Japan: Two-Week Itinerary and Budget

こんにちは! (“hello” in Japanese) I feel like I should have started my blog by talking directly about Japan, but sitting down and remembering everything I’ve done and have to say about my favorite country felt a bit overwhelming, since I definitely won’t keep it short. Those of you who know me, whether well or a little, know how much I love Japan. I love its culture, its education, its cities, its towns, its food, its language. It’s a country I’ve been observing since I was very little, and, like many of us who share this great admiration, yes, it started with all those hours spent reading manga and watching anime. Eternally grateful to my parents for giving me money for all my comics and buying me Clow Cards from Card Captor Sakura back when the euro didn’t even exist yet.

Jokes aside. They say it’s trendy now to go to Japan, and even many couples choose this trip to celebrate their honeymoon, but growing up learning about this culture and waiting for the moment you finally have everything saved up to go is simply an incredible feeling, and I suppose that’s the reason many of you are reading this post.

It’s not the country of nerds. Nor where people eat sushi all day long. Nor where everyone goes around in costume. Nor where everyone is a geisha. Nor where people walk down the street doing Kame Kame Ha (かめはめ波). Japan is Japan. It’s an eastern culture different from ours, and it’s worth reading a bit about the Japanese country and its customs before you go, but more on that below.

Here I’ll tell you a bit about how my first trip went, and I’ll leave you an itinerary that many of you are looking for to go for the first time. And I say “first” because trust me, you’ll want there to be a second.

14-Day Itinerary for Japan

This is the itinerary I followed the first time I set foot in Japan. You’ll notice I dedicated two days to theme parks, but I’ll give you other options in case you don’t want to visit them.

• • Day 1 – Arrival in Tokyo and transfer to Kyoto:
    • Morning: Arrival in Tokyo and Shinkansen transfer to Kyoto.
    • Afternoon: Fushimi Inari.
    • Evening: Stroll through the Gion district and dinner in the historic Pontocho neighborhood.
  • Day 2 – Hiroshima / Miyajima:
    • Morning: Departure for Hiroshima early in the morning.
    • Afternoon: Visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum, followed by a ferry trip to Miyajima Island.
    • Evening: Return to Kyoto and dinner.
  • Day 3 – Nara:
    • Morning: We travel to Nara and visit Nara Park, where we can see the friendly deer.
    • Afternoon: Visit to Todai-ji Temple, home to the Great Buddha.
    • Evening: Return to Kyoto for dinner.
  • Day 4 – Osaka and Kyoto:
    • Morning: We head to Osaka early and visit Osaka Castle.
    • Afternoon: Stroll through the vibrant Dotonbori district and try local street food.
    • Evening: We explore Namba or Umeda before heading back to Kyoto.
  • Day 5 – Kyoto or Universal Studios Osaka:
    • Option 1: Visit Universal Studios Osaka to see Super Nintendo World and the Harry Potter theme park. Here’s a guide on how to do it.
    • Option 2: We can explore more cultural sites in Kyoto, such as Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-Dera, Ginkaku-ji, To-ji temples, Yasaka Shrine, the Ryoanji Zen Garden…
  • Day 6 – Takayama:
    • Morning: Train ride to Takayama.
    • Afternoon: We explore Takayama’s old town, known for its traditional wooden houses and charming streets.
    • Evening: For dinner we can choose a place serving Hida beef, a local specialty, at one of Takayama’s traditional restaurants.
  • Day 7: Shirakawa-Go and transfer to Tokyo:
    • Morning: Visit to Shirakawa-Go, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its unique thatched-roof houses.
    • Afternoon: Transfer to Tokyo.
    • Evening: Arrival in Tokyo and check-in.
  • Day 8 – Tokyo – Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara:
    • Morning: We explore Asakusa, visit Senso-ji Temple and stroll along Nakamise shopping street.
    • Afternoon: Akihabara.
    • Evening: Ueno Park (we can visit Ueno Zoo or the Tokyo National Museum).
  • Day 9 – Tokyo – Yokohama and Ikebukuro:
    • Morning: Day trip to Yokohama, visiting Yokohama Chinatown and Landmark Tower.
    • Afternoon: We have the option to visit the Yokohama Ramen Museum or the CupNoodle Museum.
    • Evening: We return to Tokyo and spend the rest of the day in Ikebukuro, known for its shops and entertainment options.
  • Day 10 – Tokyo – Yoyogi, Shibuya, Harajuku and Omotesando:
    • Morning: Visit Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine.
    • Afternoon: The trendy neighborhoods of Harajuku and Omotesando.
    • Evening: Shibuya Crossing and Shibuya nightlife.
  • Day 11 – Tokyo – Disneyland or Setagaya/Shimokitazawa:
    • Option 1: We’ll spend the whole day at Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea. Here’s a post with recommendations for both parks.
    • Option 2: If you don’t want to visit Disneyland, I recommend organizing this day as follows:
      • Morning: Visit Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya and stroll through the neighborhood.
      • Afternoon: We head to Shimokitazawa, a bohemian neighborhood in Tokyo where you can pop into lots of secondhand clothing shops.
      • Evening: dinner near the hotel
  • Day 12 – Tokyo – Shinjuku, Nakano Broadway and Roppongi:
    • Morning: We can visit Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden to start the day peacefully.
    • Afternoon: Visit to Nakano Broadway, a paradise for anime and manga enthusiasts.
    • Evening: We head to Roppongi to enjoy a mix of modern art, nightlife and a varied food scene.
  • Day 13 – Tokyo – Shiodome, Ginza, Marunouchi, Odaiba and Tokyo Station:
    • Morning: We’ll explore the exclusive Ginza shopping district and the historic Marunouchi area.
    • Afternoon: We head to the Nakameguro neighborhood for a stroll.
    • Evening: We have dinner in that area and head back to the hotel.
  • Day 14 – Tokyo – Departure:
    • Time to go 🙁

