Now that we have been to Japan, we wanted to build an article for people considering this destination. This article will link to all of our Japan articles, so keep it bookmarked! We shared some planning in The Great Wave Lego Build, but now that we have returned from Japan, we have more to share about how to plan a trip as big as this. Also you can check out our YouTube Channel for content as well!
I won’t tell you that we are travel experts, but we did a lot of research and managed to get to everything we set out to do. This, of course, comes through months or years of study. Dreaming about visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea started this adventure, and it soon expanded to all sorts of bucket list destinations within the country, leading us to our first piece of advice.
Build out an Itinerary
I know this sounds obvious, but when we say make an itinerary, we mean to write it down somewhere and add to it as things come to your mind. As stated above, the two Disney parks were the center of our trip we budgeted two days for each of them to start. On theme parks, did you know that Osaka Japan is home to Universal Studios and the first Super Nintendo World in the world? As fast as Mario could jump up to hit a ? block, we knew we also had to travel to Osaka.
Osaka is not next to Tokyo per se and requires a more extended stay and planning. Luckily Japan is connected by high-speed rail and very easy to traverse. That puts our trip up to five days of theme parks in two different parts of the country. Osaka is a great central location to other parts of the country, including Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, and Hiroshima, which we added to our trip.
We feel if you are coming to Japan from North America, you should, at a minimum, plan on at least two weeks. This will give you a good start on exploring the country. If you can swing longer, by all means, do it. In some cases, you may never come back. Below is our itinerary, and a link to articles as we update them. These don’t translate to a day-by-day itinerary, as we spent a month in Japan and visited several places more than once.
- Tokyo Disneyland
- Tokyo Disney Sea
- Nara Japan
- Kyoto Japan
- Kobe Japan
- Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
- Tokyo Disney Sea (MiraCosta Hotel)
- Universal Studios Japan
- Super Nintendo World Universal Studios Japan
- Yakult Swallows Baseball Game
- Hiroshima Japan
- The Roosevelt Lounge
- Bullet Train to Osaka and the JR Rail Pass
- Explore Tokyo
- Mt Fuji Tour
- Tokyo Disneyland (Ambassador Hotel)
When should you visit Japan?
When choosing a time to visit anywhere, many factors should be considered. We wanted to try and avoid crowds as best we could. We avoided peak Sakura season when the cherry blossoms come alive, and tourism comes alive in Japan. Our trip happened between Sakura season and Golden Week, another huge local tourist season.
Next up is what type of weather you want on your vacation. For us, avoiding summer was essential as it gets hot and humid in Japan, and like back home, we tell people if you are going somewhere, don’t pick a time of the year when the weather will bother you. Japan has four different seasons and can even snow during your trip! With proper planning, you can work around the weather and your schedule.
What to Pack?
This fits into the category of when you want to visit Japan. Our trip was in the springtime, and we were met with rain, heat, wind, and colder temperatures, so you should pack everything! Our suitcases included jackets, sweatshirts, and long and short sleeve shirts. Also, we didn’t want to check in any luggage, so we got everything into two carry-ons and backpacks. We bought cheap umbrellas and left them behind as they became essential with the different weather we encountered.
Speaking of slimming down what to bring on a long trip, we packed barely any toiletries and bought them in Japan. I know it may sound intimidating to try and go grocery shopping right when you land in a foreign country, but you will find all of the products you use daily, but just give yourself some extra time to look through the store as you will need to translate with Google Lens a bunch.
A couple of pointers about the grocery store and even point-of-sale terminals in general: for the most part, you check yourself out and pay without any interaction from the staff. You can grab a basket in the front of the store, load it up and proceed to the checkout. Remember to grab a plastic bag before checking out, so you can pay for it. Either bring your bag or you need to buy a bag for 5 Yen. We didn’t know this and looked like confused tourists for a few minutes, but now you know!
WIFI in Japan?
WIFI is not generally available around the country, and unless you want massive roaming charges on your cell phone, we highly suggest a wandering WIFI. I cannot stress how useful this device became for us. Taking pictures of labels, signs, and other instructions is easy with Google Lens. You take a picture and translate it on your phone to help you navigate through Japan.
