Planning for a big trip can be overwhelming, especially when many people give you different advice, or when you are unaware of all the apps and tools there are out there. There are a few things to keep in mind before flying to Japan; I made sure I had everything I needed before going.
I've decided to write this blog post, because a lot of people have asked me how I planned my trip and how much I spent. I want to be 100% transparent with people, so I wanted to write my planning step by step!
Before all of that, just a couple of things to keep in mind: I flew from Canada with Air Canada, so depending on where you are flying from and which airplane company you take, it might affect pricing. Also, I went to Japan in November and in May, so that too can affect pricing. Also, the prices will be in Canadian dollars.
1. Choosing your itinerary ☀
Obviously, it would be a good idea to choose your itinerary before booking your flight tickets. Know how many days you want to spend in Japan. I recommend AT LEAST 2 weeks, if it is not 2 weeks and a half. A month would be best. In November 2023, I went for around 16-17 days.
Obviously, it is up to you to choose where you want to go. Keep in mind that if you go for 2 weeks or even 3 weeks, you won't be able to visit all of Japan. You will need to go back if you want to visit all the regions. My November 2023 was really packed, and I wished I hadn't packed it so much lol I did not regret it, but when I came back in May 2024, I took it more relax.
Obviously, your itinerary will affect the amount of money you will spend during your trip. What I'm writing about is more what we needed and how much we spent BEFORE landing to Japan.
This is the itinerary I did in November 2023:
❥ Landing at Narita, spend one night in Tokyo
❥ Go to Nikko for 2 nights
❥ Go back to Tokyo for 4 nights
❥ Go to Kyoto for 3 nights
❥ Go to Osaka for 4 nights
❥ Go back to Tokyo for one night
This is the itinerary I did in May 2024:
❥ Landing at Narita, spend one night in Tokyo
❥ Go to Hakodate for 5 nights
❥ Go to Sapporo for 7 nights
❥ Go back to Tokyo for 3 nights
2. Booking the plane tickets ☀
I book all my trips on the Air Canada app. There are other companies that are maybe cheaper or more expensive, so you will have to shop around. One of my uncles works for Air Canada and I generally get a discount because of this, so I always book with them!
The price for the plane tickets can vary significantly depending when you want to go to Japan. Usually, winter is cheaper, and summer is more expensive. The date when you book your flight can play a role as well. For November 2023, I booked my flight tickets in May 2023, so 6 months in advance. They were originally around $1500 each round-trip, but I had credits for them as I was supposed to go in May 2020... but we all know what happened in 2020... So, because my trip was cancelled 3 times, I had credits, so my tickets ended up being $650 each round-trip.
Little tip: if you want a direct flight, I noticed that not all days offer it. From what I noticed with Air Canada, they do direct flights Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, I booked my departure on a Tuesday and my return on a Thursday. I am not sure if this is 100% true however; this is just what I've noticed. Also, keep in mind that, depending where you are in the world, you will lose one day going to Japan. Which means, if you depart on a Tuesday, you will arrive on a Wednesday. That was my case!
If ever you want to travel by plane in Japan, for instance if you want to go to Sapporo from Tokyo, or to go to Fukuoka from Tokyo (I highly recommend plane over shinkansen as these destinations are far from Tokyo), I recommend booking with Jetstar. My plane tickets from Sapporo to Tokyo were only $75 (with baggage included).
3. Booking the hotels ☀
For my November 2023 trip, I booked all the hotels around July 2023, so 4 months in advance. You should really book in advance, especially if you have a hotel in mind. For instance, I had a specific hotel in mind when we went to Nikko, but it was fully booked... But I found a really nice alternative!
I used Booking.com and the Airbnb app to book my hotels (I booked one Airbnb in Osaka). Now, for the pricing, you will also have to shop around, but the hotels I booked were all very nice, for less than $100 a night! The only hotels that were more expensive (around $150 to $200 a night) were the one in Nikko (we rented a ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel with a onsen, a hot spring) and the one in Kyoto.
Also, keep in mind that most hotel rooms in Japan are pretty small, especially in Tokyo. However, it isn't like you will spend your day inside your hotel room!
