Ultimate Japan Travel Guide

Ultimate Japan Travel Guide – All You Need to Know

Today I’d like to introduce you to Japan. The basic travel information for the first time visitors with practical tips.  So that you can get the most of Japan in your limited time.

Japan Geography

Japan is an island in the far east from the view of Europe, and on the other side of the Pacific Ocean from the United States. It’s an island country with more than 400 inhabitat islands.

Tourists mainly visit the four main islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the southern islands chains that lead to Okinawa.

70% of the country is covered with deep mountains and forests, including volcanoes, that brings both natural disasters and natural bless like hot springs. The highest mountain is Mt.Fuji which is a symobol of Japan and can be seen from Tokyo. The biggest lake in Japan is Lake Biwa, that is an important resource of water for the people in Kyoto.

Most of the parts of the islands have four seasons, hot and humid in summer, and cold in winter. Northern Japan and mountain region get world record level heavy snow, while Pacific Ocean side rarely get snow.

That border with mountains and ocean created each regions’ character, they are similar but somewhat different. Now there are 47 political district in Japan. More than 100 million people are living across Japan, and each region has unique charactor which makes the Japan trip interesting.

You can watch this content on YouTube too.

Japan Travel Overview

First, let’s get to know the travel environment for Japan.

SAFETY

Probably something the most important for you to consider the country to visit is the safety. Japan is relatively a safe country. This is not something I should write about with just my feeling, so let’s see some outside resources.

Even if you are visiting Japan for the first time, or even if it’s your first international trip, Japan is a destination you can focus on enjoying the scenery and walkind around the town.

You can travel to every corner of the country as you want. But please make sure to observe basic safety behaviors, like not following anyone. Also you might want not forget the basic manners and respect to local residents.

ENTRY REQUIREMENT

As of April 2024, Japan’s boarder is open to international travelers witout any special conditions. Many country has visa waiver program with Japan. This is including the United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain and other European countries, Singapore and many more countries.

If you are from there, you can even hop on the plane with passport in your hand tomorrow and enter Japan. Usually, you are allowed to stay for 3 to 6 months depends on the country of the passport.

If you are not from Visa Waiver Program Country

If your country don’t have the visa waiver program with Japan, do not worry. You can get tourist visa on your passport. The condition is greatly different depending on your country, so I recommend you to start from checking the site of Japanese Embassy site in your country, or talk to trustable travel agencies in your neighborhood.

What to Prepare Upon your Entry to Japan 

Japan is running an online platform called “Visit Japan Web”. This is the online website you can fill out your information for entry, and this might speed up your entry process at the destionation airport. This is not mandatory and you can still go through the process at the airport. Also, it depeds on the airport how this program are treated. But you want to go through the immigration and custom process as soon as possible after long flights to Japan, so I recommend you to check the site when your travel date come close.

 

6 Reasons to Visit Japan

Japan is not a party destination, Japan is not famous for luxury beach resort, or comfortable weather. It’s.. actuary deverse. So it might not for everyone or for every stage of life, but repeater comes every year even from the United States to explore more. Let’s see the attractions of Japan now and how you can enjoy the time here.

Travelers to Japan can experience various different kind of sight seeing and activities.

1 CITY AND MODERN CULTURE

 

Perhaps the first place many travelers experience is a big city Tokyo or Osaka. These two cities  are the gateway to the country for the majority of travelers from abroad. Tokyo is not just a populated capitol of Japan. It’s a face of Japan, like a show case of Japanese culture and moden society. I recommend you to stop by at least 2 nights or more, and stroll around the city.

You might get lost and puzzled by the incomprehensible language, the cityscape with neons and design that are different from your country, and the overwhelming number of people. But that is the part of fun. How to enjoy Tokyo is not just going to the major sight seeing spots. Even if you enter a stores or restaurants, you will hardly see the products you’ve seen in your country. You might find some hidden gem, by continuing to explore the endless streets, enter your favorite shops.

Other cities than Tokyo and Osaka

The major city that feels energetic power is honestly these 2 cities in Japan in my opinion, but there are other major cities such as Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Naha. Each of them has its own charm as a capitol of the region.

City is also the best place to do shopping. If you like anime, figures, there are tons of stores in Tokyo. Tokyo is also a place foods and arti crafts from all over Japan gathers. Of cousre, if you go to some sight seeing spots like Asakusa and Harajuku, you can find the all time favorite souvenirs like magnet and key chains. : )

 

2 TRADITION AND JAPANESE ART

The second purpose of your trip is to see Japanese temples and shrines, that reflect the Japanese Buddhism and Shinto belief. There are wooden temples that were built hundreds of years ago, creating an sactuary atmosphere that created from the prayers of people from old times. You can also see sophisticated art and Japanese gardens that you can find peace in your mind. These can be seen  especially in the old capitals of Kyoto and Nara. Japanese people put importance on tradition and you can enjoy them during travel. It would be interesting to touch the spiritual aspects of Japanese people.

