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Plan your first Japan trip, step by step
Every guide on Japan Echo, in the order you will need it. Work down the page: decide your route and budget, book what sells out, sort data and money, then use the on-the-ground guides once you land.
- 2–3 months out: book flights and hotels, especially for cherry blossom (late March to early April) and autumn leaves (November).
- 1–2 months out: decide whether a Japan Rail Pass pays off, and buy tickets that sell out, such as Universal Studios Japan.
- 30 days out: shinkansen seats open at 10:00 Japan time. Book the shinkansen for busy dates.
- 1 week out: buy and install an eSIM, fill in Visit Japan Web, and set up a mobile IC card.
- Arrival day: follow your first three hours in Japan, and compare Narita or Haneda transfers.
Step 1: choose a route that fits the days you have
The classic first trip is Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, connected by the Tokaido shinkansen. With 7 to 10 days, that is plenty: three or four nights in Tokyo, two or three in Kyoto, and two in Osaka, which also works as a cheaper base for Kyoto and Nara. With two weeks or more, add Hiroshima and Miyajima, Kanazawa, or Fukuoka, and that is when a rail pass starts to make sense.
Moving hotel every night eats time. Two or three nights in each base, with day trips, is easier and lets you send your suitcase ahead between cities.
Step 2: set a realistic budget
Prices for visitors rose again in 2026: a ¥3,000 departure tax from July, higher rail pass prices from October, and Kyoto's new hotel tax tiers from March. Every new travel fee for 2026 lists them, and what a day in Japan really costs gives sample budgets by city.
Step 3: book what sells out
- Hotels in Kyoto in spring and autumn, and anywhere over Japanese holidays. See choosing a hotel.
- Universal Studios Japan tickets and Express Passes for weekends and holidays.
- Shinkansen seats on peak dates, when Nozomi trains become reserved-seat only.
- Timed tickets such as teamLab, Pokémon Cafe and the Ghibli Museum, which open on fixed dates. What to book before you go lists every release date.
Step 4: get ready to land
Sort out mobile data before you fly, decide how you will pay (most places take cards, but carry some cash), and learn a few useful Japanese phrases. Then the guides below cover each stage of the trip.
Before you go
Decide the route, check this year’s costs, choose rail tickets and sort out data.
- Every new travel fee in Japan for 2026, in one place
A tripled departure tax, Kyoto's steep new hotel tax, pricier rail passes and an online entry permit on the way. What each one costs you and when it applies.
- What a day in Japan really costs in 2026
Hotel rates by city and season, what meals and transport cost, and three sample daily budgets you can plan around.
- Is the Japan Rail Pass still worth it in 2026?
2026 JR Pass prices (including the cheaper official-site price), the Nozomi supplement, and worked break-even maths for real routes, so you can decide in five minutes.
- eSIM, pocket Wi-Fi or SIM card: getting data in Japan
Which data option suits your trip, how to install a Japan eSIM step by step, how much data you need, fixes when it will not connect, and whether you need a Japanese phone number.
- Business hotel, capsule or ryokan? Choosing where to stay
Room sizes, what is included, typical 2026 prices, and which Tokyo neighbourhoods suit first-time visitors.
- 20 Japanese phrases that make eating out easier
Simple, polite phrases for restaurants, shops and trains, with how to say them and when you will hear them.
- What to book before you go to Japan, and exactly when
A booking timeline for a first Japan trip: hotels, USJ Express Pass, teamLab, Pokémon Cafe, the Ghibli Museum, Shibuya Sky, the shinkansen and airport trains, with the release dates and times that matter.
- Japan in December: weather, winter lights and year-end closures
Average December temperatures for Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo, the big 2026 illuminations with dates, the New Year closures to plan around, ski season openings and what to book early.
Arrival day
From the plane to your hotel, in the right order.
- Your first three hours in Japan: airport to hotel
Visit Japan Web, immigration, customs, data, cash, IC cards and the train into the city, in the order you will do them, with 2026 fares from Narita, Haneda and Kansai.
- Suica, PASMO and ICOCA: the tap card you will use every day
Phone or plastic, Welcome Suica for visitors, how topping up works, and what is changing for Android users in 2027.
- Skyliner vs Narita Express: which airport train to take from Narita
2026 fares, journey times and the N’EX round-trip deal compared, with worked costs for Ueno, Tokyo Station and Shinjuku, plus the cheaper Keisei trains and when a bus wins.
- Haneda Airport to Shinjuku and central Tokyo: train, bus or taxi
The cheapest, easiest and fastest ways from Haneda to Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station and Asakusa, with 2026 fares from Keikyu, Tokyo Monorail, the Limousine Bus and fixed-fare taxis.
Getting around
Bullet trains, Tokyo’s subway and travelling without your suitcase.
