21 Day Trip to Japan as Solo Traveler (Thoughts and Tips appreciated!)

29 comments

1. This sounds amazing but be sure not to get carried away with the spending per day. It’s pretty easy to set a budget but following it is the hard part. Have a spending limit per day, it’s okay if you go a little bit over budget but make sure you won’t buy unnecessary stuff that will just waste your money.

2. Sounds good, enjoy the trip!

   I did a two week solo trip around Japan in 2019 and I would recommend to join the line group and meet up with people when you get the chance – that certainly helps to not feel that lonely (at least for me), while still having the advantage of being able to do whatever you want. Furthermore I stayed with host families in some legs of my trip, which was also nice – maybe you want to look into that as well.

   Edit: one more addition: I also did some airbnb experiences, like a guided bike tour. There are a lot of possible activities and I would recommend to check those too.

3. Hey, did 3 weeks in Japan 2 years ago, you can see the itinary here and what we did each day 🙂
   https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/ex97za/itinerary_second_time_ideas_first_time_itinerary/

4. Can you please share how you would manage your expenses

5. I would say maybe 10 days in just Tokyo is a bit much. I recommend doing some side trips to Kawagoe or Yokohama.

   Also, this is a personal preference but I do not like to go back and forth to places. Have you researched how much more it would cost to fly into Osaka and fly out of Tokyo? In my experience you would save yourself some time and money not taking the shinkansen between Osaka and Tokyo. You can do Osaka > Kyoto > Hakone > Tokyo or the other way around. You don’t really need to JR pass to travel between Osaka, Nara and Kyoto, so you might want to reconsider getting it because it is still pretty expensive.

6. I’ll just copypaste what i told someone a few months ago

   Don’t do a day trip to Hiroshima+Miyajiima, you won’t have enough time for anything and it’s a lot of time spent travelling (at the very least you’d be looking at 4.5-5 hours spent inside trains/trams/ferries if you do that). stay for 2 days in a Hiroshima hotel, and do a day trip on one of those days to Miyajima

7. If you are going to Hiroshima I’d definitely do a trip to Miyajima. I have done it as a day trip from Hiroshima but better is to spend one night as you can do a boat trip to the torii abd there are so many things to see that just one day is not enough.

8. You got this! You have your list. My advice is to simply remember to smell the roses.

   My regret was rushing through too many things that I didn’t have enough time to soak it in.

   I highly recommend staying at a capsule hotel if it is safe to do so though! Enjoy!

9. I would personally plan a bit more, for example, the Osaka amazing pass is only good if you do enough activity to make it worth. I also find it easier to remove things from a plan than to search on what to do once you are there.

   Hiroshima day trip is possible, I would start early and go to Miyajima first, get lunch there than go to Hiroshima for the peace museum, okonomiyaki for dinner in Hiroshima and go to Kyoto. This will be a long an packed day, but it is possible.

   Fuji Q is not in Hakone. So it depend on when you take the train from Kyoto to Hakone. If you go early in the morning, you can spend most of that first day to do the loop in Hakone (Lake Ashi, Owakudani, etc). Second day in the morning you can check things in Hakone and then take the bus to Gotemba then bus to Kawaguchiko, sleep there. Next day can be for Fuji Q and either go to Tokyo that night or next morning.

   The other option is to do Hakone only, return to Tokyo and do Kawaguchiko / Fuji Q as a day trip from Tokyo. This can give you a bit more flexibility on the day you go, so you can select a day with good weather.

   ​

   For budget, start by things that you can already know. Flight I have no idea what are good price from where you live. JR Pass will be around 30 000yen, accommodation, you can go as cheap as 2000 to 3000 yen by day in hostel, closer to 6000 for business hotel, if you go for ryokan with kaiseki meal in Hakone/Kawaguchiko, 12 000 to 18 000 yen for the night. Use booking websites to have an idea of price. Food, 2000 to 2500 by day for meal in cheap restaurant, can be less if you want to survive on conbini food and cup ramen, and it can be more if you want to snack or go to more expensive restaurant. Local transportation should be around 300 to 1000 yen by day, unless you go further or move a lot during the day. Then you can add cost of attraction you know you want to do as some might be a bit pricier.

   Tip for solo traveler. I personally do not mind traveling alone, it’s actually good as you do not have to care about what other people want to do. But if you really do not like being alone, then yes you can check to meet people, like there was monthly post here just for that, you can also go to hostel, as they are usually used by foreign travelers it’s much easier to start talking with other people there than it would in a regular hotel, you might just end up chatting at the hostel or do something together the next day… depend how much you like to approach people.

