Planning our travel is one of my favourite parts. Making lists, filling notebooks with ideas, and crafting the perfect itinerary (that they’d probably rather ignore anyway!) is the love language I give to my family.

But we can’t all be type A planners with a 14-day itinerary for Japan written and typed up months in advance. (I admit: this is me!) What if you want to take a last minute trip to Japan? Is it even possible to plan and execute the perfect trip to Japan with less than a month’s notice?

My type A personality wouldn’t let me give this a go, but I DO think it’s possible to plan a last-minute trip to Japan in 2025, provided you have the right tools and you’re prepared to be flexible (but your laidback attitude has already got you this far, right?!)

So, using my own tried and tested planning approach, here are my top tips for planning a last-minute trip to Japan.

1. 1. Book Your Essentials
2. 2. Be Prepared To Use Local Transport
3. 3. Use Last Minute Japan For Your Restaurant Reservations
4. 4. Download Essential Apps
5. 5. Consider The Convenience of Tours in Popular Spots
6. 6. Don’t Change Hotel Too Often
7. 7. Be Flexible
8. 8. Do As Much Research As Possible

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!

1. Book Your Essentials

No matter how much or little time you have, there are some essentials that you should try to arrange BEFORE you arrive in Japan. (I’m not including your flight and accommodation in this! That should go without saying!)

You’re going to need to get online so you can hit the ground running when you arrive in Japan. Check if your phone will work (some networks do, some networks don’t) and if it won’t, consider ordering a pocket WiFi (you can pick these up at the airport) or an eSim to get online asap.

If you’re going to have suitcases or heavy bags then using a luggage forwarding service can be a godsend (especially if you’re travelling with kids as well!) so try to prebook this in advance.

Finally, if you’re visiting during a busy period then book your bullet train tickets. This is particularly important if you want to get a Japan Rail Pass to explore the whole country by train, as you can only buy these clever passes from your home country (they’re only for sale outside of Japan). I’ve got a whole post about Japan Rail Passes and who they’re worth it for here.

👉 You can check the prices and availablity of Japan Rail Passes here
💰 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your ticket prices

2. Be Prepared To Use Local Transport

You can’t travel around Japan without using public transport (unless you’ve got a lot of money to waste on taxis) but the good news is that public transport is affordable, and it can take you just about anywhere!

To make this process as seamless as possible, as soon as you arrive in Japan head to your nearest Metro station and pick up a Suica or Pasmo card. These offer the most convenient way to travel on subways and buses, without having to stop to buy a new ticket for each journey. (Suica also have an app you could consider downloading, so you can top up your card on the go).

3. Use Last Minute Japan For Your Restaurant Reservations

If you’re planning to eat in chain restaurants, quick mom and pop stops, and konbini snacks then you don’t have to worry about food. All of these things will always be readily available.

But if you’re a ‘live to eat’ kind of person looking forward to trying as many Japanese dishes as possible then Last Minute Japan is going to be your new best friend!

This is a frankly genius website that can get you last-minute reservations (today, tomorrow, or the day after) for some of the best restaurants in the country, as well as for often sold-out activities like Teamlabs Planets or Sanrio Puroland.

👉 Click here to check it out and start making your reservations

4. Download Essential Apps

There are some apps that are absolutely essential to help you navigate life in Japan: especially if you’re planning a last minute trip and don’t have time to learn some simple Japanese phrases! So if you’ve got time to kill at the airport, spend it downloading these 5 essential apps for tourists in Japan:

• Google translate (can translate spoken words and writing, such as menus)
• Google maps and/or Maps.me (both great tools to help you get around)
• Japan travel by Navitime (for public transport schedules and routes)
• Visit Japan Web (You don’t have to have this, but it can make the process of arriving into Japan so much easier)
• Ecbo Cloak (thing of is as the Airbnb for storage lockers – perfect for finding somewhere to leave your heavy luggage)

5. Consider The Convenience of Tours in Popular Spots

We generally like to go solo when we’re travelling, planning our own itineraries and then exploring at our own pace.

BUT when we were in Mexico, we discovered the joys of the occasional guided tour. Tour guides can often get you to places you can’t get on your own (our visit to the DMZ in Korea is a great example of this) and they’re a great choice for last-minute travellers who don’t have the time to arrange everything themselves and want to get the most out of their trip.

Some of the best tours in Japan to consider if you’re short on time, or travelling last minute and want to experience the best of everything without too much planning are:

🗼Tokyo Highlights Day Tour – A private tour that will take you to the must-see landmarks, attractions, and shopping places in Tokyo, all in one day!

🚗 Tokyo Drift Tour – Fast and Furious Experience. I’ve got this in my own basket as a gift for my husband on our next trip. The super car scene in Tokyo is epic, but can be hard to find independently. This tour will do all that work for you!

🎥Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Film Appreciation Bus Tour – Getting tickets for the Studio Ghibli Museum can be tricky even if you’re not planning a last minute trip. But this bus tour will get your tickets AND get you there and back without hassle.

🗻Mount Fuji Day Tour – Pick up points all across Tokyo, so you can go to see one of the world’s most famous mountains, straight from your hotel.

🚌Tokyo Amazing Sightseeing Bus Tours – We love these hop on, hop off buses. They offer a great mix of a guided trip with the freedom of exploring on your own.

Think a tour might be right for you? Don’t forget to use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your ticket prices (and thank you if you do! This helps me to keep writing content and keeps the blog running!)

6. Don’t Change Hotel Too Often

Most people travelling from city to city in Japan will stay in several different cities are part of their trip. A couple of nights in Tokyo, followed by Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, etc. But this can take a LOT of planning. It also means you have to move your luggage and kids from place to place regularly, which we found a lot of hassle.

So my next tip is that if you’re travelling to Japan at the last minute, consider taking day trips from a single location. You can visit Yokohama easily for the day from Tokyo, for example. And Kyoto is only a 20 minute train ride away from Osaka. This isn’t a type that will work for everyone, but we found it saved us a lot of time and hassle.

Only having two hotel stays (one in Tokyo and one in Osaka) and minimising our big moves was one of the things that other articles might not recommend, but that we would recommend to anyone!

7. Be Flexible

If you’ve booked a trip to Japan at short notice, you’re probably panicking and trying to arrange as many activities and excursions as possible. So this serves as a reminder to be flexible and to make sure you leave room in your schedule for spontaneity and unexpected adventures.

Wandering down an appealing alleyway or stopping into a shop just because you like the window display is all part of the joy of travelling. So is smelling something delicious so joining the line to eat or sitting in the park for a while just because the sun is shining. Some of our favourite days in Japan are actually the ones that have occured completely by accident!

If your schedule is too packed full, you won’t be able to enjoy any of these simple pleasures. So I would suggest that only one planned activity per day is enough!

8. Do As Much Research As Possible

Don’t scroll away yet! Last minute trips can still be fun and culturally enriching if you take a little time to get to know the destination you’re visiting.

If you’re planning a big family trip to Japan then here’s a selection of other content that will help you with your trip planning and make your visit the best family holiday ever!

🎌 The Ultimate 14 Day Japan Itinerary for First Time Visitors
🎎The Ultimate 5 Day Tokyo Itinerary For Families
♒One Day in Odaiba: Ultimate Itinerary For Families in Tokyo Bay
🎢Ultimate Guide to Universal Studios Japan (Tips, Rides, How to Book)

Are you planning a last minute trip to Japan? Do you think you could arrange a trip here at short notice? I love planning, but if it meant visiting Japan, i’d be happy to take a last minute trip and find out!

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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!