Hi everyone,

I’m traveling to Japan for the first time and would love some help crafting our itinerary, especially with how to get to each destination, the cheapest ways to travel between them, and advice on how many days to spend in each place.

Here’s what we’re thinking so far:

• 4-5 nights in Tokyo
• 3 nights in Osaka and Kyoto (combined)
• Sapporo Snow Festival in February
• Skiing for a few nights (undecided between Hakuba or Hokkaido)

Would love your input on:

• Which ski location makes the most sense given our plan—Hakuba vs. skiing in Hokkaido?
• How to get between these destinations most efficiently and cost-effectively?
• Is there anything worth cutting or adding to our itinerary?
• Are there any festivals or events worth seeing during this time?
• Does the route make sense: Aus > Tokyo > Sapporo > Hokkaido ski > Kyoto > Osaka > Aus? Or should we rearrange for better efficiency?

We’re aiming for around 16 days in total and are open to any tips or suggestions!

Thanks so much for your help!

I strongly recommend that you consult japan-guide.com -- you'll find answers to most of your questions there. It's a truly remarkable resource!

Until you've done some more research, I'll simply note that your time in Kyoto seems very short for a first time visit. But maybe traditional Japan is not of particular interest to you?

You have, what, 15 nights and you mentioned 8, so you would be skiing for a week?

You can easilly get to Hokkaido ski resorts from Sappor (by bus, I think). Hakuba is not on your route and your travel costs would be higher. But maybe fly Tokyo to Sapporo to Toyama and then train to Hakuba could be economical (this would skip Osaka and Kyoto).

When you look for fares to Sapporo use TYO for Tokyo and OSA for Osaka. Look for fares at Google Flights as that shows some of the low cost carriers, maybe not all. You can probably find an LCC that beats the JAL fares that I mentioned here: Japan domestic flights - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (fodors.com)

Travel between Osaka and Kyoto is inexpensive by train but there might be bus travel. Highway bus between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka might be cheapest way.

Friends and relatives who ski and snowboard rave about Niseko. Popular with Aussies too so lots of info should be available.