Here is a link to the service we used. Not only can you have this delivered to the airport on your arrival, but you drop it in a prepaid envelope at the airport when you leave! However, make sure you order this at least a week before you arrive to pick it up at the airport. Again I can’t tell you enough about how useful this was to have, and it worked in all our destinations.
Transportation around Japan
Japan is connected by rail, and anyone visiting here should be prepared to ride public transportation in Japan. Unless, of course, you are a baller and can afford private cars everywhere. There is an option to purchase a JR Rail Pass. The JR Rail Pass was a no-brainer at the time of this writing. The cost of the JR Rail Pass is more than worth it if you ride a bullet train between major cities in the country. However, it is going up in price by 69% and up in the fall of 2023, so you will need to crunch some numbers to see if it is worth it by then.
You can purchase the JR Rail Pass and even Disney and Universal tickets from this site named Klook. We used Klook several times to buy our tickets and can safely say it is easy to use. Also, if you click the link in this article, you will help support our site.
One last word on riding public transportation in Japan. Some of you probably associate public transportation with how it is in America or other countries, but trust me when I say these trains are immaculate and safe. Keep an open mind when traveling worldwide, and allow Japan to welcome you with open arms. You will be rewarded.
Where to Stay in Japan
Another big decision is where to stay while visiting the land of the rising sun. The two main options are hotels or sites like Airbnb. Each one of these offers its benefits. We will share our thought process and which one we picked.
Hotels offer you all the amenities you could ever ask for, from reliable name brands such as Disney, Hilton, and many others. With these brands comes a proven method for traveling and a piece of mind for more traditional travelers. Even staying at Disney Resorts gives you the peace of mind of knowing you can buy a ticket to TDL and TDS even when they sell out. However, hotels come with a higher price, and for us, that would have shortened our trip.
We opted for Airbnb, which allowed us to extend our trip well beyond what we could have done with a hotel. By booking through Airbnb, we saved over 60% on our lodging budget, which allowed us more budget while in Japan. Of course, the Airbnb lifestyle is not for everyone, but we highly suggest considering it. Remember to do a lot of research on the places you are renting by reading reviews and contacting the hosts directly before booking.
Our place was a traditional Japanese minimalist setup, and I know this wouldn’t work out for some, but again, keep an open mind. Our Airbnb costs 80 dollars a night versus the Hilton Tokyo Bay’s 285 dollars a night setup. Luxury is nice, but to experience the Japanese lifestyle in one of their neighborhoods was priceless.
What do I Eat in Japan?
Are you worried about finding food in Japan? Fear not there is plenty of options. We will post a photo dump-style article of the food we ate while staying in Japan. Japan offers all sorts of food that you will recognize. Google Lens and Translate is your friend for almost all restaurants. Nearly all restaurants have menus with pictures, so you can point at what you would like.
On the topic of food, convenience stores and vending machines are massive in Japan, offering good food and drink selections. Also, they take credit cards which helps. If you do not have a non-foreign transaction fee credit card, do yourself a favor and find one. We used Capitol One Quicksilver for all of our needs. This cut down on our need to carry too much Yen. You still need Japanese Yen, but not as much if your card doesn’t charge you a foreign transaction fee.
Japanese Language Barrier
Another reason people may hesitate to travel to Japan is the language barrier. I would be lying if I told you there weren’t a couple of awkward times when someone wanted to talk to us or I wanted to ask a question, but remember you are in a foreign country, so if they do things you consider weird, or they tell you to do something in a certain way just nod and say thank you (arigato in Japanese). You are a visitor in their country, so act like a courteous visitor and respect their land and traditions.
We could maneuver within Japan without any knowledge of their language. It does take a lot of photo taking while using Google Lens, and most of all, patience and the ability to be uncomfortable. We did looked up basic sayings before going to Japan and did not use any of them. The use of English here is rare, so do not assume they can understand you. I’d like you to please speak slowly and again use your patience.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Japan
I hope this article took care of some hesitations on your part to visit Japan. Suppose you have dreams of seeing Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea, Hiroshima, and other spots in Japan are closer than you think, and we encourage you to find a way to go to Japan. It is a very safe and clean country ready to welcome you. Our trip started with dreams of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. That was the driving force of going to Japan. What about you? Planning a trip to Japan? What is on your list to see there? Share them in the comments, and remember you can use this article as a hub for all of our Japan articles as they go live!
Great information and I loved the pictures.