inspo & info

Here are our top tips for romantic destinations for your Japan honeymoon trip. Book a few nights in these newly-wed hotspots in addition to your Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto itinerary to escape the crowds, experience real Japanese history, nature and culture, and unwind together in more peaceful surroundings. Our guide includes the best time of year to visit each destination as well as hotel and ryokan recommendations for the ultimate romantic getaway.

Planning a honeymoon in Japan can be daunting. This trip of a lifetime has to be perfect for you, so the Japan honeymoon itineraries you'll find online aren't gonna work. We've been planning Japan trips for ourselves, friends and tour groups for 30+ years and tell you exactly how, step-by-step, you can plan your own honeymoon in Japan: from booking flights and accommodation, to budgeting and planning the perfect itinerary, with all our insider tips and tricks

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.

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.

Three days in Tokyo, done right. This tried-and-tested 3-day Tokyo itinerary covers Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Ueno, Asakusa, and Odaiba - with practical transport tips, ideas for arrival day, leaving day and rainy days, plus everything you need to book in advance. Built on 30 years of Tokyo travel, this is the itinerary we actually use.

Kobe is still largely overlooked as a Kansai base, but tourists are slowly getting wise to the city's charms, convenience and (often cheaper) accommodation. It's a great choice - especially if you want to experience a smaller city with a much more local feel. We've lived in several Kobe neighbourhoods and you'll have to trust us on this one: the one you pick can make a huge difference to your stay. Read on for our guide to where to stay in Kobe and what booking mistakes to a

Docking in Kobe? Here’s everything you need to know — from the terminal and city transport to the best shore excursions and how to squeeze in a Kyoto day trip. Practical, specific, and written by someone who knows the city well.

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.

What makes Ginza a great neighbourhood to stay in Tokyo and which areas are best? Ginza is great for first-timers to Tokyo, for families and for visitors that want laid-back but classy nightlife. Ginza is also superbly connected, so you can get to anywhere in Tokyo quickly. The area has a fantastic range of accommodation but you have to move quickly. Here are our favourite areas, hints and recommendations for booking hotels in Ginza.

If we haven't convinced you that hotels are the way to go, there are at least a few things that you should look out for when booking an airbnb. Having lived in Japanese apartments for years, we know exactly what might catch you out and what to look out for. Here's our Japan airbnb checklist to make sure you book what you really want and need.

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.

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.

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!

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.