Going Traveling

Twelve days, three bases, no backtracking. Tokyo for the city and the gaming, Hakone to stop moving, Kyoto for the history and the evenings. Every place named in the plan links through to its own detail — what it costs, how long it takes, how to get there, and what is worth doing next door.

Three bases, four intercity moves, nothing repeated. Tap a stop to jump to that part of the plan.

Four decisions the whole itinerary rests on. Knowing them makes the rest of the app read as a set of choices rather than a list.

One booking constrains everything else, so it goes first — including before flights.

Tap a day to open it. Underlined places open their full detail — hours, cost, getting there, what to watch out for, and what else is nearby.

Everything in the template, plus the worthwhile things next door to it. Core is in the plan already; Nearby is close to somewhere you are already going; Optional involves a real trade-off, and the entry says what it is.

Pick what you need to avoid. Everything below — the formats worth ordering, the places it hides, the questions that resolve it and the card you hand over — is written from your selection. Nothing here assumes anyone else’s diet.

The screening questions, the venues that publish an allergen policy, and what a good answer looks like, all live together on the next tab.

Japan has categories of accommodation with no equivalent at home, and choosing the wrong kind costs more than choosing the wrong property. The number that matters most: a ryokan is priced per person and includes two meals, so its headline rate is not comparable to a hotel room at all.

Three honest tiers per stop, with real properties named. These are search links rather than booking links on purpose — rates and availability change constantly, so confirm the room before you pay for it.

The things that catch people out, in the order they catch them.

Pick a travel style and a party size and the whole table follows. Everything bought in Japan is held in yen and converted at the rate you set, so the total moves with the exchange rate the way your actual money will. Adjust any single line afterwards — it all saves in this browser.

The same total, by share. Two lines dominate every trip to Japan, and neither of them is the one people worry about.

Thrift on the small things is nearly pointless here. These are the decisions that actually move the number.

Nothing here is vetted. Every entry is a candidate worth sending the written questions to, and the reason it is worth the effort — the confirmation still has to come back from the kitchen, in writing, before anyone books.

Choose the shape of the meal first. These are the Japanese formats where an excellent dish fits almost as written — not compromises, but some of the best food in the country.

Screened at the venue first, then judged on which dishes actually work. Set each one's status as you hear back — it saves in this browser.

With the reason, so nobody researches them again in six weeks.

Send this in English and in professionally translated Japanese, before reserving anything.

Judge the reply against these before booking. A restaurant that clears the left column is conditionally approved against the date of its answer — never "safe".

Most meals are cooked, not booked. These are the shops that make that possible.

Everything the itinerary assumes but never says: what gets stopped at the border, what moves you between cities, what you pay with, and what you do if something goes wrong.

Test everything at home. Nothing gets introduced for the first time in Japan.

Ordered by deadline rather than by category, because what ruins a trip is never the forgotten task — it is the right task done in the wrong month. A passport renewal at six weeks is routine; at six days it is a different trip.

No socks-and-underwear list. Everything here is either something the country will expect of you, or something that is genuinely hard to buy once you land.