3  NATURE AND ACTIVITIES

The third reason of traveling to Japan is the great nature. One of them is a symbol of Japan – Mount Fuji, that you can visit on a day trip from Tokyo. You might have seen tons of photos and videos already, but the impact of the beautiful form of the mountain, makes it worth visiting all the way to see in your own eyes.

There are many other moutains in the central part of Japanese islands includes volcano, that you can enjoy the view of dynamic nature. If you like to get more into physical activities, you can enjoy light trekking and skiing in winter. 

You cannot overlook the coastal scenery and beach activity too. As Japan is surrounded by ocean, you can enjoy the diversified view of the coastal scape, from dynamic geography of rocks to breathtaking white sands in Okinawa. My favorite scenery is the complexed view of numerous islands make, like Seto Inner bay and Amakusa, Kujukushima in Nagasaki.

 

4  HOT SPRINGS AND RYOKAN EXPERIENCE

When it comes to the nature, something greatly impact on the culture of Japan is… Hot springs that Japanese people call ONSEN. You can enjoy the culture of public bath house in the city too, but something you can enjoy even more is staying at traditional Japanese style inn – called RYOKAN that are often comes with natural hot springs.

At Ryokan, you can experience the unique travel style what Japanese people enjoy. It’s common to get the plans come with dinner and breakfast with lots of local regional produces and cuisine, as you enjoy bathing in natural hot springs water many times over the night.

outdoor bath,  2 good meals,  a bit of town to walk,  ok access, english friendly, clean,

5   FOODS AND SAKE

During travel, something becomes important part of your trip is dining experience. For some travelers, exploring Japanese foods is the most interesting part of the travel. You can enjoy authentic Japanese foods such as Sushi, Tempura and Soba, and also casual foods such as Ramen and Japanese style curry, that are inspired by different ethnic foods are also popular.

Japan is also producing wide variety of Japanese Sake, Shochu Liquor and Japanese Whiskey. That you can enjoy with Japanese cuisine. Every region has different brands, and some of them are specialized in the region. For example, southern Kyushu is known for Shochu Liquor, while Kochi, Kyoto, Niigata, wherever known for clear spring water is famous for Japanese Sake produce.

As you travel across the country, you can enjoy different local dinning culture.

Some seafoods and traditional foods like eel might be a little challenging for some travelers. It’s really good that Japanese people and some travelers from Asian countires are obsessed with. If you are a challenger, you might be able to try. : )

Something to note about foods in Japan is, Japan is safe form food poisoning usually, but Japan is not very sensitive for allergy or special diets comparing with Western countires. So you might want to watch out and ask the store if you need some diet limitation.

 

6 VARIETY IN REGIONS AND SEASONS

Regions

Even though Japan is not that big country, each region inherit regional characteristics from old times. If the region is facing different seas, climates differ greatly, and people speak different accent. In many regions, there are specialty cuisines and souvenirs you can get that are unique to the region. Enjoying the differences between each region is one of the real pleasures of traveling in Japan.

Seasons

Also, what you can enjoy in scenery and foods greatly change depends on the season you visit Japan. If you visit in Spring, you see the whole Japan is covered with pink petals of Cherry blossoms. Summer in Japan can be very hot and humid, but you can enjoy the beach, dark green forests and festivals of summer.  Autumn is another season that Fall leaves shines the mountains and gardens. This makes Kyoto the most popular season to visit.  In winter, while Tokyo stays sunny most of the days, some regions not far from Tokyo are covered in deep snow in Winter. It’s a great season to enjoy Winter sports.

7 Japan’s World Heritage Sites

Japan has 25 Unesco World Heritage Sites, and many of them are either sites you can take a look at, or nature that you can take a walk or enjoy trekking.

This map includes the most of Japan’s World Heritage

 

Sample Itineraries in Japan

Now that you know what we can expect in Japan, you might wonder, where in Japan you should visit actually. So let’s see the major patters of itinerary here.

1. Stay in one area

First and probably the easiet itinerary is, staying in one area either Tokyo or Osaka, and make a day trip or one night trip to surrounding areas. This saves you cost of long distance travel, and if you stay in one or two accommodation in the city for long period, you can be freed of carrying luggage around which can be a major headache during travel.

Then which is better, Tokyo or Osaka… that is very difficult question but let’s see the characteristics of each area.

Tokyo and around

If you like city culture, Tokyo is a place to go. It’s a mistake to think Osaka can be substitute of Tokyo as a city. Osaka is also big and has its own charm, but Tokyo is exceptional as a city. Tokyo becomes hub for day trips or a few nights trip to Mt.Fuji area, Hakone, Nikko and Kamakura too.

The area including Osaka, Kyoto and Nara is called Kansai region. Since the old capitol of Japan used to be in Nara and Kyoto, Kansai is full of history and traditions comparing with Tokyo. You can also enjoy the dynamic city of Osaka. If you like to see more traditional side of Japan, Kansai is the winner. Kansai is also close to beatutiful scenery of Seto Inner Ocean.

I know it’s very difficult to choose between these two areas, and the solution is… to visit both. That is why, there is a typical route of Japan travel, so called Japan’s Golden Route.

