Japan Travel Plan — A Family Guide
From a family with three kids that keeps going back.
It's the best place in the world to travel with or without kids—safe, clean, kind, endlessly interesting. It blows everyone's minds. And the food is extraordinary at every price point.
This guide covers what we've learned across those trips: a first-timer's spring or autumn itinerary, and a winter trip for Tokyo, coast, onsen and skiing. It's based on what we love as a family—and the nights out for couples, with a skew towards independent, quirky, personal experiences with food and people at the heart.
We only recommend places we've actually been—so you won't find spots like Naoshima or Nara here (yet). We'll keep adding as we go.
Tips — Before You Go
Money: Get a Wise card for real exchange rates. Always carry cash too.
Connectivity: Get Ninja WiFi or eSIM. Google Maps and Translate are essential.
Rail Pass: Buy a Japan Rail Pass for multi-city trips. Covers shinkansen, JR trains, some ferries.
Luggage forwarding: Send your bags ahead by takkyubin courier for ¥2000 per bag. Every hotel and convenience store can arrange it.
Spring / Autumn Itinerary — 10 to 12 Nights
The first-timer's route. Tokyo, Miyajima, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone, Tokyo.
Day 1: Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya. Day 2: Park, neighbourhood, Golden Gai. Day 3: Disneyland or free explore. Days 4–5: Hiroshima + Miyajima overnight. Kyoto 2 nights. Osaka 2 nights. Hakone weekend escape.
Winter Itinerary — 10 to 12 Nights
One of the nicest things about coming in winter is how crisp, sunny and dry it is — way easier than we had thought. Many sights are far less crowded, and accommodation is often a third cheaper. Tokyo, Kamakura, Shibu Onsen, skiing.
Super Tip: Add Seoul
2.5 hours from Japan on a budget airline. K-pop, cosmetics, food, fashion. Seongsu-dong is the neighbourhood to explore.
Neighbourhood Guides
Pick the area, pick from the options, go where the mood takes you. Reference cards for each neighbourhood so you can dip in whenever you're nearby.
- Shimokitazawa — indie vintage, live music, great coffee
- Nakano Broadway — manga, vintage toys, watches
- Koenji — counterculture, records, punk bars
- Daikanyama — T-Site bookshop, boutiques, architecture
- Ginza — luxury, department stores, depachika food halls
- Akihabara — anime, gaming, electronics
- Asakusa — Sensoji Temple, river cruise, old Tokyo
- Nakameguro — cherry blossom canal, independent shops
About
Japan Plan is a personal guide by Simon Pound, an Auckland dad of three who keeps taking his family back to Japan. All information accurate as of March 2026.