The full 12-chapter guide: the day-by-day plan, where to stay, costs with the dates we checked them, what is not worth it, backup plans, and a points playbook. You read it online in your PerkJolt library.

Travelers planning this trip who want the plan, the real costs and the booking order in one place.

Does it cover points and miles?

Yes. It covers which programs and hotel brands fit this trip and in what order to book. It does not quote card offers.

Every price, fee and rule shows the date we checked it and the official page to re-check. Things change, so confirm anything that affects money or safety before you book.

Can I get every guide instead?

Yes. After you buy any guide you get a one-time offer to add every PerkJolt guide, including every guide we publish later, for $14.99.

Osaka + Nara + Hiroshima (deep dive)

Osaka + Nara + Hiroshima (deep dive): free sample chapter

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Disclosure. Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. Fees, hours, closures and pass terms in Japan are revised, and some attractions (the aquarium, Universal Studios Japan) price by date. Each figure here is stamped with the day we checked it and the page we checked. Where a page would not open for us, we say so and name the page to check.

Cover block

Promise: A six-day loop through Osaka's food and neighborhoods, Nara's temples and deer, and Hiroshima's Peace Park, with Miyajima on the last morning.
Trip length: 6 days (5 if you drop Nara or Miyajima).
Best months: spring and autumn for walking; see chapter 6 for summer and winter notes.
Budget band: from a modest rail-and-street-food trip to a theme-park splurge; the cost sheet in chapter 8 lets you price your own.
Best for: culture and food travelers who like walking, rail days and one or two big headline sights.
Companion guide: this is the deep dive. Kyoto sits in our existing Kyoto + Osaka guide; use that one for Kyoto and this one for everything else on this page.

At a glance

Base Osaka for four nights, Hiroshima for one.
Biggest single savings question: the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass versus individual tickets (chapter 3).
Verified fees: Great Buddha Hall ¥800, Peace Memorial Museum ¥200, Miyajima ferry ¥200 one way plus ¥100 visit tax (all stamped in chapter 5 and chapter 8).
Unverified fees we could not open: Osaka Castle main tower, Kaiyukan Aquarium, Universal Studios Japan, Himeji Castle, ropeway.
US advisory: Level 1 [read 2026-10-10 — page dated May 15, 2025 (updated Aug 11, 2025), https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/japan-travel-advisory.html]
Points: no single airline wins this trip; the playbook is in chapter 7.