How the heck did Jasmine end up for three weeks in Japan?

It all started in the fall of 2023. My friend Amber (who moved to Tokyo for work) sent me a postcard from her New Zealand vacation. Gorgeous scenery, the whole works. On the back she scribbled: “Hope we could catch up in person soon!” (Amber, if you’re reading this – thanks a million for the invite and putting me up!)

The Spark

That little note got me thinking… why the heck not? Japan has been my obsession since I was a kid glued to the TV watching the Shōgun miniseries. The culture, the food, the language, the whole vibe – it’s been on my bucket list forever.

I nearly made it there in 2022 for the GD conference, but my company opted out because of those strict entry restrictions. And let’s be real – I never had the cash or vacation days for a purely fun trip.

But then I realized my big 5-0 was coming up in March 2024. Did I want to celebrate turning half a century in dreary Germany? Hard pass! I had some money saved up, the yen was (and still is) pretty weak, and I was dying to see my friend after years of just video calls and texts.

So I thought, screw it – let’s finally make this happen!

Planning Mode: Activated!

Time to get down to business! I needed to figure out how to make this trip work for both me and Jasmine. The timing puzzle solved itself pretty quickly – I wanted to escape my birthday celebrations in Germany, catch those famous cherry blossoms, but still make it back for a friend’s wedding in early April. Since I was dropping serious cash on flights and wasn’t sure when I’d get another shot at Japan, I decided three weeks was the minimum stay worth doing.

After juggling some options, I landed on March 5th to 26th. The journey? A 15-hour marathon going out (Stuttgart-Frankfurt-Haneda) and an even longer 18-hour haul coming back (Haneda-Munich-Stuttgart), flying with Lufthansa and All Nippon Airways.

I ended up splurging a bit on the ticket – about 1300 euros for economy plus. Sure, I could’ve found cheaper options, but I wanted that sweet, sweet cancellation flexibility (because, you know, life happens). The bonus? Two checked bags included in the price tag. Worth every euro for someone who can never decide what to pack and was also planning to buy as many omiyage as possible.

Mapping Out My Japan Adventure

What else to add… Something up north? West coast maybe? Oh wait – CATS! I needed to see cats! The famous Aoshima cat island seemed like a hassle to reach and didn’t really grab me. But there was Tashirojima in the north, with Sendai nearby which had tons to offer. Plus the Zao fox village was in the area. Foxes! I mean, come on! O! M! G!

In the end, I also squeezed in Hiroshima on my way from Tokyo to Kyushu and added Kanazawa on the west coast.

Quick shoutout – the Wanderweib website was my absolute lifesaver during planning and the actual trip. If you’re a German heading to Japan, bookmark it immediately. You’ll thank me later!

Practical considerations

Staying connected…

Let me tell you, staying connected while adventuring through Japan was high on my priority list! With my embarrassingly bad Japanese skills, both Google Maps and Google Translate weren’t just nice-to-haves—they were my lifelines for basic survival.

After my last Asia trip (China 2015), I was totally convinced Japan would be this digital wonderland with cheap, abundant internet everywhere. Boy, was I wrong!

The mobile router options were way too pricey, and my smartphone doesn’t support those fancy e-SIMs everyone’s using these days. I ended up grabbing a SIM card from Japan Experience instead. For 37 EUR covering 31 days with about 2 GB of data daily (give or take), it seemed like a pretty sweet deal. The shipping was lightning fast too.

Here’s the catch though—you activate the card once you land in Japan, and it’s data-only. So if you want people to actually reach you by phone, you’ll still need your regular SIM. Thankfully, my phone has dual SIM slots, which meant I could’ve installed everything back home in Germany. In hindsight, that would’ve been WAY smarter than trying to fiddle with that tiny, fragile SIM tray mid-flight while hitting turbulence! Trust me, nothing tests your fine motor skills quite like SIM card installation at 35,000 feet during a bumpy ride! 😅

Japan Rail Pass?

Let’s talk about getting around Japan. I was absolutely dying to experience those legendary bullet trains (Shinkansen)! And looking at my ambitious travel route with several long-distance jumps, it was pretty obvious I’d need some serious train action. These journeys only made sense via express train – or flying, which I wanted to avoid like a middle seat on a 12-hour flight.

So what’s a budget-conscious traveler to do? Those fancy trains aren’t exactly pocket change, and I wasn’t thrilled about the hassle of booking each connection separately. Plus, I really wanted to keep my options open for spontaneous detours (because let’s be real, some of the best travel moments happen when you ditch the plan!).

