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

Tokyo CheapoTokyo

Tokyo Events This Week: Asakusa Bon Dance, China Festival, and Tokyo Handmade Marche

August 30

Tokyo events for Monday, August 31, to Sunday, September 6, 2026. Festivals of all shapes and sizes are on the cards this week, from traditional dance and portable shrines to art and Chinese street…

Festivals & matsuri Tokyo neighbourhoods Events Things to do in Tokyo things to do this week

Read at Tokyo Cheapo ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Tokyo Events This Week: Asakusa Bon Dance, China Festival, and Tokyo Handmade Marche

Related

GoSplashes and smiles at the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival Deep Japan

GoTeam Picks: Our Favorite Events in Japan Japan Cheapo

GoBloomin’ Brilliant Fireworks Across Japan Japan Cheapo

WestToo Hot for Fireworks: Hiroshima Festival to Moves to Autumn GetHiroshima

EatGion Duck Noodles Asakusa - Kyoto's Duck Ramen Comes to Tokyo 5AM Ramen

GoAugust 2026: Top Events in Japan Japan Cheapo