Journal
Notes from our editors on getting there and choosing where to sleep: what the booking pages actually mean, which region suits which trip, and the things English-language guides keep getting wrong.
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Mistakes first-time ryokan guests make
Arrival windows, three sets of slippers, the fixed dinner hour, and why tipping backfires.
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What to pack for a ryokan (less than you think)
Yukata, towels, toothbrush and tea are already in the room. The useful list is short, and the suitcase should stay in the city.
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Why your Kyoto ryokan probably has no onsen — and where to find one
Kyoto is a city of temples, not volcanoes. Five inns in Arashiyama draw on the spring, one of them is closed, and the most interesting water is half an hour north.
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Kyoto or Hakone: which ryokan trip should you take?
One sells you a building and a neighbourhood. The other sells you water and a fixed evening.
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Tokyo to Kyoto by shinkansen: which train, which seat
What each train costs, which side Mount Fuji is on, whether a rail pass pays off, and the large-luggage rule nobody mentions.
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Getting from Narita to Tokyo: which train to take
Skyliner, Narita Express, Access Express or bus — and how the four land you in completely different parts of the city.
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Haneda to Tokyo, and straight on to Kyoto
Haneda is inside the city. Two trains, fifteen minutes, and one change at Shinagawa puts you on a shinkansen.