Transportation交通
Japan's public transit is both the most complex and the most convenient thing in the country. Take Tokyo as an example: there is the subway (Metro), above-ground rail (JR), and buses. Since each mode is run by a different company, you generally buy tickets separately. 日本最复杂也最为便利的是公共交通。以东京为例，有地下铁路，也有地上铁路（JR），以及公共汽车。 由于不同的交通方式由不同的公司运营，因此需要在各公司购买车票。
The easiest workaround is the Suica card, accepted on almost all urban transits. Unfortunately the old version is being phased out; the new tourist version is valid for 28 days ONLY, and any remaining balance is non-refundable (Welcome Suica — JR-EAST).最便捷的方法是购买西瓜卡（Suica card），在绝大多数城市的交通工具都可使用。可惜旧版将要停售，新版本专门面向游客发售，有效期为28天，且余额不可退还（Welcome Suica | JR-EAST）。
Tokyo东京
In Tokyo, JR handles above-ground trains and Metro handles the subway. With a (nationwide/East) JR Pass you can ride JR for free — just show it at the staffed or accessible gate. For Metro, grab a Tokyo Subway Ticket at the airport or online (24-, 48-, or 72-hour options). (Tokyo Subway Ticket — Tokyo Metro).东京地上的铁路是 JR，地下是 Metro。JR 可以出示 (全国/东部) JR Pass 走人工/残疾人通道免费搭乘，进出站给工作人员看Pass。Metro 可以在机场（网上）买 Metro pass，分 24 小时、48 小时、72 小时通票。（Tokyo Subway Ticket | 东京 Metro 地铁）。
Osaka大阪
Osaka's transit works similarly to Tokyo's — JR for above-ground, Osaka Metro for underground. A (National/West) JR Pass again covers JR lines for free. Metro has its own day-ticket (Enjoy Eco Card — Osaka Metro).大阪的交通系统与东京相似，地面铁路由 JR 运营，地下铁路则由 Osaka Metro 负责。 同样，持有 （全国/关西）JR Pass 可免费搭乘 JR 列车。Metro 可以买专门的乘车票（1日车票"乐享环保卡 (Enjoy Eco card)" | Osaka Metro）。
If your itinerary covers Kyoto–Osaka–Nara, the Kansai Thru Pass is also worth a look (Kansai Thru Pass — SURUTTO KANSAI).但如果有京都—大阪—奈良的行程，也可以买关西周游卡（关西周游卡 KANSAI THRU PASS (Chinese) | SURUTTO KANSAI）。
This page lists additional discount passes worth browsing (Discount Tickets — OSAKA-INFO).也可以参考这个网页上的各种优惠券（优惠票 | 有用的旅游信息 | OSAKA-INFO）。
JR PassJR Pass
JR is split into regional subsidiaries, so beyond the nationwide JR Pass, each subsidiary offers its own regional passes. Kanto has five passes covering the Sendai and Niigata directions, plus Tokyo- and airport-area passes (Find Your Pass — JR-EAST). Kansai goes bit crazy with 13 different passes (Kansai Area Passes — JR-WEST).因为 JR 下辖四个子公司，除了可以在全国使用的 JR Pass，每个子公司都提供特定区域的通票。关东有往仙台和新潟两个方向的五种 Pass，和东京/机场周边 Pass（Find Your Pass | JR-EAST）。而关西就更丧心病狂一点，有 13 种不同的 Pass（西日本旅客铁道株式会社 — 关西广域铁路周游券使用指南）。
The nationwide JR Pass comes in 7-, 14-, and 21-day versions, each offers Ordinary and Green (first-class) tiers — six versions in total. Prices went up in 2024; the 7-day pass now costs ¥50,000 (JAPAN RAIL PASS, see JRP_pressrelease_cn_230809.pdf).全国 Pass 分为 7 日、14 日、和 21 日，普通座和商务座 (Green) 共 6 个版本。2024年已经涨价，7 日通票需要 50,000 日元（日本铁路通票 | JAPAN RAIL PASS，参见 JRP_pressrelease_cn_230809.pdf）。
The price hike makes purchasing a touch decision. Here's a simple calculation: assume you fly in and out of Tokyo Narita, with Tokyo→Kyoto, Kyoto→Osaka, and a Kyoto→Nara round-trip, and Osaka→Tokyo. Individual fares: NEX round-trip ¥3,070 × 2, Tokyo–Kyoto Shinkansen ¥13,320, Kyoto–Osaka Shinkansen ¥1,420, Kyoto–Nara ¥720 × 2, Osaka–Tokyo Shinkansen ¥13,870 — ¥36,190 total. That leaves a gap of ¥13,810 to cover, for me it's hard to imagine spending ¥10,000+ on the Yamanote Line alone, especially when the subway serves as an alternative.涨价了之后就很尴尬，我们做一个计算：假设东京成田进出，并有东京—京都，京都—大阪，大阪—东京的来回。那么一共的车费至少有 NEX 特快往返 3070×2、东京—京都新干线 13320、京都—大阪新干线 1420、京都—奈良 720×2、大阪—东京新干线 13870，合计 36190 日元。还剩 13810 日元，我很难想象在东京坐山手线坐出来 10000 多日元，况且还有地铁作为补充。
