Tokyo

Two golden windows: late spring (late March, April) for the cherry blossoms, and autumn (October, November) for clear skies and red leaves. Both are mild and dry. Avoid July and August, as it is sweltering, sticky, and above 33°C, and keep in mind a wet rainy season (tsuyu) in June. Winter is cold but sunny and the quietest time for tourists.

By train, always. Buy a Suica or Pasmo card immediately (or add it to your phone): you tap in and out on every metro, JR train, and bus, and you can also use it to pay at vending machines and konbini. The metro is clean, punctual, and well-signposted in English. Download a route planner app: Tokyo has dozens of lines from different companies, and an app will help you find the fastest transfers.

Expect to need at least four to five days to give Tokyo a fair chance, and even then, you will only scratch the surface. Plan by neighbourhood, not by sight: one day for Shibuya/Shinjuku, one day for the east (Asakusa/Yanaka), one day around Harajuku and Meiji-jingu, and one day for food and markets. Do you have a week? Add one or two day trips: Kamakura, Nikko, or the Fuji area near Hakone.

Yes, quite a lot. Haneda is much closer to the city (20-30 min by train or monorail to the centre) and is clearly the most pleasant arrival. Narita is further away: allow ~60-75 min with the Narita Express (N'EX) to Tokyo, or about 40 min with the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno. Both are well connected, but if you have the choice when booking, choose Haneda.

Three classics, all accessible by train: Kamakura (±1 hour, the great bronze Buddha, temples, and a beach), Nikko (±2 hours, the richly decorated Toshogu Shrine in the mountains), and the Fuji area near Hakone (±1.5 hours, hot springs and, on clear days, Mt Fuji). Depart early to beat the crowds. Pay attention to the rail lines: Kamakura runs on JR (covered by the Japan Rail Pass), but Nikko (Tobu) and Hakone (Odakyu Romancecar) are private lines not covered by the JR Pass: you must buy those tickets separately.

Less than you think for food: you can eat excellently for €8-15 in ramen shops, soba shops, and the freshly prepared food sections (depachika) in department store basements. Accommodation is the major expense: hotel rooms are small and not cheap, so book early. Trains, konbini meals, and free shrines keep your daily budget surprisingly low; expect roughly €90-130 per person per day, excluding major splurges.

In touristy Tokyo, you can get by well with English: signs, vending machines, and major establishments are often bilingual, and a translation app bridges the rest. Card payments are becoming more common, but cash remains king at small shops, temples, and market stalls: withdraw yen from a 7-Eleven or post office ATM (these accept foreign cards). A Suica card covers most small payments.