Matt Fuji

Every day, you want to leave your hotel room with 3 things in mind. Why 3? It divides neatly across times of day – Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. Plus, 3 is the perfect balance between busy and boring: you’ll have time to relax and soak in the atmosphere, or explore something you discover in the moment.

Let’s be honest: You already spent hours on an airplane and are super jetlagged. Do you really want to spend more time in a train, bus, or car than you need to? 2 transit methods can be a train plus a bus, or two connecting subway lines. You’ll naturally plan the day with attractions that are close together, so you aren’t criss-crossing the city every single day.

Less time commuting = More time sightseeing

Every city has at least one specialty food. Osaka has takoyaki, Nagoya has tebasaki chicken wings, Sendai has gyuutan beef tongue, Tokyo has too many to count. And amazing restaurants are everywhere. So how do you balance a gastronomic tour with a sightseeing one?

Easy: Plan one food or restaurant per day, and let the rest be spontaneous. Eat when you’re hungry, and don’t worry about being at this cafe or that restaurant in time to make your reservation all day. Pick one food you want to try, decide when you’ll have it (ideally there’s an attraction close by that you can visit before or after), and you’re all set!

Yes! That’s all you need for a solid plan! If you’re more of a planner, though, there are two additional items you can add: One raincheck idea, and one backup to your 3 attractions.

The raincheck is simple: If there’s bad weather, and you were planning to be outdoors, you’ll want to adjust your plan. This can be as easy as having a museum in mind. The backup should be a similar mindset: If you have extra time, what’s a nice-to-have that you wouldn’t mind checking out?