Spring 2027 · Hotels, Packing & Apps

Plan Your Trip

A little planning. A lot of Japan.

Where to stay, what to bring, and a few things to put on your phone before you meet me in Nagoya.

You book and pay for your own travel and hotels. I’ll help you understand the plan so you can arrive ready to enjoy it.

Cherry blossoms along a canal in Japan, from Tammy’s photo archive
Spring memories from my Japan photo album. — Tammy

Your passport and travel documents

You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining a valid passport and any visas or other documents required for your travel, including meeting entry, transit, and airline requirements.

Check your passport expiration date and allow time to apply or renew if needed. Check current requirements with the relevant official authorities and your airline.

MyJapan.life does not verify or approve your passport or other travel documents.

Start here

Hotel booking dates

All dates below are local dates in Japan, in 2027. Check your flight’s arrival date before booking; an earlier arrival or later departure needs extra hotel nights.

Main Trip Only

Nagoya · 11 nights
Check in
Monday, March 29
Check out
Friday, April 9

The hosted main experience runs March 29–April 9.

Extension: additional hotel

Hiroshima · 1 night

Check in
Saturday, April 10
Check out
Sunday, April 11

This room is in addition to your continuous Nagoya booking.

Budget for both rooms on April 10. You will pay for your Nagoya room that night even though you sleep in Hiroshima. That is intentional: no packing up your suitcase, checking out, or moving back in.

April 9 is the main trip’s farewell morning. Extension travelers stay in Nagoya that night, ready to leave for Hiroshima on April 10. After Miyajima on April 11, the plan is to return to Nagoya together and stay overnight before checking out on April 12.

Where to stay

Where to stay & where we meet

Hilton Nagoya has responded with proposed group arrangements. Tammy is reviewing and finalizing the contract and booking instructions. Do not use or share a group booking code until the final traveler instructions appear in My Trip. Choose flexible or refundable terms when available and read the cancellation deadline carefully.

Nagoya

Preferred Hotel

Hilton Nagoya

This is our planned group hotel. You are encouraged, but not required, to stay here.

Hilton Nagoya is the required daily meeting point for our Nagoya-based outings. If you stay elsewhere, allow enough time to get here before the scheduled departure. Meeting times and the exact spot will be shared before the trip.

View Hilton Nagoya’s official hotel information

Hilton has supplied proposed rates and contract terms. Final booking instructions and any approved group code will be shared with confirmed travelers after the arrangements are finalized.

Nagoya

Alternative Hotel

DEL style NAGOYA-NAYABASHI

A nearby alternative in the same Sakae 1-chome neighborhood as Hilton Nagoya.

1-2-27 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya.

Official hotel information · Walking route to Hilton Nagoya

Check the route, your travel dates and total price before booking. No group rate or room availability is confirmed.

Nagoya

Alternative Hotel

Daiwa Roynet Hotel NAGOYA-FUSHIMI

Another nearby option in Sakae 1-chome, convenient for comparing with the Hilton.

1-5-21 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya.

Official hotel information · Walking route to Hilton Nagoya

Check the route, your travel dates and total price before booking. No group rate or room availability is confirmed.

Nagoya

Alternative Hotel

Hotel LiVEMAX Meieki

The LiVEMAX option to compare in the Meieki / Fushimi area, rather than my former neighborhood’s Marunouchi hotel.

1-11-5-1 Meiekiminami, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya.

Official hotel information · Walking route to Hilton Nagoya

Check the route, your travel dates and total price before booking. No group rate or room availability is confirmed.

Hiroshima

Planned Hotel

The Royal Park Hotel Hiroshima Riverside

I stayed here on a previous Hiroshima visit and would love to return. The hotel’s official website lists an approximately eight-minute walk from Hiroshima Station’s South Exit.

Our planned stay is April 10–11, 2027. Rates, availability, breakfast options and individual booking arrangements are still to be confirmed.

View the Royal Park’s official hotel information

Before you reserve

Booking & payment details

Each traveler arranges and pays for her own accommodation. Hotel charges and breakfast are not included in the hosted-experience fee.

Check the complete price, taxes, breakfast inclusion, cancellation deadline and payment terms. Final hotel guidance will follow once arrangements are confirmed.

Hiroshima & Miyajima · April 10–11

Your Hiroshima overnight backpack

“This is how I travel for a night or two: a backpack, the essentials, and no big suitcase to wrestle with.” — Tammy

Bring a backpack or small overnight bag with enough room for your overnight essentials and a little shopping. A backpack is recommended so your hands stay free while we explore Miyajima. Keep it light enough to carry comfortably.

Our transfer to the ferry is still being arranged. The exact route and cost will be shared when confirmed; a taxi or private vehicle is not yet booked or included.

See the Hiroshima & Miyajima extension

Your overnight bag

  • One change of clothes, underwear and socks
  • Sleepwear and a small toiletries kit
  • Medication and other personal essentials
  • Passport, money and payment cards
  • Phone, charger and portable battery
  • Light layers and rain protection
  • Comfortable walking shoes on your feet
  • A little room for a souvenir

Keep valuables and essential medication with you.

