Best way to sightsee Japan

Where in Japan did you wish to tour? Special interests? How do you typically travel (if you travel) - tour or DIY or combination?

If comfortable with public transportation, schedules, self-booking, research, planning, etc, Japan is not hard to self tour. English is widely spoken in tourist destinations and transit stations.

Some aren’t comfortable with that and choose a group tour. There are also companies that will plan an individual itinerary with you and be “on call” in case of difficulty.

No one way is “best” for all.

Thank you for your reply. When I travel, I usually do a combination of both guided tours and some self driven tours. But Japan is the most adventurous country I’ve been in so I think I would like a lot of help when I’m there. I know Tokyo and Kyoto for sure, but not sure where else to go. We are interested in history, culture, nature, food, and having great experiences.

I lived in Japan from 2000 to 2004, so my knowledge is deep but dated. Have also been back a few times as a tourist. Intercity travel via high speed train (Shinkansen) is fast and easy. Because of that, you don’t necessarily need a full on guided tour. similarly, hotels are pretty easy to book. Often the hotel can recommend restaurants and make reservations.

There might be value in booking local tours at your main stops. I think they could provide cultural insight and help navigate local transportation. The local train/subway/bus system is well developed and can take you almost anywhere. It can be complicated to navigate until you get the hang of it.

Hope this helps, enjoy your trip.

Some additional comments:
Don’t drive! Use public transportation or taxi.

If you are going to Kyoto, we also loved Arashiyama. Also Nara Park ( in Nara City) is a great half day, excursion you will feel like you are in old Japan. In the past you could pick up a self guided walking map at the train station.

Himeji Castle was our favorite of the Japanese castles. If you go, there is an out of the way temple where the Last Samari was filmed

There are a number of recent posts on Japan. The search function isn't user friendly, but if you type in Japan, then select Travel Forum, then filter by 6 months or newer, you will get some hits. Examples:

Trip report - private tour planned with Inside Japan -
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/konnichiwa-and-arigato-japan

Day tours discussion
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/individual-day-tours-in-japan

Self-guided and guide book discussion
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/companies-for-self-guided-tours-in-japan

Long thread - good references, lots of discussion
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/japan-5af6c49f-5393-499f-b2aa-6cf6b4392ecb

There are lots more that might be even better and of interest to you. Might be a place to start. TripAdvisor is also very helpful for Japan - especially when hunting down details.

Thank you!

The “best” way is the way that appeals to you most. I recently traveled to Japan and traveled three different ways. Some independent days, a 7 day guided tour, and an 11 day cruise. All were great experiences and all have advantages and disadvantages.

I liked my independent days in Tokyo. I picked what I wanted to see and enjoyed the challenge of learning the public transportation system. Independent travel gives you complete freedom in your choices but also complete responsibility for all arrangements. Is that a challenge you enjoy or is it simply work you endure?

The tour was also nice. I learned a great deal from the guide, had transportation and lodging logistics completely taken care of, and hit the “typical tourist spots”. There was still enough free time for some of my own choices. As a solo traveler I enjoyed the company of the group. Are you social? Do you enjoy sharing new experiences with others? Is it okay to follow typical tourist venues?

The cruise was very enjoyable, but I would rank it as 3rd on my list of travel experiences in Japan. I only unpacked once which was a plus, but I noticed I was in a big tourist bubble. I enjoyed seeing much more of Japan geographically, but shore excursions were a bit of a disappointment and I didn’t feel as connected to the country as I did with independent travel or the tour group. My favorite days were when I explored ports independently.

You simply have to think about what you enjoy and how you like to travel. Japan will be a wonderful experience no matter how you go.

Don’t drive! Use public transportation or taxi.

Depends on many factors. I drive around Japan often. In fact, it's probably my favorite country in the world for a "road trip" - I've driven a LOT in Japan, and while the public transportation systems are indeed wonderful in many (most) parts of the country, renting a car and traveling around independently can be wonderful, too. Just like in Europe (and many places), if all you're going to do is hop from one large city center to another, then of course, Japanese trains are beyond marvelous - in fact, the best in the world. But if you want to get out to rural Japan, if you want to have the freedom to follow your own path, be spontaneous and to explore whims, having your own car can be great.

Yes, they do drive on the "wrong side" for most of us, and that initially does take a little getting used to (same as driving in the UK, Australia, etc.). After getting through the initial shock and terror of the first few minutes, I find it pretty easy to make the adjustment (same goes as for driving in the UK: it helps greatly to have a left-seat co-pilot helper to support the driver with navigation, spotting distances, and other tasks, including regularly reminding them to "drive on the left" especially after coming to an intersection and making a turn). I find I can relax and find my Japanese driving groove after a few minutes. Almost all signage is in both Japanese and English, plus pictograms.

Of course, I would certainly avoid driving in Tokyo and other huge cities (that's true anywhere in the world) but I would say that driving in large Japanese cities is surprisingly easy (in fact, easier than in big cities in other countries) because everyone (including drivers) tend to be so polite, everyone follows all the rules, and like almost everything else in Japanese society, "things just work" including driving, navigating, parking, etc. I have not driven in Tokyo but have driven through many medium- to large cities (Sapporo, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Fukuoka) and found them quite manageable. Parking can be "interesting" at times with all sorts of arrangements and contraptions they've worked out to manage things.

We have traveled to (and all around) Japan many times, always independently, and have generally found it just about as easy as going anyplace else, often much easier. If you can manage independent travel to Italy, you can do Japan on your own, too.

Here's where to find pretty much all you need: Japan-guide.com and it's excellent forum.

Japan is awesome, you will be gobsmacked. Have fun.

You may want to consider using a volunteer guide in some locations. This web site contains info on volunteers who want to do tours to meet people and maintain their language skills:
https://www.japan.travel/fr/plan/list-of-volunteer-guides/

Tipping is a no-no but I believe offering to take your guide to lunch or for coffee and picking up transport costs if you go on a bus or train ride with them is appropriate.

We tried to do this in Kochi but on short notice which did not work out as the volunteers were already committed. However, friends did this on a visit to Kyushu and it worked out great for them. They are in your age bracket as was their volunteer guide.

Though be careful - you might find the country captivating - we have and now go there twice a year since it has become our favorite travel destination.

Thank you so much

We did Japan 10 years ago and loved it. A very clean country with wonderful people that are friendly and helpful.

We booked a cruise from Tokyo Bay to Hong Kong that included four ports in Japan as well as Okinawa, Shanghai, and Taiwan, ending in Hong Kong.
It was a great cruise, but we also flew into Tokyo 8 days ahead of the cruise and visited Tokyo for a few days as well as taking a day trip to Nikko and another to Kamakurra. Also, we did a three day, two night tour to Kyoto and Nara that utilized the high speed train. It was great, we had a half day at Nara and two full days in Kyoto. There is so much to see in Kyoto, we didn't see it all, but did visit about 15 key sites.