Destination Guides
Okinawa: Islands, Reefs and a Different Japan
A separate kingdom until 1879, with its own language, food and architecture, and 160 islands strung out over a thousand kilometres. The…
Travel style: Family
Destination Guides
Hokkaido Through the Seasons: Snow, Flowers and Seafood
Japan's north island is the size of Austria with a fifth of the people. Four completely different trips depending on the month…
Plan Your Trip
Accessible Japan: Travelling with Limited Mobility, a Buggy or Big Luggage
Japan is better than almost anywhere for step-free rail travel and worse than you would expect at the last hundred metres. What…
Plan Your Trip
Where to Stay in Japan: Hotel, Ryokan, Business Hotel or Minpaku
Six kinds of Japanese accommodation, what each actually costs, and why the cheapest chain hotels are better than the international brands at…
Getting Around
Luggage in Japan: Coin Lockers, Takkyubin and Oversized Baggage Rules
Japanese trains were not built for suitcases, so Japan moves the suitcase separately. How luggage forwarding works, what the 160cm rule means,…
Getting Around
Renting a Car in Japan: Licence, Tolls, ETC and Parking
The permit you must get before leaving home, why an ETC card matters more than the car, and the parts of Japan…