עברית
日本　二〇二六
The Tirosh Family Journey

Japan
Twenty Twenty-Six

September 14 — October 3 · nineteen nights
Family
Five
Ofer, Simona, Tamar (17), Naama (15), Ayala (8)
Flight
Etihad
TLV → AUH → NRT · Ref 9H5XTY
Nights
19
Across five stops
Transport
Rail
No car, no domestic flights
01

The shape of the journey

Tokyo bookends the trip: a short landing stay to acclimate, then a long closing stay for shopping and depth. The middle unfolds west through the mountains and the old capital.

Tokyo
東京
3 nights
━━━
Kanazawa
金沢
1 night
━━━
Takayama
高山
3 nights
━━━
Kyoto
京都
4 nights
━━━
Tokyo
東京
8 nights
Japanese food
Food is cheaper than people imagine · a family meal runs about 250 NIS
02

What's in, what's out

Decisions made through many conversations with Simona's Facebook communities and careful filtering for a family of five in nineteen nights.

Included

  • Tokyo eleven nights total
  • Kanazawa samurai · tea house · ninja temple
  • Shirakawa-go bus stop on route
  • Takayama old town · sake · mountains
  • Kyoto the old capital
  • Nara day trip from Kyoto
  • Hakone day or night, to decide
  • DisneySea Tokyo
  • teamLab Planets Odaiba
  • Drugstore shopping Matsumoto Kiyoshi · Don Quijote

Skipped

  • Osaka redundant with Kyoto
  • Hiroshima · Miyajima too heavy, too far
  • Universal Studios Osaka only
  • Fujikawaguchiko not Fuji-obsessed
  • Ghibli Park not a must
  • Tateyama Alpine Route ropeways
  • Mt. Misen summit ropeway
  • Kyoto by the Sea too far
  • Kiso Valley too much walking
  • JR Pass math doesn't work
03

Four shapes to choose from

The route stays the same. What varies is whether we add Hakone as an overnight ryokan and whether we tuck a Nikko day trip into the opening Tokyo days.

Base

The simple plan

Hakone as day trip · No Nikko
Nineteen nights across the five stops. Hakone visited from Tokyo as a single day. Lowest logistical risk, maximum flexibility.
Strength
Simplest · fewest moves
Weakness
No ryokan night · light nature
V1

Hakone ryokan

Hakone overnight · No Nikko
A traditional ryokan night in Hakone on October 1st, post-Silver Week. Private family onsen (Kashikiri), futon beds, multi-course dinner. One night subtracted from the final Tokyo stay.
Strength
Real onsen family memory
Weakness
One less Tokyo shopping day
V2

Nikko day trip

Hakone day trip · Nikko day trip
An early nature day at Nikko on day two: Toshogu shrine, cedar forests, a waterfall. A gentler Alps preview close to Tokyo. Hakone stays as a day trip.
Strength
Nature without a hotel move
Weakness
Long day after a flight
V4 · recommended

Full experience

Hakone overnight · Nikko day trip
The richest version: Nikko in the early days, Hakone ryokan at the end, full Alps middle. Requires stamina on day two and gives up one Tokyo shopping day.
Strength
Everything meaningful
Weakness
Busy, needs family stamina
04

Day by day

The base plan in detail. Silver Week — a rare Japanese national holiday cluster from Sep 19 to 23 — highlighted in amber. Those are the days Japanese tourists flood the same destinations we want.

