Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Home in the World
For most people visiting Japan, especially if it’s for the first time, the famous Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) will likely be their first priority. And rightly so.
With its rich culture, diverse landscapes and pulsating urban centres, Japan is of course much more than those three cities. But there’s no denying they are probably the places most tourists will want to head to above all else. And I’d recommend spending several days in each.
Kyoto and Osaka are close enough to each other (approx. 45 min to 1 hour) to justify staying in one and doing a day trip to the other. They’re both in the Kansai region, which is one of the best parts of Japan to base yourself, given its proximity to many other worthwhile cities and towns.
But what about Tokyo? If you’re basing yourself in Kansai and are pushed for time, can you do a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka (or Kyoto)? On one of my recent trips to Japan, this was something I tested out for myself.
So read on to find out what I thought based on my own experience, and whether a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka is actually feasible. And you if you are heading to Osaka, you might also like to download my free quick guide to Osaka, which concisely summarises everything you need to know before you go.
Locations and distances
As mentioned, Osaka is in the Kansai region of Japan – a region that was once the country’s political and cultural centre, and home to ancient capitals and strategic ports in the form of Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.
Today, its largest city (and the third largest in Japan) is Osaka, whose proximity to the aforementioned cities and other equally fascinating smaller towns makes it a great place to base yourself – especially if you’re flying in and/or out of Kansai International Airport, one of the country’s biggest aviation hubs, serviced by almost all major world airlines that fly to Japan.
In terms of travelling further afield beyond the Kansai region (or even within it), the best and fastest mode of transport is the famous Shinkansen (bullet train) (N.B. this is different to the JR trains and is not covered by Japan Rail Passes).
Journeys that would otherwise take a good part of a day are reduced to a matter of hours as it traverses the country at lightning speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph). With regular services operating with trademark Japanese efficiency and punctuality, they’re a dream (not to mention a bucket-list experience) to travel on.
The Shinkansen trip between Osaka and Tokyo takes around 3.5 hours, covering a distance of approximately 500 km (310 miles). This puts it on the edge of feasibility for a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka (or indeed from Tokyo to Osaka), given you will be spending around 7 hours just getting to and from your destination.
My personal experience of doing a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka
For a variety of reasons, it was not practical for me and my family to uproot ourselves from Osaka during one of our trips to Japan, so, rather than not visit Tokyo at all, we thought we would make a full day of it – and get the ‘seeing Mt Fuji from the Shinkansen‘ experience to boot (though Fuji-san ended up being almost entirely shrouded in cloud).
We set off bright and early from our centrally located hotel in Osaka, took a packed peak-hour subway to the Shin station, and then finally headed off to Tokyo, arriving in the Japanese capital by late morning.
We got off at Tokyo main station, as it was closer to the north-eastern part of the city we were planning to visit. For south-westerly areas like Shibuya (home to the famous bustling crosswalk you have probably seen photos and videos of), getting off one stop earlier at Shinagawa Station would also be a good option.
Because if there’s one thing I recommend to anyone considering doing a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka, it’s to focus on just one main geographic area of the city. Tokyo is MASSIVE; it is in fact the largest metropolitan area on earth.
And if you’re already going to be pushed for time trying to scratch the tiniest bit of the surface of a city so diverse and fascinating that it would literally take years to explore properly, the last thing you want to be doing is spending any more time that you need to getting from A to B underground.
That’s why I decided to just stick with the north-eastern part, because it had enough attractions within reasonable proximity to each other, while also not being too far from Tokyo Station, which is where we were arriving at and departing from.
Our itinerary
Using our Icoca transport cards from Osaka, which work nationwide and are the same as the Suica cards you get in Tokyo, we navigated the Tokyo subway and first headed to Asakusa. It’s an older part of the city (albeit offering views of the modern Tokyo Skytree), and home to the iconic Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest established temple, built around AD 628.
You’ll likely have seen photos of the temple’s iconic red architecture and the huge lantern at the centre of the Kaminarimon Gate, weighing around 700 kg (1540 lbs).
In the middle of the day, it was extremely crowded (as expected), but it was still possible to enjoy the striking gates, pagodas and lanterns, soak up the fragrant air thick with incense smoke, admire the statue of Kannon inside the Main Hall and browse the souvenir stalls that line the Nakamise Shopping Street leading up to the temple.
