🎌 13 Smart Questions Return Visitors Often Ask Us About Japan

Curated reflections and practical wisdom for travelers who’ve already fallen in love with Japan—and are ready to go deeper.

The path to deeper understanding. Return visits to Japan invite us to move beyond destinations toward discovery—where every step reveals layers of beauty that first-time visitors often miss.

Japan is not just a place we visit. It’s a place we crave to return to—again and again. And we do.

We’ve traveled across the globe and continue to seek out the wonders of the world—but Japan calls us back. A return to Japan isn’t just a repeat trip—it’s a deepening of connection, of memory, of something just beyond words. It’s not just the temples, cuisine, or seasonal beauty. It’s something more profound. Something that is hard to name in English.

In Japanese, it’s Yūgen.

It's that fleeting, elusive sense of beauty and depth. The hush of a bamboo grove in the early morning. A camellia petal drifting across a stone path. The pause between one bell chime and the next. Japan gives us moments that linger in our hearts long after we leave. It’s why we return to Japan, time after time.

For those of us who’ve already walked Kyoto’s lanes or stood in awe at Shibuya Crossing, the journey evolves. These 13 questions aren’t about checking boxes. They’re for travelers planning to return to Japan—with fresh eyes and an open heart.

1. When’s the best time to return to Japan?

We've been in Japan during typhoons, snowfall, cherry blossom madness, and humid summer evenings—each season offering distinctly different pleasures. But as repeat travelers, we find ourselves drawn to the quieter transitions: late November when the autumn leaves linger on moss-covered temple steps like at Sanzen-in in Ohara, or early June, when the hydrangeas bloom and the rain gives the forests their deepest green.

There's also something magical about December and January—the anticipatory energy as people rush to complete year-end tasks, then the profound hush that settles over everything after New Year's celebrations. The contrast between "frantic-ism" and stillness, between cold streets and steaming oden, captures something essentially Japanese about renewal and rhythm.

These are the moments that feel both unhurried and unforgettable—and each deserves deeper exploration.

Yūgen made visible: the profound beauty of maple leaves against weathered stone, moss soft with morning moisture. These fleeting moments—noticed by those who've learned to see—are why Japan calls us back, season after season.

2. How much should I budget—and where is it worth splurging?

After numerous trips, we’ve learned that travel in Japan rewards thoughtful spending. A luxurious ryokan stay with a private onsen and seasonal kaiseki meal isn’t an extravagance—it’s an immersion. On the flip side, a bowl of steaming gyudon at 6 a.m. in a quiet neighborhood diner can be just as soul-satisfying. The key is knowing where money enhances the experience, and where it doesn’t have to.

3. How long should I stay—and should I slow down?

If your life allows, we suggest you allocate at least two weeks to allow for an in-depth immersion in a select few venues and experiences. Frankly, three weeks is even better (although we appreciate the longer trip runs up the bill for kenneling the dogs at home). The temptation to pack every prefecture into a 10-day itinerary fades quickly after your first trip. These days, we often choose one region and stay for several days, letting rhythm replace checklist. A few extra nights in a small town can lead to conversations, discoveries, new friendships and a variety of quiet joys that no guidebook can predict.

4. How should I get around this time?

We used to swear by the Japan Rail Pass (covering all of Japan)—and for a first-timer, it can be a lifesaver. But we’ve since rented cars to explore rural Kyushu, taken local buses through mountain passes, and ridden coastal trains that felt more like moving galleries than transportation. About these trains: regional passes can offer considerable savings over individual train tickets, such as the JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, if you are traveling in western Japan. With the Japan Rail Pass prices up 70%, we've discovered these alternatives often cost less and offer more authentic experiences. Getting around is no longer just a way to reach a destination—let it be part of your story.

5. Can I connect meaningfully in rural Japan without speaking Japanese?

The new generation of translation apps truly are game changers, knocking down barriers, speeding communication and often triggering welcoming smiles. Take a look at Google Translate, Papago, and Deepl (which calls itself the world's most accurate translator).

Furthermore, some of our most memorable moments have come from non-verbal connections in countryside inns or neighborhood cafés. A bow and a sincere smile can go a long way. Over time, we’ve learned to appreciate not knowing every word. It creates space for humility, curiosity, and often, unexpected kindness.

6. Where are Japan’s "hidden gems," really?

The term “hidden gem” gets overused—but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You won’t find them by Googling. You find them by following a hunch, staying an extra night, or taking the side street instead of the main road. Robert Frost had it right: the road not taken is often the one that produces the most startling surprises. For us, it was the 2km camellia walk behind Tokoji Temple in Hagi, especially in February when blooms peak, or standing alone at a coastal shrine in Nagato, waves crashing below.

These places don’t clamor for attention, and they don't populate tourist guides. They whisper—and reward those who listen carefully and constantly.

