I don’t think there’s another country as hard as Japan to plan for. Especially as a first-timer because the urge to see absolutely everything is too great.
And as someone planning my second trip, I can tell you, you have to resist! Because you will get overwhelmed really fast.
So follow this guide below to get inspired, and hopefully get some peace of mind.
To do or not to do the Golden triangle, the age old question of anyone researching their first trip to Japan…
Well, first, let’s talk Golden Triangle.
What is the Golden Triangle of Japan?!
This part of the Kansai Region is the most visited area of Japan, besides Tokyo.
Osaka, Kyoto and Nara actually make a triangle, which is what most people know as the “Golden Triangle“.
Because it is so popular, it is crowded and it is a growing bastion of tourist traps, that are really not worth your time.
So, should you skip it?
I say, absolutely not! When you are a tourist, be a tourist!
You couldn’t go to Japan and not see Kyoto. It makes me so angry when people talk about Japan’s oldest capital and give it a day trip at best.
Same thing with Nara. I did it too, only gave it the day and regretted it so much. The world oldest wooden structure is actually not in the centre of town, and so requires another day there to see it all.
And then you have Osaka, Japan’s second city. It’s my personal favourite and a very vibrant city, with amazing regional eats, like takoyaki and okonomiyaki, which you have to try!
So, yes, go to the Golden Triangle and give it appropriate time to fully enjoy it!
Now onto the next…
Now, that’s a difficult question. Because, and I hate to say it, it really depends.
What are you most looking forward to seeing? Is it temples, culture, museums or is it incredible food experiences? Or is it just shopping and cafés you want to see? This will influence your decision on how long you’ll stay.
I personally would recommend at least 7 full days, without travel time, because Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world and whatever you might want to do, you will probably need to dedicate a day per neighbourhood.
Onto the next…
That’s one big forgotten area of anyone’s first itinerary to Japan.
Hiroshima obviously has a very heavy history and it’s very hard to navigate for tourists, but it’s well worth a visit. The peace memorial is beautiful and the newly built Hiroshima Orizuru Tower has a great onigami tower, also for peace, and gives you an impressive view over the whole city.
And you have to try the Okonomiyaki from Hiroshima, just so you can snobily tell your preference to your friends back home.
If you’re in Hiroshima, don’t forget about Miyajima and if you can afford it, please stay overnight on the island.
The ferry is only about half an hour but the last one gets back to Hiroshima in the early evening, so you have to rush through the sights.
Miyajima is obviously known for the floating Tori gate and the semi-wild, hungry deers roaming around, but there’s also beautiful temples scattered around the island, a ropeway taking you to an incredible hike on the Mount Misen.
And the ferry to the island is included in the JR Pass and only an hour from Osaka. To me, that’s definitely worth the detour.
Now, if we recap, that the Golden Triangle and Tokyo are a must, then Hokkaido becomes a complicated add-on.
It’s a flight under 2hrs from Tokyo, and it’s a wide region. Hokkaido is a huge island, the second behind Honshu. I’d save it for a second trip, because I’m sure that if you’re already researching your itinerary for your first trip this deeply, you’re going to go again.
Sometimes, you need to save yourself a reason to go back. You can also visit Hokkaido in the winter for skiing and arctic cruising, while you might want to see the rest of Japan during cherry blossom season.
The island of Kyushu is another complicated add-on to an itinerary, even if it’s also easily accessed from Tokyo.
It’s another destination that’s high up on my list, because of cities like Fukuoka, Beppu and its hellish hot springs, and Nagasaki.
There’s enough to do on Kyushu to save it for a specific trip, and again, if you go to Hokkaido for your second trip, you might as well save Kyushu for your third!
There’s a lot of options for the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) or Japan Rail passes.
The one I would never recommend is the JR PASS, which costs a fortune now and is only useful if you’re planning to do Tokyo -> Hiroshima -> Sapporo in 7 or 14 days, which is a bit too ambitious in my opinion.
The one I think is the most useful for travellers doing the Golden Triangle is the Kansai Wide Area Pass. It’s valid for 5 days, it cost about £65 and you get unlimited travel across the region, enough to do day trips to Himeji Castle, Okayama, Kobe, etc. until you settle in Kyoto for example.
Another good one is the Kansai-Hiroshima Pass which is an extra £20, at £85, but given the price of a Shinkansen ticket from Osaka to Hiroshima is about £80 anyway. If you want to go further in that region, you can upgrade to the Sanyo-Sanin Pass, which is valid for 7 days instead of 5 and cost £114.
Anything else, I think it really depends if you’re hopping town to town in a certain region, but I think you might not save much with those other passes.
At the end of the day, traveling is very exciting. And you can get wrapped up in that excitement, very easily. The reality of things though, is traveling is very tiring.
You’re probably looking at a layover, at an about 20-30 hours journey. You’ll need to rest when you land, so you need to account a couple of chill days out of the bat.
Then you also need to be realistic about your exercise level. If you’re going to start walking 10k, 20k steps a day, but you work sitting down at an office the rest of the year, you’ll feel it, hard.
You can always go back. And trust me, you’ll want to. So make sure to trim off that itinerary before you get very disappointed about what you’re too tired to do.
You’ll be glad for them to be in the itinerary, trust me.
And rest days don’t have to be just sitting in your hotel doing nothing! You can visit onsens and relax, you can shop all day, go out to cafés and people watch…
I’m definitely one of these people that can’t sit down once I get to a place I paid a lot of money to be in, but your body will let you know you’re doing too much, and you better listen.
Don’t compare! That’s the killer of joy.
Don’t push yourself to see as much as the influencers staying in Japan for months. Your trip is yours only. There’s no rule! Whatever you want to see most is what matters most. Don’t just add things to your itinerary to tick off a list of a “proper Japan trip.”
This article is to help you start your itinerary, it’s not a rule. So please let me know how you’re doing with your itinerary!
Enjoy the research, enjoy the planning and if you need more advice, check out my article about what to do in Tokyo or how to plan for 3 weeks in Japan, which I think is the sweet spot for a first trip.
See you there!
