AsiaJapanJapan
Most countries give you one thing to fall in love with. Japan gives you a megacity, a thousand temples, powder snow, subtropical islands and a thousand-year pilgrimage route, and puts trains between them that leave to the second. It is the rare country people fly to for itself.
JapanJapan in a nutshell
Top Japan destinations we recommend
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Plan your adventure in Japan
Our travel routes through Japan
Japan is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
7 nights1 week, the compressed classic
Osaka · Kyoto · Mt Fuji
Kyoto's autumn foliage and Mt Fuji visibility peak; fewer crowds than spring on the main route.
10 nights10 days, Okinawa and the southern islands
Naha · Miyako Island · Ishigaki
Tropical islands best visited in mild autumn when typhoon season ends and the weather stabilises.
12 nights2 weeks, Alps variant
Tokyo · Nagano · Takayama
Alpine hiking in Kamikochi and Shirakawago villages requires snow-free trails and warm conditions.
14 nights2 weeks, first-timer classic
Tokyo · Hakone · Kyoto
Autumn foliage and mild weather suit the Tokyo–Kyoto–Hiroshima corridor without spring's crowds.
14 nights2 weeks: Tohoku, the north nobody routes
Tokyo · Sendai · Matsushima
Matsushima and Hirosaki deliver early autumn foliage and clear weather before winter in Hokkaido.
17 nights3 weeks, the consensus route
Tokyo · Nikko · Mt Fuji
Mt Fuji climbing and Kamikochi trekking need snow-free terrain; Nikko and Kyoto shine in mild spring.
21 nights3 weeks, off the corridor
Osaka · Kumano Kodo · Okayama
Kumano Kodo pilgrimage and Naoshima art walks excel in cool, dry autumn without typhoon risk.
23 nights3 weeks: budget, Tokyo to Kyushu
Tokyo · Nikko · Mt Fuji
Southern route avoids summer heat and typhoons; autumn colour from Nikko through Hiroshima to Nagasaki.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editorsWe looked at how travellers actually plan Japan on Stippl, across 562,000+ planned stops and 101,000+ trips.
Two weeks is the minimum for Japan and three is the version people mean. Almost every first trip stays on Honshu, where Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka sit within hours of each other and Nara, Hakone, Hiroshima and Kanazawa hang off the same line. Seeing meaningfully more than Honshu takes about four weeks, and the country is long enough that advice for Hokkaido never matches Okinawa. A typical trip through Japan runs 17 days.
Japan is one of the few countries people fly to for itself. 58.5% of the trips that carry it go nowhere else, and it is planned earlier than most, 107 days ahead. The calendar has two humps rather than a season, spring and autumn, and October is the busiest month of the year.
Plan to move every two nights. A typical stop is 2 nights, and the rail network, the bilingual signage and the very low crime rate make that pace realistic without a guide or a tour. Almost nobody needs one here. On what travellers log on Stippl a dinner runs about ¥2,670 and an intercity train fare about ¥3,950, so the trains, not the hotels, are the line in the budget people underestimate.
Who Japan is for
First-timers
the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka corridor is the most frictionless introduction to Asia that exists: punctual trains, English signage, no haggling, no scams to speak of
Foodies
regional cuisines are genuinely distinct, the cheap end (konbini, conveyor sushi, ramen counters) is excellent rather than merely survivable, and Osaka exists
History buffs
Kyoto's temple density, the surviving original castles, the Edo post towns and the two atomic-bomb cities give a continuous thread from the 8th century to 1945
Hikers and nature travellers
the Japanese Alps, the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage, Fuji, and Hokkaido's national parks sit outside the corridor and see a fraction of the traffic
Skiers and snowboarders
Siberian winds over the Sea of Japan produce among the most reliable powder anywhere, in Hokkaido and around Nagano
Solo travellers
eating, drinking and sightseeing alone is culturally normal rather than pitied, and safety is close to absolute
Families
spotless toilets everywhere, kids commuting alone, theme parks, and deer that bow; the practical friction is far lower than the distance suggests
Art travellers
the Seto Inland Sea islands, teamLab, and Kanazawa's contemporary museum are a genuine circuit rather than a single stop
Maybe not for you: strict vegetarians and coeliacs (dashi and wheat hide almost everywhere), spontaneous travellers (beds, trains and headline attractions need booking weeks to months ahead), and anyone with visible tattoos who wants to use public onsen
When to visit Japan
Late March–early May (cherry blossom & spring), October–November (autumn foliage)
Spring
March–May
the most popular season and the most expensive; cherry blossom, mild temperatures, and crowds that concentrate hard in Kyoto and Tokyo
Tsuyu / rainy season
June to mid-July
roughly a month earlier in Okinawa, barely present in Hokkaido; drizzle and high humidity rather than tropical downpours; hydrangeas and empty temples are the compensation
Summer
mid-July–August
hot and humid in the cities, superb in Hokkaido and the Alps; matsuri and fireworks season; the only window for climbing Fuji
Autumn
September–November
the connoisseur's pick: foliage as spectacular as blossom, a longer window, lower prices and fewer people than spring
Winter
December–February
cold, dry and clear on the Pacific side, buried in snow on the Sea of Japan side; the cheapest season and the best odds of seeing Fuji
- Peak accommodation prices land in the cherry blossom window and Golden Week; winter outside New Year is consistently the cheapest time to travel
- How much more expensive sakura season is depends on the source: one puts it at up to three times normal rates, another at roughly 20% above off-peak, the truth varies by city and how early you book
- Typhoon season runs roughly August to October with September the peak, concentrated on Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa; the practical effect is cancelled trains and closed attractions for a day or two, not danger
- Mount Fuji is visible only on a minority of days, best from November to February and worst from April to August; mornings before about 10:00 give the best odds
- Kamikochi in the Alps is only open mid-April to mid-November, and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route only April to November
- The official Mount Fuji climbing season for 2026 runs 1 July to 10 September; outside it the trails are closed, the mountain huts shut and the routes are genuinely dangerous
Add your Japan dates and we'll flag the weather per stop
Stippl shows the season, crowds and prices for every place on your route.
