Its a really rainy day here in Melbourne and I am going to spend the day planning out my trip to Japan in October.
I booked my tickets last night.. whoooo. Going on Japan Airlines. It is a 10 hour direct flight from Melbourne. Economy on the way up and Premium Economy on the way back as it is an overnight flight and at 64 and 71 we need to be a bit more comfortable.
Never flown Japan airlines. the PE was a bit of a splurge.

I was hoping for some help.
We have 13 nights in Total.
Hoping to do Tokyo (5), Kyoto(5) and Hiroshima (2) and then back to Tokyo for last night (1)
or would it be better to do
Tokyo (6), Kyoto (5) and Hiroshima (2), and then take the train the last day back to Tokyo and then on to the airport.

Planning to do day trips from Tokyo: Mt Fuji and Nikko or Kamakura. Day trip to Nara from Kyoto and maybe day trip to Osaka from Kyoto.
As it is our first time and we have limited time I thought that sticking to these 3 cities would be best with day trips the best option.

any advice would be appreciated. pretty excited to be going.

it depends on the time of your flight., but trains in Japan are so reliable that I wouldn't split your time in Tokyo unless you have other reasons to do so.

If you haven't already done so, spend PLENTY of time with japan-guide.com -- the single best resource about travel in Japan around.

Japan is fascinating -- enjoy!

thanks Kja.. I dont want to split the time either.
I am going through this guide right now. I would like to plan out day trips out from Tokyo (Mt Fuji and Nikko or Kamakura). Day trip to Nara from Kyoto.

I am just wondering if we should do Tokyo > Hiroshima > Kyoto > back to Tokyo and flight out that night. Flight is around 7pm.

First time to Japan so very excited. Hotel Choice is also overwhelming.

...
With my apologies, I misread the OP's post and so responded in a way that made no sense.

>> Tokyo > Hiroshima > Kyoto
that would work well
your trip to Narita airport will be an hour and a half shorter from Kyoto than from H

PE on JAL is very comfortable along with great service, I actually feel my business is welcome and not just filling a seat. Going straight to the airport on your last day is fine as you receive JAL lounge access with PE where you can relax before your flight.

thanks curiousgeo... that makes sense then.
thanks mrwunrfl.. I think this option makes sense if train time is going to be shorter on last day to Narita.

You'll have an amazing trip!
Sorry I can't recommend any hotels -- it's been far too long since I was there.

Hey Millie,
Overwhelmed by hotels you say?
There used to be a system known as 'PTP' (People to People). It was run by one of the Japanese banks if memory serves. It allowed visitors the rare experience of staying with Japanese families. As well, the SERVAS peace organization once had a presence in Japan and may still do. It too, was basically a homestay opportunity.
In both cases, we found that the mothers of the families ran 'juku' after-hours ESL schools for adolescents from the home.
My wife and I understood: part of the deal was that we would assist them in their programs.

Maybe worth checking into?

Useful word: daijobu = 'dye-jobe' (don't hit the final 'u' too hard). It means OK and will score you endless street cred points.
Useful foto tip: visitors who hope to photograph say, a geisha or one of their apprentices, should always politely ask permission first. There are now some cringeworthy clips on the NET showing insensitive tourists taking shots without permission, with the geisha not breaking stride for them.
My info is by now dated and others here will continue to provide more updated input.

*once-and-again poster/moderator 'Giora' over on the resurrected Lonely Planet 'Thorn Tree' forum (Reddit) lives in Japan. He is a true authority whom I'm sure would answer any questions. His knowledge of 'hidden Japan' is without peer.
I am done. the deep bow

thanks Zebec. very excited about the trip. And I am honestly trying to learn the basics in Japanese.. hello and thank you and excuse me. 'OK' is going to come in pretty handy as well.

da i jo bu
the u is pronounced without curling your lips and is very short
Speak the name Sue. The "u" sound is voiced.
Whisper the name Sue. The "u" sound is unvoiced.
Use the unvoiced u with an unvoiced consonant, like in "desu".
Use the voiced u with a voiced consonant, like in "daijobu"
juku uses both

voiced meaning use your voice box. unvoiced is just a puff of air

While on the subject of pronunciation, I hear many visitors say To Key Yo, using 3 syllables for Tokyo and Key Yo To, also 3 syllables for Kyoto. It’s actually 2 syllables, To Kyo and Kyo To without pronouncing a key.

Now this isn’t a big deal and no one in Japan will blink an eye if one says it that way. But people who know the correct pronunciation will know that you know. Like saying Frisco when no one from SF would say that.

If you are going to worry about pronunciation, the most surprising aspect is syllable stress. Asakusa, that famous neighborhood in Tokyo, is pronounced Ah-SOCK-Sah. Shinjuku is SHEEN -juku. Akihabara is Ah -kee-HAH-bara. . You'll hear these pronunciations on the metro announcing the station.

The "u" is almost always (always?) unstressed in Japanese. As for metro pronunciations, I'm not disputing shelemm, but I'm not sure public announcements are a "final word" on pronunciations in many locations. For example, the voice at cross-walks in DC mispronounces most locations. ;-0

RE: Hotels in Tokyo
In Tokyo, you may want to stay near a Yamanote line station--perhaps Shinjuku or Tokyo station. My family stayed at a hotel near the Shin-Okubo station, and found that very convenient as we didn't need to board at large Shinjuku station, but at the smaller station one stop before/after it. That hotel was an apart-hotel as we had six people, so you wouldn't necessarily need anything like that--though they have smaller rooms. It was nice to have a washer/dryer and kitchenette. But that was the Hundred Stay Shinjuku, and we stayed in May 2024.

