Japan is the trip people talk about for years afterwards, usually in the middle of dinner, usually while scrolling through photos of a vending machine. I have been back enough times now that my first visit feels like a different person's holiday: the overpacked itinerary, the three-hour queue for a ramen shop that turned out to be fine, the afternoon I spent lost in Shinjuku Station with a suitcase. This guide is what I wish somebody had handed me before that first flight, written for Singapore travellers but useful for anyone planning a first or second trip.
It is long on purpose. Japan rewards planning more than almost any country I know, not because it is difficult, but because small decisions (which rail pass, which neighbourhood to sleep in, which month) change the whole feel of the trip. Read it through once, then use the tables as a checklist.
Why Japan works so well for Singaporeans
The flight is about seven hours to Tokyo and a little under seven to Osaka, which means you can leave after work on a Friday and be eating breakfast in Japan on Saturday morning. Time difference is just one hour, so there is almost no jet lag to speak of. That alone makes a four or five day trip realistic, which is not something you can say about Europe.
The second reason is entry. Singapore passport holders can visit Japan for tourism without applying for a visa in advance, for up to 90 days. You fill in the arrival information online through the Visit Japan Web service before you fly, which gives you a QR code for immigration and customs. If you are travelling with a different passport, or you have family and friends who are, do not assume the same rule applies. Our visa requirements pages list the official position by nationality, including the Japan eVISA route that applies to some travellers, and they are worth checking a few weeks before you book flights rather than the night before.
The third reason is that Japan is quietly good value for Singapore dollars when the yen is weak, and expensive in the usual ways when it is strong. Either way, the things that make trips expensive elsewhere (taxis, tipping, tourist-trap restaurants) are largely absent. There is no tipping at all. A bowl of ramen, a set lunch or a convenience-store breakfast is cheap and genuinely good.
When to go: month by month
I get asked about timing more than anything else, and the honest answer is that every season has a version of Japan worth seeing and a version worth avoiding. The country records its best weather in spring and autumn; the lower fares tend to land in the in-between months.
| Season | Months | What it is like | My honest take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | March to May | Cherry blossoms from late March in Tokyo and Kyoto, mild days, cool evenings | The most photographed season and the most crowded. Book hotels months ahead. |
| Rainy season | June to mid-July | Humid, grey, regular rain (tsuyu) | Quieter and cheaper, good for museums, onsen towns and aquariums. |
| Summer | July to August | Hot and sticky, festivals and fireworks | Tough for walking-heavy cities, great for Hokkaido and the mountains. |
| Autumn | October to November | Clear skies, red and gold maples, comfortable temperatures | My favourite. Mid to late November is peak colour in Kyoto. |
| Winter | December to February | Cold and dry in the cities, heavy snow in the north and the Alps | Excellent for onsen, ski resorts and illuminations. Cheap airfare outside New Year. |
Our own seasonal notes put the best windows at March to May for cherry blossom and October to November for autumn colour, and that matches what I have seen. If you must pick one, pick the second half of November. The weather is kind, the leaves are at their peak in Kyoto, and the crowds, while still large, are a little easier than in cherry blossom week.
Two calendar warnings. Golden Week (the end of April into early May) and Obon (mid August) are when Japanese families travel, and trains, hotels and popular attractions fill up. New Year is the opposite problem: many restaurants and some attractions close for several days. None of this is a reason not to go, only a reason to book earlier and expect queues.
How many days do you really need
Japan looks small on a map and then you try to see it all in a week. A realistic rule is two nights minimum per base, and one base for every three or four days of trip.
- 4 to 5 days: Tokyo only, with one day trip (Hakone, Nikko or Kamakura).
- 7 days: Tokyo and Kyoto, perhaps with a half day in Nara or Osaka.
- 10 days: Tokyo, Hakone or Kawaguchiko, Kyoto and Osaka, with day trips to Nara and Himeji.
- 14 days: the classic Golden Route plus one region: Hiroshima, Kanazawa and the Japan Alps, or Hokkaido if you are travelling in winter or summer.