Festivals & special days
New Year (Oshogatsu), the biggest domestic travel peak; many attractions and restaurants close for roughly a week from 29 December, and transport books out
Sapporo Snow Festival, a week of monumental ice sculpture at Odori Park; Sapporo accommodation must be booked months ahead
Hanami, cherry blossom viewing; each location blooms for about a week, opening in Fukuoka and Tokyo in late March, Kyoto in the first week of April, and Sapporo in late April
Golden Week, a cluster of national holidays when the entire country travels; trains, hotels and flights sell out months ahead and prices spike
Gion Matsuri, Kyoto: a month-long festival with the main float procession on the 17th, running for over 1,100 years
Obon, ancestral return festival and the second big domestic travel peak; cities empty, home regions fill
Sumida River Fireworks, Tokyo: the country's oldest fireworks festival, on the last Saturday of the month
Koyo: autumn foliage, peaking in Kyoto and Tokyo in the second half of November and progressively earlier as you go north or higher
Describe your trip, get a Japan itinerary in seconds
Everything in this guide is already in Stippl. Tell the planner how long you have and what you like: it builds the route, the days and the travel times, and you edit whatever you want.
What not to miss in Japan
Soaking in an onsen
ideally outdoors, ideally in winter with snow falling and the water at around 41°C; it is the one experience every source independently insists on
Riding the shinkansen
treated as a destination rather than transport: platform rituals, ekiben lunch boxes bought for the ride, and a rock-steady 300 km/h
Walking the torii tunnel at Fushimi Inari
thousands of vermilion gates, each donated and inscribed; free and open around the clock, which is the argument for going at dawn
Staying in a ryokan or a Koyasan temple
sleeping on tatami, eating a kaiseki or shojin ryori dinner, and joining a morning ceremony you did not entirely follow
Climbing Mount Fuji overnight
a 5–7 hour ascent usually broken by a mountain-hut night to reach the summit for sunrise, in a two-month window, with a hiker cap and advance booking
Hiking the Kumano Kodo
one of only two UNESCO-listed pilgrimage routes on earth, the other being the Camino de Santiago, with a dual-pilgrim certificate for completing both
What to eat in Japan
wheat noodles in one of four broths: shio, shoyu, miso, tonkotsu
vinegared rice with toppings; nigiri, maki, temaki, oshi
savoury cabbage pancake, mixed in Osaka and layered in Hiroshima
octopus in batter spheres, sauce and bonito flakes
seafood and vegetables in a light batter
crumbed deep-fried pork cutlet with shredded cabbage
charcoal-grilled chicken skewers, every part of the bird
a seasonal multi-course tasting meal
regional wagyu, often grilled at your table
Buddhist temple vegetarian cuisine
buckwheat noodles, hot or cold with dipping sauce
crumbed deep-fried skewers with a communal dipping sauce
Discover food spots in Stippl
Find restaurants and markets on the map, save them to your itinerary, works offline too.
