Explore the best of Kyoto and Osaka with friends on a budget-friendly journey.

Kyoto

Osaka

Serving the greater Osaka area, this hub on a man-made island has rail access & an adjacent hotel.

Revered castle dating to 1597 & since rebuilt, featuring gardens & a museum with varied exhibits.

Contemporary museum with exhibits detailing Osaka history from ancient times to the present day.

Upscale mall featuring brand-name retailers, restaurants, a movie theater & rooftop garden.

Sprawling 15-story railway station with shops, eateries & services plus a movie theater & hotel.

Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond.

Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos.

A popular sightseeing path runs uphill through this forest of towering bamboo stalks.

Spring blossoms, fall colors & mountains can be viewed from this famed wood bridge.

Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates.

Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda.

Long-running museum with Japanese sculptures, paintings, calligraphy & metalwork, plus a cafe.

400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles.