Tokyo leg of the trip felt like a fitting high energy finale after the quieter cities.

As a solo female traveller safety was my biggest worry before this trip, Japan turned out to be the easiest country I have travelled alone in. Osaka's Dotonbori at night, solo, felt completely safe and fun.

Osaka street food scene alone justifies this itinerary, I spent an entire evening just walking Dotonbori tasting one thing after another. Miyajima's floating torii gate at the right tide was a picture postcard moment. Fushimi Inari early morning, mostly alone on the trail, gave me time to actually think. Ending in Tokyo after all that felt like the right crescendo.

Would go back in a heartbeat, the mix of Hiroshima's reflective mood, Kyoto's temples and Tokyo's chaos suited solo travel perfectly. Never once felt unsafe or lost, even navigating trains alone.

As a solo female traveller, safety was my biggest worry going in, and Japan turned out to be the easiest country I've travelled alone. Walking Dotonbori by myself at night felt completely safe and genuinely fun, not something I could say of most cities. I never felt lost, even working out the trains on my own.

First time travelling solo to Japan and this eleven-night route made the whole thing effortless.