Complete guide
Japan Visa Schedule of Stay — The Complete Guide (2026)
If you need a tourist visa for Japan, one document decides how smoothly your application moves: the Schedule of Stay. It is a required, day-by-day plan of your trip — and it has to be specific, complete, and consistent with your flights and hotels. This guide covers what it is, who needs it, the exact format Japan expects, a worked example, the rules that get itineraries rejected, and a fast way to produce one.
What is the Schedule of Stay?
The Schedule of Stay is a day-by-day plan of your trip in Japan, submitted as a supporting document with a tourist visa application. It is also known as the daily itinerary or the Keikakusho (計画書), and the official form is usually titled "Schedule of Stay in Japan." For every day from arrival to departure, it records what you plan to do, where you will stay, and how you can be contacted. Consular officers use it to confirm that your trip is real, planned, and financially plausible.
Who needs a Schedule of Stay?
You need a Schedule of Stay if your nationality requires a visa to enter Japan for tourism. Most Western nationals are visa-exempt for short tourism and do not submit one; visa-required nationalities — including the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and China — must include it with their application. Visa-exemption rules and document lists change over time, so always confirm your own situation with the Embassy of Japan or the visa centre handling your application.
| Needs a visa + Schedule of Stay | Visa-exempt for short tourism |
|---|---|
| Philippines | United States |
| India | United Kingdom |
| Vietnam | Canada |
| Indonesia, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka | Australia, and most EU countries |
The required format: a 4-column table
The Schedule of Stay is a simple 4-column table that accounts for every day from arrival to departure. The four columns are:
- Date — each day or block of days of your trip, in order.
- Activity Plan — the specific places and activities for that day (named attractions, not just "tourism").
- Contact — who can be reached that day, such as the hotel front desk, a tour operator, or the airline.
- Accommodation — where you sleep that night, with the full hotel name, address, and phone number.
A worked example
A complete Schedule of Stay looks like the sample below — every day named, real places listed, and hotels written out with address and phone. Swap in your own dates, flights, and bookings.
| Date | Activity Plan | Contact | Accommodation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3 | Arrive Narita (NRT). Transfer to hotel in Asakusa, Tokyo. Evening walk along Nakamise-dori. | Hotel front desk | Sakura Hotel Asakusa, 2-24-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032 · +81 3-0000-0000 |
| Apr 4 | Tokyo sightseeing: Senso-ji Temple, Ueno Park, Shibuya Crossing, Meiji Shrine. | Hotel front desk | Sakura Hotel Asakusa, 2-24-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032 · +81 3-0000-0000 |
| Apr 6 | Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka. Afternoon at Osaka Castle; evening in Dotonbori. | Hotel front desk | Namba Plaza Hotel, 1-2-3 Namba, Chuo Ward, Osaka 542-0076 · +81 6-0000-0000 |
| Apr 9 | Depart from Kansai (KIX) on return flight home. | Airline | — |
Rules that trip people up
Most itinerary problems come down to a handful of avoidable mistakes. Check your Schedule of Stay against this list before you submit:
- Vague activities get questioned. "Tourism" or "sightseeing" is not enough — name specific places for each day.
- Dates must match your flights and hotels. The cities and dates have to line up with your tickets and bookings exactly.
- Every day must be accounted for. No blank days, and no days without accommodation listed.
- Include the return flight. Show how and when you leave Japan to demonstrate you will not overstay.
- Keep it clean. Submit a tidy, legible document printed on A4 with full hotel addresses and phone numbers.
How to create one quickly
You can produce a correctly formatted Schedule of Stay in a couple of minutes instead of building a table by hand. Japan Trip Docs guides you through your trip — paste your bookings or answer a few simple questions — and assembles the exact 4-column document for you:
- Auto-fills real hotel addresses and phone numbers so the Accommodation column is complete.
- Renders Japanese text correctly with a Japanese-capable font.
- Lets you preview the exact PDF before you pay — one-time $39, no account.
Generate your Japan visa Schedule of Stay in the exact required format — with real hotel addresses filled in automatically.
Create my Schedule of Stay → Preview the exact PDF before you pay. One-time, no account. Full refund if it can't be generated.More guides
Requirements can change and vary by applicant — always confirm the latest details with the Embassy of Japan / the Japan Visa Application Centre handling your application. Japan Trip Docs is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any government body.