How to Get to Japan

There are several ways to get to Japan, but it always depends on your itinerary, flight prices and so on. Japan’s capital is Tokyo and it has two main airports, Narita and Haneda, but you can also arrive via Osaka (Kansai Airport). In my case, the first time I flew round-trip from Tokyo, even though right after landing I headed to Kyoto on a Shinkansen (bullet train), which is included with the JR Pass (explained further below). The main airlines you can fly with tend to be Japan Airlines, British Airways, ANA, KLM, Turkish Airways, Emirates… The lowest price I’ve ever paid is €490 round-trip, but that depends on the season you’re looking at. In fact, since borders reopened in 2022, flights rarely go below €800.

Visa and Other Entry Requirements

Most countries don’t need a visa for less than a 90-day stay. However, you’ll still need to follow the steps explained on Visit Japan Web to create several QR codes that will make entry into the country easier: immigration, customs and tax-free shopping.

When to Go

It’s important to look into Japan’s climate a bit, since if you’re not prepared, it can ruin your trip. I got this chart from the Japan Meteorological Agency, and it gives you an idea of the temperature and rainfall in the 4 main regions throughout the year.

I’ve personally been many times in every month of the year and what I recommend most is late April/May and October/November, which are also the most famous seasons for Cherry Blossom (April) and Momiji (紅葉 – The characters translate to red leaves and maple tree, but the meaning of this kanji is “leaves changing color,” and it’s the autumn season). Cherry Blossom is the season when you’ll see the most tourists, since it’s one of the most famous “attractions” in the country. Every year a forecast comes out months before Cherry Blossom to inform people of the dates these cherry flowers will bloom. It’s a very important tradition for Japanese people, who organize “parties” to view the cherry blossoms, called “o hanami,” where they have picnics and drink sake under the trees in parks and temples.

There’s also a peak in domestic travel within Japan in spring, since the last week of April/first week of May is Golden Week, and that’s when people take the opportunity to travel. In August it gets extremely hot, and the humidity reaches a level I find hard to bear. It’s the hottest place I’ve ever been aside from Singapore during the same month or a horrendous layover in Dubai.

You also need to be careful about rain and typhoons, since June and September are the months when it’s most common to rain all day, and there are always typhoons in September. In short: my verdict is that, if you can choose, go in October or April if you don’t mind coinciding with the largest number of tourists you’ll ever see in your life.