   Last thing, as a solo traveler, booking a ryokan with meal included can be a bit trickier as many require reservation for minimum 2 or have extra fee for solo traveler, so it might take a bit more time to find a good one.

10. I’ve been twice for two 10 day trips (one of them solo) and the main callout I have with your itinerary is lodging costs. First, Kyoto is very expensive to stay in between the end of March and early April due to the cherry blossom season. Also, staying in the heart of Tokyo can be expensive for lodging depending on the type of accommodations. Trying to stretch your budget for 20 days is going to be hard. I would re-look at what your budget by day would be after subtracting out the flight, JR Rail pass, other upfront costs, and cannot miss activities or attractions. Lastly, I recommend you consider staying at Hostels in Japan to stretch the budget (or renting a room for a night airbnb style as others suggested). You really need to keep the overhead lodging costs down to maximize your budget for that length of time. One final thought is shortening your trip since the last number of days in Tokyo has not been defined.

11. Looks like a good plan so far. A day trip to Hiroshima might be a little tight you’ll probably want to visit Miyajima first since you’ll want to visit when there is still daylight out. Check out the Hiroshima version of Okonomiyaki its very different compared with the Osaka version.

    What to do in Tokyo is kind of up to your interests since there is so much to see an do there. Be sure to get a Suica or other tap to pay card or one of the apps that does the same thing. Can be used for purchases beyond just train tickets. Also make sure your debit card works in the country. Not sure what the credit card market is light in Europe, but considering that your budget seems a little tight you want to look into credit card points you might be able to get some sign up bonuses that could cover the cost the flights giving you more of a budget for other things.

    When you mention Shibuya scramble are you talking about the actual crossing or Scramble Square the new highrise tower that opened last year? Either way, check out the roof top observatory at Scramble Square. Another good place to check out good views of Tokyo is Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. There is an Art gallery on one of the upper floors which is a cool way to combine a couple different activities. In some ways it is better than a dedicated observation deck since it is generally less crowded.

    Be sure to visit some of the Department Store food halls lots of great small shops selling a wide variety of foodstuffs. Also make sure to checkout some bakeries lots of interesting breads available that are unique to Japan. If you’re budget allows check out anyone of the high end bars in Japan as well. They are a fairly unique experience and the other end of the spectrum versus as roudy izakaya.

    Since it seems like you’re into Anime stuff you might want to check out Osaka’s version of Akihabara while you’re there called Den Den Town, prices there can be more affordable compare to Akiba. Its within walking distance of Dotonbori. Also don’t forgot Nakano another big Otaku hotspot in the Tokyo area. For used items check out a Book Off Super Bazaar. They are megasized versions of the regular bookoffs and have rows upon rows of Anime/Electronics.

12. I did a similar trip in late 2019 but with less of a Japan tour and focused more of Tokyo. You must understand that traveling and touring takes a toll and if you’re not used to traveling a lot; you’ll get tired which will make the experience a bit overwhelming. Also the traveling takes time which will take away the time from you being able to explore the area you’re visiting. I probably spent 30% of my time on public transport to and from my hostel.

    My happiest moments were never reaching the destination but usually the conversations and friends I made along the way. Cliche I know but people remember faces better than scenery.

    My recommendation is to adapt your plans to how you feel for the day and also find ways to connect with individuals despite the language barrier. I got sick with some bad pink eye while I was in Tokyo but at the same time, the doctor’s assistant gave me some good tips on places to see. Also found a random group of redditors in a Meetup and a local helped us buy weed from the local Nigerians who were connected with the Yakuza. I found an American and Japanese husband and wife couple on a train and helped them carry their luggage off the subway while striking up a conversation of how we landed up thousands of miles away from home.

    Also, don’t be afraid to just pull out a Google Translate and ask for something you’ve heard about online. Helped with finding rubbing alcohol to kill the bed bug I found in my hostel. Either way enjoy the adventure! You’ll remember it for a long time to come.

13. Great post. I was planning on going in November 21 but pushing my trip back to early 2022 I hope you have a great time

14. Get a sim card from the JR office, it’ll be your lifeline and Google maps for the train system. Have the best time

15. Learn as much Japanese as possible and go have a blast. I loved my experience. I’m a car guy so I did more car shows. But the Robot restaurant is a must imo. If they’re open. I went in 2015.

16. One thing is glaring to me: you MUST go to Nara. There’s no “maybe Nara” about a trip to Japan. Nara is a priority. Another important thing to do while in the Tokyo area is to go to Kamakura. Those are REQUIREMENTS as far as I’m concerned.

