AI-powered itineraries and insider guides from Kyoto locals
Create My Itinerary — FreeJoin 5,000+ travelers who planned with us
Your curated menu to help you discover Japan. From city guides to AI-powered trip planning.
Trusted Travel Partners
Save on flights, hotels, and experiences with our partner deals — every booking supports Romancing Japan
via Expedia — bundle and save up to 30%
via Viator — skip-the-line tickets and local guides
Affiliate disclosure: We earn a small commission on bookings at no extra cost to you. This helps us create free Japan travel content.
I have lived in Kyoto for a long time. Long enough to remember when a 5kg bag of rice at the supermarket cost ¥2,000 and nobody gave it a second thought. Long enough to have watched Japan go from a cou...
Read more
travelJapan is building a pre-entry screening system called JESTA — Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization. If you hold a US, UK, Australian, Canadian, or EU passport, it will eventually apply to y...
travelJapan Travel Costs 2026: What's Actually Changed and What It Means for Your Trip You've seen the headlines. Japan is raising visa fees for the first time since 1978. The departure tax is tripling. Kyo...
accommodationKyoto Hotel Tax 2026: What the New Accommodation Tax Actually Costs You On March 1, 2026, Kyoto introduced a new accommodation tax structure that catches most visitors off guard. Not because it is pun...
30+ years in Kyoto, Japan
We're James & Akari, a Kyoto-based couple with 30+ years of Japan experience between us. We built Romancing Japan to share the Japan we know — beyond the guidebooks.
Read our storyThe latest Japan travel tips, guides, and insider recommendations delivered to your inbox.
Join 2,000+ subscribers. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
