How we plan a trip to Japan
Two cities in ten nights is a proper holiday. Five cities is a train timetable. We usually settle on Tokyo and Kyoto as the two bases, add one smaller place in between, and leave the rest of the days unbooked so you can follow whatever you liked most.
Then we handle the parts that catch first-time visitors: whether the rail pass is actually worth it for your route, seat reservations on the shinkansen, sending your suitcases ahead so you are not carrying them through stations, a pocket wifi at the airport, and vegetarian meals booked where the kitchen understands the request.
Trip facts
Where people go, and why
Tokyo and Kyoto, nine nights
The first visit. Four nights in each, one shinkansen between them, and a day trip to Nara or Hakone.
The golden route, twelve nights
Tokyo, Hakone with a view of Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. Where the rail pass earns its cost.
Japan with children
Slower, with a day at Disneyland or Universal, and hotels that give you a family room rather than two.
Japan and South Korea
Two weeks, two countries, one long-haul flight. Seoul added at the start or the end.
When to go
Japan has two famous seasons and two quiet ones. The famous ones need booking six to nine months ahead.
Cherry blossom
Beautiful, brief and unpredictable by about a week. Hotels sell out first.
Autumn colour
Kyoto at its best, cool and dry, and a longer window than the blossom.
The sensible months
Good weather, fewer crowds, noticeably lower hotel rates. What we usually suggest.
Golden Week, and August
Early May is a domestic holiday and everything is full. August is hot and humid.
Plan your Japan trip
Tell us roughly when and who is travelling. A consultant will call you back with a route worth considering and an honest cost range.
We reply within one working day, and always from a real consultant — not an auto-responder.