17. Some other things to potentially explore if you can fit it in: Nikko, Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture, and a visit to the countryside. I really enjoyed visiting Shikoku and the inland sea. They were gorgeous, and quite a change from Tokyo and other big ciites. I read a lot about Shikoku from a tourism perspective in the book *Lost Japan* by Alex Kerr.

18. Sounds like you’re really interested in Japan. My advice is maybe consider reducing your list a little. I’ve been to Japan 3 times now solo. All about 3 to 4 weeks long. I enjoyed my days more when I didn’t have so much pressure on my time to see particular sights and instead could just wander around. Picking two or three major attractions in a day and trying to walk a much as possible between them. I also tend to stay in one city for 4 or 5 days at a time and use it as a base to explore places. Remember Japan isn’t going anywhere and you can keep going back.

19. Mario cart tour was being sued when I was there last year in September 2019. As far as I know it was canceled now an they don’t do them anymore, I stayed 3 weeks an I had a great time. Tokyo is awesome. Enjoy it

20. At least from my experience, many Japanese people love to act as tour guides / practice their English language skills. I probably found 4-5 free tours, and the tour guides were very enthusiastic. Just look up educational tours or volunteer tours in / around Tokyo.

21. In addition to what everyone else is saying here, and speaking from experience, for goodness’ sake bring a pair of comfy durable shoes. Japan is a very walkable country and you’ll be doing a lot of it.

    The JR Pass is definitely worth it if you plan to ride the trains (including the Tokyo metro, iirc) a lot, which it sounds like you are.

22. Don’t engage in that mario kart thing. We hate it. Absolutely hate it

23. I did japan solo for 3 weeks in Jan 2020. Loved it. Tokyo is the bomb. I urban hiked all over it and stayed in many of the different sections. Pretty safe mostly. Hostels are everywhere. Hostelworld is a good app. Tokyo is amazing. Each section is its own microcosm and the train system is super. Except for rush hour. Sumimasen!!! Mori digital art museum is amazing. Went to a sumo tournament which was bonkers. You can play food roulette if you go into the noodle shops that are busy with locals and randomly pick a dish from the vending machine and give the ticket to the cook lol.

    I only spent one night in Osaka and two nights in Kyoto. I would have liked to have spent more time in Osaka. For me, two nights was plenty in Kyoto. Fukuoka is also dope.

    I can’t wait to go back. Have fun!

    Edit. Make friends at the hostels.

24. I seriously recommend more time in Kansai and the Seto Inland Sea area. You certainly could spend 2 full weeks in/around Tokyo, but I would actually argue that there’s more to do/see in Kansai, yet you’re giving it less than half the time.

    >Trip starts at 20. March (Arrival in Narita/Haneda and Transfer to tokyo at Monday Afternoon 21.)

    Peak cherry blossom season should begin soon after you arrive–all the more reason to spend more time in Kyoto. Take advantage of the night openings and illuminations that take place around this time, and give it more than 4 days.

    >-JR Pass for 7 Days starts

    On a trip of this length covering this much territory, I would definitely get a 14 day pass (or perhaps even a 21 day pass if you can make it pay off with day trips and fares to/from airports). The 14 day pass is less than 60% more expensive for twice as much time, and if you get a 14 day pass you won’t have to cram everything outside of Tokyo into a miniscule 7 day period. The 7 day pass is the worst deal of all the passes and it seriously restricts your trip compared to any of the alternatives.

    >Visit Osaka for 2 Days (Maybe Nara)

    Nara should not be a maybe–it’s unskippable if you’re going to be in that area.

    Keep in mind that Osaka is a City the size of New York and that Nara has some of the largest, oldest, and most impressive historical sights in the entire country. If you can steal another day or two from Tokyo, you could definitely benefit from giving them more time.

    >1 Day Trip from Osaka to Hiroshima (and there visit the memorial and Mishijima). After that take the Train to Kyoto on the evening back

    I really don’t recommend Hiroshima as a day trip. If you’re going to go, spend at least a night or two. If you do two or more nights around Hiroshima you could also consider adding some things like Onomichi or Kurashiki, or hitting Himeji on the way there (also doable as a day trip from Osaka/Kyoto, but if you’re going towards Hiroshima anyway, you might as well do it on the way).

