When friends ask me where it’s easier and cheaper for a Kyrgyz citizen to fly — Europe or Japan — I smile, because I’ve done both. I’ve walked through the quiet streets of Tallinn in winter, gotten lost in the metro of Budapest, sipped coffee in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter and wandered the squares of Warsaw. And on the other side of the world, I’ve crossed Japan from Tokyo to Fukuoka not once but three times, even living there long enough to earn my master’s degree in two unforgettable years. These aren’t just trips on a map — they’re pieces of my life.

Let me start with the flights, because for us in Bishkek the first hurdle is always the ticket. My European trips — Warsaw, Barcelona, Budapest, Tallinn — all started with the same ritual: hunting for a round-trip fare that included a normal suitcase and didn’t punish me if I had to cancel. If I booked early enough, I could usually get something in the USD 650–900 range with 15–20 kg checked baggage and at least a partial refund option. Yes, the booking sites flashed tempting low numbers — USD 300, USD 400 — but those were illusions: no bags, no changes, no mercy. The real “usable” fares cost more but were still manageable.

Japan was different. When I first went to Tokyo, I couldn’t believe how high the prices climbed. With luggage and cancellation flexibility, my Bishkek–Tokyo tickets ranged from USD 900 at the very best to USD 2,000 or more when I booked late or chose fully refundable. It was a real investment. And yet I kept going back, because Japan gave me something no other country could: a chance to study, to grow, to see my own life from another angle.

Visa paperwork is the other side of the coin. For Europe, every trip meant pulling bank statements, making hotel bookings, buying travel insurance and waiting weeks for a Schengen visa. It became routine but never easy. Japan, by contrast, was a relief. The tourist visa took only a few documents, a small fee, and about a week to process. During my student years it was even simpler. For Kyrgyz citizens, Japan’s visa is just more straightforward.

On the ground, the differences deepen. In Europe — especially in Warsaw, Budapest and Tallinn — I could live on a reasonable budget. Trains, cafés, hostels, even apartments were within reach. Barcelona was pricier, but still manageable with planning. Japan, though, felt like a premium experience from the moment I stepped off the plane. Tiny but immaculate hotel rooms, endless convenience stores, trains that run like clockwork but charge like short flights — all of it adds up. Even so, each yen bought me memories I wouldn’t trade for anything: cherry blossoms by the river, quiet temples at dawn, my first speech in Japanese.

So which is “better”? From my own life, Europe is the practical choice: cheaper flights, more flexible fares, one visa for many countries. Japan is the soul trip: a simpler visa, a higher price tag, and an experience so different it rewires how you see the world.

If you’re sitting in Bishkek wondering where to go next, my advice is simple: pick Europe if you want variety and value; pick Japan if you’re ready for a deep dive into a single culture and don’t mind paying more for it. Either way, don’t be fooled by the lowest price you see online. Real tickets with baggage and flexibility cost more — but they’re worth it when life changes and your plans must too.

And remember, all the numbers, visas and planning melt away the moment you walk out of the airport and smell a new country for the first time. That’s why I keep going back — because each place, whether Warsaw or Tokyo, still manages to surprise me.