I do a lot of prep before I go on any trip, but for our 13-day trip to Japan in May 2024 I took an especially long time. Certain things really paid off and I've done my best to document those things here.
- Learning about Japan
- Budgeting
- Planning a route
- Language tips
- Flights
- Hotels
- Pre-booking daily activities
- Train tickets / JR Pass considerations
- Wifi and IC Cards
- Packing / Takkyubin
- Customary practices
Learning about Japan
For Westerners, Japan is a gateway to Asia - it's the closest country and easily accessible with direct flights from the US, and there's tons to do and see for every interest. But I think it's also a bit more complex to navigate than some other countries I've been to. While there are a lot of English speakers and signs, the sheer number of people and getting around can be intimidating.
This trip started out as a graduation trip for Brooke and I would accompany her, but it turned into a full family vacation with Bix also interested. Shellie was very concerned about going to Asia - it was way outside her comfort zone, but as she started to see what we could do there, she got more and more excited.
One of the key things we did to get ready was to watch short videos on Facebook - 10 things to not do in Japan (see Customary practices below), sample itineraries, food, activities, etc. Through these we could get a flavor for the types of activities we could do. Watching other people getting around made the idea of visiting easier for Shellie to consider and as we neared departure she was looking forward to it.
Budgeting
The US Dollar is currently (2024) very strong in Japan. That doesn't mean it's cheap. Being an island (think, lots of imports) and a strong workforce, prices are high for most Japanese people which makes them average for US travelers. You can expect to find some bargains (Street food, small stores, some attractions). There are still some expensive things (flights, hotels, high end restaurants), but overall I would say it's more affordable than people might think (at least as of 2024).
That said, it would be best to plan out a budget. Considerations for each main area are below in separate sections, but here are the main expense categories to consider:
1) Flights - this is the main fixed expense, meaning you're gonna pay to get over there and back regardless of your choice in how many days you stay, but you may find cheaper fares if you are flexible in dates and airlines or even where you would fly into.
2) Hotels - will you stay at conventional (Western-style) hotels, Ryokans (traditional Japanese inns), Capsule hotels, hostels? You can browse prices on Booking.com. Also you can go direct to hotels or book from within Japan, but for a first timer using a hotel site is your best bet. A lot of hotels in Japan charge a per-person rate, not a room rate. We spent about $70 per person, per night, but stayed in above-average, large hotels with free breakfasts. Just like any country there are a lot of options for cheaper and higher-end accommodations.
3) Rail/transportation - if you want to see more of the country, then you should consider a JR Pass to take the bullet trains between major cities. For our itinerary, even though we did 13 days, we only did a $350 per-person 7-day JR Pass and did our intercity travel those days. If you are traveling locally (within a city) pay as you go travel on local trains is very cheap ($5-10/day). We didn't rent a car, so I don't have that data. We took some taxis, but few and far between - they're expensive and can be slow.
4) Food - can be very affordable if you focus on small establishments or street food, which can be very good. Restaurants seemed to be comparable in price to the US. We budgeted about $100 per person per day. I think we did pretty good with that. You can do better if you try.
5) Activities - as you read through the blog you can see we did a lot of things. Check prices on Klook which may not be as familiar to Westerners as Viator, but has great prices and lots of options. We budgeted about $100 per person per day for activities. Some days we were over and some under, but $100 per day was a good rule of thumb.
6) Miscellaneous - souvenirs, alcohol, claw machines or pachinko - normal extras.
Planning a route
I put Budgeting ahead of planning a route because if you can budget time and money, you can make a route that fits.
1 week: I would recommend to just do Tokyo and the surrounding area and no JR Pass.
2 weeks: Do a variation of our itinerary - hit the major cities.
10 days is also a good alternative - you can get in both the Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto area - just cut out a few activities in our 13-day itinerary
Japan is about the size of California, (a little longer and skinnier), but for first-timers, you're probably going to want to hit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, which are in the central part of the country. Tokyo and the Kansai area (Osaka/Kyoto) are about 300 miles (480 km) apart which is roughly Dallas to San Antonio or a little less than Los Angeles to San Jose. You will probably ignore the far north and south areas this time around. (If you want to see Cherry Blossoms they last a little longer way north, into May).
