Golden Route
Photo: Hisagi, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Golden Route is the route from Tokyo to Osaka, an itinerary often done by first-time visitors to Japan.
UnderstandDreamed up by tourism marketers in the 1960s, the Golden Route does not have a set list of stops, but it roughly parallels the Tokaido, Japan's historical main artery, and is most commonly travelled using the Tokaido…
PrepareThe Japan Rail Pass used to be a very popular option for visitors travelling on the Golden Route, as it paid off with the Tokyo-Osaka Shinkansen roundtrip coupled with airport trains to Narita.
Get inAlthough you could do this route in reverse starting in Osaka, most choose to start in Tokyo due to its larger airport. The Tokaido Shinkansen departs from two stations in Tokyo, Tokyo Station and Shinagawa Station.
GoMost travellers begin at one of Tokyo's airports, Narita or Haneda.
Go nextMost visitors end their trip at Osaka, but if you have the time you can keep going west.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Golden Route" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Hisagi, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons