First Trip to Japan! any tips or suggestions?
I recently booked my ticket to japan which has been my dream trip for around 5 years now. I booked from September to October, for a 14-day trip excluding the first and last travel days. And I have a few clear-cut things I want to do, which are
rock climbing at BPump, ride the shinkansen, go to a hot spring, take a day trip to Nara, and stay in Kyoto as well as Osaka. id also like to go out and enjoy the nightlife in Tokyo. And find a great tattoo artist
im not too sure if I should do a day trip to Osaka and stay in Kinosaki instead. anyways there are two main issues. Issue number one, which I find less prevalent, is that I may or may not be going alone. I have been planning this trip with my friends since 2024, and we were all set and ready to go, but suddenly, my friends backed out, so we canceled and missed the window when it was super cheap. Then come late 2025, we decide to give it a shot, so we begin to plan, and now, five months into 2026, they still don't have the money saved to purchase their tickets, so I am currently the only one who is confirmed to go to Japan. secondly i am not sure where the best place to stay is. If I am going to stay alone id like something where I can walk back to my room from the bar, and on the days I am not drinking id like to be in a nice walkable area near a subway station. I am very interested in staying in multiple areas around Tokyo, not just the main subdivisions like Shibuya or Shinjuku. There is much more I'm planning to do on the trip, but please add any suggestions you may have to make the trip more memorable, and let me have some hotel recommendations!