I have watched friends try to fit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Mount Fuji into five days. They came back with excellent photographs of train platforms. Pick fewer places and stay longer.
Tokyo: where to start
Tokyo is not one city, it is about a dozen cities sharing a rail map. The trick is to choose a neighbourhood for each day and refuse to cross town in between.
Shinjuku is the one most first-timers end up in: enormous station, neon streets, cheap and cheerful eating alleys, and the best transport links. Shibuya is the famous crossing and a lot of shopping, loud and fun but not somewhere I would want to sleep. Asakusa is older Tokyo: Senso-ji temple, rickshaws, a quieter riverside, and a good place to stay if you like early mornings. Ueno has the museums and park. Ginza and Marunouchi are for polished shopping and a calm dinner. Akihabara is games, anime and electronics, and the place where you will spend more than you planned in a capsule-toy corner.
My simple Tokyo plan for a first visit is four days:
- Day one: Asakusa in the morning before the crowds, Ueno Park in the afternoon, dinner around Ueno or Asakusa.
- Day two: Meiji Shrine and the forested walk through Yoyogi, then Harajuku, Shibuya Crossing at dusk, and a late dinner around Shinjuku.
- Day three: a day trip, either Hakone or Nikko (see below).
- Day four: Akihabara, Ginza and teamLab or another indoor attraction depending on the weather, then a last night out in Shinjuku.
If you plan to hop between lines all day, a Tokyo Metro pass is usually cheaper than paying single fares once you take more than four or five rides a day, and you do not have to work out the ticket machines. Check the current pass terms on the product page, as they change with the operator's rules.
For something unusual, there is a go-kart tour through Akihabara in costume on public roads, which is silly, loud, and a good break from temples. Bring your licence and your sense of humour.
Kyoto: temples, tea and early mornings
Kyoto is the city that makes people fall for Japan. It is also the city that disappoints people who arrive at ten in the morning on a weekend. The solution is to start early and accept that the famous spots are shared experiences.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is open all day and every day, and the thousands of red torii gates on the mountain look best before eight in the morning or after dusk, when almost nobody is there. Kiyomizu-dera sits on a hillside above the old streets of Higashiyama, and the walk up from Gion through Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka is half the point. Arashiyama has the bamboo grove, a river, a monkey park and a slow, scenic train. Gion is the geisha district; please do not chase anyone down an alley for a photograph, because the neighbourhood has put up signs asking visitors to stop.
A Kyoto and Nara one-day tour from Osaka suits people who stay in Osaka and want to tick off Kiyomizu-dera and the deer at Nara in a single trip, while a guided Arashiyama day covers the bamboo grove, the Sagano scenic railway and the surrounding temples without you having to plan the connections. If you would rather do the town at your own pace, the Sagano Romantic Train on its own is a gentle way to see the gorge.
A tip that I repeat to everyone: pre-book what you can, but leave your afternoons loose. Kyoto's best moments are the tea shop you stumble into, the quiet shrine behind a car park, the lane with no tourists. They do not come with a booking number.
For getting around, Kyoto buses are cheap but slow in peak season and crowded around the main sights. Some visitors prefer a hop-on, hop-off bus for the first day to get oriented, then switch to trains and walking. Taxis are expensive but worth it when your feet give up.
Osaka: eat first, sightsee second
Osaka is the opposite of Kyoto in almost every way: loud, funny, generous, and entirely devoted to food. The local saying is kuidaore, which loosely translates as "eat until you drop". It is not an exaggeration.
The Dotonbori canal district is the postcard, with the Glico running man and the giant mechanical crab. Eat takoyaki (octopus balls) from a street stall, okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) at a counter, and kushikatsu (deep fried skewers) in Shinsekai. Do not double-dip the sauce. That is a rule, and there are signs.
The Tonbori River cruise gives you the neon from the water for a short, easy half hour, and the night version of the Dotonbori cruise does the same after dark. Neither is essential, but they are very good for tired feet. Kids and grandparents tend to love them.