Cultural highlights & etiquette
Clean streets, and no bins
Daily life is organised around not inconveniencing others, which explains the quiet trains, the meticulous queuing on painted platform markings, and streets that stay clean without public bins
Wash before you get in
Onsen bathing is naked and gender-segregated: you wash thoroughly seated at a shower station first, the small towel never enters the water, and conversation stays low
Book a private bath
Visible tattoos are still refused at many onsen because of the historical yakuza association, though acceptance is growing and foreigners are often waved through; a ryokan with a bookable private bath sidesteps the problem entirely
Say thank you instead
Tipping does not exist and can read as mildly insulting; verbal thanks and a review are the accepted substitute
Wear slip-ons and good socks
Shoes come off wherever the floor level rises, temples, ryokan, some restaurants, even fitting rooms, which is a practical argument for slip-on shoes and decent socks
To the second, every time
Punctuality is near-absolute: trains depart to the second and arriving early is basic courtesy rather than eagerness
What is not said out loud
Communication runs indirect, context, tone and expression carry meaning that Western travellers expect to hear stated outright
Do
- Queue on the platform markings and let everyone off before boarding
- Carry your rubbish until you find a bin, usually at a convenience store
- Bow back when someone bows to you, however awkwardly
- Slurp your noodles
- Hand money to a cashier on the tray rather than into their hand
- Learn the difference between a shrine and a temple; it changes how you behave in both
Don't
- Stand chopsticks upright in rice, it echoes a funeral rite
- Eat while walking, outside festivals, markets and designated street-food areas
- Take phone calls on trains, or talk loudly on them at all
- Photograph or approach geisha and maiko in Kyoto's Gion
- Tip
- Smoke on the street outside a designated smoking area
Daily budget in Japan
Budget
€70–80
hostel dorm or capsule, konbini and cheap counters, regional trains and IC card
Mid-range
€100–150
mid-range hotel or business hotel, restaurant meals, shinkansen legs, an occasional tour
High-end
€250+
ryokan with kaiseki, Green-class rail, guided experiences, city-centre hotels
Track what you actually spend
Set a daily budget per country and log expenses in any currency while you travel.
Practicalities
Entry & visa
Nothing to apply for
Nationals of around 70 countries, including the EU, UK, US, Canada and Australia, enter visa-free as temporary visitors for up to 90 days with no advance application.
Health
Closer to Europe than Asia
No vaccinations are required for entry, and no endemic tropical disease risk applies, the health profile is closer to Western Europe than to the rest of Asia.
Money
What a euro buys in yen
1 EUR ≈ 185 JPY mid-market (xe.com read 185.245 on 2026-08-31; 185 is the working figure).
Connectivity
€10–20 covers the trip
An eSIM bought before departure is the current default and costs roughly €10–20 for a trip's worth of data.
Water
Refill at the station
Tap water is safe everywhere in the country and tastes good; refill points are common at stations, parks and some temples.
Tipping
Do not even try
There is no tipping in any context, restaurants, taxis, hotels or guides, and attempting it causes confusion rather than pleasure.
Power & practicalities
100V catches some devices
Plugs are Type A and B with two flat pins at 100V, so European devices need an adapter and some need a converter.
Language
You can read it, not hear it
Useful phrases
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
Konnichiwa
Hello / good afternoon · こんにちは
Arigatou gozaimasu
Thank you (polite) · ありがとうございます
Sumimasen
Excuse me / sorry / to get attention · すみません
Onegaishimasu
Please · お願いします
Itadakimasu
Said before eating · いただきます
Gochisousama deshita
Said after eating · ごちそうさまでした
Eigo o hanashimasu ka?
Do you speak English? · 英語を話しますか
Ikura desu ka?
How much is it? · いくらですか
Niku nashi
Without meat · 肉なし
Kanpai
Cheers · 乾杯
Frequently asked questions about Japan
Read it as nights per stop rather than as a list of places. 29.6% of Japanese stops planned on Stippl are a single night, and a single night means one of your two days goes to moving. Lay the route out in Stippl and if the one-night stops outnumber the rest, cut a city. Then show it to people who have been, in subreddits like r/JapanTravel.
About one in ten. 9.86% of Japanese stops planned on Stippl carry no night at all, so they are runs out of a base rather than places people sleep. The rest are beds, and that ratio is why a Japan route is decided by which cities you sleep in rather than by how many places you list.
A quarter of it. 24.6% of every Japanese stop planned on Stippl is Tokyo, and no other place in the country comes close. That is why most first trips are built outward from Tokyo along one rail corridor rather than as a loop around the country.
It depends on your route, and that is the honest answer rather than a hedge. The pass wins on multi-city itineraries with long shinkansen legs on most days, and loses on slow routes, two-city trips and one-way itineraries. Price it against your own legs first, because plenty of standard routes come out cheaper on individual tickets.
Three fixed weeks: Golden Week from 29 April to 5 May, Obon in mid-August, and the New Year week. All three are domestic travel peaks, when trains, hotels and flights sell out months ahead and prices spike. They are not the wrong season, they are the wrong dates inside a good one.
Often not, though the rule is loosening. Many public baths still refuse visible tattoos, and the dependable fix is to book a ryokan room with its own bath or a private onsen slot rather than to turn up and hope. Decide that before you book the stay rather than on the night.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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