Everything you need before you book.
We planned this whole trip ourselves: no agent, no package, no tour bus. These are the guides we wish we'd had, on getting there, getting around, eating, sleeping and budgeting, all written by a family of four who actually did it.
We don't hand our holidays to a tour company. We pick the cities, book our own trains and hotels, and work out the day-to-day as we go. Japan makes that genuinely easy, even with two kids in tow, and it keeps the trip flexible when little legs need a slower morning.
The guides below are roughly the order we'd tackle them in. Start anywhere. But if you only do one thing first, read Getting to Japan. Flights and arrival shape everything else, and they're the decisions that are hardest to change later.
The guides we’d read first.
- 01 Read the guide →
Two Weeks in Japan: The Full Route
The fourteen day itinerary we actually walked, day by day, why the route runs in that order and what we would change.
- 02 Read the guide →
Getting to Japan with Kids
Long-haul flights, what to pack in hand luggage, and how to survive the journey out.
- 03 Read the guide →
Getting Around Japan
Bullet trains, IC cards, buses and taxis, and navigating the big stations as a family.
- 04 Read the guide →
Eating in Japan with Kids
Why even picky eaters thrive, from ramen and conveyor sushi to konbini snacks and street food.
- 05 Read the guide →
Where to Stay with a Family
Hotels vs ryokans vs apartments, what works for kids, and what we actually booked.
- 06 Read the guide →
What a Japan Trip Really Costs
What a Japan trip realistically costs for a family of four, with tips to cut it significantly.
- 07 Read the guide →
Money in Japan
Cash vs cards, which ATMs work, IC cards as pocket money, getting yen and tax-free shopping.
- 08 Read the guide →
Travel Insurance for Japan
Why skiing and typhoons are usually paid add-ons, how excesses stack for a family, and what to buy from Australia, the US, UK, Canada, NZ or Singapore.
- 09 Read the guide →
Money Before You Go
The jobs with a deadline: card and PIN checks, insurance timing, an eSIM your bank can reach you on, and the Japan costs that changed in 2026.
Before the logistics, pick the places.
Everything else follows from where you're going. Our destination guides cover the cities we actually took the boys to, with the stops that worked, the ones we'd skip, and how long to give each.
Plan it the way we would.
We planned this trip ourselves, paid for it ourselves, and wrote down what worked and what did not. All of it is on the site, free, with nothing to sign up for.
- Where to go, and how long to give each place
- What to book ahead, and what to skip
- Getting around with kids, without the guesswork
- What it actually cost us
The planning guides
Flights, trains, money, food, insurance and where to stay. Written after the trip, not before it.
Read the guides → Browse destinations