How to use PingClab

Plan, adjust and share a Japan itinerary in five steps, plus arrival day and booking tips.

1

Pick a city and your dates

Tap one of the city cards on the home page: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka or Sapporo. Then choose how many days you’re traveling and your start date.

  • Pick 2–7 days with one tap, or enter a longer trip yourself
  • Your return date is worked out from your start date
  • You can plan without dates, but closed-day checks need a start date
Tip. Visiting several cities? Make one itinerary per city and keep the share links together.
2

Choose your travel type (optional)

On the last setup screen, pick one side of four pairs, or type your four-letter MBTI. Each pick changes which places go into your plan and how full each day is.

  • Busy hotspots or quiet places, famous sights or local spots, efficient routes or pretty detours, an hour-by-hour plan or a loose one
  • Skip it and you get our standard plan
E / I S / N T / F J / P
3

Make the plan your own

Your first draft is ready right away. Swap, add and reorder places until it feels like your trip.

  • Add a place: tap an empty slot to see nearby places first. On a computer you can also pick from the place list on the left and drop it into a slot
  • Reorder: drag a slot, or use ▲▼
  • Move to another day: tap ↕, then the day tab
  • Remove: tap ✕. Changed your mind? Tap ↩ to undo
  • Places we don’t list: search Google Maps from “+ Search / Add Spot”
Tip. Use the category and area filters in the place list to narrow things down.
4

Check closed days

With a start date, PingClab checks each place against its regular closing days and opening hours for that date.

  • A red ! means the place is known to be closed that day
  • “May be closed (being verified)” means we have a closing rule that hasn’t been confirmed with the official site yet
  • Opening-hour badges tell you if you’d arrive before opening or after closing
Tip. Closing days and hours can change. Check the official website before you go.
5

Tidy your route and share it

Tap Optimize Route to reorder a day so lunch and dinner land at meal times, places are open when you arrive, and travel time goes down.

  • Travel time and mode appear between stops. Tap Directions to open the route in Google Maps
  • Copy share link: anyone with the link opens the same itinerary and can edit their own copy
  • Copy as text: paste it into any messaging app
  • Save to my account: sign in with Google to open it on other devices
  • Create a share card: a story-sized image with a countdown to your trip
Tip. Pick the area you’re staying in (hotel slot → area menu). The next day’s route then starts from there.
6

Plan your arrival day

On Day 1, enter your airport and landing time under Airport Arrival & Transfer. PingClab suggests how to get into the city and moves Day 1 to start when you actually arrive.

  • Compares airport trains, buses and private transfers with estimated times and fares
  • If you land late, stops that no longer fit are taken off Day 1. Tap ↩ to bring them back
Tip. Fares and times are estimates. Please check before you travel.
7

Book stays, tickets and tours

Booking buttons open our partners’ pages for your city and dates. PingClab may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.

  • Stays: hotels for your city and travel dates
  • Tours & tickets: the Book tag on a place photo, or the tickets button in the trip summary
  • Transit passes: passes that can save money on busy days

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are the closed days?
Closing rules for some places are confirmed against official websites. Others come from Google opening hours and are marked as being verified. Always check the official site before you go.
Can I use PingClab without signing in?
Yes. You can create, edit and share itineraries without signing in. Signing in lets you keep several itineraries in the cloud and open them on other devices.
The map isn't showing.
It may be a temporary glitch — please refresh the page in a moment. Ad blockers can also block the map, so try turning yours off. If it still doesn't work, let us know with “Report a bug” below.
Do you cover countries other than Japan?
Right now we cover five cities in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sapporo). More destinations will be added over time.
Are places I add myself saved?
Yes. Places you add are part of your itinerary data, so they're included in share links and cloud saves.
My itinerary suddenly disappeared.
Your itinerary is saved automatically in your browser. Refresh the page and a banner offering to restore your previous itinerary appears at the top — tap it to get it back.
Where can I get help if my problem isn't solved?
Email us at contact@pingclab.com. For bugs, including your device, browser and a screenshot helps us fix it faster.

Still stuck?

Found a bug or have a feature idea? Let us know — we read every message ourselves.

Report a bug Send feedback
Email: contact@pingclab.com

Plan your trip

Pick a city and dates to get a first draft you can edit.

Start planning