Travel Resources
There are countless resources out there, but here are the tools I’ve personally used to travel in Japan and some tips for using them effectively
Searching for your route options
It is only available in Japanese, but I’ve found this website useful in finding buses and local train routes and times that are less likely to appear on Google maps. You can choose what type of transportation you want to use, and then sort the results by cheapest, fastest, or fewest transfers. If you type the station names in the Roman alphabet, it will automatically convert them to kanji when it searches, which is helpful if you can’t type in Japanese. It also gives the price for you to compare different options, and the price of different legs of your route, at least if your transportation method changes, like from bus to train. I’ve mostly used the website on my phone, and it works well. I assume the app would be more user-friendly, but you need the Japanese app store to download it.
This route-finder is very similar to Yahoo Transit, but I think the website looks a bit less cluttered on my phone than Yahoo. It might just be the darker theme of the site, but I like the look. The options are also a bit different. Rather than picking your method of transportation, you can narrow the search down to specifics you want or don’t want in your search, such as airlines, buses, reserved seat tickets, I.C. card, and such. Like Yahoo Transit, it is also only available in Japanese. However, you can type the station names using the Roman alphabet, and it brings up the kanji names in a drop-down recommendation menu for you to choose from.
My go-to app when planning transportation. Not only do I use it frequently when driving to unfamiliar places, but I also use it when planning public transportation and walking distances. I go here first, and if I’m not satisfied with the transportation options, I check Yahoo Transit or Jorudan. The downside is that in the countryside, bus routes may not even appear on it, and the default is for it to find the quickest route, which is not always what you want. I assumed there was not a bus that went between Hachinohe and Sendai because it did not appear on Google Maps. But surprise! There is a bus that goes there when you search with the Japanese sites. I also wondered if it was possible to travel on local trains from Aomori to Tokyo because Google Maps only gave me the Shinkansen. Yes, you can. And these things do appear of Google Maps if you search right. After over a year of traveling in Japan, I only recently discovered how to do this
Technology changes all the time, but as of April 2019, on the Google Maps app, go to the OPTIONS tab in the upper right side, and select only bus or local train (depending on which you want to use). In the search between Hachinohe and Sendai, the Shinkansen still pops up (especially if you leave the “best route” option checked), but it actually shows you other options that don’t show up if you use the default search. You can also select “lowest cost” to make the first result the cheapest. Also try finding small chunks of your route at a time if you want local bus and train options. I find Google Maps generally easy to use, so just play around with the search functions and get comfortable using it. Also, keep in mind there may be better options out there that are just not showing up if you don’t see what you want. Compared to my hometown, Japan has amazing public transportation. Always consider there may be a bus going to where you want to go even if it doesn’t show up on the maps.
Transportation Methods
Willer Express is used for booking long-distance buses in Japan. The site is all in English, and it is easy to use. I recommend the night buses if you can sleep on a bus and want to save in both transportation and lodging costs. The prices change depending on the days you book. For example weekends and popular travel times usually cost more, but usually it is the cheapest deal and most reliable method for long distance.
Domestic Airlines: JAL, ANA, Skymark, and Peach
Japan has quite a few domestic airlines, with stops at different airports and quite different price ranges and luggage restrictions. All the ones I’ve used have English websites, which make it easy to search and book flights
JAL tends to be more on the pricier side, but their service is fantastic.
ANA can be expensive or cheap. Sometimes I find super cheap flights that surprise me. They also reimbursed me in cash to use the Shinkansen to travel back to Aomori from Sendai when my flight from Kumamoto Aso to Aomori Airport was cancelled because of snow. What I learned from that experience is if you realize your flight is cancelled, talk to the staff and figure out your options. They are usually very helpful.
I have only used Skymark once, but they usually have good prices depending on what airports you plan to fly between.
Peach is definitely the cheapest if you buy when they have a sale, and they also have options depending on if you want to bring luggage or not, which changes the price a lot. The second time I used them, I realized I would not make it to the airport in time before the boarding closed for my return flight. So about 30 minutes before my flight took off, I was able to change the departure to the following day online for only 2500 yen. My flight itself was only about 8000 yen for the round trip.
Although I only ever book directly from airlines, KAYAK is my most-used flight comparison tool. I have never booked a flight through them. When choosing my transportation method, I usually search on KAYAK first, then, link to the airline itself to reserve my flight if the option is available. You can search with flexible dates and locations, which is nice if you are just starting to plan a trip and want to see your options.
Train ticket offices
Don’t underestimate just asking the train ticket office what the best ticket is to get to your destination. You can buy the Seishun 18 Ticket (which I explain more about on the blog), and many other discount tickets directly from the station office. I’ve had times when I wanted to buy a ticket for a one-way, long distance trip (for example, between Kagoshima and Kumamoto on the Orange Railway), and the station officer convinced me to buy an all-day pass because it ended up cheaper. Then I could also get off and explore at any station I wanted. Always consider the all-day passes if you want an adventure.
I’m always discovering different and fun ways to travel around Japan. Tell me about your favorite ways to travel in the form below.
Also check out Picture in Every Prefecture for inspiration of where you can go on your travels in Japan.
If you have any other recommendations or comments, feel free to contact me with the form below: