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Planning a trip to Japan?

First, quick picks:

Book your hotels with Booking.com
Find a rental car with DiscoverCars
Get an eSIM before you land with Airalo
Get discounted tickets to tourist attractions with Klook

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Next: We have some really good posts here to help plan your upcoming Japan trip!

Japan budget travel guide (2024)

Japan has a reputation for being an expensive destination, but actually it can be very affordable! Having visited Japan twice for a total of nearly six months, I’ve figured out some good budget travel tips.

Tokyo Convenience Store Food Prices 2024

When I’m trying to get an idea of a budget for a trip, I find it helpful to have actual prices for things. One way to save money while traveling in Japan is to buy food at convenience stores. Here’s some prices I gathered from convenience store visits in Tokyo, Japan in spring 2024.

Vending machine drinks in Japan

One of the things I was most looking forward while over in Japan was checking out the vending machines! Japan has amazing vending machines, where they sell anything from hot drinks to clothing to electronics to pizza. I particularly like their drinks selection!

Where to stay: Japan hostels & hotels for solo travelers

I find it helpful to see where people stayed in certain areas, so I thought I’d share where I stayed in each part of the world. This is where I’ve stayed while traveling in Japan from February to April 2023 and again from February to May 2024.

Read all posts about Japan here!

Japan Travel Resources

A collection of things to make traveling in Japan a bit easier.

eSIM for your phone with Airalo

Airalo is my preferred way to get eSIM cards while traveling around the world. It’s easy to use and install and they have a decent range of types available for Japan. I used Airalo on my last trip and was able to use Google Maps, Whatsapp, Instagram, etc. with no problems.

Discounted tickets with Klook

Klook is a great website for finding tickets to tourist things, train tickets (including shinkansen), and even DisneySea tickets! Everything works with foreign credit cards, unlike some Japanese websites. It’s easy to use and well worth checking out.

Rental Cars with DiscoverCars

Packing Essentials

Stuff I recommend packing on your trip to Japan:

Beurer BR60 bug bite zapper thing — a small plate heats up and destroys the proteins that make bug bites itchy! They heal faster and don’t itch as much. A necessity in the summer, IMO.
Travelon soft packing cubes — these keep your suitcase organizes while you’re running between hotels. Or if you’re sending luggage ahead using luggage delivery service, pack a cube with your overnight stuff. Very lightweight and handy to have!
Kindle Oasis — if you enjoy reading but don’t want to waste space in your suitcase, bring a Kindle and load it with dozens of books! Plenty of space to have all the books you want, but in a device that fits in a purse.