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

Nippon.comGo

Halting the Yen’s Long Decline: Three Conditions for a Rebound

September 19

Autumn 2026 has shown the first signs of a shift in more than four years of a weakening of the yen’s value.

Cheap & practical

Read at Nippon.com ↗

Official【必見】じゃらんステージプログラムとは？特典やスコアの仕組みを理解してお得に旅をしよう♪ Jalan Net News

TokyoFree Support for Foreign Residents in Tokyo: Meet the Help Desk Solving Your Biggest Headaches Metropolis Japan

GoWhat's the difference between Japanese hot springs, public baths, and baths? We'll explain how to use them and the proper etiquette in an easy-to-understand way. MATCHA

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Halting the Yen’s Long Decline: Three Conditions for a Rebound

Related

Official【必見】じゃらんステージプログラムとは？特典やスコアの仕組みを理解してお得に旅をしよう♪ Jalan Net News

TokyoFree Support for Foreign Residents in Tokyo: Meet the Help Desk Solving Your Biggest Headaches Metropolis Japan

GoWhat's the difference between Japanese hot springs, public baths, and baths? We'll explain how to use them and the proper etiquette in an easy-to-understand way. MATCHA

TokyoJR’s Autumn Unlimited Ride Pass Returns: 3 Days of Trains for ¥7,850 Tokyo Cheapo

Official出雲大社の参拝ガイド！御朱印やお守り、周辺の食べ歩きグルメも紹介＜島根・2026＞ Jalan Net News

TokyoThe Survival Guide to Ueno Station Tokyo Cheapo