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

The deer that bow and the bears that don’t

August 28

Shokai — An introduction, in Nara Park One fall in Nara’s famous deer park, I was surprised I could get this close to a wild stag.

Kyoto & Kansai Hiking, islands & nature Culture Nara Prefecture Community Countryside

Read at Deep Japan ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

The deer that bow and the bears that don’t

Related

GoMt. Ikoma: My pizza craving turned mountain hike Deep Japan

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

GoWhere to See Geisha Beyond Kyoto: 5 Regional Performances Japan Cheapo

KansaiEhon Bar Gabu: Picture Book Bar in Ame-Mura, Osaka Osaka.com

KansaiExpo Contractor Arrested: This Week in Osaka August 15th to 22nd Osaka.com

EatMugito Mensuke: Revenge Ramen in Osaka 5AM Ramen