Japan Trip Planning Guide Plan A Great Japan Trip In 10 Easy Steps

Planning a trip to Japan can be overwhelming: There’s too much information and not enough time to sort it out. However, if you break it down into 10 steps, you’ll find that it’s pretty easy. Here’s our step-by-step guide to planning a trip to Japan.

[Planning a Japan trip]

First, Here Are The 10 Steps

Here are the details and links to pages with more information.

[Kyoto’s Okazaki-koen Area with illuminated cherry blossoms © Jeffrey Friedl]

1. Decide when to go

• Spring (March to May) and fall (mid-September to early December) are best.
• Cherry blossom season (end of March and early April) is great but crowded and expensive.
• Fall foliage season (mid-October to the end of November) is also great but crowded and expensive.
• Winter (December to the end of February) is not too cold and it’s cheap and uncrowded.
• May and June are warm and not too crowded or expensive.
• July and August are too hot and humid for most people, but you can get great deals.

For more information, see When’s The Best Time to Go to Kyoto and How to Avoid Lines and Crowds in Japan.

[Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine in Kyoto — image © Fabio Achilli / CC BY 2.0 DEED]

2. Decide how long to stay

• Your work and holiday schedule might make up your mind for you.
• If you have a choice, 10 to 14 days is ideal for most first-timers.

For more information, see How Long Should You Stay in Japan?

[Kyoto’s Kinkaku-ji Temple — image © . Ray in Manila / CC BY 2.0 DEED]

3. Decide where to go

• For your first visit, you should visit Tokyo, Kyoto and 1 or 2 other places.
• Other places might include an onsen/ryokan in the country, Naoshima (the “art island”), Kanazawa, Takayama or Hiroshima/Miyajima.
• You might also do a few days on one of the big treks: Kumano Kodo or Nakasendo.
• If you want to get off the beaten track, consider Kyushu, Shikoku or northern Honshu.

For more information, see Japan Itineraries.

[Japan Airlines 777 — image © Alan Wilson / CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED]

4. Buy plane tickets

• Once you decide when to go and how long to stay, it’s time to buy plane tickets.
• For most people, flying into Tokyo makes sense.
• Tokyo has two airports: Narita and Haneda.
• If you have a choice, fly into Haneda, but both airports are perfectly fine.

See also Flying to Japan: Best Airports, Airlines, Tickets and Routes.

[Seikoro Ryokan in Kyoto]

5. Reserve hotels and ryokan

• All major Japanese cities have plenty of hotels to choose from.
• You might also try a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) for a night or two.
• Kyoto is a good place to try a ryokan.
• You’ll find the best rates and largest selection of hotels and ryokan on Booking.com
• For Tokyo and Kyoto, it’s really important to decide where in the city to stay.
• See Where to Stay in Tokyo and Where to Stay in Kyoto for more details.

For more information, see Tokyo Hotels, Kyoto Hotels and Kyoto Ryokan.

6. Decide on a Japan Rail Pass (JRP)

• The JRP has increased in price.
• It’s not a good deal for most travelers.
• It only makes sense for budget travelers who plan to do a lot of train travel.

For more information, see Should You Buy a Japan Rail Pass?

[Bag combo — image © Chris Rowthorn]

7. Get the right kind of luggage

• You will do most of your long-distance travel on Japan’s shinkansen (bullet trains).
• Shinkansen don’t have much luggage space.
• Japan has fast, cheap and reliable overnight luggage shipping services.
• To take advantage of Japan’s unique transport and shipping systems, you need specific luggage.
• A light shoulder bag for necessities and a wheelie bag for the rest is the way to go.

For more information, see The Best Luggage for Japan.

[Pocket wifi unit — image © Junpei Abe / CC BY 2.0 DEED]

8. Get a SIM, eSIM or Pocket Wifi

• You will probably want mobile data while in Japan.
• If you have a new-ish unlocked phone, then an eSIM is the way to go.
• If your phone is locked to a specific carrier, your only choice is a pocket wifi.
• If you have an unlocked older phone, a physical SIM is the way to go.
• See the link below for the best eSIMs, SIM cards and pocket wifi.

[This is the Welcome Suica card]

9. Get a digital Suica (if you have an iPhone) or a physical IC card

• An IC (integrated circuit) card is the best way to pay for almost everything in Japan.
• You can pay at many restaurants and shops with an IC card. You can also pay for all local transport, taxis, vending machines and coin lockers with an IC card.
• An IC card saves you from having to handle cash.
• If you have an iPhone with a MasterCard or Amex card linked to your Apple Wallet, you can get a digital IC card (Suica or Pasmo card) on your phone.
• If you can’t get a digital IC card, you can buy a Welcome Suica or Pasmo Passport card when you arrive in Tokyo.

For more information see How to Get a Prepaid Travel (IC) Card in Japan.

[Kyoto Walks offered by Chris Rowthorn Tours]

10. Book tours and activities

• Once you’ve got all the above taken care of, it’s time to book some tours and activities.
• I offer walking tours of Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara, among other places.
• Other things you might book include Sumo Stable Tours, cooking lessons, tea ceremonies and amusement park tickets.

For more information about Chris Rowthorn Tours, see Tokyo Tour Overview and Kyoto Walking Tours.

And for comprehensive overviews of recommended activities in the cities, see our pages Things To Do In Kyoto, Things To Do In Tokyo and Things To Do In Osaka.

More Japan Planning Resources

• Packing List for Japan
• Top 10 Japan Travel Hacks

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