Where to Stay
Use Hotels Combined to scan all the online booking engines for the best rates. For recommendations on specific areas to stay in see here
Search for the best deals on hotels in Tokyo
Airbnb is also a great option in Japan, in fact in Japan it seems to work particularly well – most hosts arrange self-checkin & checkout systems, allowing you to arrive & leave flexibly without needing to meet someone for the keys (the key’s often left in a lockbox for you). The wifi is always super-fast, and I’ve never had an Airbnb nightmare in Japan (have had a few elsewhere). There was a crackdown in 2018 with the introduction of new regulations which led to a collapse in the number of listings available and accordingly a jump in prices, with a lot of travellers reporting that their reservations were suddenly cancelled as a result. It was all a bit of a mess at first, but you can be confident that any listings remaining on there at this point are legit. Prices went up unfortunately, but then so did standards, and Airbnb is still my usual go to for accommodation in Japan.
New users can get a $35 discount from their first Airbnb rental through Rugby Guide Japan, simply click below and sign up.
Train Travel
To check train times use Hyperdia (and see here for an explanation on how to use it)
The JR Pass is usually the best way to get around Japan, basically if you’re doing anything more than a Tokyo-Kyoto roundtrip it’ll work out cheaper to get the pass. Click the banner to order now and save 40 dollars, or see my JR Pass page here for more details:
Flights
Use Kayak to search for international flights to Japan (also good for checking the domestic routes)
Getting Online
Data SIMs are easy enough to get your hands on in Japan, but if you want to have full cellphone service with your own number then a Mobal SIM is the way to go, see here. The other option is to rent a portable WiFi device, see here and here. For more detail on all these options see my page here.
Buy Me a Coffee (or beer!)
I was amazed at first when readers started asking how they could make a donation to say thanks for the information they’d found useful on my sites. But it does happen from time to time so if that’s you, you can do so here:
Further Reading
For more general information on travel in Japan pick up a copy of Lonely Planet Japan or Lonely Planet Tokyo
from Amazon.
Travel Insurance
World Nomads offer comprehensive and flexible insurance policies and they’ll even sell you a policy if you’re already overseas (most travel insurers won’t do so). Get a quote here:
Copyright & Disclosures
The links to companies on this page, and links to these companies elsewhere on the site, are affiliate links; if you choose to purchase products or services from these links, 4corners7seas earns a commission at no extra cost to you. If the information here has been useful to you and you’re intending to purchase any of these products or services, I hope you’ll support 4corners7seas by visiting their sites via my links; thank you in advance should you choose to do so!
Amazon disclosure: Simon Norton is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.co.uk
Unless specifically marked otherwise, every photo on this site is under copyright to Simon Norton. If you want to use any photo from this site, you do not have permission until you have contacted me and asked for it and been given it. The only exceptions are those photos marked as being used under Creative Commons License.
100% of the content here is written by Simon Norton and under copyright. You do not have permission to use any content unless clearly credited to Simon Norton or 4corners7seas, and with a link to the original content (and preferably with a courtesy email via my contact form)
The links to companies on this page (and links to these companies elsewhere on the site) are affiliate links; if you choose to purchase products or services from these links, 4corners7seas earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. If the information here’s been useful to you and you’re intending to purchase any of these products or services, I hope you’ll support 4corners7seas by visiting their sites via my links; thank you in advance should you choose to do so!
Leave a Reply