Plan your Japan journey
Seasons, costs, routes and experiences: find the information for your journey.
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Best Time to Visit Japan 2026
Cherry blossom at the first bud, the silent plateau under snow, the trickle of water after the rain. A calendar for travellers who want to experience Japan at its right hour.
Japan in Two Weeks
Fourteen days between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka — with the kind of pauses in which you actually arrive. A day-by-day plan for the Golden Route, a cherry blossom variant, and an honest look at what it costs. Including when the Japan Rail Pass still pays off, and when it no longer does.
Ryokan
Onsen etiquette, the kaiseki in the evening, the question of the tattoo. A quiet guide to the Japanese inn.
What a Japan Trip Costs
Exchange rates, the JR Pass, small houses and grand ones. What you should really budget for your individual journey through Japan in 2026.
Three Weeks in Japan
Twenty-one days. The islands everyone knows, and the ones people recommend in a whisper – volcanoes, onsen, pottery villages.
Why a Japan Specialist?
When is advice genuinely worth it, and when will a few clicks do? An honest answer from ten years of travel practice in Japan – five concrete advantages of a specialist over online booking, and the three cases where booking yourself is enough.
Rainy Season & Typhoons in Japan 2026
Tsuyu sounds grey and humid – and is still one of the loveliest times to travel. Hydrangeas, quiet temples, and what you should know about typhoons.
Noh theatre
Masks that transform with a tilt of the head, steps that barely leave the floor. The oldest stage art in the world – and who that quiet evening is really worth it for.
Japan Independent Travel 2026
Best season, routes, places to stay, costs and planning – the complete overview that ties all our travel topics together. This is where your independent journey through Japan begins.
Vegetarian & Vegan in Japan 2026
Shōjin ryōri, the hidden dashi problem, Japanese phrases for the restaurant. This is how we make your vegan or vegetarian journey through Japan genuinely plannable.
Summer in Japan 2026
Matsuri, hanabi fireworks and Obon – Japan's summer is hot and humid, but culturally the most intense time of the year. With honest advice on the heat, on when to travel and on climbing Mt. Fuji.
Autumn Leaves in Japan 2026
Kōyō is the second great high point of the Japanese year – for many the more beautiful one. When the leaves turn where, the finest places in Kyoto, Tōhoku and Tokyo, the evening illuminations and practical tips.
Culinary Journey Through Japan 2026
Gastronomy tourism, auberges and regional cuisine: the most interesting flavours in Japan today are found in the regions. How food as a reason to travel becomes a route – and how we plan it.
Japan Hidden Gems 2026
Where Japan is genuinely still quiet in 2026: from the fishing village of Mihonoseki through deep Shikoku to the secret onsen of Tōhoku and the Noto Peninsula. Honest tips off the beaten path — and which “hidden gems” have long been overrun.
Cherry Blossom in Japan 2027
The cherry blossom is Japan’s most beautiful and at the same time most difficult travel season to plan. Average blossom dates by region, the principle behind the cherry blossom front and honest advice on timing and booking — with long-term averages instead of invented forecasts.
Package tour or independent travel
Fixed programme or your own pace? A comparison of cost, freedom and effort, with a third way for travellers who want neither a coach nor a spreadsheet.
Japan with Children
Does Japan work with children? Yes, and more calmly than you might think. Transport, ryokan, food and experiences by age – with honest practical tips for families.
Matcha & Tea in Japan
The matcha boom, the tea ceremony in Uji, green tea and its varieties, sweet specialities and how to buy genuine Uji matcha. With prices, insider tips and advice in English.
Japan in Winter
Snow experiences and the clearest view of Mt. Fuji of the whole year, together with open guidance on the cold, the short days and New Year. Written by specialists who live in Japan and guide you in English.
Accessible Japan & Senior Travel
Japan is more accessible than many people think – very well in the cities, and with care at historic places. Trains and the Shinkansen, Universal Rooms, the ryokan question, advice for older travellers and how we plan your journey in a tailor-made way.
Make Your Own Japanese Souvenirs
A sheet of gold on chopsticks, a groove in urushi lacquer, a break filled with gold: workshops where you carry out the final step yourself – and what of it may go into your suitcase the same day.
Weather & What to Wear by Month
In the same November, a coat in Sapporo and a T-shirt in Naha: a climate chart for seven cities, seven illustrated clothing patterns and what no table shows – from temple floors to air-conditioned trains.
Japan Public Holidays & Travel Seasons 2027
All 2027 public holidays with their weekdays, and the question that matters for your route: when is Japan crowded, when is it closed – and where do your Easter, half-term and summer holidays meet Japan’s peaks?
Okinawa on Your Japan Itinerary
Who Okinawa is worth it for, how many days you need and in which months – and why the islands belong in the first half of your route, not on the last days before your flight home.