Explore Japan with people who actually live there

Japan's Rental Friend Industry: How It Works, What It Costs & Who Uses It

Japan's 'rental friend' industry lets you hire a companion for $35–70/hour. Top performers earn $80,000+/year. Here's how the industry works, the real numbers behind it, and why it's spreading worldwide.

Renting a Friend in Japan as a Foreigner (2026): Agencies, Locals, English and the Rules

You've read about Japan's rental friends and want to try it on your trip. Can foreigners do it, will anyone speak English, what are the rules, and is an agency or a local the better fit?

Japan Tour Guide: Licensed Guide-Interpreters, Private Guides, What They Cost, Tipping, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)

'Japan tour guide' means a licensed guide-interpreter, a private guide with a car for Fuji or Nikko, a free walking tour, or a Tokyoite who shows you their city for an evening. What each costs, why Japan's guides are expensive, the 2018 licence change, tipping, and where Roavi has people today (Tokyo; Osaka and Kyoto not yet).

How Much Does a Trip to Japan Cost in 2026? A 10-Day Budget With Real Prices

A 10-day Tokyo + Kyoto + Osaka trip costs $1,750 budget, $3,100 mid-range, or $5,300 comfortable per person. Here's where every dollar goes.

Best Time to Visit Japan in 2026: Month-by-Month Guide

Cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, ski season or cheap shoulder months — here's exactly when to visit Japan in 2026, month by month, and when to avoid the crowds.

Is Japan Safe for Tourists in 2026?

Japan might be the safest country on earth for tourists. Here's why — and the few things to know.

Tipping in Japan: Why You Don't, Whether It's Rude, Restaurants, Hotels, Taxis, Tour Guides and the Few Real Exceptions

Japan does not tip, and visitors from tipping countries find this harder than any other rule. Why there's no tipping, whether it's actually rude or just confusing, what happens if you leave money on the table, the handful of real exceptions (private guides, ryokan, geisha dinners), how to say thank you instead, and the tourist-area 'tip jars' that have started appearing.

Is the JR Pass Worth It in 2026? The Honest Maths, the Trips Where It Pays, the Nozomi Rule and the Cheaper Alternatives

The Japan Rail Pass used to be an automatic buy; since its big price rise it pays off only on specific itineraries. How to do the maths in two minutes, the routes where it still wins (Tokyo–Kyoto–Hiroshima and back, Tohoku, Hokkaido), the ones where it loses (Tokyo only, Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka), the Nozomi supplement, and the regional passes and point-to-point tickets that beat it.

Suica Card for Tourists: Mobile Suica on iPhone, the Android Problem, Welcome Suica and Pasmo, How to Top Up and Where It Works

Suica is the tap card that runs Tokyo: trains, buses, convenience stores, vending machines, lockers. How to get one as a visitor (Mobile Suica in Apple Wallet is the easy route, Android is the complication), the Welcome Suica and Pasmo Passport physical cards, how to top up with a foreign card, what it does and doesn't cover, and what to do with the balance when you leave.

Cherry Blossom Season in Japan 2027: When, Where and How to Do Hanami

For two weeks a year Japan turns pink and the whole country goes outside. When the sakura usually bloom, where to see them, and how to plan a trip around a date nobody can fix in advance.

Japan Autumn Leaves 2026: When They Peak, Where to Go, and How to Beat the Crowds

Japan's autumn colour moves south and downhill for two months: Hokkaido's mountains in late September, Kyoto and Tokyo in late November. When it usually peaks in each place, where to go, and how to see it without the crowds.

How to Meet Other Travellers in Japan (and Japanese Locals): Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and the Rules That Make It Work

Japan is safe, polite and easy to be alone in. Where other travellers are in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, the hostels and meetups that work, how Japanese people meet foreigners (language exchanges, rental friends), posting your trip so people on your dates find you, and the etiquette that opens doors.

First Time in Tokyo: Where to Stay, How Many Days, the Must-Sees and Must-Dos, What to Set Up Before You Land and the Mistakes Everyone Makes

Your first Tokyo trip, answered in the order people ask: where to stay (and which line matters more than which district), how many days, what to see and what to skip, the five things to set up before you land, the etiquette that actually matters, the mistakes every first-timer makes, and how to meet one person who lives here.

Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen: Times, Cost, Nozomi vs Hikari, the JR Pass Rule, Luggage Forwarding and How to Book

Tokyo to Kyoto is the most travelled bullet-train route in the world and the simplest: two hours and a quarter on a Nozomi, a bit longer on a Hikari, trains every few minutes. Which train, what it costs, the JR Pass catch, the oversized-luggage rule, luggage forwarding so you travel with a daypack, the Fuji-side seat, and the one reason not to fly.

Tokyo vs Osaka vs Kyoto: Which to Visit, What Each Is For, Nightlife and Food Compared, and How to Split a Trip

Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto is the question every first Japan trip asks, and the answer is usually two of them. What each city is for, the honest food and nightlife comparison (Osaka wins one, Tokyo the other), the cost, how many days each deserves, how to split one week or two, and when to skip one.

Rent a Local Friend in Osaka (2026): How It Works, What It Costs, What It Isn't

Osaka is the friendliest big city in Japan and still hides its best parts: the standing bar, the kushikatsu counter, the shotengai nobody photographs. How renting a local friend works in Osaka, how it differs from Japan's rental-friend agencies, and the honest state of Roavi there today.