I am asked this more and more “Where should we stop between Kyoto and Tokyo?” or “We would like to stay in the countryside somewhere between Tokyo and Osaka?”
And, I get it, because I plan in exactly the same way when I plan for a family holiday.
I want to see the well-known sights but I also want to see the lesser known options and allow for a little bit of spontaneous adventure that most people don’t even bother to do.
So.. if we were having a coffee together now and you asked me where you should stay that is in between Tokyo and Kyoto.. this is what I would say….
The bullet train is incredible. It can get you between these major cities in around 2.5-3 hours.
Don’t mess with that. It covers as much ground as a plane does in an hour – but you’re on a train without having to worry about checking in or out or checking luggage etc.
Don’t stop. Especially with kids? For this part of the trip – don’t stop.
There isn’t much “on the way” that will greatly improve and enrich your holiday, in my opinion.
There are some alternative suggestions I have though but I’ll speak about them in a minute…
But Hakone looks like it’s kind of in the middle?
Hmm.. I guess on a map… it kind of does. However, Hakone is hard to access “on the way. ” It is best to get all the way to Tokyo and go there and back. (ie. even if your itinerary is Tokyo -> Hakone -> Kyoto . I would still recommend you go to Kyoto via Tokyo for your bullet train trip.)
If you want to go directly to and from Hakone, you’ll be changing trains and buses. It is do-able but it’s a way more awkward way to get there (from either side.)
Instead, I recommend venturing off for special adventures from the cities at either end…
I recommend using either side of this trip as a base to explore other cities and areas.
So.. from Tokyo, you can do Hakone and Kamakura.
And from Kyoto and Osaka, I recommend venturing off to see Himeji, Kinosaki Onsen, Kobe, Nara etc.
What about Nagoya?
Yes. You could, of course stop at Nagoya between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka/.
Please note that note all of the attractions are right by Nagoya Station so you may need to stay for a night or put your luggage in coin lockers under the station in order to explore.
Legoland, for example is another 15-20 min train ride from Nagoya Station . I’ve written about our favourite things to do in Nagoya as a family here.
My personal opinion? If this is your first trip to Japan as a family and you’re not doing Legoland Japan in Nagoya, then I don’t think you need Nagoya on your itinerary.
Are there any sneaky side trips we could do in other places then?
Yes. I think from Hiroshima you should consider a full day or a night in Kurashiki and, of course, Miyajima.
Also, this is not a side trip but I would also consider a trip to Takayama as a family. It requires 4-5 hours travel each way by train but it is just so beautiful.
If you are in the middle of planning your trip to Japan, you’ll like this blog post of mine where I break down all the elements of the planning part of your trip here.
