Nine free tools that answer the questions everyone asks before a trip to Japan — how much it costs, whether the JR Pass pays off, how much tax you'll get back, and what your clothing size is over there. No sign-up, no fluff.
Work out the total before you commit, then keep it honest as you book.
Instant all-in budget estimate for Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and beyond, based on your travel style, group size and trip length. 2026 prices.
Open →Splits your days across up to four cities, breaks costs down by category with a chart, and converts the total into USD, EUR, GBP, KRW, TWD or AUD.
Open →Since 1 November 2026 you pay full price and claim the refund later. See how much you'll get back and where to claim it at the airport.
Open →Thinking beyond a holiday? Monthly rent, food, transport and utilities for someone living in Japan in 2026.
Open →The JR Pass stopped being an automatic "yes" after the 2023 and October 2026 price hikes. Do the math first.
Quick check: add up your planned Shinkansen legs and compare against the 7/14/21-day pass price.
Open →Route-by-route breakdown with the 1 October 2026 price rise (7-day ¥50k → ¥53k) built into a purchase-timing toggle.
Open →Turns your cities, interests and pace into a day-by-day route you can share — so the transport math has something to work with.
Open →The small stuff that trips people up once they've actually landed.
US / UK / EU → Japanese sizes for women's, men's, shoes and kids. Check before you queue at the fitting room.
Open →Convert any English name to katakana and hiragana for check-in forms, restaurant reservations and hanko souvenirs.
Open →Why an eSIM beats an airport SIM counter or pocket WiFi for most travelers, and how to set one up before you fly.
Open →Google Maps, Google Translate, train times, restaurant bookings — you need data from the moment you step off the plane. An eSIM activates before you land, with no airport counter queue and no physical SIM swap.
If Japan keeps pulling you back, there's a shelf of honest books on moving there, working remotely from Japan, and everyday life — written by a long-term resident, on Kindle.
Most people find these tools one at a time through search, use one, and leave — then hit the same wall a week later with a different question. Planning a Japan trip actually has a natural sequence, and the tools line up with it.
Start with the Japan Trip Cost Calculator. It's deliberately blunt: pick a style, length and group size, get one all-in figure. If that number is a shock, the Multi-City Budget Simulator shows you which city and which category is driving it, so you know where to cut.
The Itinerary Builder turns "we have 10 days and like food and temples" into an actual route. You need this before the transport math, because the JR Pass decision depends entirely on how far and how often you're moving.
Run your route through Is the JR Pass Worth It?. With the 1 October 2026 price increase, a classic Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka loop is almost always cheaper on individual tickets or a regional pass. The full national pass only pays off with three or more long-distance Shinkansen trips.
If you're shopping, the Tax-Free Refund Calculator matters more than it used to — since 1 November 2026, tax-free shopping in Japan is refund-based, not an instant discount at the register. Keep every receipt and claim at the airport.
Before you fly: an eSIM so you're online on arrival. Once you're there: the size converter before you shop and the katakana name converter for forms and reservations.