YavaJapan is a personal Japan travel blog for people who want more than another checklist.
I’m Yannick. I live in Tokyo, and I use this blog to share honest recommendations on planning, places, cultural experiences, and stays in Japan.
I’ve been living in Japan since 2019. I’ve also spent those years working behind the scenes in the Japan travel industry, helping international visitors choose and book trips and experiences here.
That work has changed how I think about travel advice. I’ve seen what people get excited about before a trip, what confuses them while they plan, what they end up loving, and what sounds better online than it feels in real life.
Why I Started YavaJapan
Planning a Japan trip can get noisy very quickly.
One article gives you ten places to save. One video adds five more foods to try. Another itinerary says you need Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hakone, Mount Fuji, and maybe one more place if you can fit it in.
After a while, the trip can start to feel like a list you are trying to finish.
I don’t think that is the best way to plan Japan.
The famous places are famous for a reason. I still like Shibuya, Senso-ji, Fushimi Inari, Kyoto, Osaka, and the classic first-trip route. I don’t think you need to avoid them just to make the trip feel personal.
But I also don’t think every saved place needs to become a must-do.
Sometimes the better trip comes from choosing fewer things with more care. That might mean adding one smaller city, choosing a cultural experience that fits what you actually want, staying somewhere that changes the pace of the trip, or leaving part of a day open instead of filling every hour.
I built YavaJapan around that kind of advice.
What You’ll Find Here
YavaJapan focuses on the parts of the trip where personal judgment helps more than another long list.
You’ll find practical guides on:
- planning a Japan trip without making every day too packed
- choosing places that fit the kind of trip you want
- finding cultural experiences that feel worth your time and money
- choosing ryokan, hotels, and stays that make sense for the route
- understanding the small practical details that can make the trip easier
I try to write the way I would explain something to a friend who is planning Japan for the first or second time.
That means I try to be clear about tradeoffs. If a place is popular but still worth it, I’ll say that. If something looks good online but is easy to skip, I’ll say that too. If an expensive option only makes sense for certain travelers, I’ll explain who it suits and who should save the money.
I want the guides to help you plan a trip that feels good once you are actually here, not a version of Japan that only sounds perfect online.
How I Choose What To Recommend
I don’t try to cover everything in Japan.
YavaJapan is a blog, not a complete travel guidebook or a booking platform. I write about places, experiences, and stays where I think I can add useful context.
Some recommendations come from my own travel around Japan. Some come from working in the Japan travel industry and seeing how visitors choose, book, and react to different experiences. Some come from research, local context, and comparing options carefully before I write.
When I recommend something, I try to explain why it may be worth your time, what kind of traveler it suits, and what you should know before you build part of your trip around it.
I focus on whether something will work for the trip you are likely planning, not whether it sounds impressive in a headline or booking page.
Where To Start
If you are still working out the basics, start with the Japan planning guides.
If you already know the rough shape of your trip, the destination guides can help you think through where to go next.
If you want one or two experiences that feel more personal than another sightseeing stop, start with the cultural experience guides.
And if you are thinking about a ryokan or a stay that becomes part of the trip itself, the stay guides are a good place to look.
And to make your trip easier, I’ve built a few free tools you can use to plan and budget. I’m adding more over time, and I hope you’ll find them useful.
Thanks for reading. I hope YavaJapan helps you plan a Japan trip that feels less like a checklist and more like your own.
Yannick