Day by Day Japan plans a first trip to Japan the way a friend who lives here would: one day at a time, with the trains and the prices written down.

Each route is a real day or weekend: where to go first, how long the walk or the train takes, what the ticket costs and where to eat on the way. Prices come from the operator's or the place's own published fares and carry the date they were checked; where we have not checked a price, the route says so instead of guessing. If it rains, the route has a plan B.

Around the routes sits the week in Japan. Every few hours the site reads the Japanese city and food press and the English-language desks in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka, and puts the places they name on one map. Headlines stay in the language they were written in, every story links to its source, and we quote no more than a line.

The routes and notes are written by one editor under a pen name, Sora Nakamura, drafted with AI assistance from checked material and read before they go out. Day by Day Japan is independent: no advertisers, no affiliate links, no bookings.

← Day by Day Japan Archive

Tokyo CheapoTokyo

How To Stay Connected in the Japanese Countryside

September 13

Japan has a connectivity paradox. In the cities, you can stream 4K video on a subway platform 40 meters underground — but the moment your travels get interesting, the bars start to disappear.

Cheap & practical Business Internet esim Featured

Read at Tokyo Cheapo ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

How To Stay Connected in the Japanese Countryside

Related

TokyoThe Survival Guide to Shinagawa Station Tokyo Cheapo

Eat【1.2万いいね】セリア「欧州デザイン」シリーズが話題！注目の5種＆探し方のコツ macaroni

TokyoA Guide to Solo Hiking in Japan Metropolis Japan

GoTohoku Autumn Foliage: The Complete Guide to Fall in Northern Japan JW Web Magazine

EatThe Evolution of Tokyo Ramen: A Guide to the City's Many Styles 5AM Ramen

GoHow Tokyo’s trains inspired a project back home Deep Japan