Time and nature in dialogue. This moss-covered pagoda embodies the Japanese aesthetic of weathered beauty—wabi-sabi in its most authentic form, discovered through mindful wandering.

7. What cultural cues did I miss the first time?

There's the etiquette most travelers learn quickly—shoes off, no tipping, queue politely. On return visits, you begin to notice the micro-negotiations. The way a shopkeeper's "irasshaimase" changes tone when they recognize you. How "chotto..." (a little...) followed by a pause actually means "probably not." In group discussions, the subtle hierarchies that confer authority and define the pecking order.

Traveling to Japan again fosters a deeper attentiveness—to space, rhythm, and the dignity of quiet. These discoveries may unfold slowly, like layers of meaning that can't be rushed or learned from guidebooks. Be patient. The depth of Japan's unspoken communication deserves its own exploration.

8. Can I eat vegetarian (or halal) more easily now?

Bear in mind that the Japan diet was meatless for 1,200 years before the public eating of meat by the Emperor in 1872 changed the rules. So, there is a powerful legacy of skilled vegetarian food preparation. And, these days, it is easier to find excellent vegetarian cuisine especially in cities—but it still requires determination, particularly if you don't speak Japanese (signage and advertisements aimed at tourists focus on protein-rich cuisines, like sushi, Wagyu beef, and tempura). We've found some of our best vegetarian meals in temple restaurants and at macrobiotic cafés, or by asking local hosts for guidance. For dedicated vegetarian travelers, resources like HappyCow Japan provide updated options and reviews from the community.

9. What previously unsampled food should I try?

Japan is defined by micro-cuisines. This is a good time to do some research on the unique delicacies native to the locales you plan to visit. On our early trips when our palate was more naive, we focused on sushi, ramen, and okonomiyaki. Now, we seek out and savor the distinctive, local dishes. Don't shy away from gyutan (beef tongue) in Sendai, Wanko Soba in Iwate, Kiritanpo (grilled rice skewers) in Akita, Kitakata Ramen in Fukushima or Imoni in Yamagata. Try a seasonal wagashi in a Kyoto tea shop, fugu prepared in Yamaguchi, or even the perfect soft-boiled egg at a roadside konbini. One quiet afternoon in Kagawa, we sat beneath fluttering noren (traditional Japanese curtain hung at store entrances) and slurped Sanuki udon—chewy, resilient noodles perfected through techniques passed down for over centuries. This wasn’t just lunch—it was a testament to regional pride and generational craftsmanship.

Every prefecture takes pride in its unique cuisine, and return visits give you time to explore them slowly, one dish at a time. Don't be afraid to ask what you should try.

10. Are Japan’s convenience stores really worth the fuss?

Absolutely—and they get better the more you know what to look for. This is not your mother's 7-11 in Des Moines. We now have fierce loyalties (Team Lawson, for the record), and seasonal konbini food has become a kind of obsession. It’s not just about what’s convenient—it’s about how Japanese design and hospitality show up in the smallest places.

11. What apps are most useful for return visitors?

Beyond the basics, we've discovered some apps that open entirely new layers of local discovery—from neighborhood weather patterns to regional transport . For restaurants, we sometimes browse Japanese sites like Tabelog or Gurunavi to find unique dining experiences. We have gained a lot of traction simply by asking other travelers if they have found any particularly useful apps. This technique works well in bars, bistros and the wonderful neighborhood restaurants called izakaya.

For making payments, we discovered Rakuten Pay to be helpful and more widely used than credit cards in rural locations, and it saves having to carry as much cash. And yes, we still carry a pocket Wi-Fi instead of using eSIM. Old habits die hard.

Our complete digital toolkit for Japan—including the weather radars, hiking apps, and regional transport tools that have transformed our travels—deserves its own deep dive in another post.

12. Is it safe to go off on my own?

Without hesitation: yes. We’ve split up on trips to follow separate curiosities and never felt unsafe. Solo train journeys, shrine hikes, or entire solo trips to places like Iki Island or Beppu have been deeply rewarding. If you’re ready for solitude and reflection, Japan will meet you there—with grace and a strong sense of security.

13. Can I go cashless now—or is yen still king?

During COVID, when people resisted handling money the norms for economic transactions changed dramatically. Now in cities, we rarely need cash. But we still carry some—because many of our favorite places, like countryside cafés or tiny sentō baths, don’t take cards. And honestly? There’s something satisfying about that quiet pause at the register, the coin tray, the nod. Japan still honors analog in ways that keep us feeling surprisingly human.

Moments of stillness reward the patient observer who slows down and takes the time to truly see.

🌾 A Return to Japan, A Return to Wonder

Japan holds more than history, beauty, and exquisite food. It holds something we have found nowhere else in the world—a way of being in the world that feels both mysterious and grounded. Yūgen is not a tourist attraction; it's the ephemeral, mysterious beauty of the Japanese experience.

One returns to Japan not just to see more—but to feel more.

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