It’s a veritable Edo experience in the heart of modern-day Tokyo, and an attraction that figures on most people’s Tokyo itineraries. We spent around an hour there.
Next up was a little stroll around the Ueno district, with its vibrant food scene and famous park and zoo, before grabbing a quick bite to eat from a local konbini convenience store (no time to stop and savour Tokyo’s amazing dining scene, unfortunately) and moving on to Akihabara Electric Town, a pulsating area in central Tokyo known for its multi-storey electronics stores and dazzling signage.
It’s got everything from vintage Japanese electronics to cutting-edge tech, as well as countless shops specialising in more niche offerings such as manga, anime and video games. It really is a quintessential ‘modern Japan’ experience.
Concerned about ensuring we were back at Tokyo Station in time for our train, which was departing around 7.30 pm, we then decided to stick to the areas immediately surrounding the station.
This meant spending some time exploring the upscale Maranouchi, which is just adjacent to the Imperial Palace. As a prestigious business district, it is home to modern architecture, museums and galleries – as well as the iconic Tokyo Station building, which is an attraction in itself.
The red-and-white brick structure looks more like something you’d expect to see in Europe, and it was indeed inspired by Amsterdam’s central station. Built in 1914, it suffered damage in WWII but has thankfully been restored, and its historic, low-rise architecture makes for a striking contrast against the glass skyscrapers all around it.
The last stop on our whirlwind day in Tokyo was the famous Ginza district, which I had deliberately planned to visit in the early evening to catch some of its dazzling lights and grab another bite to eat before our train ride.
Ginza is Tokyo’s premier neighbourhood for upscale shopping, dining and entertainment. Walking its streets, past sleek designer storefronts and flashy Ferraris, you really get a sense of just how much wealth there is in this city, which has certainly experienced some ultra heydays in its time (I recommend reading Tokyo Junkie by Robert Whiting to learn more about it). Even its subway station looks like an upper-class nightclub!
Next thing we knew, we were back on the train to Osaka, returning to our hotel around 11 p.m. Tired and over-stimulated from the hectic excursion, but simultaneously also somehow energised by having been able to spend the day in one of the great cities of the world.
The final verdict: Can you do a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka?
The short answer is: technically, yes – as proven by my personal account above. The long answer is more nuanced.
If it’s your absolute last resort and it would mean otherwise not visiting Tokyo at all, then it is feasible and you will be able to see a few things, as I did. But I would recommend sticking to just one geographic area of the city. I sacrificed western districts like Shibuya and Shinjuku because I wanted to minimise spending too much time going cross-country on the subway.
In general, however, I would advise trying to actually spend at least a few days in Tokyo if possible.
It regularly ranks as one of the great cities of the world for a reason, and indeed you could spend an entire lifetime there and not experience it all. From major tourist attractions to obscure, off-the-radar neighbourhoods, it’s a fascinating metropolis to explore, not to mention very easy to get around (especially if you’re not on a time frame!).
So, while doing a day trip to Tokyo from Osaka is physically possible, it certainly does not do Japan’s incredible capital justice, and is also quite a rushed and hectic experience. I hope you have the opportunity to stay and absorb it all for a lot longer!
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
Before you go…
Consider following me on Instagram, where I post regularly about travel around the world. Would love to connect!
Looking for somewhere to stay on your trip to Osaka? I highly recommend the Fraser Residence Nankai Osaka, where I have stayed three times. Read my review here. Or find another property suiting your needs by searching below:
Ready to book your flights to Osaka? I recommend using Skyscanner or Trip.com to find and compare the best fares.
For more Japan content, head to my Japan section (more posts to come). You can also download my free, one-page Quick Guide to Osaka, which concisely summarises everything you need to know about visiting Osaka.
If you’re interested in other Japan sightseeing options, consider checking out these tours:
And for more Asia travel content, feel free to check out my posts from Cambodia, China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, plus my older travel memories (more narrative style than blog style) from Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore.
Like this post? Pin it!
I love your honest appraisal of this day trip. Gives people the confidence to undertake it. As always, lots of useful info and great photos too
Thank you. It’s definitely not the ideal way to see Tokyo, but if it really is the only option for someone, I hope they find this article helpful!