The Grand North-to-South Journey

Arrive in Japan and connect to New Chitose. If entering through Haneda, complete immigration, collect checked baggage for customs and follow the airline's domestic-transfer instructions.

At New Chitose, follow the JR signs to the airport station. Take an Airport train to Sapporo, then leave bags with the hotel if the room is not yet ready. Keep your first walk close to Odori Park.

Choose an easy meal near the hotel and enjoy a bath before an early night. The full northern programme begins tomorrow.

New Chitose–Sapporo Airport trains take roughly 33–43 minutes depending on service, plus the hotel walk. Reserve a U-seat if you prefer a guaranteed seat and easier luggage arrangements.

Begin with a market breakfast, then walk through the central city towards Odori Park. This is a settling-in day, with time to learn the station exits and pick up snacks for later outings.

Take the subway to Maruyama-koen for the park and Hokkaido Shrine. Keep the forest walk short or add more of the grounds if you have the energy.

Choose soup curry, ramen or another local meal. Return to the same comfortable base without repacking.

Subway plus walking; Hokkaido Shrine is about 15 minutes on foot from Maruyama-koen Station.

Take a JR train to Otaru and walk down towards the canal. Start before lunch so there is time to explore slowly rather than chase an evening train.

Browse the old warehouse streets and glass shops, choose a seafood lunch and pause at a café. The canal area is enough for a rewarding day; distant coastal add-ons are optional.

Return to Sapporo for dinner or stay in Otaru for an early meal before the train back.

JR Hakodate Line between Sapporo and Otaru. Use the operator's live journey search and check the destination displayed on your train.

Travel out to Moerenuma Park for a change of scale: wide lawns, sculptural forms and the glass pyramid. Choose a gentle walking loop, with stops whenever the view catches your eye.

Return to the city for a late lunch and a quieter neighbourhood walk. This leaves time to enjoy Sapporo rather than trying to cross Hokkaido in a day.

Make tonight the meal you most want to try, or keep it casual in the city centre.

Subway to Kanjo Dori Higashi, then the seasonal/local bus connection to Moerenuma Koen Higashiguchi; check the current route and return timetable first.

Return to a favourite café or use this as your weather reserve for Otaru or Moerenuma. The best itinerary sometimes gives you permission to repeat somewhere you enjoyed.

Browse the city, do laundry and organise tomorrow's airport train. If skies are clear, consider a city viewpoint; if not, choose a museum or shopping instead.

Have an unhurried farewell dinner and pack for the flight to Sendai.

Local subway and walking only unless you move an earlier day trip here.

Take the airport train back to New Chitose and fly to Sendai. Book the sector that works with your whole itinerary; there is no fixed departure time built into this route.

Follow signs to Sendai Airport Station and take the direct Airport Access Line into Sendai. Walk to Almont, settle in and orient yourself around the west side of the station.

Try a Sendai dinner and finish with the hotel bath. With six nights here, there is no need to add a major outing to arrival day.

Flight CTS–SDJ, then approximately 25 minutes by train from Sendai Airport to Sendai Station, plus the short hotel walk.

Start with the city centre, then choose a historical stop such as Zuihoden or the Sendai Castle site. Let the day's walking level decide how many hill-based sights you combine.

Return to the arcades and leafy streets for lunch and browsing. Jozenji-dori makes a good change of pace after the busier station area.

Choose gyutan if you eat beef, or explore other restaurants around the centre. There is time to discover a favourite place you can return to later in the stay.

Local bus or subway with walking; the tourist information desk can help match the route to your mobility.

Take the JR Senseki Line to Matsushimakaigan. Walk beside the bay and visit a temple or garden before lunch, keeping time for the water views.

Choose a sightseeing cruise if the weather suits. Shiogama can be added for seafood and a port-town contrast, using the current boat service or the train; it is an option, not a compulsory dash.

Return to Sendai for a light dinner and the comfort of your familiar room.

JR Senseki Line for Matsushimakaigan and Hon-Shiogama. Match any one-way boat plan to that day's actual sailings before buying tickets.

Take the JR Senzan Line to Yamadera. If the steps suit you, climb slowly through the temple complex, pausing for the mountain views rather than treating the ascent as a race.

Have lunch near the station and allow time for a café before the train back. Check the return departures before setting off on the climb.

An easy Sendai dinner and a quiet evening are plenty after the hill walk.

Direct Senzan Line services link Sendai and Yamadera; use the current timetable rather than assuming turn-up-and-go frequency.

Take a bus to Akiu Onsen with a day-use bathing venue chosen in advance. A bath and lunch are the heart of the day, not a long checklist of scattered sights.

