🇹🇭 Thailand or 🇯🇵 Japan
Which one, honestly
Thailand leads on the sea and value for money. Japan leads on cities, nature and getting around.
A normal day costs about $85 in Thailand and $165 in Japan.
Side by side
- 🇹🇭 Thailand🇯🇵 Japan
- Jan, Feb, Nov, DecBest monthsMar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov
- $85A normal day$165
- 11h 30m to BangkokNonstop from London14h to Tokyo
- ExceptionalBeaches and seaNot the draw
- Very goodCities and cultureExceptional
- ExceptionalFoodExceptional
- Very goodNature and hikingExceptional
- ExceptionalValue for moneyGood
- Very goodEasy to get aroundExceptional
- Cheap domestic flights, sleeper trains and boats, all easyGetting aroundThe best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arrive
- April, the hottest month, and the burning season in the northWhen to avoidGolden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at once
Pick by what you want
🇹🇭 Choose Thailand if
you want your money to go a very long way, with beaches and food, and you do not mind heat.
🇯🇵 Choose Japan if
you want somewhere that feels genuinely different, you like cities and food, and you want everything to work perfectly.
Full Thailand guide →Full Japan 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.