We are going to Japan in August for 10 days, flying in and out of Tokyo. We have about 5-6 days to spend in Kyoto and Osaka. We will have a JR pass and want to do side trips to Hiroshima and Nara. Would it be better to stay in one place (if so, which city) or would it be better to split our time between Kyoto and Osaka and stay in both cities? I’d love to get your suggestions. Thanks for your help!

Hey Laura, I did almost the exact same trip in 2016. I would definitely recommend splitting your time between Kyoto and Osaka, maybe even spending 1 night in Hiroshima? Start from the furthest place and work your way back towards Tokyo. (Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo) Nara is close to both Kyoto and Osaka, so easy to do a day trip out.

When I went I stayed in Kyoto and did day trips from there. You can get more time in Hiroshima if you take the bullet train.

Invest your time in Kyoto if possible. Many wonderful spots as day trips or an over night but Kyoto would be the best home base. Such a magical city.

I went in oct, osaka was my base and i did day trips to hiroshima, kyoto and nara it was great

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Kyoto and Osaka are very close together. If you are hoping to book a hotel, may I suggest you do it ASAP as the Rugby world Cup is on and it is already getting difficult to find hotels during Sept/Oct. we managed to book and a reasonable one in Kyoto last weekend for that time and it wasn’t easy. Have a great time. Oh, and if you are planning on using trains, look into getting them from home as a railcard is cheaper if purchased outside Japan.

My wife and I did same cities back in November. We landed in Osaka stayed 2 nights. Took bullet train to Hirosima and stayed overnight in there.we did the histocal site isits first day and went to the island next day. Stayed 4 nights in Kyoto and did a day trip to Nara. Then head out to Tokyo for 5 nights.
My recomendation would be max 2 nights at Osaka. Spend more time in Kyoto. Lots of shrines to visit. We had kobe beef in Kyoto and it is defibetely overrated. Did one night traditional japanese style Ryokan accomodation. You need to reserve your JR seats for bullet train only. Otherwise you will not get the best available time.
If you are planning taking pictures with nobody at the background, you need to be at the sites at 6AM as it gets super crowded.
Fish market in Tokyo has moved to a new place. If you want to watch live tuna actioning, you need to be there latest 5 AM.
We stayed at japanese pod style hotel for two nights just for experiance.
You will have blast in there. Japanese pancake places requires reservation and they only serve 2 to 4 reservation in limited hours. If you want to have that experiance you either need to be there early in the morning to secure your reservation or give up on that dream.

I just got back from a Japan trip a month ago. Stay in Kyoto. It's beautiful and not as crazy as osakavegas. Close enough to Osaka for a great day trip, but there is also so much to do outside the city. Kyoto was fantastic and from there you can check out the bamboo forest and the monkey sanctuary. Also Hiroshima is just a train ride away.

From Tokyo international airport, take a train to Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. You should try the Japanese Style Roykan Yuan. Then take a day trip to Hiroshima.and Osaka . While in Tokyo, don't forget to take a bullet rain to Mt.Fuji. Also try the train, the subway and bus and you will realize Toronto and Hamilton is so far behind. You have to have a ticket , otherwise you will never be able to leave the station.

Osaka is a central rail hub from which you can go anywhere. I stayed in osaka day tripping everywhere. Then stayed in Tokyo for a few days before leaving. Tokyo was my least favourite actually so enjoy the little places and walk as much as you can.

You should try to go for the memorial service in Hiroshima on August 6. It's kind of crazy in town at that time, but the lanterns are so beautiful. Also, we watched a baseball game in Hiroshima when we went in 2016, that was the highlight of the trip!

I’ve lived here for three years and I say stay in Osaka, you can get to Nara, Kyoto, and Kobe a lot quicker that way

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