About Japan Prep

One kind of reader: the first-timer with 7–14 days, a real budget, and no patience for hype. We answer the decisions that actually cost money — with numbers instead of vibes.

Our methodology

Every price, schedule and rule in our guides is checked against official, current sources before it's published:

Tourism rules and seasons: JNTO and japan.travel
Trains and rail passes: the JR companies' own sites (JR East, JR West, JR Central, JR Kyushu)
Weather data: the Japan Meteorological Agency — actual historical numbers, not stock-photo optimism
Tickets and tours: the operators' official pages (Ghibli Museum, teamLab, Klook, GetYourGuide)

We never copy numbers from other blogs. Each article carries a visible "Prices & dates verified" badge with the date of our last check, and time-sensitive guides are re-verified on a rolling schedule. If a badge is amber or red, we're due for a re-check — treat the numbers as indicative until then.

Who writes this

Japan Prep is produced by a small editorial team, not a single influencer persona. No fake head-shots, no invented backstories: just researched, source-linked answers. When we state an opinion, it's labelled as one — every guide ends with a clear "Our call".

How we make money

Some links on this site are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links only ever appear inside clearly marked recommendation cards, with the disclosure right there. Commissions never decide what we recommend — the numbers do. Full details in our affiliate disclosure.