Add a short walk around the onsen area if conditions suit, then return to Sendai. Akiu's wider sights are spread out, so do not assume the waterfall is an easy walk from the bathing district.

Enjoy the city at leisure, or simply have an early meal and rest.

Takeya Kotsu's Seibu Liner serves the Akiu area from Sendai. Check the correct stop for your chosen venue and the last practical bus home.

Use the final Sendai day for whichever outing benefited most from a weather change. Otherwise, enjoy a late breakfast and time in the city's shops, cafés and museums.

Buy a few regional treats, wash what needs washing and prepare for Okinawa. The next chapter is warmer, so move lighter clothes to the top of your bag.

A final Sendai dinner without an early sightseeing alarm tomorrow makes the long stay worthwhile.

Local transport only unless swapping an earlier outing.

Take the Airport Access Line and fly from Sendai to Naha. This is the journey's biggest change of atmosphere, so keep the day focused on getting there comfortably.

Take Yui Rail from Naha Airport to Tsubogawa and walk to Tokyu Stay. Settle in and use the room's laundry if useful.

Choose a nearby Okinawan meal and take a short orientation walk. Save the fuller Naha programme for tomorrow.

Flight SDJ–OKA, then Yui Rail to Tsubogawa. Check the operating carrier, baggage rules and schedule when booking.

Head towards Shuri for the castle park and the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom. If you want to enter the Seiden, arrange the required viewing reservation through the official park website.

Continue gently through the area, with shade and café stops in warm weather. Return to central Naha before the day feels too long.

Explore the food streets around Kokusai-dori at your own pace.

Yui Rail plus walking or a short local connection. The castle approach has slopes; a taxi can reduce the climb.

Explore Tsuboya Yachimun Street, browsing pottery shops and the museum when open. This is a good day for a small purchase with a story behind it.

Combine the pottery district with the market streets and an Okinawan lunch. Leave time for the city's everyday side rather than filling every hour with transport.

Choose a restaurant or music venue that interests you, booking ahead if it is small or popular.

Yui Rail and walking around central Naha; use a taxi if heat makes the walk uncomfortable.

Choose one optional outing: a properly organised sea excursion when conditions are good, or a city-based museum and food day when rain is likely.

For a Kerama Islands or snorkelling excursion, book through an operator and follow its weather decision. Keep a land alternative ready instead of letting one cancelled boat define the holiday.

Finish laundry and organise tomorrow's coast transfer. Have one last evening in Naha before the resort chapter begins.

Optional excursion transport, or local Naha travel. Sea activities and ferry tickets are additional bookings.

After breakfast, travel north along Okinawa's west side to Hotel Monterey. Use a pre-booked bus serving Tiger Beach Mae or arrange a taxi with a clear fare basis.

Leave bags with the hotel if needed, enjoy lunch and settle into the resort. The point of this move is to stop travelling for a while.

Watch the changing light from the coast and choose a hotel or nearby dinner.

Naha city–Tiger Beach/Onna by scheduled bus or taxi. Confirm the exact departure point, luggage arrangements and stop before travelling.

Take breakfast slowly, then enjoy the beach or pool when open and conditions allow. You have earned a day with no station timetable.

Choose an optional marine activity, a short local excursion or more time at the resort. Follow beach flags and the operator's advice rather than assuming calm-looking water is suitable.

Keep dinner local and enjoy another coastal evening.

None required for a resort day; optional activities may provide their own transport.

Choose between another restful coastal day and an excursion farther north, such as Ocean Expo Park and Churaumi Aquarium. Book transport that works from your hotel, not only from Naha.

If travelling north, make it the day's main activity rather than combining every attraction on the coast. If staying put, let the final island afternoon unfold slowly.

Pack and confirm the airport bus or transfer for tomorrow. Keep the flight day free from extra sightseeing.

Optional reserved excursion or carefully planned public bus. A taxi charter is an extra cost and should be agreed in advance.

Take the reserved transfer to Naha Airport with a generous road-traffic buffer, then fly to Haneda.

Reach Villa Fontaine Grand at Terminal 3, using the airport's terminal transfer if your domestic flight arrives elsewhere. Check tomorrow's international departure terminal before unpacking.

Have dinner in the airport area and, if you wish, buy admission to Izumi Tenku no Yu. Finish with a calm evening rather than another cross-city journey.

Hotel–Naha Airport limousine bus, shuttle or taxi; flight OKA–HND; terminal transfer if required.

Check out and proceed to the terminal shown on your ticket in time for the airline's international check-in requirements.

Fly home on the service you have booked. The route works from many origins; Sydney was the original airfare example.

Your arrival time and any extra overnight flight depend on your home airport and selected service.

International flight from Haneda, or adapt the final airport night to your actual departure airport.