A set of red gates on a trail overlooking a city view.

Rankings l Trip Planner

A red temple peeking out of a lush forest of green trees.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. (Photo by my sister, Kat.)

โœˆ๏ธ Planning

A Japanese street with traditional buildings.
A quiet alley in Kyoto. (Photo by my friend, Nami Sumida.)

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Itinerary

A woman holding chopsticks with little plates of foot in front of her.
Enjoying a kaiseki at a ryokan.

๐Ÿ’ฐ Budget

A fox statue with a red bib carrying a scroll in its mouth.
Fox at Fushimi Inari

๐Ÿฅข Etiquette

A view of an empty temple surrounded by trees.
Kousanji Temple on the Shimanami Kaido

โ˜€๏ธ September Guide

A couple standing in front of a wall with colorful barrels with Japanese writings.
Meiji Jingu sake barrels during the winter.

โ„๏ธ December Guide


๐Ÿ† Experience Rankings

Here are my ranked experiences for Japan. Learn how I rate experiences.

ExperienceLocationOverall Rating
1๐Ÿ‘˜ Ryokan Experience ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธKyoto8.6
2๐ŸŒ‹ Mt. Fuji Sunrise HikeYamanashi8.1
3๐Ÿšฒ Shimanami Kaido CyclingHiroshima8.0
4โ›ฉ๏ธ Fushimi Inari TaishaKyoto7.5
5๐Ÿš‚ Sagano Romantic Train ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธKyoto7.4
6๐ŸŽ‹ Arashiyama Park ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธKyoto7.3
7๐Ÿฃ Nishiki Market ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธKyoto7.0
8โ›ฉ๏ธ Meiji Shrine ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธTokyo6.9
9๐Ÿฎ Asakusa ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธTokyo6.5
10๐Ÿ  Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsaka6.4
11๐Ÿ•น๏ธ AkihabaraTokyo6.4
12๐ŸŒฑ Shinjuku Gyoen National GardenTokyo6.3
13๐Ÿฃ Kuromon Ichiba Market ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธOsaka6.0
14๐Ÿšฆ Shibuya ScrambleTokyo5.9
15๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ Philosopherโ€™s PathKyoto5.8
16๐Ÿ›๏ธ Ginza ShoppingTokyo5.7
Learn how Lukiihโ€™s Rating is calculated here

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ 2025 Trip Planner

Make planning easier with my flexible, research-backed travel plannerโ€”shaped by real experience. It has:

โœˆ๏ธ Up-to-date 2025 travel info
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ A well-curated itinerary
๐Ÿ’ก Practical, firsthand insights & tips
๐Ÿ’ฐ A simple budget tracker
๐ŸŽ’ A starter packing list
๐ŸŽฏ Fully customizable sections

My trip planners are built on Notion, which I use for all my planning. I genuinely love this tool and creating an account is free.

Lists by Lukiih is a small site I fund myself. Downloading my trip planner is the best way to support me and keep it runningโ€”thanks!

Screenshots showing a trip planner with an itinerary, packing list, map, and budget tracker.
Japan trip planner preview