In One Week

This trip takes you to Japan's highlights, from fast-paced Tokyo to the quiet temples of Kyoto, along with a couple of other worthwhile destinations. It's designed for first-timers, so if you've already been to Japan and seen all the must-sees, refer to the other itineraries to create your own 1-week itinerary.

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo

After your arrival at Narita Airport, head to your hotel in Tokyo (about a 2-hr. trip). Recuperate from your flight, settle in, and get a feel for the city. Take a walk through a neighborhood close to your hotel and top off the day with a meal in a traditional restaurant. Try to stay up as late as you can to adjust to the new time zone.

Day 2: Exploring Tokyo

Because of the difference in time zones, you'll probably be wide awake in the wee hours of the morning, so get up and head for Tsukiji Fish Market. After a breakfast of fresh sushi, head to Hama Rikyu, one of Tokyo's best Japanese gardens (it opens at 9am), from which you can board a ferry for a cruise up the Sumida River to Asakusa, where you can visit Sensoji Temple and shop for souvenirs along Nakamise Dori. Afterward, see the Tokyo National Museum, the world's finest repository of Japanese art and crafts. Toward evening, head to Ginza for a stroll through a department store; if possible, try to attend a Kabuki play.

Day 3: Hakone

Take the train to Hakone Yumoto, gateway to the wonderful Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (if possible, leave your luggage at Hakone Yumoto Station and travel overnight only with a small bag). Here you can travel through some of Japan's most scenic countryside via a circuitous route that includes a two-car streetcar, a cable car, ropeway, and a boat, while seeing such sights as the wonderful Hakone Open-Air Museum and, if you're lucky, the elusive Mount Fuji. Be sure to schedule some time for a dip in a hot-spring bath, and spend the night in The Fujiya Hotel, one of my favorites in all of Japan, or in a Japanese inn.

Day 4: Hakone to Kyoto

Complete your trip through Hakone, returning afterward to Hakone Yumoto to pick up your luggage and then heading to Odawara, where you can transfer to the 3-hour Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. End the day with a stroll through Kyoto's central shopping area, topped with a stroll through the Pontocho nightlife area. Spend the night in one of Kyoto's many traditional Japanese-style inns.

Day 5: Exploring Kyoto

Start the day with a self-guided walk through eastern Kyoto, seeing Sanjusangendo Hall with its 1,001 wooden statues, Kiyomizu Temple, and Heian Shrine with its garden, followed by shopping at the Kyoto Handicraft Center. If it's summer, spend the evening watching cormorant fishing from a flat-bottom boat in nearby Arashiyama.

Day 6: Exploring Kyoto

Visit Kyoto's other main attractions -- Nijo Castle, former home of the shogun; Kyoto Imperial Palace; Ryoanji Temple with its famous Zen rock garden; and the Golden Pavilion. In the evening, head for Gion, Japan's most famous Geisha quarters, followed by an evening performance at Gion Corner with its cultural demonstrations.

Day 7: Hiroshima

One hour away by Shinkansen bullet train, Hiroshima is best known for its Peace Memorial Park, which contains the sobering Peace Memorial Museum outlining that fateful day in 1945 when the city became the world's first city destroyed by an atomic bomb. If time permits, see also Hiroshima Castle before heading back to Tokyo.