Intro

Japan – 日本 or Nihon, with the first kanji literally meaning ‘sun’ and the second ‘origin’, which translates to the ‘Land of the rising sun’ as can be found in the English language – is a country in East Asia, made up of 6.852 islands – the main 4 being Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku.

Japan is known for many traditions and craftsmanship such as their Buddhist and Shinto rituals, tea ceremonies, hot springs, ryokan, pottery, taiko performances … too many to name in this small introduction!

We spent 2 weeks traveling Japan’s Honshu island together in 2023. However, for Florence this was already the second trip to the wonderful country of Japan, she visited once before in 2017.

Japan FAQs

Japan FAQ’s

There is no best time to visit Japan, since the country’s climate is so diverse. It all depends on where you go and what you prefer. For instance Hokkaido is great to visit in the summer months, however the rest of the country tends to get very hot and humid.

In a nutshell: End of March- early April is great for Sakura season. End of October – November for Momiji (Fall leaves). During the summer months there are festivals throughout Japan and you can climb Mount Fuji. So pick the season that best suits your itinerary.

Just maybe try to avoid Golden week (typically end of April-beginning of May) and Obon week (Mid-August), since most Japanese people travel during these holidays and a lot will be booked out. Also during New Year, a lot will be closed.

The currency used in Japan is the Japanese Yen (¥‎).

The power plug sockets used are Type A and B. Typically the voltage is 100 V.

In most big cities you will get by pretty easily on English. However, in more rural places you might need to communicate using your hands and feet if you don’t know any Japanese.

Travel Planning Guides

Japanese City Itineraries

Day Trips


THE MIGRATORY BIRDS

We are Florence and Andy, the faces behind The Migratory Birds!

On this blog we share our experiences, but also focus a lot on travel planning as well as destination guides. With our posts, we aim to give you inspiration for your own travels and provide the tools you need to plan your own trips.

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