July 26, 2019

Planning a trip to Japan is a million times easier with a solid Japan travel guide—but finding the best Japan travel guide to fit your interests and priorities can seem like Mission Impossible. To help you choose the ideal Japan travel guide, we’re laying out the pros and cons of each option, including guidebooks, DIY travel guides, and travel agents. Weigh the pros and cons, then get started planning your Japan itinerary with your travel guide of choice. 

To go beyond the guidebooks, connect with Project Expedition. We'll design a custom itinerary based on your interests and travel style, which means you’ll see Japan YOUR way—with their advice. Why see Japan like a tourist when you could see it like a local?

Option 1: Guidebooks

Guidebooks are available at most bookstores and libraries, and they’re published by major travel companies that know their stuff. To help you plan a trip to Japan with ease, they explain the country’s highlights in a way that’s easy to understand—plus, they often contain fold-out maps, and keep all your Japan travel tips in one handy little book. 

If you want to create an original itinerary, guidebooks won’t be much help—they feature the same places to go in Japan that everybody and their grandmas visit over and over and over. Heads up: that’s a recipe for tourist traps. Guidebooks also are outdated the second they’re published, and you’re expected to pay much more for the latest versions. If you hit up the same things to do in Tokyo as everyone else, that’s not much of an authentic experience. 

Option 2: DIY— Travel blogs

The internet is a wonderful place—use any search engine, and you’ll come across a virtual treasure chest of DIY Japan travel guides. Ranging from travel blogs to Project Expedition, there are plenty of resources that can help you build a DIY Japan itinerary. If you’re acting as your own Japan travel guide, you can cut down on expenses and plan a trip to Japan that suits your interests.

Being your own travel guide might sound ideal in theory, but it often ends up being just plain stressful in the long run. When it comes to internet reviews, blogs, or even Reddit, finding travel tips from reliable sources can be time-consuming, especially as you weed out real travel experiences from the paid reviews or personal problems. In fact, the average time it takes to plan your own trip is a whopping 23 hours—yikes. 

Option 3: Travel agents

Japan travel agents tend to be well-connected to airlines, tour groups, and hotels, so they can get you some solid discounts. People sometimes choose to work with travel agents for the assurance they provide—for example, if you’re going to Japan for the first time or traveling solo, travel agents are available for questions during the planning process to make sure everything goes smoothly.