Locations Visited: Tokyo, Kichijoji, Nagano, Mt. Fuji
Would visit this country, if you love city adventures: animal cafes, interactivity art museums, anime, shopping, sake, tea, cherry blossoms, historical monuments, hot springs(onsens), outdoorsy activities, Japanese cuisine, and all other aspects of Japanese culture
Currency: Yen
Language: Japanese, but English is widely spoken in the cities
When to Visit: During the shoulder seasons early summer (May to June) or early winter (November to December)
~Visited: Late March/Early April 2025
Minimum Stay: 7 to 10 Days
Electrical Outlet Type: Type A and Type B (Same as the USA), but standard voltage might be lower than the USA
Visa Needed: No, you just need a passport
Vaccination(s) Needed: No vaccine needed to visit this country
Daily Spending Budget (including: accommodations, transportation, meals, and activities/excursions): $125 to $350
Best Transportation Option: Subway/Metro, Trains, and Bullet Trains
- Pro Tip: Get the Welcome Suica Card (Expires in 28 days) or Regular Suica Card/Digital Suica (Expires in 10 Years)
Rating Scale for this Destinations:
Overall Rating – 8/10
- Accessibility: How easy is it to travel to this place (fly, drive, cruise, train, etc.)? – 8/10
- Plenty of flights from the US, especially from western US
- Pro Tip: Do not recommend flying American Airlines for international flights (only minimal in-flight services)
- Friendliness: Are the local people friendly and welcoming to tourists? – 10/10
- People are nice, friendly, welcoming, and accommodating!
- Affordability: Is this place affordable to visit? Is it expensive to travel to this place? – 5/10
- Flights and accommodations are expensive, especially in the springtime (cherry blossom season)
- Walkability: How is the public transportation in this place? Is this place walkable and easy to navigate? –9/10
- Public transportation is vast, cities are walkable, and it is not too complex to navigate with the help of GPS
- Safety: Is this place safe, especially for solo travelers, female travelers, disable travelers, and minority travelers? – 9/10
- Felt very safe here, able to walk around solo at night, and no obvious discrimination toward me
- Health Concerns: Should I be concerned with water quality, sanitation, and/or exposure to health risks? (the higher the rating, the least concern) –9/10
- No water quality, sanitation, or health risk exposures concerns while visiting this country. However, you will come in close contact with a large amount of people, Tokyo is the most populated city in the world.
- Culinary Arts: How is the food? Are there plenty of food options? – 9/10
- Overall, the food was good, and there were plenty of options. Japan is the perfect place to try new cuisines and branch out of your comfort zone!
- Relaxation: Is this place relaxing? Will I feel rested after my trip? –6/10
- This is not a relaxing, well-rested vacation destination, but you can indulge in many hot springs and spas
- Enjoyability: Does this place provide a variety of activities and excursions? Is it a fun place to visit? – 10/10
- There is no shortage of activities and excursions for any type of traveler!
Recommended Things to See and Do:
Tokyo: Pig cafes, Sake Tasting, Cherry Blossoms at Meguro River Promenade, Meiji Shrine, Senso-Ji, Hachiko Memorial Statue, Scramble Crossing, Go Kart City Tour, Mt. Fuji Tour, Tokyo Disneyland, Imperial Palace Tour, Sumo Wrestling match, Borderless or Planets TeamLab Art Museum, Sanrio Puroland, etc.
Kichijoji: Cherry Blossoms at Inokashira Park, Ghibli Museum, Statue of Hanako the elephant, etc.
Nagano: Traditional Tea Ceremony, Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Onsens (hot springs), Skiing, Matsumoto Castle Illumination, Hokusai Museum, etc.
Pro Tip: I recommend booking things in advance!
Recommended Restaurants:
Tokyo: Is divided into 23 special wards that have many restaurant options!
- Shibuya: Torikatsu Chicken, Uoshin Shibuya, Arossa Shibuya
- Shinjuku: Konjiki Hototogisu, Sushi Maru, Kobe Beef Dining WAGYU TOK, Shogun Burger Shinjuku
Kichijoji: Aging Beef Kichijoji Store, Meat Eat UP, Kura Sushi Kichijoji Ekimae, Sushi-no-midori
Nagano: Yudanaka Brewery Complex U, Matsumi Shokudo, Tempura Nagano
Foods to Try: Sushi, Ramen, Curry, Tempura, Wagyu/Kobe Beef, Soba Noodles, Katsudon, Miso Soup, Mochi, Tokyo Banana, Dorayaki
Pro Tip: 7/11 is great for on-the-go food or late night meals and there are a ton of street vendors to try!
Recommended Accommodations:
Tokyo: Is divided into 23 special wards that have many accommodations!
- Shibuya: Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu, Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingu-Gaien Tokyo Premier, APA Hotel Shibuya Dogenzakaue
- Shinjuku: La’gent Hotel Shinjuku Kabukichō, Shinjuku Granbell Hotel, APA Hotel Higashi-Shinjuku Kabukicho East
Kichijoji: Kichijōji Tōkyū REI Hotel, Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu, Onsen Ryokan Yuen Bettei Tokyo Daita
Nagano: Hotel Omodaka, Tawaraya, Aburaya Tosen, Hotel Metropolitan Nagano
Recommendations/Final Thoughts: Japan was my first trip to Asia. It was like stepping into a new world, where the future meets the past! Highly advanced in technology and transportation but still pays homage to their historical figures and Buddhism. I highly recommend taking part in both worlds: visiting shrines and temples, participating in a traditional tea ceremony and sake tasting, enjoying the amusement parks and interactive art experiences, and other aspects of modern Japanese culture.
What are your recommendations and thoughts about this location? Please share below!
So informative! Help plan our family trip to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Thank you! I hope you all have a wonderful time in Japan!