Overall, for 16-17 days, I paid around $1200.
4. Japan Rail Pass ☀
I get a lot of questions about the Japan Rail pass. For our November 2023 trip, we took the national JR pass, which covers all Japan. We used it for the entire trip, so we were able to go to Nikko and back, to Kamakura and back, go to Kyoto and then Osaka, go to Nara and Kobe and then, go back to Tokyo. At that time, the JR pass was around $450 for 14 days, and it was worth it, because just the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto was around $150-200 there and back. I bought the Japan Rail pass in September 2023 for our November trip on the website Japanexperience.com.
However, starting October 2023, the JR pass price went considerably up. This is because they decided to include the Nozomi shinkansen trains, which are the fastest. Now, the JR pass is not really worth it anymore. At the very least, the national one. You will have to count how many times you are expecting to take the shinkansen, but for now, buying individual tickets might be cheaper. You can calculate if the JR pass is worth for you if you type JR pass calculator on Google.
Beside this, you can actually get a regional pass instead, if you don't plan on leaving the region you will be in. This is what I did when we went to Hokkaido. The Hokkaido JR pass was $180 for 5 days.
If you decide to not buy any JR pass, you will be able to book shinkansen tickets at any train station. They have specific machines for them. If you are planning a long trip, keep in mind you might need to buy your tickets in advance. If you are also carrying a big suitcase, you might want to reserve a seat which will allow you to bring your big suitcase. You can always buy your shinkansen tickets at least a month in advance on the Klook app!
5. Universal Studios Japan ☀
For those who want to go to USJ in Osaka, this is what we used to enter. We used the app Klook to reserve our entry tickets.
If you want to visit Super Nintendo World, you will need a time-entry ticket on top of the entry ticket. So, you will need to buy 2 separate tickets. You can find all of them on Klook. First, buy your entry tickets to the park. Then, buy your time-entry tickets. You will have choices for the different parks of USJ: Super Nintendo World, Harry Potter World, Minions, etc. You can book the ones you want.
On time-entry tickets, you will see the time you need to be at a certain park. You will also have express access to certain roller coasters and attractions. Unfortunately, you cannot choose the time of day you want to visit certain attractions. Luckily, our time-entry tickets to Super Nintendo World were during lunch time, and the ones for Harry Potter World were for dinner time.
The entry ticket, along with the express ticket, was $250 in total.
Donkey Kong is the newest park that recently opened its door. It would be a good time to reserve tickets to USJ!
6. Yamato service ☀
We took this service during our trip, so it wasn't planned before leaving for Japan. But this is just a heads-up, because some people might not know this service exists.
Yamato service is a service that helps you to ship your suitcases from hotel to hotel. This was a life saver during our trip! We had our suitcases ship from Nikko to Tokyo, and from Tokyo to Kyoto. Usually, they can deliver your suitcases the same day if you are not going too far. If you are going, for instance, from Tokyo to Osaka, it might take more than one day, so you will have to plan ahead.
Keep in mind that they do not ship to Airbnbs. They can only ship your suitcases from hotel to hotel. Some hotels might also offer shipping services. You can find Yamato service usually in train stations, and other places in Tokyo. You can check their website to see all their locations.
They can even keep your suitcases for you! If, for instance, you arrive at your destination, but have to wait couple of hours before checking in your hotel, you can go to a Yamato location and ask them to keep your luggage for a few hours.
So, before leaving for Japan, my spending was around $2550 for our November trip. Obviously, you can definitely try to find hotels that will be cheaper, like these capsule hotels that are relatively cheap. I can't do those because I am claustrophobic, but it might be an alternative for you.
At the time we went to Japan in November 2023 and May 2024, the Japanese yen was really weak, so life in Japan, with Canadian dollars, was pretty cheap. The only thing in Japan I found really expensive were the clothes. If you want a certain type of fashion, you will find one piece of clothing for around $60-100, or even more. But that is not that different from where I live!
If you have any question about how to plan for a trip to Japan, about something I did not write about, do not hesitate! I love planning for trips!
おつかれさま！
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