🇯🇵 Japan or 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Which one, honestly
Japan leads on cities, getting around and food. Indonesia leads on the sea and value for money.
A normal day costs about $165 in Japan and $75 in Indonesia.
Side by side
- 🇯🇵 Japan🇮🇩 Indonesia
- Mar, Apr, May, Oct, NovBest monthsApr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- $165A normal day$75
- 9h 45m to TokyoNonstop from Dubai9h 15m to Bali
- Not the drawBeaches and seaExceptional
- ExceptionalCities and cultureNot the draw
- ExceptionalFoodVery good
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- GoodValue for moneyExceptional
- ExceptionalEasy to get aroundGood
- The best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arriveGetting aroundScooters and private drivers on Bali, short flights and ferries between islands
- Golden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at onceWhen to avoidJuly and August in south Bali, when the traffic becomes the trip
Pick by what you want
🇯🇵 Choose Japan if
you want somewhere that feels genuinely different, you like cities and food, and you want everything to work perfectly.
🇮🇩 Choose Indonesia if
you want volcanoes, reefs and rice terraces for very little money, and you are willing to leave the busy south to find them.
Full Japan guide →Full Indonesia guide →
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Compare something else
Written and checked by hand. Nothing here about visas or entry rules: those change often and depend on your passport, so check an official source.