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

Time Out OsakaKansai

New Ghibli exhibitions coming to Osaka and Kyoto later this year

September 24

Osaka will recreate a mini version of the Ghibli Park while Kyoto explores Ghibli themes through a Zen lens

Kyoto & Kansai Exhibitions & museums

Read at Time Out Osaka ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

New Ghibli exhibitions coming to Osaka and Kyoto later this year

Related

GoThe Kyoto Nintendo Museum: Everything You Need To Know Japan Cheapo

Kansai10 best ramen in Osaka every noodle lover should try Time Out Osaka

Kansai7 best coffee roasters in Osaka – with seating Time Out Osaka

KansaiTadao Ando’s Kansai in four buildings Time Out Osaka

KansaiThe best fireworks festivals in and near Osaka in 2026 Time Out Osaka

Kansai5 best Osaka spice curry restaurants in Osaka Time Out Osaka