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

Deep JapanGo

Part 3 of our 10-day Japan road trip: From samurai history to underground wonders

August 14

After a comfortable night parked beside the Sea of Japan at Hagi Seaside Michi-no-Eki, we woke up to calm waters and fresh sea air.

Trains & routes Visit Yamaguchi Prefecture Beach Countryside

Read at Deep Japan ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Part 3 of our 10-day Japan road trip: From samurai history to underground wonders

Related

Go10-Day Japan Itinerary: Walking the Nakasendō and Kumano Kodō Japan Cheapo

OfficialNotice of SAPPORO NIGHT BUS Service Sapporo Chuo

GoTokyu Launches “Green Lifestyle Train” to Promote Yokohama Garden Expo Japan Station

GoKyoto to Tokyo: The Fastest and Cheapest Ways to Get There in 2026 Japan Cheapo

GoKyoto’s Eizan Railway Debuts Beautiful Souvenir Train Magnets Japan Station

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