Every guide tagged budget, for a trip to Japan.
The national pass is the famous one and it is frequently the wrong purchase. The regional passes are cheaper, narrower and better matched to how most people actually travel.
Probably the easiest country in the world to travel solo, and built for it in ways that are not accidental, because a great many Japanese people eat and travel alone too.
Why you never go hungry in Japan: what to buy at each of the three big chains, the onigiri and sandwiches worth knowing, the hot counter, and the ATMs that take foreign cards.
The pass got much more expensive and for many itineraries it no longer pays: how to do the arithmetic in ten minutes, which trips still justify it, and what to buy instead.
Japan or South Korea for your next trip? A fair comparison of culture, food, costs, transport, cities and nature, with a clear verdict for first-timers and every traveler type.
Why travel insurance matters for a Japan trip: high private medical costs for visitors, ski and Mount Fuji coverage, long-haul flight disruption, typhoon and earthquake interruption, and baggage.
Japan has a reputation for being expensive and is cheaper than most of western Europe for food and transport: where the money really goes, and where it does not.
Planning your first trip to Japan? Here is when to go, how the trains and IC cards work, whether the JR Pass is worth it, how much cash to carry, and the etiquette that keeps you out of trouble.