Japan is not a difficult country to visit. It is a difficult country to book, because the sequence matters and the things that sell out are not the ones most people plan around.
Book in this order
1. Accommodation. Months ahead for Kyoto, Hakone, Takayama and the Alps. Japanese lodging releases inventory early and the good ryokan fill first.
2. Timed-entry attractions. Ghibli Museum, teamLab, and any high-end restaurant.
3. Flights. Flexible until roughly two months out.
4. Trains. Last. Shinkansen seats are available days before departure and non-reserved cars exist on most services.
Most people do this backwards — trains first, lodging later — and end up in the wrong part of Kyoto.
The JR Pass question
The pass rose substantially in price and the old rule of thumb no longer holds. A Tokyo–Kyoto return alone does not cover a seven-day pass.
Price your actual route on a fare calculator before buying. And look at regional passes — Kansai, Hokuriku, JR West — which are considerably cheaper and often better matched to a realistic itinerary.
For a Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka trip, individual tickets usually win.
What genuinely sells out
| Thing | Lead time |
|---|---|
| Ghibli Museum | Fixed monthly sale, gone in minutes |
| Ryokan with private onsen | 2–4 months |
| teamLab (peak) | 2–4 weeks |
| Anything in blossom season | 6 months |
| Shinkansen seats | Days |
The Ghibli Museum sale runs on a fixed monthly schedule and tickets disappear within minutes. If it matters, put a reminder in your calendar.
The three periods to avoid
Golden Week, late April into early May — the entire country travels at once.
Obon, mid August — the same, plus heat and humidity that are genuinely oppressive.
New Year, late December into early January — much closes.
Cherry blossom (late March to mid April in Tokyo and Kyoto) and autumn colour (November) are worth the crowds and the doubled prices, if that is why you are going. Otherwise May, early June and October are the best value windows with good weather.
The route that works
For a first trip of ten to fourteen days: Tokyo, Hakone or the Alps, Kyoto, Osaka, with a day trip to Nara and one to Hiroshima and Miyajima.
Base in Kyoto and day-trip rather than moving hotels every night. Japanese trains make this easy and repacking every morning is what exhausts people.
Adding Hokkaido or Kyushu to a two-week first trip means spending the trip on trains.
Practical
IC card — Suica or Pasmo — for local transport and convenience stores everywhere.
Luggage forwarding (takkyubin) moves your suitcase between hotels overnight for around ¥2,000. It is cheap, reliable, and transforms travelling with luggage on trains. Almost no first-time visitor knows about it.
Cash still matters at small restaurants, shrines and rural stations. 7-Eleven ATMs take foreign cards.
Tattoos can bar entry at some onsen. Private-bath ryokan rooms solve it.