6 WEBSITES / VLOGS THAT WILL HELP YOU PLAN YOUR TRIP TO JAPAN

When planning a trip I like to read a lot about the country that I’m about to visit, not only to get the best hotels deals or take note of the recommended restaurants, but to really get in the mood and discover the “secrets”, the everyday life behaviour and local tips.

This 6 sites helped me to get tons of Japan info, so I recommend you use them to plan your own trip.

1) Japan Travel and Living Guide (japan-guide.com)

They claim their goal is to deliver comprehensive, up-to-date information on traveling in Japan. And they really succeed.

This website contains every detail about Japan needed while planning your trip, plus it will also help you once you’re there. Some of the things that are really useful are:

Reviews about each district, town, city and region with must-see sites you can’t miss during your travel.
Timetables and options for activities around the country like shopping, restaurants, temples, museums, castles, onsen and others, including descriptions, opinions and how to get there.
Most effective way of moving around from one place to another, with multiple alternatives depending on where do you want to leave from, ownage of a JR Pass, available times, etc.
Itineraries for each place you want to visit.
Hotel recommendations.
Articles about a certain festivity or novelty.
Forum.

japan-guide — Japan-Guide: Plan your trip

2) Japonismo

For all of you Spanish speakers out there this will be your salvation when despair begins to creep up on you while planning you trip (spoken from experience).

Laura and Luis, a Spanish couple expert in the language and culture, share their own experiences during multiple travels across Japan accompanied by their small son. Apart from the thorough description of hundred of locations, they have really high quality photos and general content. I encourage you to follow their advice on restaurants and itineraries, plus they have discount deals with JR Pass, portable WiFi, activities and hotels.

3) Abroad in Japan

Do you enjoy acid jokes and sarcastic humor? Then you’ll love this channel.

Chris Broad is an English guy who lives in Japan since 2012. His videos are filled with narratives about various Japan topics told from his point of view: what to expect from _______ (fill in the blank with any subject concerning life in Japan), reviews about every sort of delicious foods, and lately about him exploring not-so-well-known parts of Japan.

If you want to have a good laugh and at the same time picture how life in Japan is for a foreigner who loves the country, watch Chris.

Abroad in Japan — YouTube channel, Chris Broad

4) Rachel and Jun

Rachel is American, Jun is Japanese. They are married. Thus begins a vlog that describes life in Japan from a foreigner point of view, but also from the point of view of a Japanese perceiving the foreign world. Their videos are really cute and funny, and very much about the everyday life and the difference between cultures.

They also have a few itineraries around Japan that may help you.

5) Simon and Martina

A Canadian married couple that used to live in Korea, now living in Japan. It is impossible not to laugh with the sketches they create, plus their videos are really informative. They have one of the best reviews of a sushi restaurant I’ve ever seen (Sushi Saito).

6) Duolingo

What better way to prove you are totally submerged in you trip than learning the language?

I’ll tell you right now, learning Japanese is HARD WORK! I downloaded Duolingo’s App to my phone and that gave me the chance to review a little lesson every free time I had along the day. Not only will it teach you basic conversation, but you’ll learn how to read Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji, which comes in really handy when you need to decipher what the heck all the signs around you say.