Your Ultimate Japanese Travel Guide with Abroad in Japan

Thinking of a trip to Japan in 2025? Well Pete Donaldson is here to help you take the plunge with all the essential travel tips…

2024 was a HUGE year for Abroad In Japan – the show turned six years old, Chris and Pete were reunited in Tokyo for the first time since the pandemic, and Chris became a Sunday Times best-selling author! With bi-weekly appearances on YouTube and a global community of listeners, the podcast has never been more popular – and neither has Japan!

Thanks to a sleepy yen and some compelling offers from airlines, there’s never been a better time to visit – so whether you’re planning a short layover, or a 21-day mega-break in Tokyo, Japan could be a top contender for your 2025 travel itinerary. And who better to guide you through every noodle-slinging, temple-trekking, capsule-hotel-crashing moment than award-winning filmmaker Chris Broad and England’s top Japan enthusiast, Pete Donaldson?

The podcast inbox is always bursting with questions like, “Where should I stay?”, “What’s the best ramen spot?”, and “Where can I find that weird fish-flake rice thing Chris keeps talking about?” Well, we’ve got you covered. We caught up with Pete to give you some essential tips to jump-start your Japan plans:

How To Fly

If time is short, the only airport worth floating into is Haneda – it’s a mere twenty minutes away from central Tokyo by car. It was built on a reclaimed chunk of the Tokyo bay and is so much closer than its smaller brother Narita, which means you get chopsticks deep into some gorgeous ramen even sooner!

How To Eat

If you’re wanting the best pork ramen – or financially ambitious sushi – you can usually find an excellent spot on most street corners or even inside most train stations in Tokyo. But why consume the sort of dish you can easily find at home? Mia Nagamatsu’s Katsuo Shokudo in Uguisudanicho gives you the chance to eat some incredible shaved dried fish on rice (katsuo-boshi). And with a queue that forms every morning at 8:30, it’s a pretty popular institution. If you fancy something a little less adventurous, then how about a ham and seafood okonomiyaki fried pancake in Sakura-tei in Harajuku?

Where To Stay

There’ll be those of us who want to experience Tokyo at full pelt – Capsule Hotels, Love Hotels, dozing off in a karaoke booth after the last train – and true, they’ll have a great (if sleepless) time of things. But somewhere between the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi and a Shibuya Centre Gai flower bed lies the salary man’s business hotel – brands like APA and Sotetsu Fresa provide small yet perfectly formed hotel rooms at more affordable prices than their larger cousins. Brands such as Dormy Inn provide a minimalist approximation of a relaxing onsen too (perfect for that jet lag!).

Where To Stray

Speaking of jet lag – or “time stupidity” as the Japanese call it – if you’re up at 5am, why not turn this to your advantage and get on an early train to somewhere a bit more peaceful? There are your usual suspects, Kyoto or Nara – but if you’ve brought your hiking boots, why not catch a bullet train North into the mountains of Nikko? The national park provides wild monkeys, hot springs and – in a country famed for its temples – Toshogu Shrine is one of the best you’ll see here!

If that’s left you scrambling to book the next available flight to Tokyo or if you just want to hear more about all things Japan, listen and subscribe to the Abroad in Japan podcast. New episodes are released every Monday and Thursday!

Listen and subscribe to Abroad in Japan wherever you get your podcasts.

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This column was created with Stak. Stak produces podcasts that entertain and inform, including some of the UK’s biggest and most popular shows – boasting a combined 4 million monthly listen and over 45 years of podcasting experience. Whether recording remotely or in our broadcast-grade London  studio, we special in every stage of the podcasting process. To find out more or get in touch, visit our website at stak.london.