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the larger aquariums in the world, is a solid rainy day option. Kaiyukan tickets are sold as a West Pier pass, which also includes some of the harbour attractions. If you have children, Universal Studios Japan has a dedicated bus transfer from Dotonbori that saves you from figuring out the train change at Nishikujo. Check the dated ticket rules for the park itself before you travel, because entry is date-specific.
Mount Fuji and Hakone
Mount Fuji is the hardest sight in Japan to plan around because it is the one you cannot control. In my experience you see the mountain clearly on perhaps one in three attempts, and the best views come in winter and early spring when the air is dry. On a humid August afternoon it simply will not be there.
Hakone is the easiest way to give yourself a chance. It is about ninety minutes from Tokyo by train, and the loop (a mountain railway, a cable car, a ropeway above the volcanic valley at Owakudani, and a pirate-ship style cruise across Lake Ashi) takes a full day. The official Hakone Free Pass bundles most of the transport on that loop, and is almost always cheaper than buying each ride separately. The Hakone sightseeing cruise on its own is a gentle way to see the lake.
Another option, if you want somebody else to deal with the logistics, is a one-day Mount Fuji and Hakone tour from Tokyo. It follows the Shinkansen and local line route, and you spend the day looking out of the window rather than checking timetables. For a bolder day, a Hakone Owakudani and Lake Yamanaka tour pairs the volcanic valley with a quieter lake near the base of Fuji. If you enjoy theme parks, the Tokyo to Fuji-Q Highland round-trip bus gets you to the roller coasters without changing trains.
I will say this plainly: do not climb Fuji unless you want to. The climbing season is short (roughly July to early September), the trails are busy, and the summit is cold. Seeing the mountain from the lakeside is a good trip. Standing on the summit at sunrise is a different one.
Nara, Himeji and the rest of Kansai
Nara is a half day from Kyoto or Osaka, and it is the one place in Japan where I recommend arriving without too much of a plan. The deer wander the park, the Todai-ji temple houses an enormous bronze Buddha in what is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, and the paths up to Kasuga Taisha are lined with stone lanterns. Do buy the deer crackers; do not hold them up and tease the animals.
Himeji Castle, an hour from Osaka by train, is a white heron-shaped fortress that survived wars and earthquakes and looks like something from a screen. It is worth an afternoon. Kobe, Wakayama and the Kii Peninsula are all within reach for travellers with more time.
For people planning more than a couple of Kansai days, passes are worth a look. The Kansai Mini Pass works for short trips, the Have Fun in Kansai Pass adds attraction entries, and the JR West Kansai Wide Area Pass covers longer rail trips to Okayama, Kinosaki and Himeji.
Beyond the golden route
Once you have done the classic cities, Japan really opens up. Hiroshima and Miyajima give you a moving history lesson and a floating shrine gate. Kanazawa has a stunning garden, a preserved samurai district and good seafood. Takayama and the Japan Alps are glorious in autumn, and the Alpine Takayama Matsumoto area pass is made for exactly that loop.
Hokkaido is a different country in feel. It has big skies, volcanic hot springs, seafood, and in winter, some of the best powder snow in the world. A Jigokudani Valley and Lake Toya tour from Sapporo is a good introduction, and the Noboribetsu, Lake Toya and Showa Shinzan option gives you more time in the steam. In Kyushu and Shikoku, rail passes such as the JR Kyushu Rail Pass and the JR Shikoku Kagawa mini pass make the more remote regions easy to cover.
For Kyoto's quieter sea coast, a tour of Amanohashidate and the Ine boat houses feels like another century, and the Tango Sea Train version is a good scenic alternative. People who fall in love with Japan almost always return for these.