To actually break even, need to add to the strip something like Osaka→Himeji (¥3,220), Himeji→Hiroshima (¥7,910), Hiroshima→Tokyo (¥18,380). And the full itinerary would be: 假设增加大阪—姬路 (3220)、姬路—广岛 (7910)、广岛—东京 (18380) 这样的行程才能回本。于是总行程为：
But this is a marching travel, and making it tough to actually pull off in 7 days. 然而这种玩法属实拉练，很难在 7 日能完成。
Sightseeing观光
Tokyo is for cityscapes, Kyoto is for temples. My memory of Osaka is all tied to art, simply because I happened to catch the Lantingji Xu (Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering) on display when I was there. Other cities each have their own regional flavor.东京看城市，京都看寺庙。大阪在我的印象中全和艺术挂钩，单纯因为凑巧去的时候看到了兰亭序。其他的地方看各地不同类别的风景。
Tokyo highlights (in no particular order)东京景点推荐（排名不分前后）
- Tokyo National Museum东京国立博物馆
- Sensō-ji Temple浅草寺
- Shinjuku Gyoen新宿御苑
- Meiji Shrine明治神宫
- Roppongi Hills (between Tokyo Tower, Skytree, and Roppongi Hills, I'd only recommend Roppongi Hills — better view, and no glass walls blocking photos)六本木之丘（在东京塔、晴空树、和六本木之丘之间我只推荐六本木之丘。六本木的风景更优且没有玻璃幕墙阻隔）
- Akihabara秋叶原
- Ginza (shopping shopping shopping)银座 （买买买）
- Shibuya涩谷
- Zōjō-ji Temple (the Tokugawa family temple — great spot for shooting Tokyo Tower, but time it carefully or you'll be shooting straight into the sun)增上寺（德川家寺）是个能拍东京塔的地方，但得挑时间不然是大逆光
Anything not listed I either haven't visited or didn't find worth a dedicated trip.其余未列项目则是没有去过或是去过后认为并不值得单独跑一趟。
Kyoto highlights (in no particular order)京都景点推荐（排名不分前后）
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)金阁寺
- Nijō Castle二条城
- Sanjūsangen-dō三十三间堂
- Fushimi Inari Shrine伏见稻荷大社
- Gion祇园
- Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) — feels a step down after Kinkaku-ji银阁寺（去了金阁寺后银阁会显得逊色很多）
- Kiyomizu-dera — basically required; rumored to be especially effective for love/relationship prayers清水寺（可以说是必去项，且传闻求姻缘很灵验）
- Kyoto Imperial Palace — the tour route covers more than the Tokyo one, so I'd pick this one over the Tokyo Imperial Palace皇居（京都皇居的导览线路要比东京能看到更多东西，所以个人更推荐京都皇居而不是东京皇居）
- Heian Shrine平安神宫
- Yasaka Shrine八坂神社
- Honnō-ji Temple (a must for history fans)本能寺（历史爱好者必去）
Osaka (in no particular order)大阪景点推荐（排名不分前后）
- Dōtonbori道顿堀
- Osaka Castle Park - But note, this was not the original castle, the orignal was burned down during the civil war at the end of the Edo period 大阪城公园 - 但是这个不是原物，原始城堡在幕末内战中焚毁。
- Osaka Museum of Fine Arts大阪美术馆
- Umeda Sky Building梅田蓝天大厦
- Osaka Museum of History大阪历史博物馆
- Isshin-ji Temple一心寺
- Yasui Shrine (pilgrimage spot for Sanadamaru fans)安居神社（真田丸爱好者打卡地）
For Osaka sightseeing, the Osaka e-Pass is handy (the old Osaka Amazing Pass has been discontinued). Note: it doesn't cover public transit, and some attractions have time limits for entry — Umeda Sky Building's free entry, for example, ends at 15:00.大阪旅行可以通过买乐游券（老的周游卡已经停止售卖了）。注意，该券不包含公共交通且个别景点有入场时间限制。如梅田蓝天大厦免费入场截至 15:00。
Lodging住宿
Compare Airbnb and hotels — just pick whichever is cheaper. I do NOT recommendcapsule hotels: there is no sound insulation and alarms go off one after another in the morning. Light sleepers should avoid at all costs.AirBnB 和宾馆相互比价，谁便宜住哪个就好。不推荐胶囊宾馆，隔音差，早上的闹铃此起彼伏。睡眠不好的同学尽量避免。
Food食
Use the tabelog app — wildely used with reliable reviews.用 tabelog 这个 app，相对稳妥。