Fighting FOMO: Japan Travel Off the Beaten Path

Planning a trip to Japan?

Chances are high that you've got some fairly well-formed ideas – preconceived notions – about what Japan is. 

These days we see and hear a lot about it, don’t we?! Take social media alone: it’s hard to scroll/swipe through more than a handful of posts without seeing something about Japan.

But what exactly are we seeing? Is it the “real Japan” (whatever that means)? Or is it the highlight reel?

And what does this mean for your Japan travel plans?

For most people, the result is that they end up going to the same cities (aka the “Golden Route” of Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka) and doing the same things. And they’re not… wrong. But they’re missing out on a lot. 

There are so many great places and things to experience in Japan, and yet most people are held back by either limited information or, even worse, by fear of missing out (FOMO). Which is ironic, isn’t it, considering that this fear is actually causing them to miss out!

Our advice to clients – and indeed our entire business ethos – means asking you to put aside what you’ve heard and seen until now.

Instead ask what you want to get out of your Japan travel experience. 

That goes for solo travelers, families and couples — and rings especially true for those planning a honeymoon in Japan.

What kind of experiences would you ideally like to have in Japan? How do you want to feel while you're here? What kind of lasting memories do you want to make? Once we start to answer these questions, the path to creating a Japan itinerary that’s uniquely tailored to your needs & desires becomes much more clear.

That’s the whole concept behind traveling Japan off the beaten path.

“But What Do You Mean You Didn’t See _____??!!”

Okay, so we threw that FOMO idea out there.

Traveling Japan off the beaten path means (assuming that time is still finite) you’re probably going to have to make some choices, placing higher priorities on some destinations & experiences than others, and sacrificing a handful of “popular” areas or sights in exchange for having quality experiences more suited to your travel goals and desires.

For example, here’s a “radical” itinerary that I’ll offer (after getting to know their travel goals through initial conversations) to some people who have only a week or so to spend in Japan:

Skip Tokyo altogether, fly into and out of Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX), base yourself in Osaka & Kyoto for the duration of your stay in Japan and drill down as much as possible into local experiences.

“Skip Tokyo?!” You might exclaim. “But, but…”

But what? 

Yes it’s true, you might not get to see some of the stuff you saw on social media – not this trip, anyway. 

You might not get to tick off some places on the list. 

And you might have to answer the interrogatives from that friend or family member who went to Tokyo and keeps boasting about how they were in some sort of unparalleled Utopia (it isn’t). “But what do you mean, you didn’t go to Tokyo?!”

The answer to that, by the way, is that you saw a major Japanese city in Osaka, a metropolis the size of the Greater New York metropolitan area – and you got to experience Kyoto and environs in-depth (not on some kind of hit-and-run itinerary but on an expertly guided private Kyoto city tour). That you saw Japan’s grandest castle in Himeji; that you ate Kobe beef in Kobe; that you were able to soak in the nature and serenity of Koyasan; and that you got to walk through local streets and experience everyday Japanese life without the hordes of tourists.

I could go on.

The point is, this itinerary works for some people because, despite having only a limited amount of time for this trip to Japan (there’ll be more), they’re able to see, do and experience what they really want to – not what some algorithm decides they “need” to.

Remember it’s your hoiday. Your honeymoon, your buddy trip, your family journey or solo escape. Make sure you’re getting what you want — and what you deserve.

F%@k FOMO – The World Is Your Oyster

Life’s too short for subpar travel.

It’s your hard-earned money (and/or points). Shouldn’t you be the one who decides what you really need to see, do, experience, feel and remember about your trip to Japan?

That’s why we created Japan Travel Pros.

If you’ve found us while on a quest to enjoy unique experiences in Japan and make unforgettable memories, I couldn't be happier that you’re here.

It would be my pleasure to have a chat about what you want to see and experience in Japan. Schedule a free consultation today.

Until we speak again, happy travels!