- How to book the shinkansen as a foreign visitor
Which booking site covers which line, the 30-day booking window, why foreign cards get declined, oversized luggage rules and what Tokyo to Osaka really costs in 2026.
- Tokyo Subway Ticket: unlimited rides from ¥1,000 a day
2026 prices for the 24, 48 and 72-hour Tokyo Subway Ticket, what it covers and what it does not, the new QR version, and break-even maths against an IC card.
- Travel hands-free: sending your suitcase ahead
How Japan’s takkyubin luggage delivery works, 2026 Yamato prices by size, how to fill in the slip, delivery times, and when it beats dragging a suitcase onto the shinkansen.
Money
Cards, cash and the new tax-free rules from 1 November 2026.
- Cash, cards or phone: how to pay for things in Japan
Cards work in most of the places tourists go, but not all of them. Where you still need cash, where to get it, and how to avoid bad exchange rates.
- Japan's new tax-free system from 1 November 2026
You now pay the 10% consumption tax at the till and claim it back after customs confirms, at the airport, that the goods are leaving Japan. Here is exactly what to do at each step.
Eating
Convenience stores, ramen ticket machines, izakaya and Pokémon Cafe.
- How to eat well from a Japanese convenience store
What to buy at each time of day, how to open an onigiri, how the hot counter and microwave work, and the services hiding behind the till.
- Ramen in Japan: styles, ticket machines and noodle firmness
The four main broths, how to order from a ticket machine, what staff will ask you, and the etiquette at a busy counter.
- Izakaya basics: how a Japanese pub dinner works
The table charge, how ordering works, what to order for a group, and how to pay at the end.
- How to book Pokémon Cafe in Tokyo or Osaka
When Pokémon Cafe reservations open (18:00 Japan time on the 1st of the previous month), how to book, party and seat rules, arrival times, the cancellation deadline and what happens if you miss out.
Shopping
Drugstores, Pokémon and model kits.
- Japanese drugstore shopping: skincare, sunscreen and what to skip
How to read Japanese sunscreen ratings, what visitors buy most, where prices differ, and how the new tax-free rules change your haul.
- Every Pokémon Center store in Japan, and which to visit
All the official stores by region, which ones have cafés, and how to choose if you only have time for one.
- Buying Pokémon cards in Japan without getting burned
Sealed boxes, single cards and release-day lotteries. How shops price cards, how to spot resealed product, and how to get your cards home flat.
- Buying Gundam model kits in Japan: grades, stores and packing
What HG, RG, MG and PG mean, where to find kits in Tokyo (including a new Shibuya megastore opening in November 2026), and how to get bulky boxes home.
Cities and experiences
Osaka, Kyoto, Akihabara, Tokyo’s teamLab, Mt Fuji, Hakone and the onsen.
- Osaka in two days, plus Universal Studios Japan
Where to stay and eat in Osaka, a two-day plan, 2026 USJ ticket prices and Super Nintendo World entry, and whether the Osaka Amazing Pass pays off, with worked costs.
- Kyoto for first-timers: beating the crowds in 2026
How to get to and around Kyoto without the packed buses, when to visit each big sight, a two-day plan, the 2026 hotel tax and bus fare changes, and a worked daily budget.
- Akihabara in one day: a route for first-timers
A morning-to-night plan through Tokyo's electronics and anime district, with what each kind of shop sells, café rules and how to save on tax.
- Onsen etiquette: how to use a Japanese hot spring
The order of things from changing room to bath, what to do with your towel, tattoo rules, and private bath options.
- Osaka Amazing Pass: is it worth it in 2026?
What the 1-day and 2-day Osaka Amazing Pass cost, which of the 40 or so attractions are worth the most, the 15:00 Umeda Sky rule, sample days that pay off, and when to skip it.
- Universal Studios Japan Express Pass: which one, and is it worth it?
How USJ Express Passes work in 2026, current starting prices, timed slots, Super Nintendo World entry, when they go on sale and sell out, and the free alternatives in the official app.
- teamLab Planets or teamLab Borderless? Tokyo tickets and tips for 2026
The difference between teamLab Planets in Toyosu and teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills, 2026 ticket prices, closed days, how far ahead to book, what to wear and how to get there.
- A Mt Fuji day trip from Tokyo: train, bus or tour
How to see Mt Fuji in a day from Shinjuku: Fuji Excursion train and highway bus fares and times, the Kawaguchiko sightseeing buses, Chureito Pagoda, the 5th Station bus and when a tour makes sense.
- Hakone Freepass: is it worth it in 2026?
What the 2-day and 3-day Hakone Freepass cost from Shinjuku and Odawara, the Romancecar supplement, the classic Hakone loop with individual fares, and when the pass does not pay off.
Watch: ideas for where to go
More videos are on Jon's page and the Trip Lovers channel.