    >4 Days at Kyoto, visiting the Inari shrine, gold/silver pagoda, KichiKichi Omurice and other stuff i didnt plan for now

    My general advice for Kyoto is to take your time and to not focus only on the most famous sights. By all means, do go to the famous sights, but don’t make the mistake of rushing from one to the next ignoring everything in between. To that end, I strongly recommend focusing on areas of the city rather than individual sights and spending as much time on foot or bicycle in Kyoto as possible. For a rough breakdown of some of the major sights in Kyoto by area, I recommend looking at [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) I made a few years ago.

    And again, take advantage of the time of year you’re there. Kyoto has loads of seasonal events. In Spring that means hanami in Maruyama Park, beautiful walks along Takasegawa, Kamogawa, Shirakawa, and the Lake Biwa Canal; night openings at places like Shoren-in, Kodai-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, and Nijo Castle; as well as Miyako Odori in Gion. The weather should be beautiful (if just a bit chilly), so take advantage of it and rent a bike. One of my favorite single days in Kyoto is doing Imperial Palace–>Demachimasugata Shoutengai–>Shimogamo Jinja–>Ginkaku-ji–>Philosopher’s Path (and things along it)–>Nanzen-ji–>Heian Jingu on bike, or something similar.

    >I am actually quiet lost when it comes to Tokyo,

    Again, recommend breaking things down by area of the city and figuring out what interests you in each area. I strongly recommend planning to split your time between specific activities and exploration, and to make sure you’re seeing both new areas of the city (e.g., Shinjuku, Shibuya) and old (e.g. Yanaka, Kagurazaka).

    >I already have some things in mind like Mario Kart tour,

    Doesn’t exist anymore (and what a relief).

    >Maid Cafe,

    I really wouldn’t. They’re gimmicky, overpriced, and awkward–I definitely wouldn’t go alone, and even with a group it’s a pretty questionable choice.

    >Pokemon Center

    Pokemon Centers exist in multiple places, including outside of Tokyo (e.g., Kyoto and Osaka).

    >Akihabara shopping,

    Unless you’re an absolutely massive anime fan, you probably won’t need more than half a day here. And even if you are, you probably won’t need more than a day.

    >karaoke, Izakaya drinking,

    By yourself? Not saying you won’t meet people, but I wouldn’t plan on doing these things without a group.

    >Ramen, Convenience Store Fooding and so on.

    Loads of good options all over Japan–definitely not limited to Tokyo.

25. Looks good for a first trip 🙂 Don’t get too bogged down with a jam packed schedule, especially in the main cities its nice to just walk around and explore.

    I lived in Osaka so I’m more familiar with that but I’ll comment on the others as I’ve visited most prefectures too.

    Tokyo;
    Mario Kart tour – Im not sure if this still runs because I remember the locals hate it as they cause a lot of property damage. Just something to keep in mind. Also I think they were sued for using Mario lol.
    Maid Cafes – good luck i guess lol I know a lot of people wanna try it for the novelty but the reality is its hella cringey. Probably a bit less if u can find someone to go cringe together with. Mostly a lot of old men and tourists.

    Hiroshima;
    Think someone already mentioned this might be quite a taxing trip public-transport wise. But the memorial is definitely a must-visit imo.

    Kyoto;
    Seems good overall. Keep in mind Kyoto is not as connected in terms of public transport and most ‘touristy’ areas like you’ve listed so be sure to pre-plan your route beforehand or you might end up spending tons of money on taxis lol.

    Fuji-Q;
    Not sure if you can access via Kyoto? iirc whenever I went from Osaka I always had to take a pretty roundabout route via Tokyo and back down lol but maybe there’s a new route now. Also there’s a nice capsule hotel with free shuttle to Fuji-Q near Kawaguchiko that might be worth looking into. There’s public onsen nearby too, really good if you’re going in winter as it has an outdoor area and onsen + snow is the best.

    Osaka;
    Not sure what the Amazing Pass covers, I’ve never used it. Having lived there if you have any specific things you wanna see/do/eat feel free to ask 🙂
    Aquarium is definitely great, Dotonbori not much if you don’t plan to shop but there’s lots of good food around. BUT be careful not to get lured into tourists traps. Dotonbori is like 80% tourist traps and its hard to resist or even tell apart for your first visit but be sure to check food prices for a good gauge (generally ¥3000+ per dish is tourist targeting restaurants).
    If you’re alright with more seedy places I recommend visiting Shinsekai and trying some kushikatsu (Osaka local food, basically fried skewers of everything imaginable, good dinner/midnight snack with beer).

    Nara doesn’t take long unless you’re into the shrines/temples. Usually when I take people we only spend like 3-4 hours there and then head back. Be careful not to get bitten or headbutted by deer lol.

