inspo & info

Time your Japan honeymoon just right for the perfect trip you'll remember forever for all the right reasons. Get the timing wrong and your romantic getaway as newlyweds will leave you feeling stressed rather than loved-up. Our guide describes the best seasons to visit Japan for a honeymoon and why some times of year are not ideal.

Arriving into Narita and transferring immediately to a domestic flight from Haneda? The two airports are a good 80 kilometres away from each other and you'll need 4-5 hours for the transfer. Here is everything you need to know about transferring between Narita and Haneda, what options are available, what it will costs and how long it will take.

Cheaper airline tickets between Tokyo and Osaka might tempt you into thinking it's better to fly than to take the bullet train. But taking the plane might end up costing you more time and more money. Here's why we think the Shinkansen is a much better choice: more convenient, more comfortable, more flexible and more fun!

Which Tokyo airport is better - Narita or Haneda? Having flown into and out of both countless times over the last 30 years, we do usually prefer Haneda for it's comparative proximity to central Tokyo. But under certain circumstances, Narita wins every time. Read our guide before you book to find out which Tokyo airport is best for your Japan trip.

Thirty years of regular Japan trips, and we've never booked an Airbnb—not because we're hotel snobs, but because we've learned what actually works for travellers in Japan. Rising regulations, hidden cleaning fees, cancellation risks, and the reality of thin-walled apartments have kept our family in hotels. Here's our honest breakdown of the real trade-offs: when Airbnbs actually make sense, when they don't, and the legal grey areas you need to know.

If you’re going to experience an earthquake anywhere, Japan is the safest place to be thanks to its incredibly strict building codes and world-class emergency responses. But having seen firsthand what nature can throw at you (check out our post on Japan's typhoon season, too!), I want to share some practical, stress-free steps to keep you safe and give you total peace of mind.

Which apps for Japan travel are really useful? 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.

The matcha-flavoured products outside Japan frequently disappoint with their homeopathic amounts of real matcha. All the more reason to fill your suitcase with the good stuff when you visit Japan. Here's our guide to buying matcha in Japan, the best matcha brands, what to buy, where to buy it and how to make the most of it while you're there

Japan in 2026 is not the cheapest country in Asia, but it's possibly the best value — a developed country with world-class food, transport, and safety that costs less than New York, London, or Paris. The yen situation has made it genuinely accessible for travellers who might have assumed it was out of reach. Here's just how cheap Japan is in 2026 and where you can expect to pay more.

The weak yen has made a big difference to the price of a Japan trip for European and American travellers in particular. For us Europeans, our euro is worth 30% more against the yen than it was five years ago. That said, costs have shifted dramatically since Covid, and a few corners of a Japan trip can still surprise you. Here’s our honest, up-to-date breakdown of what a trip to Japan actually costs - and where you can shave a bit off.

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