Planning · Guide index
Japan planning guides
Choose where to stay, plan the experiences you want to book and make travel days easier with practical luggage advice.
Planning guide index
Kanazawa in a day: Kenrokuen's hours, the free early entry and the trains there and back
Corrected free early entry to cover the full year, added the five seasonal time windows and verified Shiguretei hours against Ishikawa Prefecture on 18 October 2026. Clarified the free-entry example and the sources for each choice. Other source checks retain their earlier dates.
Open the guide PlanningA Nara day trip from Kyoto or Osaka: which station, which train, Todaiji and the deer rules
Which Nara station and train should I use from Kyoto or Osaka, and how do I visit Todaiji and the deer responsibly?
Open the guide PlanningA Nikko day trip from Tokyo: which NIKKO PASS, what it leaves out, and the autumn and winter limits
Added separately purchased limited-express fares to the two-adult December example, the Toshogu and Treasure House combined ticket, and explicit pass eligibility and ropeway-closure source scope. Official fare tables and the current Tobu and Toshogu pages were checked on 18 October 2026; unchanged winter sources retain their earlier dates.
Open the guide PlanningNew Year in Japan 2026–27: what closes, what stays open and how to get around
Updated the JR East and shrine announcement status, replaced the removed MUFG PDF with its branch-holiday FAQ, added Meiji Jingu’s 2025–26 hours and clarified the Japan Post publication period.
Open the guide PlanningA first ski trip to Japan, 2026–27: Niseko, Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen or GALA Yuzawa
A first ski trip to Japan, 2026–27: Niseko, Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen or GALA Yuzawa
Open the guide PlanningWinter illuminations and festivals in Japan, November 2026 to February 2027: dates, hours and fees
Added Marunouchi’s announced 2026–27 dates, Yomiuriland’s hours and prices with ride and March weekday limits, refreshed Kobe ticket-sale status and clarified Osaka show length. Removed internal source notes and gave each checked-table row its own source and advice.
Open the guide PlanningCheck your Japan hotel room’s air conditioning and smoking terms
Check heating/cooling controls, room temperature flexibility, non-smoking policy, and cancellation/change rules before booking your room.
Open the guide PlanningPlanning a Mount Fuji view: what to check for your day
Use past trends, live webcams, and regional forecasts for different steps of your planning—and always keep a solid backup plan ready.
Open the guide PlanningEnjoy Japan with fewer crowds
Find a better time to visit, group nearby sights and build a flexible day, with Kyoto as a practical example.
Open the guide PlanningBooking a restaurant in Japan with TableCheck
Understand reservations, card holds, meal payments and changes so you can plan dinner with a clear budget.
Open the guide PlanningPacking a power bank for flights to Japan
Check battery limits, carry-on rules, and inflight use guidelines for every airline on your itinerary.
Open the guide PlanningHow to store luggage at hotels in Japan
Make more of your arrival and departure days. Learn about bag drop-off, collection times and sending luggage ahead.
Open the guide PlanningHow to correct a hotel booking name in Japan
Work out whether you need a spelling correction or a guest change, and prepare a clear request for the booking provider.
Open the guide PlanningWhere to stay on your first trip to Japan
Choose hotel bases around the places you want to visit, daily travel time and how often you want to move.
Open the first-trip base guide PlanningWhere to stay in Tokyo: compare four useful hubs
Find a Tokyo base for your sightseeing, airport journey and evenings by comparing four well-connected areas.
Compare four Tokyo hubs PlanningKyoto or Osaka: which base fits your trip?
Compare sightseeing days, evening plans and hotel moves to choose a base for exploring the Kansai region.
Open the Kyoto-or-Osaka guide PlanningWhen to book Japan attractions
Build a booking calendar for the attractions you care about and keep the rest of the trip flexible.
Open the booking-window guide PlanningPlanning around Japan holidays and changing weather
Build an itinerary that can adapt to holiday opening hours, weather updates and transport changes.