Enter the Japan Rail Pass – basically Japan’s version of Interrail. You get access to the entire JR network for 7, 14, or 21 days. Sweet deal, right? Well, almost. There are a few catches: it won’t work on subways or non-JR lines, and you’ll still need to cough up extra cash for those ultra-speedy Nozomi express trains.

But honestly? Everything else is covered, including those all-important seat reservations. Trust me, you’ll want those reservations on most Shinkansen – nothing ruins the bullet train experience quite like standing for three hours while trying to balance your bento box in one hand and camera in the other! I’d 100% recommend securing your seat ahead of time.

Is it worth it?

Okay, let’s talk money! There are these regional train passes too, and the JR West All Area Pass could’ve definitely been a solid alternative for at least part of my journey. This is especially true since the JR Pass has gotten quite pricey lately – we’re talking 80,000 yen for the 14-day pass (that’s roughly 490-520 EUR depending on the exchange rate).

The JR West Pass is more budget-friendly, but there are limitations. It’s restricted in time and obviously only covers a specific region. Plus, when I was trying to book it, availability was incredibly scarce!

Thank goodness for Wanderweib’s website (have I already mentioned how helpful their site is? Well, it’s worth repeating). They’ve got this super handy calculator that helps you figure out if splurging on the pass makes financial sense for your specific itinerary. Just plug in your planned routes, and boom – instant answer to whether you should shell out for that pass or not.

Spending 10 minutes to do these calculations before making your purchase can save you from unnecessary expenses that could otherwise go toward enjoying more of Japan’s amazing food and experiences!

Gotcha!

For me, the calculation ended up being about even. So I went ahead and got the pass, ordering it from Japan Experience as well. With insurance and a neat little booklet to store all my ticket stubs (I’m a sucker for travel mementos!), it came to 527 EUR.

To be completely honest, there’s definitely that temptation to take extra train journeys just to “get your money’s worth” from such a significant investment. But for me, flexibility was the deciding factor. Case in point: that magical day when I woke up, checked the weather, and thought “You know what? Today feels like a perfect day to see Himeji Castle!” One quick trip to the station later, and I was on my way—something that would have been much more complicated without the pass.

The voucher arrived within days after ordering. You exchange this for the actual pass once you’re in Japan. Needless to say, I guarded that voucher like it was the most precious thing I owned—it practically never left my sight during the entire flight!

Accommodation

Next on my travel checklist: finding places to sleep! I decided to trust Booking.com for this adventure, even though it leans heavily toward hotels. While I’m not typically a hotel enthusiast, I discovered that even budget-friendly hotels in Japan are impressively clean and well-maintained—though be prepared for rooms that could make a shoebox look spacious! I was also determined to experience both a traditional Ryokan and a futuristic capsule hotel at least once during my trip.

Flexible cancellation policies were non-negotiable for me. Since part of my journey would coincide with the magical cherry blossom season, I wanted to secure these bookings early. I wasn’t sure if Amber would join me for a portion of the trip, so I planned everything for two people. The price difference between single and double rooms was surprisingly minimal anyway when considering the overall trip budget.

Planning this itinerary turned into quite the puzzle! I needed to ensure I could make the most of each location, all while working around Japan’s train schedules (which tend to start running later in the morning than you might expect). The whole process was like solving a complex logic problem with cherry blossoms, train timetables, and hotel availability as the variables.

After about two weeks of planning gymnastics, I finally had everything pieced together. All accommodations booked. Deep breath. Relief washing over me…

Then came a text message from Amber: “Oh, my parents are coming at the same time you’re here and would have to stay with me. Can you plan somehow differently, especially do the round trip a little later?”

Yeeeeees… of course! Just when I thought I was done! But I managed to make it work; my dream accommodation in Yufuin (which I had specifically chosen because they have a resident cat—priorities, right?) was still available on alternative dates, allowing me to shift the entire round trip by 5 days.

Relax (don’t do it)

With the revised itinerary settled, I could finally relax and count down to departure day. Well, “relax” might be stretching it—there were still countless little tasks to tackle: submitting vacation requests at work, buying a suitcase that wouldn’t fall apart mid-journey, assembling a wardrobe suitable for Japan’s spring weather, and that heart-stopping moment of “Wait… is my passport still valid?”

Mia would be moving back in with Keiko, Vincent, and Emi while I was away, and I had thoughtfully planned a few vacation days before and after my trip to ease the transition. Despite the last-minute juggling act, everything was falling into place. I could barely contain my excitement as departure day approached—Japan, I was finally on my way!