Recently, I have been reading posts from foreign travelers visiting Japan on message board-type social sites. I often see comments from people trying to brush up on their itineraries, or asking for advice because they are unsure of theirs. In the first place, independent travel is like painting a large picture of one's image on a large blank canvas. I find that even if I make a detailed plan before departure, there is no guarantee that it will go as planned, and in fact, it is a waste of time if it becomes a stressful and hectic pre-departure process. On the other hand, it is impossible to book hotels and transportation without an itinerary, especially if there is no itinerary. In this sense, itinerary preparation can be a pain for travelers.
Usually, my posts focus on providing tips or handy information about visiting Japan. From sightseeing recommendations to food and mountain travelogues, I try to cover as much ground as possible that is not covered in guidebooks or online articles. In this post, I would like to share my experience as an official tourist guide who prepares itineraries for each client, and how you can make this "itinerary preparation" process less stressful.
Your first decision
Preparing an itinerary is a process of repeatedly filtering the contradictory factors of what you want to visit and experience and how long you want to stay, and choosing between them based on another factor: budget. Let's say you are traveling from North America to Japan for ten days. Excluding the three days required for international travel, your stay in Japan would be for seven days. For a visit to Japan under these conditions, there are lots of things that you have to many decisions about, including the following.
Travel Period
Coordinate the itinerary with the accompanying persons.
Confirmation of flights according to the budget
Visa requirements.
Cities to visit in Japan
Will you visit only Tokyo, or will you include Kyoto and Osaka?
How do you travel between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka?
Will you visit Nikko and Mt. Fuji in the Tokyo metropolitan area?
What is the rank and type of hotel you will be staying at?
Can you use the points you have earned for hotels?
Places to visit in each city
How to use public transportation in large cities such as Tokyo.
Which attractions to visit?
Make a list of must-do meals.
List the experiences you must not miss.
Where and what to buy souvenirs.
Narrow down your decisions
There may be others, but when you start planning a trip, you have to balance the above factors with the cost and put them into your "itinerary". Perhaps Artificial Intelligence will be able to do all of these for us one day, but unfortunately, it is too early. So how do you simplify this process?
Determination of travel period.
Decide where to visit and how to allocate your time.
Make hotel reservations that fit your budget.
Listing of attractions with strict requirements such as:
Tour of the Sumo training.
Lottery to visit the Tuna Auction Deck at Toyosu Fish Market.
Reservations in advance for popular attractions (TeamLab, Shibuya Sky, etc.)
These should be decided six months in advance ideally, or three months at the latest. The price of round-trip airline tickets, in particular, increases as the departure date approaches. Hotels also must be booked as soon as you decide the dates. Hotels in Tokyo and Osaka are significantly more expensive than before the Corona due to the high demand, and the most popular properties will be gone quickly. For cherry blossom and autumn leaves seasons, you should plan much beforehand since it is also the busy season for the Japanese.
Dates to avoid travel
There are certain times of the year that you should avoid. Hotels, bullet trains and other things are very busy during these periods.
New Year: 12/29~1/3
Golden Week: 4/27~5/6(2024)
Summer Holiday: 8/10~8/18(2024)
Silver Week: 9/16~9/18, 9/23~9/25(2024)
To put your mind at ease
The key to preparing an itinerary is to finalise the essential items as soon as possible after you decide on the destination. Once the flights and hotels are confirmed, other items can be done later, and at that point, I think you will be very relieved. The hardest part of preparing an itinerary is deciding on the destination and making hotel reservations. Airfare and hotels are the most expensive items on an international trip. I usually take most of my time on choosing flights and hotels. You can relax a lot knowing that those have been secured. When you have more time, you can do other fluid parts bit by bit.
I once went to South Africa for ten days and booked my flights and hotel almost a year in advance because I had a relatively clear idea of when I would be able to take my vacation. In South Africa, the crowds calm down after the school holidays in January. There was also quite a choice of hotels in Cape Town and the Garden Route. The earlier you book flights and hotels, the cheaper and the more deals you will get. Choosing a hotel which you can cancel without any penalty at the last minute will give you peace of mind even though you may have to pay a bit more.
I have seen a lot of people having trouble choosing Mt Fuji or Nikko when they don't have enough time. Traveling by public transportation in Tokyo, it is natural to see people staring at Google Maps at train stations. To prepare a complete itinerary, it is necessary to get help from the locals. It is also possible to do it all yourself and to gather firsthand information by using online sites and other means. It is up to you, but the process of creating an itinerary is one of the most enjoyable parts of independent travel. It is a fascinating process to find the most suitable itinerary out of many options.
Tips
There are a few things that I have found in my time as a tour guide in Tokyo and elsewhere.
Allow plenty of time for the entire itinerary, and allow auxiliary days for longer itineraries so that you can make modifications along the way.
Avoid making plans that can't be changed unless you have unavoidable reasons.
Always be flexible and adaptable without being bound by an itinerary.
I believe that the best part of independent travel is that we can obtain more accurate information at each destination, and the shape of your trip changes as you proceed. What do you seek in travel? Encounters with the unknown? If it is unexpected, your travel may be more enjoyable. There might be a situation in which you do not know how to put together a trip. I think it is possible to ask the locals. If you have any concerns about your itinerary with your trip to Japan, please ask me by chat.
Preparing the itinerary is not a headache. I hope you will enjoy it as a great part of your traveling.