Does this holiday to Japan sound reasonable?

[SitOnHisFaceIfHeDiesHeDies]

I prefer to stay in nice hotels rather than your hostel type places, just a personal preference. Also prefer to book packages rather than do it all separately as I just feel more looked after.

Area will be Asakusa, 10 nights in May. Premium flight and a 4 star hotel including breakfast and coach transfers from and back to airport.

£2.5k is this reasonable for a solo traveller? Not confident booking big trips so some reassurance would be nice! I'm assuming that's a reasonable price? It's with BA are there any other operators worth looking at?

The price seems fine but are you spending 10 nights in Tokyo? It’s worth staying in two or three places if you can as Japan has a lot of variety, Kyoto is very different from Tokyo for example.

I don't really know tbh I've not thought that far ahead, I don’t really want to travel for longer than that as I'll get homesick but I could stretch to a fortnight. I have a lot of research to do. I probably won't actually book until the Christmas holidays because I'm hoping for a sale! Do you think it would be better to book separately? If I'm going to end up staying in several places would it be easier to try and backpack it rather than lug a massive suitcase? So many questions...

Agree with previous poster, there are so many different places to visit. For me, Tokyo was just a group of cities and nowhere near as interesting as Kyoto, Nara etc. Its also easy to book hotel accommodation from the UK.

You can have your luggage sent on to s different city, We stayed in Tokyo for 5 nights then were moving to Mt Fuji 1 night, Hiroshima 1 night then on to Kyoto, flying home from Osaka. We passed a small suitcase for the two nights between 4 of us and sent the luggage to Kyoto. Really easy and it was waiting for us on arrival.
Travelling around Japan by train is easy, all announcements are in English as well as Japanese but you do need google maps just to get around the major stations!!

For such a huge trip!

Use chat gpt to create a holiday itinerary for you- including, Tokyo,Kyoto Izu and maybe even Fuji. All very doable in ten days. It won’t be relaxing but it will be amazing.

the public transport is amazing in Japan and easy to use. If you booked it with an agent you’ll get a Japan rail pass which will give you unlimited travel.

Packed not passed a small suitcase!

Asakusa is fine to stay in - it’s an interesting area and probably worth about 5 nights - 4 at the start of your holiday and one before you fly back but it is really worth trying to get to other places - especially Kyoto and Nara.

Dont worry about luggage. Japan has a fantastic luggage forwarding service where your hotel arranges transport of your luggage to your next hotel so you don’t need to cart it around. Do make sure you have plenty of suitcase space though - you may go shopping!

I’d go to a travel agent that specialises in Japan and work through an itinerary with them. Nara would be a must for me. The trains are a pleasure to travel on - I recommend a first class rail pass for not much more than a standard one.

Asakusa is a good area but if you have 10+ nights and are going all that way don’t just go to Tokyo! Great city but a concrete jungle. Kyoto and Fuji and Hiroshima can be fitted in. Bullet trains(Shinkansen) are quick.

That looks like an excellent price. The flights I’d been looking at recently were nearly a grand by themselves.

Have a think about what you’d like to do. Tokyo is fantastic, you could easily spend ten nights there. But you won’t see many old things – Yanaka was the only old area we found. And obviously there isn’t much countryside in Tokyo.

The trains are so good that you could do day trips anywhere, but if you want to spend a little time in a more historical Japan then I’d think about taking a few nights in Kyoto (I’ve not been to Nara).

Daytrips would suit me tbf. I'm a VERY early riser like 5am

I've got a lot of research to do here haven't I?!

Honestly hotels are lovely in Japan, they also have washing machines so you can easily do a cheap wash and not take too much. The luggage forwarding is excellent and cheap and works. Tokyo has fantastic day trips. Go to nikko, but get there early before the coach trips arrive. I found Kyoto more sprawling than Tokyo in a way, but it’s so worth visiting and Nara.

Tokyo is a very green city.

honestly it’s an easy country to visit.

Have to agree with the other posters OP, spending 10 days in the same city will be a bit boring. (For the second half of those 10 days anyway.) I thought this as soon as I read your first post. 4-5 days would probably be enough. 5 maximum.

I have never been to Japan, but I know several people who have - including my niece. She went with her partner last year, and they visited loads of different places, all over the country, as pps have said, getting trains, and staying in hostels and hotels along the way. They went for a month, and had a wonderful time.

Not sure it's what you want though is it, staying in hostels? You could try and book hotels in advance, or see if a travel agent can tailor a trip for you that includes 3 or 4 day trips to other places. It will be a bit boring just staying in Tokyo for 10 days.

I love visiting London, and there is lots to see, but DH and I went for 5 nights/6 days recently, (stayed in a hotel in the West End,) and we were definitely ready to come home on the 6th day. As much as there is a lot to see in London, we started to get a bit tired of it by day 5.

Also, we (me, DH, and our DC) went to New York (stayed in Manhattan) a few years ago, for 4 nights/5 days, and we managed to get around everything we wanted to see in that time. It was totally enough time for one city IMO.

Don’t underestimate the effect that jet lag will have. You’re going several hours forward and I found it brutal.

Erm... WOW. First time I've really used ChatGP.

How did I ever live without this?!

Just updating on here in case anyone else comes across this thread. Have found hotels in Japan to be extremely variable quality even when they all claim to be 4*. Some are absolutely amazing. Others are worse than the scabbiest UK seaside tired hotel. Not all have washing machines. Some claim to have a swimming pool and then charge £25 pp to use it. Be very careful with your research.