Choosing Your Itinerary

Once you’ve checked the weather you’ll be having, you’ll start choosing your itinerary. The one I showed you above is perfect for seeing a bit of everything: from the sheer intensity of Tokyo (the best place I’ve ever been) to the most traditional side. No matter how many times I’ve been, I always have doubts about where else to go besides Tokyo, since I want to see so many things that the days in a year aren’t enough for me.

For your first route, I recommend finding a balance between the most developed areas, contrasting cultural sites, history and nature.

Accommodation

Every time I go to Japan I’ve tried to move around as little as possible in terms of accommodation, because it’s the easiest way to avoid dragging suitcases from place to place. If you’re going to follow my itinerary, I recommend sticking to just three hotels: One in Tokyo, another in Kyoto, from where you’ll move with the JR Pass to Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima (all of them close to Kyoto), and another in Takayama for when you go to Shirakawa-Go the next day. I recommend looking for hotels near JR stations.

• • Hotel in Tokyo: Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro. As the name suggests, it’s in Ikebukuro, a perfect area to sleep in. It’s close to everything and the subway stop is on the Yamanote Line, which is covered by the JR Pass. They have receptionists who speak many languages, even Spanish, and they’ll help you a lot with anything you need.
  • Hotel in Kyoto: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Shijo Karasuma. This hotel has a great price and the location is perfect, since it’s downtown and very close to a subway stop.
  • Hotel in Takayama: Country Hotel Takayama. Perfect for spending a day in Takayama and catching the bus the next day to go to Shirakawa.

In my other blog post about hotels in Japan, I’ve listed more options, in case you’d like to see other accommodations.

Getting Around – JR PASS

JR PASS! That great friend of tourists visiting Japan, and it’s very important to get it for the trip. It can be requested by anyone visiting Japan for tourism who holds a “Temporary Visitor” visa. It’s a personal, non-transferable discounted ticket made especially for tourists that lets you travel across the whole country. You’ll get unlimited travel on all national trains in the JR group, subway (like the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, the green loop line, or the Osaka Loop Line), buses, ferries and even airport transfers. Steps to follow:

1. 1. The first thing you’ll need to do is calculate the trips you’ll be taking and see if it’s worth it for you. If you’re going to follow the itinerary I outlined above, I’ve already done the math for you, and without a doubt, you’ll need to get it.
   2. So, you’ll need to buy it from an official vendor, who will ship it to your home within 1-2 business days. Here’s my favorite, the one I always use to buy it: Japan Rail Pass. There are 7-day (€245), 14-day (€390) and 21-day (€497) options. All vendors use the same price, although it can vary depending on the daily exchange rate, but no more than €3-4. It might seem expensive, but it would be even more expensive to travel around Japan without this ticket.
   3. But watch out, what you’ll receive at home is not the JR Pass, it’s a document you’ll need to exchange at a JR office once you’ve arrived in Japan. You’ll find these offices at Haneda, Narita and Kansai airports, and at the main JR stations. You’ll need to show your passport to prove you have the “Temporary Visitor” visa and you’ll have to fill in the back of the booklet they’ll give you with the information on your passport, and that will then be your JR Pass.
   4. You’ll also need to tell the staff member helping you which dates you want it to be valid for, since they’ll issue you a card with this information and you won’t be able to travel on days not covered by this card.

And that’s it! You now have everything you need to use the JR Pass. One very important point to keep in mind is which transport is covered by this special ticket:

• • Watch out with the Shinkansen, since the Nozomi and Mizuho trains are not covered by the JR Pass.
  • You’re covered on the ferry that goes from Hiroshima to Miyajima.
  • Urban train lines (like the subway, but technically not the subway): Yamanote Line, the green circular line of the Tokyo subway, and the Osaka Loop Line.
  • JR buses.
  • Airport transfers such as the Narita Express in Tokyo or Haruka at Kansai airport (Osaka). At Haneda you have the one that runs between Hamamatsucho and Haneda airport.
  • Express trains 特急 (Tokkyū), 急行 (Kyūkō), 快速 (Kaisoku), 新快速 (Shin-Kaisoku) and 普通 (Futsū).