Getting around: trains, passes and the practicalities
Japan's rail system deserves its reputation. It is punctual, clean, and well signposted, even for non-Japanese readers. The only real challenge is deciding what to buy.
| Option | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IC card (Suica, Pasmo, Icoca) | City travel, buses, convenience stores | Reload it as you go. Works on almost every local train, subway and bus. |
| Japan Rail Pass (nationwide) | Long loops covering several regions in a short time | Do the sums first. Fares rose, and the pass often only pays off on very busy itineraries. |
| Regional rail passes | Kansai, Kyushu, Shikoku, the Alps | Often much better value than the national pass for a focused trip. |
| Shinkansen point to point | Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka | Reserve a seat, and sit on the right if you want a Fuji view heading west. |
| Domestic flights or night buses | Hokkaido, Kyushu, Okinawa, tight budgets | Low cost carriers are cheap but the baggage allowance is smaller. |
I used a nationwide rail pass on my first trip because it felt safer and then discovered I had spent more than paying single fares. These days I work out the exact route, price it on a fare calculator, and only then decide. For a Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka loop the single fares are often close, and the convenience of an IC card plus a reserved Shinkansen seat is hard to beat. If you do want a nationwide pass, the Japan Rail Pass listing is available through us, but please check the current route and price comparison before you buy.
Airport transfers deserve a mention. Narita is far from central Tokyo, and Haneda is close. After a long flight, a private transfer from Haneda to central Tokyo or from Narita into the city is not cheap, but when you have luggage, children or a very late arrival, it takes away a lot of stress. For Kansai airport, a private transfer to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara or Kobe does the same.
Staying connected, paying, and small things that matter
Mobile data. Free Wi-Fi in Japan is patchy and the places that need it most (train stations, rural bus stops) rarely have it. An eSIM is the most convenient route; you install it before you leave, and it connects when you land. We list several, from a simple Japan eSIM to an unlimited 4G/5G plan for heavier use. If you prefer a device, a pocket Wi-Fi collected at the airport works for groups who want to share one connection. Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM before you buy.
Cash and cards. Japan has become much more card-friendly, but small restaurants, temples, shrines and local buses still lean on cash. Carry at least ¥10,000 to ¥20,000 on you. 7-Eleven and Lawson ATMs accept most foreign cards, and they are everywhere.
Luggage. Take less than you think. Hotel rooms are small, stairs are everywhere, and you can use takkyubin (luggage forwarding) to send a large bag between hotels for a modest fee. This is the single best-kept secret for travelling light on the rail network.
Customs and manners. Quiet on trains, no eating while walking in many areas, take your rubbish with you (public bins are rare), remove your shoes where there is a step up, and do not tip. Bowing back a little goes a long way. Tattoos are an issue at some onsen and public baths, so check ahead if you have them.
Emergency numbers. Police 110, fire and ambulance 119. The Japan National Tourism Organization runs a multilingual helpline on 050-3816-2787 for visitors. Travel insurance with medical cover is sensible, because healthcare for visitors is excellent but not cheap.
What a trip actually costs
Japan can be done on a modest budget or a very lavish one. These are rough ranges per person per day, based on typical choices rather than on any official figure, and exchange rates move constantly, so treat them as a guide for planning rather than a quote.
| Style | Stay | Food | Local travel and sights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Hostel or capsule, around a quarter of the daily spend | Convenience stores, set lunches, ramen | IC card, a few paid sights |
| Comfortable | Business hotel or mid-range ryokan | Mix of restaurants and casual dining | Regional pass, one paid attraction a day |
| Splurge | Upscale hotel or ryokan with dinner | Kaiseki, sushi counters, wagyu | Private drivers, guided tours |
The itinerary data we keep for Japan suggests planning for roughly ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 per person per day, excluding flights. That sounds like a wide range because it is. A tight trip in the budget band will sit near the bottom; a comfortable trip with a couple of paid activities a day will be in the middle.
Where do people overspend? Hotels in cherry blossom week, last-minute Shinkansen upgrades, and shopping. Where do they save? By eating lunch as the main meal (set menus are far cheaper than dinner), using regional passes, and sleeping near a station rather than in the middle of the most famous district.