Tammy’s suggested packing list

Your packing list

Pack for walking, layers and real life.

A comfortable backpack is recommended for every day of the trip—not just the Hiroshima overnight. Use it for your water, small hand towel, compact umbrella, sunscreen and other daily essentials. Leave a little room for shopping, and keep it light enough to carry comfortably. You must be able to handle your own luggage.

Documents & money

  • Passport and a secure backup copy
  • Flight and hotel confirmations
  • Travel insurance details and emergency contacts
  • Payment cards and some yen
  • Hotel names and addresses saved on your phone

Clothes & shoes

  • Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes
  • Socks you’re happy to show when shoes come off
  • Mix-and-match outfits and light layers
  • A warmer layer for cool mornings and evenings
  • Light rain jacket
  • Underwear and sleepwear
  • Optional: a lightweight bag for dirty clothes. A spare shopping bag works fine.

Personal essentials

  • Your medications and prescription details
  • Glasses, contacts and other daily necessities
  • Toiletries, sunscreen and lip balm
  • Small folding umbrella that fits in your everyday backpack—bring one or pick one up in Japan.
  • Small hand towel, about washcloth size—keep it in your daily backpack for drying your hands when restroom towels or dryers aren’t available.

Check official Japanese medicine-entry requirements for your own medications before travel; do not assume every prescription can be brought in.

Phone & power

  • Phone and charging cables
  • Bring portable phone power banks and your charging cable—we may be out all day. Two can be handy, subject to your airline’s battery limits. Keep them charged and carry them in your daily backpack.
  • Check your airline’s power-bank quantity, capacity and carry-on rules before packing
  • A plug adapter suitable for your devices and Japan
  • A mobile-data or roaming plan
  • Useful apps downloaded and signed in

Check device voltage compatibility; a plug adapter does not convert voltage.

Your everyday backpack

  • Water bottle
  • Small hand towel, about washcloth size
  • Backpack-sized folding umbrella
  • Sunscreen and an extra layer
  • Charged phone power banks and charging cable
  • Small coin purse and fold-up shopping bag
  • A little room for purchases

What to leave out

  • New shoes you haven’t walked in
  • Heavy “just in case” outfits
  • More luggage than you can manage
  • Full-size toiletries you won’t use up
  • A big suitcase for the Hiroshima overnight

Leave room in your luggage—you may find a few things you want to bring home.

Little things I learned living in Japan

A tiny coin purse

Small coin purse—to keep your yen coins together and easy to reach.

A fold-up shopping bag

Small fold-up shopping bag—bring one from home if you have one, or pick one up in Japan. Choose one that tucks easily into your everyday backpack.

An umbrella that fits

Small folding umbrella that fits in your everyday backpack—bring one or pick one up in Japan.

A small hand towel

Bring a small hand towel—wash-rag size is perfect—and keep it in your everyday backpack. Many public restrooms in Japan do not provide paper towels, and a hand dryer may not be available.

Keep backup copies of important documents

Before you leave, save clear photos or PDFs of your passport, travel insurance, flight details and hotel confirmations in a private Google Drive folder or another secure location. Make them available offline so you can find them without Wi-Fi. Protect your phone with a PIN or fingerprint, and don’t share the folder publicly. Carry your original passport—digital copies are only backups.

Your phone is part of your travel kit

Arrival preparation & useful apps

These links lead to official services or download pages. Set up accounts before departure where possible. Availability, payment methods and features can change; having an app does not guarantee a booking or ride.

Start here · Official website—not an app

Before You Fly: Visit Japan Web

Prepare your immigration and customs information before arriving in Japan.

Open Visit Japan Web

Shinkansen (bullet train) reservations for our intercity travel. Wait for the group’s train guidance before buying tickets so we can coordinate departures.

Official information & downloads

Compare accommodation and manage your hotel bookings. Double-check the exact hotel, dates and cancellation terms.

Get the Agoda app

The taxi app to look for is called GO. Use its official English page to get the correct app and check setup requirements.

Get the GO app

A backup for arranging a ride where service is available. Check the pickup location, fare and vehicle capacity.

Open Uber

Our planned group communication app. Group invitation details will be shared with booked travelers before departure.

Download WhatsApp

An option for a quiet night in, depending on local delivery availability. Ask your hotel first and arrange to meet the driver at the approved pickup spot.

Open Uber Eats

Use the Japanese storefront, Amazon.co.jp. Ask the hotel before sending a package; confirm the address, guest name and delivery timing. Check pickup-point options if offered at checkout.

Open Amazon Japan

Japan’s visitor safety app, with earthquake, tsunami and weather alerts. Review notification settings before traveling.

Get Safety tips

Hotel and app links reviewed September 3, 2026. Follow each official service for current details. Final group booking instructions will come separately.