And how can you keep track of it all? Japan Travel by Navitime will be your good luck charm in Japan for transport. Through their website and app you can check in detail which route you’ll need to take to get from one place to another. It gives you information about stations, schedules, duration and distances… And trust me, if it says a train in Japan leaves at 10:17, it will leave at 10:17, not a minute earlier, not a minute later. Punctuality was what I appreciated most on this trip.

You can also use Google Maps, but sometimes, especially in Tokyo, it’s a bit confusing since you’ll often need to go to a specific floor of a building and it’s quite confusing telling which one. It will be very useful for guiding yourself with GPS, though, since many streets don’t have names, and with Maps you can see the exact location of what you’re looking for.

Internet

I think traveling with Internet access is important, especially if you want to check train schedules, get your bearings, or find out how to get somewhere. In Japan you have several options, and here’s a bit about the two I’ve used:

• • eSim: nowadays the most common thing to do is get an eSim, so here’s a link with a 5% discount at Holafly. If the discount doesn’t get applied automatically, you can use it during checkout with the code “WHERETOFINDJESS”.

• • Data SIM card: If you prefer a physical card, you can buy one online before arriving in Japan and pick it up at the airport or have it sent to your hotel. You can buy one at this link. When you arrive at the airport you’ll also find shops selling cards, but I’m used to always getting this one and the price is great. There you might find them a bit more expensive. Another option is to buy it on Amazon JP and have it sent to your hotel.
  • Pocket WIFI: A portable device you can rent that will give you internet access until the battery runs out. It’s very small and easy to carry, and you can connect as many devices as you want, and you can pick it up at the airport. You can rent yours at this link. The only downside is you’ll have to keep an eye on the battery so it doesn’t run out.

Travel Insurance

For this kind of trip I always take out IATI travel insurance to have more peace of mind in case something happens. We once had an incident in Japan and it worked out perfectly. We usually go with the “IATI Basic” or “IATI Standard” option, although depending on the country you may want to look at the “Star” or “Backpacker” option.

Additionally, you can add or purchase cancellation coverage. There’s an “IATI Premium Cancellation” option specifically designed to cover costs associated with trip cancellations (flights, accommodation, excursions, among others), up to a limit of €6,000, in case you can’t travel for one of the reasons covered by the policy.

By clicking on this link you can take out any of the IATI insurance policies with a 5% discount: https://www.iatiseguros.com?r=81717716852618.

Money During the Trip – N26 Card

In Japan they use the Yen (¥), and you can get an idea of its value keeping in mind that ¥100 is about €0.55. We used a credit card to pay for everything during this trip and had no issues. I got this card to travel to Iceland and since then it’s worked great for me on every trip. Since I’ve traveled to Japan and other non-euro countries quite a few times over the past few years, I got a bit tired of eating currency exchange fees at airports or exchange offices, the roughly 3% fee my bank charges for every card purchase or withdrawal I make… So I tried to find a solution to this problem, because even though it seems like a small percentage, it adds up and stings once you tally it all. So, when I travel I pay for everything with my N26 prepaid card. You can order it at this link. A few things worth keeping in mind:

• • I opened an account for free at Spanish and eurozone ATMs, as long as they’re contactless.
  • If you want the physical card, you can order it for €10.
  • Topping up the card is very easy, since it’s done by bank transfer.
  • A few important points to keep in mind while traveling with this card:
    • • You can pay in any currency other than the euro. N26 doesn’t charge fees for payments abroad, even if it involves another currency. The exchange rate applied is the one provided by Mastercard.
      • If you have a standard N26 account and want to withdraw cash from an ATM outside Europe, you’ll pay a 1.7% currency exchange fee (but nothing for the transaction itself). N26 You or Metal accounts won’t get charged this fee. I use the Standard one.

All the payments I’ve made in countries with a currency other than the euro have gotten a really good exchange rate (in this case, Visa’s rate applies). I compared it regularly against a currency converter to check the daily rate, and the ratio they used was even better than what I found online. If you have any questions about this, send me an email and I’ll help you out, but honestly, the process is really simple. Here’s the link again: N26.

Food

Many of you ask me about this topic. In each post about a specific area I’ll recommend places to eat, so in this one I’ll give you a list of dishes you absolutely have to try. That said, I don’t eat anything raw, so I can’t recommend sushi or anything like that. Sorry!

