🇯🇵 Japan or 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Which one, honestly
Japan leads on cities and getting around. Sri Lanka leads on the sea and value for money.
A normal day costs about $170 in Japan and $70 in Sri Lanka.
Side by side
- 🇯🇵 Japan🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
- Mar to May, Oct to NovBest monthsDec to Mar
- $170A normal day$70
- 14h to TokyoNonstop from London11h to Colombo
- Not the drawBeaches and seaExceptional
- ExceptionalCities and cultureNot the draw
- ExceptionalFoodExceptional
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- GoodValue for moneyExceptional
- ExceptionalEasy to get aroundGood
- The best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arriveGetting aroundA car with driver is the norm, and the hill country train is worth a slow day
- Golden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at onceWhen to avoidThe southwest in May and June, and the east from October to December
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 Sri Lanka if
you want beaches, tea mountains, safari and ruins inside one small island, on a very small budget.
Full Japan guide →Full Sri Lanka 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.