Here are some superimposed maps to show you the relative size:
We went as far south as Hiroshima which is another 200 miles south of Osaka. The bullet train makes it very quick and easy if you want to venture farther north or south, even for a day.
We flew into and out of Tokyo. Don't get too hung up on the airports (there are two - Narita and Haneda) and this might vary on your flight. You can get to your Tokyo hotel from either one. You can also fly into Osaka (Kansai International).
I'd suggest to spend 50% of your time in Tokyo, 2-3 days in Osaka, and 1-3 days in Kyoto, Nara, or Hiroshima.
We did: 7 days Tokyo and surrounding area (including the fly in and out days), 2 days in Kyoto/Nara, 2 days in Osaka, 2 days south of Osaka (Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Manabe Island).
Language Tips
I learned a lot of Japanese before I went. I've been studying on and off for over 10 years and really went to work on it starting about nine months before the trip. You don't have to do this.
But... here are the best things you can do to prepare for the language barrier and prepare in order of what I think is most helpful and what you can devote time to learning.
Level One - I hate learning foreign languages and I cannot speak any
- Download Google Translate - you can use your camera to point at things - signs, vending machines, menus, train tickets, and it will translate into English in real-time. If that sounds futuristic it isn't. It's a real thing. I speak almost no Chinese and this helps tremendously when I go to China or Taiwan.
- "Toy-Day?" (this is very rough approximation of how to say Toilet) This isn't the proper way to ask, but people will understand if you say this one word.
- "English?" The Japanese word is Eigo (AY-go), but you don't want to use that. You want someone who can actually understand English.
- Get the check at a restaurant - make an "X" with your fingers. This is an awesome invention and seems to be universally understood throughout Japan.
- "Arigato gozaimasu" (A-REE-ga-toe go-ZAI-mas) - this is a proper/polite way to say Thank You. You will hear this hundreds of times and you should also say it. If you remember the Styx song Mr. Roboto ("Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto") that can help. Domo is like adding very. You can just say Arigato, but adding Gozaimas while seeming extra is totally normal - take the time to add it and please try to learn this one phrase instead of saying Thank You.
- Not a language per se - but will help as much as one - Good map app - see where you are and what train and platform to take
Level Two - I'm a little adventurous - what else is helpful?
- Sumimasen - (soo-mee-mah-sen) - this is Excuse Me. Can be used if you bump into someone or want to get by them, or if you want to get attention. Should be in section one above, but I know some people just can't handle too much.
- Greetings
- Good morning - Ohaiyo Gozaimasu - "OHIO" (hold the second O a little longer, but if you don't they will still understand) and add Gozaimasu (go-zai-mas) same as above to make it polite
- Hi/Good Day - Konnichi wa - (Ko-nichi-wa) (use anytime, but usually late morning through the afternoon) - use Ohaiyo Gozaimasu in the morning and Konbanwa (below) for evening
- Good evening - Konban Wa (Cone-bahn-wa) - make it sound like all one word
- Don't say "Hi!" - that sounds like yes (Hai)
- Number of people in your party - helpful for getting a table, getting in a taxi, etc. 1 person (hitori), 2 people (futari), 3 people, (san-neen), 4 people (this was us, YO-neen) - more here; you can also show fingers or do both!
- "Doko desu (dess) ka" - literally "where is?" Say whatever you need or point to your itinerary or ticket or the place you want to go on your phone and say "doko dess ka" after it. This is not correct grammar, but hopefully this will help you get a response in English.
- "O kudasai" is "Please" - add onto the end
- Cardo - meaning you want to use your credit card.
- Learn Katakana - this is the alphabet Japanese uses to spell out non-native words (of which about 80% are English!)
- If you can master Katakana (and you can get pretty good in 2-3 weeks) you can read a lot
- There are tons of online apps (I used Renshuu and others) just search Katakana
- Katakana is used everywhere (menus, signs, markets)
- Learn some more set phrases - but don't get too crazy - if they start speaking back to you in Japanese then you might be game over
- Yoyaku - reservation
- Numbers - but be careful - counting different things (cars, people, sheets of paper) each use specific suffixes - use hitotsu (1 thing) and futotsu (2 things) to order food or use fingers
- Counting money
- No - iie - (sounds like eee-ay)
- Yes - Hai (Sounds like Hi!)
