Travel Planners

Downloadable Japan trip planners written from firsthand experience — a Kiroro & Otaru ski planner and a GREEN×EXPO 2027 Yokohama planner. PDF, cost worksheet and mobile quick guide included.

NipponStays publishes free hotel and area guides. These planners are the paid, in-depth version: a complete trip planned for you, built from firsthand travel and delivered as an illustrated PDF with a cost worksheet and a mobile quick guide. Buy once, download immediately, keep every future update free.

A 2:40 look inside the ski planner — the pages, the mobile version, and the Hokkaido it was written from.

The Kiroro & Otaru Ski Trip Planner

Children skiing through powder between birch trees at Kiroro, Hokkaido — Kiroro on a normal January morning. The planner exists so you spend your days here instead of working out logistics.

US$14.99 — launch price US$11.99 · one-time payment · instant download · free updates

→ Buy the Kiroro & Otaru Ski Planner
US$11.99 launch price · secure checkout by Lemon Squeezy · instant download

Kiroro gets some of the most reliable powder in Hokkaido, but most of what is written about it in English stops at “it snows a lot.” This planner is written by someone who skis there about 30 days a season, and it answers the questions that actually decide the trip: which base suits you, how to get from New Chitose without losing a day, and whether renting a car in a Hokkaido winter is worth it.

Cover of The Kiroro and Otaru Ski Trip Planner showing the summit gate at Kiroro in winter — 13 chapters, illustrated throughout with photos taken on the mountain.

Inside

Sample page from the ski planner: a decision flow for choosing between Club Med Kiroro Grand, Peak, Yu Kiroro and Otaru, with nightly prices — A real page: pick your base in 60 seconds, with what each option costs and who it suits.

Pick your base in 60 seconds — Club Med Grand vs Peak vs Yu Kiroro vs staying in Otaru, with honest notes on who each suits and what it costs per night
Getting there — bus vs private transfer vs rental car from New Chitose, with real prices and journey times
The winter-driving reality — read this before you rent a car; what a Hokkaido road actually looks like in February
Reading the snow like a local — when the good days happen, and how to plan around them
Eat off the mountain — the Otaru and Yoichi case, including the Nikka distillery and the natural-wine scene
Ski school & kids — ages, languages, and what has to be booked in advance
Season-pass maths — confirmed 2026–27 prices and the break-even point (about nine high-season days)
Day-by-day plans, packing list, printable booking sheet and Japanese phrase cards

Sample page from the ski planner comparing airport transfer options from New Chitose to Kiroro with prices and journey times — Another page: every way from New Chitose to the snow, priced and timed.

You receive: the main planner (PDF, ~5 MB) · a mobile quick guide (PDF) · a trip cost calculator (Excel) · a Google Maps list of every place mentioned (CSV).

The GREEN×EXPO 2027 Yokohama Planner

Platform signage at Shin-Yokohama Station showing the Sotetsu and Tokyu through-service lines that reach the Expo venue — Shin-Yokohama. Which line you take, and where you sleep, decides how your Expo day feels.

US$11.99 — launch price US$9.99 · one-time payment · instant download · free updates until the Expo closes

→ Buy the GREEN×EXPO 2027 Planner
US$9.99 launch price · secure checkout by Lemon Squeezy · instant download

GREEN×EXPO 2027 runs 19 March – 26 September 2027 in Yokohama. It uses dated-entry tickets, a separate reservation system for shuttles and parking, and has 19 official peak days. At Expo 2025 Osaka, visitors who planned late found the dates they wanted were gone. This planner is written by a local who lives on the venue’s doorstep, so that doesn’t happen to you.

Cover of The GREEN×EXPO 2027 Yokohama Planner showing the official countdown board at Yokohama Station — 10 chapters, updated free until the Expo’s closing day.

Inside

Sample page from the Expo planner: a hotel comparison table for Shin-Yokohama plus the counter-flow commuting trick — A real page: the Shin-Yokohama hotels compared, and the counter-flow trick that gets you a seat on the train.

Tickets, decoded — the dated-entry system, what opens on 18 September 2026, and the 19 peak days to avoid
The counter-flow trick — base yourself in Shin-Yokohama and ride against the Tokyo commute to the gates, comfortably seated
Where to stay, decided in 60 seconds — Shin-Yokohama vs Yokohama Station vs Minato Mirai vs a Tokyo base, with honest notes on each hotel
From Tokyo in one train — the exact through-running lines, and which departure hubs are empty in the morning
Shuttles and parking — the four shuttle stations, confirmed fares, and the park-and-ride option
Summer survival — the local heat kit and timing strategy for an open-air venue in a Japanese August
The food reality — why you will want to eat in Yokohama, and how to plan for it
Sample itineraries, cost worksheet, printable booking sheet and Japanese phrase cards

Sample page from the Expo planner explaining the dated-entry ticket system and the reservation timeline — Another page: the ticket and reservation system, in the order you need to do it.

You receive: the main planner (PDF, ~4 MB) · a mobile quick guide (PDF) · a trip cost worksheet (Excel).

How it works

Payment and delivery are handled by Lemon Squeezy. A download link arrives by email immediately after purchase.
Formats: PDF (phone, tablet or desktop), plus the Excel and CSV extras listed above.
Updates are free. Prices, timetables and opening details change in Japan; when a planner is updated, existing buyers get the new version at no cost.
Refunds: if a planner isn’t what you expected, email within 14 days and we will refund it.

Who writes these

NipponStays is written by a Japan-based traveller who visits the places covered here. The ski planner comes from roughly 30 days a season at Kiroro; the Expo planner comes from living beside the venue and from planning around Expo 2025 Osaka. Where something has not been verified in person, the planners say so, and each one carries the date its prices and timetables were last checked.

Questions before buying? Email hello@nipponstays.com.