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Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji behind it in autumn

The Standard Japan · 旅の準備

Japan,
sorted.

Everything we’d book for a trip to Japan, in the order you’ll need it. Four steps, about ten minutes.

PR / Ad. These are affiliate links: if you book through them, The Standard Japan may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only list what we’d use ourselves.

01/Before you fly

Get a Japan eSIM

Maps, train times and translation all need data from the moment you land. Install the eSIM at home and it switches on when the plane touches down.

Neon signs over a street in Akihabara at night
Reader favourite

Airalo

The eSIM our readers buy most. Pick a plan by days and gigabytes, scan the QR code, done.

See Japan plans
SailyThe alternative, good for bigger data plans.How many GB?Our free calculator works it out.
Compare every Japan eSIM →

02/Book ahead

Things to do

The places in our posts sell out on timed tickets, often weeks out. Klook has most of them in one app, with the ticket on your phone.

Visitors inside a teamLab Planets light installation in Tokyo

Tokyo

teamLab · Shibuya Sky · Tokyo Disney

on Klook
Yasaka Pagoda above a sloping street in Higashiyama, Kyoto

Kyoto

Kimono rental · Tea ceremony · Arashiyama

on Klook
Dotonbori canal and its neon signs at night, Osaka

Osaka

Universal Studios · River cruise · Nara day trip

on Klook
The floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima

All Japan

Mt Fuji day trips · Rail passes · Hiroshima

on Klook

03/Where to stay

Pick a base

Which neighbourhood matters more than which hotel. Here is where we’d stay in each city, and a link to every hotel there.

Shinjuku Park Tower, home of the Park Hyatt TokyoTokyoShinjuku · Shibuya · GinzaShinjuku for trains and nightlife, Shibuya for shopping, Ginza for a calmer base.on Trip.comA tatami-floored ryokan guest roomKyotoKyoto Station · Kawaramachi · GionStay by the station for day trips, Gion to walk the old streets at night.on Trip.comA row of capsule beds in an Osaka capsule hotelOsakaUmeda · NambaUmeda for trains to Kyoto and Kobe, Namba to eat in Dotonbori.on Trip.com

Book early for

Cherry blossom (late March to early April), Golden Week (29 April to 5 May), autumn leaves in Kyoto (mid to late November) and New Year. Rooms go fast and prices climb. Check your dates →

Our full guide to where to stay in Tokyo →

04/Landing day

Arrive easy

The first and last days of a trip are the ones that go wrong. These three take care of them.

The arrivals lobby at a Tokyo airportAirport pickupA driver waiting at Haneda with your name, a fixed price agreed in advance.on Welcome PickupsA wall of coin lockers in a Japanese stationLuggage storageStation lockers fill by mid-morning. Book a shop counter and drop your bags in Tokyo.on Radical StorageMount Yotei above farmland near Niseko, HokkaidoRental carFor Hokkaido, Okinawa and the Alps, where trains stop short. Compares every company in one search.on DiscoverCars
Every way from Haneda into Tokyo →

Free · no sign-up

Plan the rest with our tools

Trip builderMap your route, see JR fares and whether the JR Pass pays off.Crowd calendarJapanese holidays, peak days and when Shinkansen seats go on sale.eSIM calculatorHow many GB your trip actually needs.

Photos: Supanut Arunoprayote / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Maarten Heerlien from Voorschoten, The Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5) · Tokumeigakarinoaoshima / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Balon Greyjoy / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Syced / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0) · Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Syced / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Nanashinodensyaku / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · TKdows 2026 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).