🇮🇹 Italy or 🇯🇵 Japan
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Which one, honestly
Italy leads on the sea. Japan leads on nature and getting around.
A normal day costs about the same in both, around $170.
Side by side
- 🇮🇹 Italy🇯🇵 Japan
- Apr to May, Sep to OctBest monthsMar to May, Oct to Nov
- $170A normal day$170
- 8h 45m to RomeNonstop from New York14h to Tokyo
- GoodBeaches and seaNot the draw
- ExceptionalCities and cultureExceptional
- ExceptionalFoodExceptional
- Very goodNature and hikingExceptional
- GoodValue for moneyGood
- Very goodEasy to get aroundExceptional
- Fast trains, genuinely excellent, book in advanceGetting aroundThe best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arrive
- The middle of August, when the cities empty and half the good places shutWhen to avoidGolden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at once
Pick by what you want
🇮🇹 Choose Italy if
you want three cities in ten days, you care about food and museums, and you would rather take a train than a ferry.
🇯🇵 Choose Japan if
you want somewhere that feels genuinely different, you like cities and food, and you want everything to work perfectly.
Full Italy guide →Full Japan guide →
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.