Open the disruption guide PlanningLuggage forwarding, lockers or carrying it yourself?
Compare the time, convenience, and logistics of three ways to move luggage between hotels and destinations.
Open the luggage guide PlanningHotel booking scam messages: how to spot fake "payment problem" messages before your Japan trip
Message says your Japan hotel card failed? Check in the platform's own app: Booking.com won't ask for card details by message. If you've paid, act now.
Open the guide PlanningIs your Japan itinerary realistic? A pacing check for travel days, hotel changes and day trips
Score your plan: each hotel move costs about half a day and arrival day is rarely full. Door-to-door times, day trip vs overnight, and Monday closures.
Open the guide PlanningBooking a cherry blossom trip for spring 2027: what to book now and what can wait
Book flights and refundable hotels now for a window, not a date. When JR seats and garden tickets open, Easter on 28 March 2027 and a month-by-month plan.
Open the guide PlanningBooking your first ryokan: what the price includes and what to check before you pay
Ryokan prices are usually per person with dinner, breakfast and baths. Dinner times, diet requests, kids' rates and cancellation, plus an email to send.
Open the guide PlanningMount Fuji and Hakone from Tokyo: day trip or overnight, and how to book the bus or train
Fuji Excursion train, Shinjuku buses or the Romancecar: when seats go on sale, what the Hakone Freepass covers, and why we'd skip doing both in one day.
Open the guide PlanningJapan plugs and voltage: what UK and European visitors need to pack
Japan uses two-pin Type A plugs and 100 V. See which chargers need only an adapter, why 230 V hair dryers fail, and what 50/60 Hz means.
Open the guide PlanningJapan airport luggage delivery: same-day cutoffs, prices and sending bags back to the airport
Send bags from a Japanese airport to your hotel: Haneda same-day by 11:00 (¥5,170 for a large case), Narita by 10:30, and how to send them back.
Open the guide PlanningJapan luggage forwarding hotel to hotel: timing, prices and receiving rules
Forward luggage between Japanese hotels: hand it over two days before check-in, ¥3,160 from Tokyo to Kyoto, and what to do if an Airbnb can't receive it.
Open the guide PlanningJapan restaurant reservations for overseas visitors: online, phone or walk-in
Book Japanese restaurants from abroad: online, phone-only or walk-in, real cancellation fees such as ¥2,000 a head, and a message for your concierge.
Open the guide PlanningWhat to book first for a Japan trip: the order that matters
Book lotteries and fixed-date tickets first, then hotels around them, then Shinkansen seats at 10:00 JST a month out. A dated plan for January 2027.
Open the guide PlanningJapanese-only restaurant bookings: phone-only places, Japanese sites and queues
Phone-only and Japanese-site restaurants: Tabelog English, OMAKASE, call-assist apps, a hotel request template, phone phrases and queue maths.
Open the guide PlanningRamen ticket machines in Japan: how to order when nobody speaks English
How to use a Japanese ramen ticket machine: cash and IC cards, the kanji on the buttons, a worked order with change, and what staff will ask you.
Open the guide PlanningEating well and cheaply from Japanese convenience stores
What to buy at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson for each meal, how heating and eat-in tax work, allergen labels, and a real-price daily budget.
Open the guide PlanningJapan crowd calendar 2027: dates to avoid and the quietest hours for big sights
Golden Week, Obon and other 2027 dates to avoid, the quietest hours at Sensō-ji, Shibuya Sky, Skytree, Fushimi Inari and Osaka Castle, and a worked plan.
Open the guide PlanningHow small are Japanese hotel rooms? Reading m², bed widths and listings
What 13 m² and a "double" bed really mean in Japan, how much floor two suitcases need, and how to read and filter hotel listings by size.
Open the guide PlanningHow much walking to expect in Japan, and how to keep your feet going
How far you really walk in Tokyo and Kyoto, a step-by-step Kyoto day, which shoes work, where to sit down and what to buy at a drugstore for blisters.
Open the guide