First-Timer Japan Trip Planning

Above, a rainy day at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Summer vacation is here and the kiddies are out of school.  Now you're planning your vacation.

Let's say the vacation choice is Japan.  But you've never been there before.  What are you going to do?

Here's an article (a rather helpful one at that) from Tofugu.com from last year, but the information it provides is still worth taking a look at.

They come to the nitty-gritty immediately:

A lot of people who are visiting Japan for the first time have no idea where to go. I understand! There’s a lot to see and do. While I personally tend to get off the beaten track, I do have a recommended “first-timers” trip for people who are heading to Japan for a week or two (which seems like the standard visit time for most people) and I’d like to share that with you. Of course, there are so many other things to see in Japan besides this particular trip itinerary, so don’t let this stop you from seeing other things. That being said, I hope this is helpful to those of you visiting Japan for the first time.

The tips they provide are broken down into different topics.  The topics include:

• The Route
• JR Pass
• Finding Places To Stay
• Packing

Then, the article goes into day-by-day itinerary planning on recommended places to go to and see. It also discusses shopping in Japan.

To view the full article, go here.

Of course, you'd want to bring literature including maps and travel guides (the Japan National Tourism Organization is a great source for free maps, brochures and travel guides). Fodor's and Lonely Planet are two great travel guides to obtain.  If you are an Auto Club member, they have Japan travel guides available as well.  

If you are a Japanese giant monster fan and want to see the locations and landmarks shown in the movies, you'd want to bring along The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan (of course).