In May 2025, my mother and I stayed at the Asakusa Tobu Hotel in a triple room which, while not on the Yamanote Line, was also very convenient to train lines. I liked the hotel very much, but we did book a larger room as we wanted twin beds and a bit of space to walk around the beds. Twin bed rooms are rather small. Also in that area, where two of my coworkers stayed, was the Gate Hotel Kaminarimon Asakusa. That must be well-reviewed--it looks very nice, but I've not personally stayed.

Another hotel area that I was interested in was Ginza near Shimbashi station but it was expensive to get twin beds. You'll have less of an issue if you don't need that. Ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza was one I kept trying to get, but a twin bed room never came available. This is an Accor hotel--looks quite good, and I hope to stay someday. This area would also be very walkable and nice.

RE: Hotels in Kyoto
Others may point to areas with more charm, but my family and I enjoyed the convenience of staying right at Kyoto station. We had rooms just across the street at the Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto. With six people, from teens to a senior, it was really wonderful to catch the buses in the bus terminal right across the street, or fill up our Suica/Pasmo cards at the station, or grab a starbucks on the corner and snacks at the Lawson, and have a meal in the underground Porto Dining corridor. Also, the taxi stands are there--with a line for Japanese speakers and a line for other languages. I think staying near the station is a good idea for a first timer without much Japanese.

Good luck with your planning! You'll have a wonderful time. The more you prepare-and watch YouTube videos, and read-the less stress you'll encounter upon arrival. It's a really wonderful country and people, so you'll have a lovely time.

If you are interested at all in pronunciations, then forvo.com is the website for you. Forvo = Foreign Voice. Good for most languages.

Many words and places, including Tokyo neighborhoods, have multiple examples of native speakers on audio file. Easy and fun to use! And that's the resource I use.

The standard Japanese accent is from Tokyo but there are regional variations. Same thing in American English. I pronounce the word sock as sok but I could see that, maybe in Boston?, it might be pronounced as sahk. My pronunciation of poll/pool/pull are pretty much identical.
The Japanese syllabary would translate (transliterate) Asakusa to four syllables (mores) "a sa ku sa" with the a always sounding like ah and an unvoiced u
sounds like ahsahksah
Japanese is a pitch accent language and (typically) has stress rising or dropping on the first and/or last syllable.
sake means salmon or alcohol (rice wine) depending on how you pronounce it SAH-keh or sah-KEH
hashi means bridge or chopsticks depending on which syllable you stress
I remember being disappointed somehow when I heard Osaka pronounced OH sa ka and not oh SA ka
Asakusa sounds to me like ah SAHK SA or ah SAHK sa
There is an American youtuber who has been living in Japan for over 25 years, has a J wife, and gets criticized when he says Asakusa (he uses English pronunciation for that particular word but Japanese for other words like the two long-ohs in Tokyo)
Before Iearned about pitch accent I just pronounced words without stressing any syllable. I still do if am not sure.

So, if I want a drink then I say sah-keh and the Japanese might make a drinking motion and I nod.
If i want the sake fish I just say sah-mon

thank you all for this great information.

I have booked hotels..as my trip is 7 months away they may change.
Tokyo - Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Ginza.
Kyoto - Hotel Alza Kyoto
Hiroshima - Hotel Intergate Hiroshima.

I like the Gate Hotel in Asakusa but all the non smoking rooms are already booked.
Japan is really popular now so many hotels already unavailable or only smoking rooms left.

>> Japan is really popular now

It is, but the availability of NS rooms will change. Hotels hold back some rooms for tour groups. If the tour company does not sell out the tour, then they let the hotel know that the hold can be released. Also, some rooms are allocated to OTAs to sell. A room type might not be available on the hotel website but is available at an OTA. The availability of those rooms will change. And then there are people who booked directly with the hotel or with an OTA and they cancel their reservations.

Take a look at the The Gate Hotel website but also try agoda.com and japanican.com or other OTAs. I am a big fan of Agoda.com in particular. I have been booking with them for years but recently learned that they have excellent customer service. Agoda quickly resolved an issue that I had created, and they did it without hassle.

Room rates often depend on the number of guests, so use the correct number when you search for availability. If you are a solo traveler and there is no availability, then definitely try searching for two guests just to see if anything is available. If there is no ppdo availability then maybe you are too early. If you are a couple then you can try a search for 1 guest, just to see.

I wrote "will change" but, of course, I can't predict the future. I certainly expect it to change.

>> Hotels hold back some rooms for tour groups
In Japan, I mean. And not just hotels, but other lodging types too. And was referring to Japanese tour groups, but it also applied to Japanese people, couples or families.

The Japanese tour groups would be maybe a group of retirees from a company on their annual trip, or school groups, or IDK what else. I suppose that foreign-tourist groups have a larger share of that part of the market these days, but same thing, and I think a foreign TA works via a Japanese TA, but maybe more directly than in the past.

Used to be that you (gaijin) might never see lodging availability during peak travel times. Want to stay at a fancy ryokan on Miyajima during the peak fall colors, koyo season? Not available to you even if the place is not sold out., The proprietors knew that will sell out to Japanese guests. They and their J-guests preferred to have all-Japanese guests. More harmonious that way vs having guests who don't know the Japanese way or language.

Am describing ~20 years ago or more. Nowadays, a lot of Japanese can't afford the prices that foreigners are willing to pay. Things have changed, obviously.