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

Japan CheapoGo

The Best Places To Buy Matcha Powder in Kyoto

June 11

Drinking matcha — powdered green tea — is a long-cherished Japanese tradition, and one that’s become popular internationally. But nowhere in the world can you find as much matcha as Kyoto.

Sweets & wagashi Kyoto & Kansai Food and Drink Shopping featured featured-kyoto

Read at Japan Cheapo ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

The Best Places To Buy Matcha Powder in Kyoto

Related

GoGetting From Kansai International Airport to Osaka Japan Cheapo

GoBest Fireworks Festivals in Kansai 2026 Japan Cheapo

GoHotel Metropolitan The Base Sendai to Open by Sendai Station Japan Station

Eatパン粉いらず「冷めてもおいしいふわふわハンバーグ」レシピ。じゃがいも使いがポイント！ macaroni

KansaiCURATION⇄FAIR Kyoto 2025- Art, Craft, and Culture (Free Tickets for Kyoto Journal Readers) Kyoto Journal

Eatレンジでふわふわ「だし巻きサンド」レシピ。火もフライパンも使わない！ macaroni