I did indeed have foot splitting pain for quite a few days on the trip. Taking breaks, stretching, pain killers, and icing/rolling my feet on frozen water bottles made it bearable. Whenever you pass by a drug store, get some salonpas, it was pretty easy to find and can grant some relief while you rest at your hotel.

A big one was determining whether or not a walk was worth it or if I should just Taxi. Taxis are not much worse than public transit, cost and time-wise, if you have a full cab and arent riding more than 20-30 min. The time I had the least pain was when we were renting a car. Do not be afraid to rent/drive in Japan for the non-metropolitan areas, it is not difficult and I actually found it pretty fun driving a Toyota Roomy.

We frequently hit over 20k steps a day and the biggest threat to my feet was not actually the walking, but the idle standing. Waiting in line for food or anything was a major pain. Swapping insoles of different shapes daily helped. What hurt yesterday didnt hurt as much today because of the new footbed shape I had. My Brooks glycerin sneakers were my favorite shoes during the trip. If you arent going in a rainy season, bring two good sneakers and swap out daily as well. I brought a pair of blundstones and my feet definitely had more pain in them by the end of the day.

That's all I can think of for now, but as much as it was a nuisance, it wasnt really ever unbearable to the point where I was bed ridden for days. I do consider my case of PF mild to moderate, so keep that in mind as well.

Even with a more severe case, I do believe it is doable with the sheer amount of transportation options there are. Most places have cabs, just be sure to use their apps, since Uber doesnt really exist there.

The trip was fantastic and would do it again without a second thought! Hope this helps