A realistic seven day itinerary
This is the plan I give friends who are going for the first time, with a week to spare. It has one change of city in the middle and leaves slack for rain.
| Day | Where | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | Arrive, check in near Shinjuku or Ueno, short evening walk, early dinner |
| 2 | Tokyo | Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara. Dinner in Shinjuku |
| 3 | Hakone or Nikko | Day trip. Back in Tokyo for the evening |
| 4 | Tokyo to Kyoto | Morning Shinkansen, check in, Gion and Higashiyama at dusk |
| 5 | Kyoto | Fushimi Inari at sunrise, Arashiyama, a temple of your choice |
| 6 | Nara and Osaka | Morning in Nara, afternoon and night in Osaka's Dotonbori |
| 7 | Osaka | Aquarium or castle, last food crawl, evening flight |
You may notice this misses Mount Fuji, Hiroshima and Hokkaido. That is on purpose. Every addition costs you at least a day. If you want one of them, remove a day somewhere else rather than squeezing the plan further.
Many readers who plan this sort of loop for a visa application, or for a family trip with a fixed budget, also need to show a flight itinerary. Our flight reservation service provides a reservation for visa application purposes. It is a reservation, not an issued ticket, so do not pay for flights you do not intend to take until you know your plans are fixed.
Eating in Japan: what to try and where
Food is one of the strongest reasons to visit, and also one of the most intimidating, because most good places have menus only in Japanese and a counter with eight seats. I now treat this as part of the fun.
- Ramen. Tonkotsu (pork bone) in Kyushu and Fukuoka, shoyu in Tokyo, miso in Hokkaido. Order from the ticket machine by the door, hand over the ticket, and eat quickly.
- Sushi and sashimi. Conveyor belt places are brilliant for first timers. Tsukiji's outer market and Toyosu are good for breakfast.
- Takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Osaka's specialities, as described above. Order them at a counter and watch them cook.
- Tempura, tonkatsu and unagi. Specialist restaurants that do one thing very well. Lunch sets are good value.
- Kaiseki. Multi-course Kyoto-style dining. Expensive, and a once in a trip experience. Book ahead.
- Convenience stores. Onigiri, egg sandwiches, fried chicken, hot canned coffee. This is not a joke; some of the best cheap meals in the country come from a konbini.
Dietary notes: vegetarian and vegan travellers will find it harder than expected because dashi (fish stock) is in almost everything. Halal options exist in the bigger cities but need planning. Allergy cards in Japanese are worth printing before you go.
Onsen, ryokan and a night in the mountains
If your trip allows one night of real Japan, spend it in a ryokan with an onsen. You sleep on futons laid over tatami, wear a yukata (cotton robe) to dinner, and eat a multi-course meal in your room. It costs far more than a business hotel, and it is also the night most people remember.
A few rules for onsen. Wash thoroughly before you enter the bath. The bath is for soaking, not washing. Tie long hair up. Leave the small towel on your head or on the side, never in the water. Most baths are single sex and nude. Private family baths exist at many hotels and can be booked for an hour if you prefer, especially with young children or if you have tattoos that are not welcome in the shared bath.
Hakone, Kinosaki, Kusatsu and Noboribetsu are among the best-known onsen towns. If you are using a pass such as the Kinosaki Pass, you can visit several public bathhouses in the town with a single ticket and walk between them in a yukata, which is as peaceful as it sounds.
Family travel and theme parks
Japan is easy with children. Public transport is safe, restaurants are accommodating, and there is a remarkable amount to do. Tokyo has major theme parks, Osaka has Universal Studios Japan and Kaiyukan, and almost every town has some sort of attraction aimed at families.
For the youngest travellers, Hakone's pirate ships, a river cruise or a scenic train are usually enough excitement. For older children, anime and gaming centres in Akihabara and Osaka's Den Den Town are an easy win. For teenagers, Fuji-Q Highland's roller coasters are famous. Plan for slow days between big ones, because Japan involves a lot of walking and more stairs than you expect. Strollers are fine on the main routes but a nightmare on station stairs, so a baby carrier is usually less trouble.