Flights
Hotels
We booked everything through Booking.com. They seemed to have the largest selection and best prices. However, I have heard that if you book hotels while in Japan, they can be cheaper! We didn't want to risk this. Also, I could cancel up to a couple of days before arrival so if I made a mistake, I could rebook or change my itinerary as many times as I needed.
There are three (plus one) basic types of hotels:
- Normal - western style - no explanation needed although these do have some interesting options like four beds in the same room which is what we used
- Ryokan - leave your shoes at the door and sleep on tatami mats, enjoy a meal with hosts - I would consider this a "bed and breakfast and dinner" situation. Very Japanese.
- Capsule - hotel room/pod just large enough for a bed. Central, though private, showers
- Love hotel - These sometimes look cheap but think of these as a not normal option - they are mostly for boom-chicka-wah-wah and can have an HOURLY rate. Usually it WILL say on a site like Booking.com, so just be aware.
Onsens (Hot spring baths) at accommodations
- Many hotels and Ryokans offer Onsens which are hot spring baths.
- Keep in mind, if these are public, they are usually experienced Naked and men and women are segregated
- Often tattoos have to be covered with tape or are not allowed
- Western-style hotel pools seem to be few and far between
Where to stay
- Most things are just a train ride away. but it's nice to be near a station if you have luggage or even if you don't (see Takkyubin services under Packing).
- We stayed in the city (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Osaka Bay Tower) and outside of it (Otsu, near Kyoto, and Fukuyama).
- Find a hotel that fits your style and budget and locate the nearest train station. There are SO MANY train stations, that you will probably be in walking distance to one or an affordable cab ride.
- In Tokyo we stayed at the WPU near Shinjuku station - the largest train station in the world - which made it easy to day trip to Mt. Fuji (Hakone) and get connections all over the city. For our Disney day we stayed near Disney.
- In Osaka we stayed at the Art Hotel in the Osaka Bay Tower at the Bentencho station - but I think Osaka is exceptionally easy to navigate from just about anywhere.
- In Kyoto we stayed at the Prince Hotel in Otsu at Lake Biwa - three stops from Kyoto station - super easy, yet nice to be out of the city.
- In Fukuyama we stayed at the Daiwa Roynet right next to the station
Pre-booking daily activities
There are 37 million people in Tokyo and lots of visitors. There's a lot to do but stuff still gets booked up.
You need to plan your activities and figure out when you can book. If you wait for a weather report you risk missing your preferred slot or even going at all.
The best sites for booking are Klook and Viator. I also used Tours by Locals to book a tour guide. Klook is great because it offers options like different times and days for events. Klook also seems to work well with US credit cards which was a problem for me when booking directly with some sites.
- Try to book as much indoor stuff as you can early.
- You can wait for the weather report before booking Hakone Free Pass.
- Go Karts - night slots go fast.
- Towers like Skytree or Shibuya Sky will go fast for early evening (see both day and night) - if you wait for visibility reports you might not get to go at all
- Book Disney or Universal Studios early and bring ponchos just in case
- Book sumo tournament the day it opens up and still you might have to go through Klook to get a spot
- Book baseball a couple months in advance through JapanBall.com
Train Tickets
Packing
Customary Practices
1) No trash cans - people don't eat and walk because there are no trash cans. Bring a sack for your own trash and throw it away when you get to your hotel. 7-Elevens may have cans.2) Don't talk on your phone on the train - people do not want to listen to your conversation3) On the train hold your backpack in front of you - trains can be crowded - minimize your space by holding your backpack where you can see it and keep it out of people's way4) On the escalator - stand to the side - in Tokyo it's on the left and walkers will pass to you the right; In Osaka it is the reverse - just do what other people do and do not block the right of way
5) Do not tip - it's insulting - there are a few exceptions but only if it is explicitly stated - we tipped one time the entire trip - at Go-karts
6) Do not open or shut taxi doors - the driver will open them and shut them automatically or manually - the exception is if you are the front seat passenger
7) Wait in line, wait your turn. Even when we had 10,000 people trying to get into Disney everyone was cordial and took their turn. Same at the subway. Same everywhere.
Now you're ready to go! Keep reading to see what we did during our time in Japan.
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