Tokyo to Osaka Without a Bullet Train: The 10-Hour Local Train Run, and Where to Give Up
It is possible to cross the 550km from Tokyo to Osaka on local trains alone, for a fraction of the shinkansen fare, in about ten hours and eight changes. Here is how the day actually goes, the two sections that break people, and the station hotels to stop at when you decide you have had enough.
6 picks · Updated 2026-09-06