Japan
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Votes for JapanThe short answer
Late March to May, or October and November. Cherry blossom and autumn colour are worth planning a whole trip around.
June is the rainy season and September brings typhoons. Book accommodation months ahead for blossom season, it sells out earlier than people expect.
When to go
Best months: Mar to May, Oct to Nov
What a day costs
Per person, not counting flights.
- Hostel or capsule$30
- Convenience store and ramen$20
- Trains and subway$20
- Business hotel$85
- Eating out$50
- Rail pass and entry$30
- Ryokan or good hotel$220
- Restaurants$90
- Bullet trains$40
What your whole trip would cost
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Votes for JapanHow far it is
- New York to Tokyo14h
- London to Tokyo14h
- Dubai to Tokyo9h 45m
- Getting aroundThe best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arrive
- When to avoidGolden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at once
Nonstop times from a few big hubs, to give you a sense of the distance. We have no idea which airport you are actually leaving from. Fares move weekly, so we leave those out.
When you land
- Airport to townFrom Haneda the monorail or Keikyu line takes about 20 minutes. From Narita the Skyliner takes an hour. Buy a Suica or Pasmo card at the station and stop thinking about tickets.
- Cash or cardMore cash than you expect. Cards are fine in cities but plenty of small restaurants, shrines and lockers are cash only. 7-Eleven machines accept foreign cards.
- Getting onlineData only SIMs and eSIMs are easy. Voice SIMs need residency paperwork, so do not bother.
- What catches people outTrains stop around midnight and the taxi home costs more than the room.
What not to miss in Japan
- The shinkansen, at least onceTokyo to Kyoto in a bit over two hours. Sit on the right for Mount Fuji.
- One night in an onsen townHakone, Kinosaki or Beppu. Tattoos are still a problem at many, check first.
- Eating at a counter, aloneRamen, tonkatsu, standing sushi. The best food in Japan costs about ten dollars.
- Kyoto before eight in the morningFushimi Inari and the bamboo grove are unrecognisable, and empty, at dawn.
Still deciding?
🧳 Plan your trip to Japan
Good to know
Curated with 
Nemo
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.