Always check the entry rules for attractions that require advance dated tickets, and book those first so the rest of the trip can fall around them. We list dated tickets with the terms on each product page.
Common mistakes first-timers make
I have made nearly all of these, so no judgement.
- Packing the days too tightly. Three major sights a day is a lot. Two is plenty.
- Skipping a coin purse. You will need coins for lockers, vending machines and small shops. A little zipped pouch is useful.
- Booking a hotel far from a station. Walking twenty minutes with luggage in humid weather is not a good start.
- Ignoring the weather. In the rainy season, plan indoor options. In winter, bring proper layers and good shoes.
- Missing the last train. Many lines stop around midnight. Check before a late dinner.
- Forgetting travel insurance. Medical care is excellent and expensive for visitors.
- Not registering arrival details through Visit Japan Web. It shortens queues and removes paperwork at the airport.
Planning checklist
Use this as a rough order of operations.
| When | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 6 months out | Pick your dates, check passport validity, book flights and key hotels for peak seasons | |
| 2 months out | Check entry rules for every passport in the group on our [[visa requirements pages | /visa-requirements]], reserve any dated tickets, sort out insurance |
| 1 month out | Choose rail passes, book airport transfers, buy an eSIM, plan one or two restaurant reservations | |
| 1 week out | Fill in Visit Japan Web, withdraw some yen, download offline maps, check the weather | |
| Day of travel | Passport, QR code, a printed hotel address in Japanese, a charged phone and power bank |
If any member of your group needs a flight itinerary to support a visa or a school form, our flight reservation page explains what a reservation is and is not, and how long the document is typically valid. It is not a replacement for a proper ticket.
Frequently asked questions
Do Singapore passport holders need a visa for Japan?
For tourism, Singapore passport holders can visit without a visa for up to 90 days. You complete arrival details online through Visit Japan Web before you fly. Rules can change and differ by nationality, so confirm yours on our visa requirements page before booking.
What is the best month to visit Japan?
For weather and scenery, late March to early April for cherry blossom and mid November for autumn colour are the classics. If you want fewer crowds and lower prices, consider late May, early June or early December.
How many days do I need for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka?
Seven days is a comfortable minimum for the three cities, with day trips possible if you stretch to ten. Fewer than five days usually leaves you travelling more than looking.
Is the Japan Rail Pass worth buying?
It depends on your route. For a quick Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka loop, single fares and an IC card are often similar or cheaper. For a long multi-region itinerary, a nationwide or regional pass can help. Always price your own route first.
Is Japan expensive for Singaporeans?
It varies with the exchange rate and your style. Food and local transport are good value, accommodation in peak season is not. Our itinerary data suggests planning roughly ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 per person per day, excluding flights.
Do I need cash in Japan?
Yes, carry some. Cards are widely accepted in cities, but small restaurants, temples, local buses and rural shops often still take cash only. Convenience store ATMs accept most foreign cards.
Can I use my phone data in Japan?
Yes. Most travellers use an eSIM or a pocket Wi-Fi device. Install an eSIM before you leave and check your phone is unlocked and supports it.
What if I need a flight itinerary for my visa application?
Some embassies and forms ask for a flight itinerary. Our flight reservation service provides a reservation for that purpose. It is a reservation rather than an issued ticket, so it should not be treated as one.
Final thoughts
If you remember nothing else, remember these four things: go in spring or autumn if you can, base yourself near stations, leave slack in every day, and eat everything. Japan is a country where the small unplanned moments (the shrine at the end of a lane, a stranger who walks you to the right platform, the vending machine that sells hot soup in winter) often end up being the highlight.
When you are ready to turn your plan into a booking, you can browse tickets, passes, tours, transfers and connectivity for Japan on HolidaySG.com, and check entry rules or a flight reservation before you go. Tickets and passes are confirmed by our team after you pay, and your e-tickets are emailed once that is done.
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