Tokyo
東京
First stay · 3 nights
Day 01
Sep 14 Mon
Land at Narita 12:45 · Airport Limousine Bus to Shinjuku · check in · Omoide Yokocho dinner
Day 02
Sep 15 Tue
Asakusa: Senso-ji early · Nakamise shopping street · afternoon Akihabara
Day 03
Sep 16 Wed
Harajuku: Kiddy Land, Takeshita Street · Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko · Shibuya Sky at sunset
Kanazawa
金沢
1 night
Day 04
Sep 17 Thu
Morning Shinkansen Tokyo → Kanazawa (2.5h) · afternoon Kenrokuen Garden · Samurai District · Higashi Chaya tea house quarter at dusk
Takayama
高山
3 nights
Day 05
Sep 18 Fri
Morning Kanazawa: Ninja Temple (book ahead) · lunch · afternoon Nohi bus via Shirakawa-go (2h stop) → Takayama evening
Day 06
Sep 19 Sat
Silver WeekTakayama old town · morning market · sake breweries · Hida beef lunch
Day 07
Sep 20 Sun
Silver WeekKamikochi valley day trip (bus from Hirayu) OR slow Takayama day
Kyoto
京都
4 nights
Day 08
Sep 21 Mon
Silver WeekLong travel: Takayama → Nagoya → Kyoto (~4h, reserved seats 30 days ahead) · evening Nishiki Market · Pontocho for dinner
Day 09
Sep 22 Tue
Silver WeekFushimi Inari at 6am (before crowds) · Kiyomizu-dera · Higashiyama stone streets · Gion at dusk
Day 10
Sep 23 Wed
Silver WeekArashiyama bamboo grove at 7am · Monkey Park (Ayala will love it) · Tenryu-ji · Togetsukyo Bridge
Day 11
Sep 24 Thu
Nara day trip: deer park, Todai-ji Great Buddha, free origami and kimono photos at the visitor center
Tokyo
東京
Closing stay · 8 nights
Day 12
Sep 25 Fri
Morning Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji if missed) · afternoon Shinkansen to Tokyo (2.5h) · check into Tokyo #2 hotel
Day 13
Sep 26 Sat
Odaiba cluster: teamLab Planets 9am (reserved) · Unko Museum · Gundam statue · Rainbow Bridge evening
Day 14
Sep 27 Sun
DisneySea full day
Day 15
Sep 28 Mon
Ueno Park and Zoo for Ayala · Yanaka old town walk · Ameyoko Market
Day 16
Sep 29 Tue
Hakone day trip: train to Hakone-Yumoto, pirate ship on Lake Ashi, onsen afternoon, return Tokyo evening
Day 17
Sep 30 Wed
Harajuku workshops: Decoden phone case decoration, Purikura sticker booths · evening Shinjuku, Godzilla Head
Day 18
Oct 01 Thu
The shopping day. Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstore haul (Apagard, Oshima Tsubaki, MegRhythm, Melano CC) · Don Quijote · Ginza
Day 19
Oct 02 Fri
Buffer day · anything missed · Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast · last Tokyo walks
Depart
Oct 03 Sat
Morning Tokyo · 14:00 Limousine Bus to Narita · EY801 departs 18:00
05

What to book when

Silver Week rooms in Takayama, Kanazawa, and Kyoto are going now. Tokyo and Hakone can wait a few days.

This weekSilver Week hotels
  • Takayama — Sep 18–20 · 3 nights · family room for 5
  • Kanazawa — Sep 17 · 1 night · Thursday pre-holiday
  • Kyoto — Sep 21–24 · 4 nights · MIMARU Suites Kyoto Central (primary candidate)
Within 2 weeksNon-holiday rooms
  • Tokyo opening — Sep 14–16 · 3 nights · near Limousine Bus stop
  • Tokyo closing — Sep 25 → Oct 2 · 7 or 8 nights · apartment-style
  • Hakone (only V1 or V4) · Oct 1 · 1 night · ryokan with Kashikiri
Aug 21Shinkansen reserved seats
  • Sep 21 Takayama → Kyoto via Nagoya · Silver Week Monday, fills fast
  • Sep 17 Tokyo → Kanazawa · Hokuriku Shinkansen
  • Sep 25 Kyoto → Tokyo · Nozomi · book from Aug 25
Late AugustAttractions
  • teamLab Planets · one month ahead
  • DisneySea · day before is fine
  • Kanazawa Ninja Temple · by phone, a few weeks ahead
06

Open questions

The decisions the family still needs to weigh in on before we begin booking.

I.
Which of the four shapes do we commit to?
Base, V1 (Hakone ryokan), V2 (Nikko day trip), or V4 (both).
II.
Does a Kamikochi valley day from Takayama appeal, or a slower Takayama day?
Kamikochi is ~7km of gentle walking through an alpine valley. Doable with Ayala if she's up for it.
III.
How much shopping time does Simona want at the end?
This decides whether V1/V4 (one less Tokyo day) still works.
IV.
Are the daughters interested in a grand sumo tournament?
The Tokyo Aki Basho runs roughly Sep 13–27 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Unique experience, possible if we want it.
V.
Any must-see that isn't on the list?
Now is the time to add. Once Silver Week hotels are booked, the shape is locked.