    All the best and I definitely hope we can all start traveling soon too!

26. I’ve been twice, both for a month. Once solo and the other as a group. While solo i only stayed in Tokyo and loved it, big tip would be don’t stay to a schedule. Some days I’d wake up with no plan, google maps and decide I wanted to go there. It was so nice just strolling around without having to rush and take in everything.

    With a group we thought we’d get the JR pass and travel around, but the thing i regret is only staying 1-2 days in Kyoto, Hiroshima etc because 1. It was so tiring bringing all my luggage and travelling for a half a day to each place to only stay there for 1 day or so. So my biggest advice is don’t go somewhere for just a day to just have to pack and travel again the next day. Either narrow the list and give yourself 4-5 days in an area. You’ll never have nothing to do in each area as all of Japan is an experience!

    Happy Travels and may see you since I’m going in 2022 again!

27. Sounds like a great itinerary! A few suggestions:

    Don’t skip Nara, it is absolutely worth a day trip. To me, the Todaiji complex in Nara is nicer and more impressive than many of the more famous sites in Kyoto, if for no other reason than it’s in a large park, and feels a bit more like stepping into the past than many places in Kyoto that are in more urban environments. Within Kyoto the Arashiyama area is like this too, but Nara is still worth it — I think Nara is probably the prettiest city in Japan and Todaiji is super impressive, full stop. It’s also about as accessible from Kyoto as it is from Osaka. If you can find a place to stash your bags a good option might be to leave Osaka early your last day there, spend the day in Nara and then go to Kyoto in the evening.

    I’m not saying don’t go to Skytree if you want, but if you just want a nice city view, the Touchou (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) in West Shinjuku has a top floor observation deck that is free and much more centrally located than Skytree, which is a bit more on the outskirts. (This advice assumes the observation desk is open when you go of course)

    3 days is a lot for Hakone, even if you’re spending one in FujiQ highland. While staying at a ryokan with an onsen is highly recommended, you can do all the other ropeway stuff in a few hours. You can’t always see Mount Fuji due to weather, but if you can see it from right in front of it you’ll also be able to see it from Hakone; you don’t really need to spend half a day getting closer. Also by odogawa I assume you mean Odawara. The only thing worth seeing there is the castle, which only takes an hour or two. If you get there in the morning you can do it the same day as the ropeway/lake ashi stuff.

    If you’re not too templed out after Kyoto, some other Tokyo day trips to consider are Kamakura and Nikko. Both are pretty doable in a day and pretty easy to get to (Nikko takes longer to get to)

    Other Tokyo area suggestions include a visit to Yokohama (Chinatown and Sakuragicho—the ramen museum in Shin Yoko is pretty neat too), Shinjuku, the Meiji shrine (easy to do the same day as Shibuya), Ueno Park museums and zoo, and sensoji.

    Lastly, please don’t do the fucking Mario Kart tour. If you want to do something car related, before you leave get an international driving permit (pretty cheap, it’s just a piece of paper, assuming you have a license in your country) and go to the Toyota Megaweb in Odaiba. They have a pretty cool car museum and for a small fee (with an international permit) you can take a new vehicle around a little test track. Lots of other fun stuff to do in Odaiba while you’re there too, and you won’t be giving foreigners a bad name tearing around public roadways on a go kart.

28. I highly suggest the Comics and Capsules hostel in Kyoto! It’s amazing and right in the middle of the Nikishi Market. Is an anime comic library and beds are inside the book shelves, very quiet and clean and cool once you leave you’re in the hustle and bustle of Nikishi Market

29. I’d recommend staying at a hostel. I was able to meet new people and we would coordinate a few outings. But one of the best things about going solo is that you’re not consumed by your own comfortability. For example when I was on the train heading back to Tokyo, an elder lady sat next to me. I didn’t say a word, but she initiated the conversation w me. It was broken English, but I had such a great conversation w her. If I was traveling w a friend I wouldn’t have had this experience since that seat would have been occupied by my friend, and we probally would be speaking to each other only. In Kyoto I had a regular spot I would have dinner because I became friendly w the owners and no where to occupy my time with. This wouldn’t have happened if I was with friends. Maybe spend a day or two by yourself and explore.
    Also knowing a few Japanese words will go a long ways. Memorize: thank you, goodbye, hi, I would like, etc…. also get used to saying “hai” as a synonym for yes, I understand, good, okay, etc…
    Don’t worry about getting lost or confused. They are extremely helpful and super patient.