With the Shinkansen bullet trains running frequently and reaching speeds in excess of 300 km/h, even places as far away as Osaka or Kyoto can be considered day trips from Tokyo—if you’re willing to get up early and pack in a full day. The express train to Osaka takes just under three hours, and even Hiroshima, nearly 900 km away, is accessible in under four hours. With trains running from dawn until well into the night, the Shinkansen makes it easy to squeeze in a big day trip.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that many suburban trains stop before midnight, so be sure to plan ahead and leave yourself enough time to return to your hotel—unless you want to risk a long walk or an expensive taxi ride. We’ve been caught out before—one too many beers can quickly turn into a very long walk back! This is also one reason why capsule hotels are located near many major stations; Japanese beer can be dangerously tasty, and time tends to slip away.
We’ll leave the longer-distance trips and feature destinations—which are easily reached from Tokyo in under two hours—for their own dedicated sections. We’ll also cover what we believe is one of the best day trips, Yokohama, separately, because you really need more than a single day to experience the best it has to offer.
There are plenty of tour operators who can take you on an organised day trip, which is a great option for many people. But if you’re after a bit of adventure and want to explore at your own pace, it’s also very easy, affordable, and fun to hop on Japan’s incredible rail network and make your own way.
Japan’s public transport system—though complex and often labelled only in Japanese—is surprisingly easy to navigate. All you need is a map (preferably one that shows train stations), a sense of adventure, and some common sense, and you’ll have an amazing journey. Just make sure you’re well prepared before setting off, as many local tourist information centres—while extremely friendly and eager to help—don’t always have the best English language skills or resources available.
