inspo & info

Trying to decide between a hotel and an Airbnb in Japan? Both can work — but which is right for YOUR trip? From hidden fees and minpaku regulations to location headaches and language barriers, here's what 30 years of Japan travel has taught us about choosing accommodation.

Getting from Tokyo Station to Narita Airport sounds straightforward - but get your timing wrong and you'll be sprinting through check-in. Here's everything you need to know: the fast way, the cheap way, the stress-free way, and the one mistake that catches first-time visitors out.

Do you really need to book shinkansen tickets in advance? Most of the time, no - but there are key situations where skipping a reservation can ruin your day. Here’s exactly when to book ahead, when you can wing it, and how to save up to 25% with early-bird fares.

Tax-free shopping in Japan lets tourists save 10% on fashion, electronics, souvenirs, and more—here’s how it works now, and what’s changing in 2026

Taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka isn't cheap, so you want to get it right. There have been some changes, too, to Shinkansen luggage rules, for example. Here's our essential guide to taking the Shinkansen to Osaka from Tokyo in 2026, from which train to book, bullet train prices, where to get on in Tokyo, connecting in Shin-Osaka Station and including our number one tip specially for the Tokyo to Osaka bullet train that nobody else is telling you!

Your Suica card works perfectly well in Osaka, on everything from the subway to convenience stores. But there are a couple of things worth knowing before you tap through the gates, and one case where a different card might actually serve you better. (If you’re completely new to Suica, check out our Suica 101 guide for everything you need to know about the card itself. This post is specifically about using it in Osaka.)

Every month in Tokyo has a case to be made for it. We're going to try in this guide to give you an honest account of each one, based on our own experience - the weather, the crowds, the costs, the events, and the things that nobody else tends to mention. If you're used to a warm climate, you'll find January and February uncomfortably cold. On the other hand, if you're from a more temperate climate, the heat and, above all, the humidity of the Tokyo summer will have you exhau

There are two airports that serve Kyoto: Kansai International Airport (KIX) and Osaka Itami Airport (ITM). And while one of them is geographically closer, that doesn't necessarily make it the right choice. But does it make sense to fly to Kyoto at all? Is it better to fly to Kyoto or take the bullet train?

Usually only three or four typhoons hit Japan every year, but even the ones that don't actually make landfall can cause strong winds and very heavy rain. This can have major repercussions for transport. Japan is a mountainous archipelago and is susceptible to landslides, which can block roads and rail. Islands like Okinawa can be cut off for days.

If you’re wondering whether to stay in Osaka or Kyoto, this guide will help you choose the city that best aligns with your travel style, interests, and itinerary. Now, we have to be completely honest with you here: having lived in Osaka for several years, we're just a wee bit biased. But we love Kyoto too, so we're being as objective as possible. Here are the pros and cons of staying in Kyoto vs Osaka-

Planning an Osaka to Hiroshima day trip? Discover the fastest way to travel via the Shinkansen bullet train from Osaka to Hiroshima. This 2026 guide covers journey times for Nozomi and Sakura trains, ticket prices, and how to save money using the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass. Is Hiroshima for the day worth it? Absolutely! You might not see everything but you can still pack a lot in. For those with plenty of sightseeing stamina, the first trains leave Osaka at 6am; the last l

Traveling to Japan has changed a lot in 30 years! Forget paper maps and writing to tourist offices; today, staying connected is essential. For the modern traveler, an eSIM is the smartest, most convenient way to access data. Skip the airport queues and tiny physical SIM cards—learn how to set up your connection before you even board the plane. We share our top recommendations, including why we use Airalo to stay connected from the moment we land.

Deciding between a pocket WiFi or an eSIM for Japan depends on your group size and tech. For solo travelers or couples, a Japan eSIM is the cheapest and simplest option—no extra hardware or airport queues. However, for families or groups of three or more, a pocket WiFi often provides better value by sharing one connection across multiple devices. Use this 2026 guide to compare costs, battery life, and setup effort to ensure you stay connected across the archipelago.

Japan is raising taxes on tourists in 2026, you could be paying an extra ¥10000 a night for your hotel, and tourists will soon be paying "more than twice what locals pay." Yes, Japan is changing several things in 2026. Some of them are significant. Most are not the disaster they're being painted as. Let's take a look together at what's actually happening and how it will affect your Japan trip - if at all.

Rainy season in Japan doesn't have to be a washout. Here's our travel guide to make sure you get the best out of your June trip to Japan: Tsuyu dates by region, honest weather expectations, a packing list, and why Japan's rainy season might actually be the smartest time to visit.

For first-time visitors, having to navigate Japan's transport system can be daunting; the cruise provides a comfortable base from which to absorb the country gradually. Cruising from one destination to another overnight while you snooze is also a big time-saver, especially when it comes to Japan's "extremities" like Hokkaido, Kyushu and Okinawa. And cruising around could also save you money too: when we we were researching this post, we were amazed to see how relatively cheap

Narita Airport has a reputation problem. Not an unfair one, either. At roughly 60 kilometres from central Tokyo, it is further from the city it serves than almost any other major international airport in the world. For a country whose infrastructure is legendary, that distance can feel like a rude introduction. The good news is that Japan has done what Japan does: engineered its way around the problem. There are more ways to get from Narita into Tokyo (or of course from Tokyo

There's a reason experienced Japan travellers tend to go quiet when you mention Golden Week. It's not that they won't tell you about it. It's that the look on their face says everything. Golden Week is Japan's perfect storm of public holidays - four national holidays compressed into one week at the end of April and beginning of May, when the entire country seemingly decides to travel at the same time. In 2026 it runs from Wednesday April 29th to Wednesday May 6th. If you're v

Japan's rail network is one of the wonders of the modern world. Punctual, clean, affordable and extraordinarily well-connected. But it is not a 24- hour service. And for international arrivals, especially those coming off long-haul flights, the gap between your actual exit from the airport and the last departure into town can be alarmingly small. We learned this first-hand arriving at 10:30pm into Haneda from Dubai last year. The flight was an A380 — full to capacity and immi

Navigating the Japanese transport system, tourist attractions and food scene has never been easier thanks to Japan travel apps that all of us can download in an instant. But how do you know what apps are REALLY going to be useful and which are just dead data weight on your phone? Here's our guide to the apps that we at Japansophy have on our own phones and have tried and tested on our last few Japan trips.