• • Noodles:
    • Ramen
    • Udon
    • Soba
    • Tsukemen (cold)
    • Hiyashi chuka (cold)
  • Donburi (rice dishes)
    • Katsudon
    • Oyakodon
    • Teriyakidon
    • Una-don
    • Gyudon
  • Various:
    • Bento
    • Yakitori
    • Tonkatsu
    • Unagi
    • Tori no karaage
    • Gyoza
    • Okonomiyaki
    • Takoyaki
    • Japanese curry (Kare rice)
  • Sushi, maki sushi or sashimi (not in my life)
  • Desserts:
    • Dorayaki (どら焼き、銅鑼焼き)
    • Mochi (餅, もち)
    • Dango (団子)
    • Kakigori (かき氷)
    • Manju (まんじうう)
    • Anmitsu (あんみつ)
  • Konbini food (24/7 convenience stores like 7-Eleven or Family Mart):
    • Onigiri
    • Famichicken
    • Kare pan
    • Yakisoba pan

Fun Facts

1. 1. You won’t find many trash cans, so try to bring a bag in your backpack to hold onto wrappers or trash.
   2. Smoking on the street is prohibited, but there are spaces where it is allowed.
   3. It’s considered polite to make noise while eating, since that’s good manners there.
   4. You can’t talk on the phone on public transport, but you can between train cars.
   5. Japan’s population is one of the oldest in the world thanks to its diet and lifestyle.
   6. Never leave a tip, it’s considered rude and they’ll give it back to you.
   7. It’s common there to buy disposable umbrellas. If it starts raining, people buy one for about €3 (the typical clear plastic ones), and once they no longer need them they leave them at restaurants, hotels, or anywhere it’s allowed.
   8. Don’t open taxi doors yourself, the driver will do it.
   9. Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the busiest station in the world.
   10. Japanese people are very orderly. Try to observe how they behave, especially in public places, to follow the harmony. For example, on public transport people always line up to board, and if you look closely, there are marks on the ground for you to start and follow the line.
   11. To pay a bus fare, you’ll need to put the exact amount into a box when boarding through the driver’s door.

Budget for Two People in Japan

1. Main flight – €705.63 per person. €1,411.26 for two people. 2. Local transport

• • 14-day JR Pass €390/person (€780 for two people)
  • About €40 per person for the rest of the trip, whether for buses not included, non-JR subway lines, etc.

3. Accommodation

• • Hotel in Tokyo: Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro – €450, 7 nights
  • Hotel in Kyoto: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Shijo Karasuma – €414, 5 nights
  • Hotel in Takayama: Country Hotel Takayama – €90, 1 night

4. Admission fees

• • Nijo Castle in Kyoto: ¥230 per person (€2)
  • Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto: ¥500 per person (€4.25)
  • Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum: ¥50 per person (symbolic price) (€0.42)
  • Kofukuji Temple in Nara: ¥800 per person (6.80)
  • Todaiji Temple in Nara: ¥500 per person (€4.25)
  • Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara: ¥190 per person (€1.60)
  • Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto: ¥400 per person (€3.40)
  • Universal Studios admission (Harry Potter): ¥7200 per person (€61)
  • Tokyo Disneyland admission: ¥7400 per person (€62)
  • Yokohama Ramen Museum admission: ¥310 per person (€2.65)
  • Ueno Zoo in Tokyo: ¥600 per person (€5.10)
  • TeamLab Borderless in Tokyo: ¥3,200 (€27)

5. Other

• eSim, Sim or Pocket Wi-Fi card: about €30.
• Food (grocery shopping for dinners at the apartment plus some restaurants or fast food): €500
• Arcade games: €5,000
• Pokémon Center merchandise: €3,500
• Figures in Akihabara: €4,000
• Just kidding, those last three only happen in my dreams.

APPROXIMATE TOTAL COST FOR 2 PEOPLE – €4,330* (€2,165 per person)

*Not including souvenirs and other little extras that come up while you’re there, this price covers the essentials you’ll need. I’ve finally finished my first post about Japan! It took a while and turned out long, but I hope it helps.