–3 January the Hakone Ekiden relay closes roads between Tokyo and Lake Ashi (official site), so put your Hakone night on another date. Book luggage delivery early and check availability for your dates.
FAQ
Is 2 weeks enough for Japan?
Yes, for Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima at a comfortable pace: 13 nights, two or more in most places. Hokkaido or Okinawa would add flights, so save them for a second trip.
How do I get my luggage from Hakone to Kyoto?
Leave it at your ryokan's front desk at checkout for delivery to your Kyoto hotel; the delivery time is shown when you book. Hakone Carry Service only runs between partner ryokan and Hakone-Yumoto Station.
Should I fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka?
Usually. It saves a trip of about 2.5 hours back to Tokyo and one hotel move. Compare the multi-city fare with a return first.
Do I have to take my big suitcase to Hiroshima?
No. Send it Osaka → Hiroshima → Kansai Airport, or go with an overnight bag and leave it behind: ask your Osaka hotel to hold it if you're returning, or use LuggAgent's overnight storage (1–10 nights) with delivery afterwards (How it works).
Cover photo: Suicasmo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
This article offers general travel tips for reference only. For actual services and conditions, please rely on the booking page and the latest official announcements.
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