 

2. Follow Japan’s Golden Route

There is a golden route that many travelers from abroad follow in Japan. This is an itinerary to visit Japan’s two major areas Tokyo and Osaka with several day trips from there to surrounding city, traditional sites, and nature.

For example, get a round trip flight ticket to Tokyo from your country, and spend 1 or 2 nights in Tokyo. Then take bullet train to Kyoto (or Osaka) and stay in the regoin for a half of the itinerary, before coming back to Tokyo for more stay.

Along the travel, some travelers makes trip to further west to Hirhosima. On the way back to Tokyo, or as a day or a night trip from Tokyo, some drop by Kawaguchiko by Mt.Fuji or Hakone.  Option around Tokyo can be a night in Hakone hot springs, a night in Nikko, a day trip to Kamakura. Kawaguchiko is also a popular destination.  Around Osaka and Kyoto, staying a night at Koyasan, making a day trip to Nara and Himeji Castle is a part of golden route. If your plane ticket gives you a choice of leaving from a different airport, it would be easier to leave from Kansai airport in Osaka.

I think this so called Golden Route is a nice comprehensive route you can see the 2 modern cities of Tokyo and Osaka, tradition in Kyoto and Nara, and nature and hot springs in Hakone. This route gives you a little more diversified view of Japan.

3. Off the Beaten Paths of Japan

The Golden Route is only covering one side of the island, but it’s a perfect itinerary for the first time visitors.  Also, the route is including various aspects of Japan concentrated and there is a reason the route to be the Golden Route. However, If you are not a big fun of following others’ path, you can also make your own plan from zero, or arrange this golden route to suit your taste. Here is some of the other areas out of the golden route.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido is a northern area of Japan. Sapporo is the biggest city in Hokkaido, and you can explore wide open scenery based there. Hokkaido also has major SKI resorts such as Niseko and Furano. The island is known for delicious sea foods, dairy products, and farm produces. You can also do extensive travel by rental car or by train to the different parts of the Hokkaido island. The walkable city for travelers using public transportation is Sapporo, Hakodate and Otaru.

Tohoku

Tohoku, is a northen part of Honsnu island, the biggest island of Japan. The most populated city is Sendai, but there are other areas such as Aomori, Morioka, and Yamagata. and more that each of them has a different character. Tohoku is known for its natural beauty, rich traditions, and peaceful countryside atmosphere. Travelers are attracted to Tohoku for its landscapes, including mountains, forests, and lakes that are not overly crowded yet.  The mountain area of Tohoku is fully covered by deep snow in winter, and there are major ski resort such as Zao, which is also known for the hot springs.

Chubu & Hokuriku

In the center of Honshu island, there are mountain areas such as Nagano and Gifu. This region is a perfect balance between traditional charm and outdoor adventures. This area has 3 Japanese alps, North, Central, South. There are major mountain resort like Hakuba and Kamikochi. To enjoy the extensive Alpen route, you can try Tateyama Kurobe Alpen Route which connects Nagano and Toyama in Hokuriku.

This is also an area you can see local old towns Takayama and Shirakawago. The villages along the old route connected Tokyo and Kyoto, like Magomejuku, are a popular spots now as you can across the prefectures on foot, and see how people used to travel in “Old Japan”. Northern part of the Japan alps is Hokuriku area with major cities of Kanazawa and Toyama.

Sanyo & San’in

On the way to Inasa no hama beach near Izumo Oyashiro shrine.

In the west Japan, Seto Inland Sea is the place known for its beautiful coastal line. The area along this Sea on Honshu is called Sanyo area. There are 3 routes connecting the Honshu island and Shikoku island. One of them, Seto Ohashi Bridge has train route that you can travel from Okayama to Shikoku island easily. The coastal area has some popular island hopping destination like Naoshima, Shodoshima, that you can enjoy peaceful islands scenery.

Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima City.

Part of the Sanyo region like Hiroshima, Miyajima, Onomichi is consider to be the golden route. Hiroshima City is known for the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Park where to wish for world peace. In contrust, you can enjoy beautiful island scenery in Miyajima and Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture.

But there are still a lot of hidden gem like Yamaguchi, which is reposrted as must visit spot in 2024 by New York Times. Even more off the beaten path is, San’in region. San’in region is the other side mountain from Okayama and Hiroshima, and part of Yamaguchi that are facing the Sea of Japan side. As it’s far away from Tokyo, the area are true off the beaten path with beautiful nature of Mt.Daisen, beach and lakes, and full of traditional sites like Izumo shrine, and Matsue castle, and Hagi.

For my trip footage from Hagi, please also check my YouTube video.

Shikoku 

Shikoku is one of the island known for pilgrim routes of 88 temples. The route going through the deep mountain of Shikoku is getting popular among international tourists too. If you want to see Shikoku a little bit, Takamatsu is one of the city facing Seto Inland Sea and you can do island hopping between Naoshima, Shodoshima and numerous island by ferry from there.

Kyushu

Kyushu has the major city of Fukuoka and Nagasaki, both are compact and walkable destination. Kyushu has dynamic volcanic sceneries in the mountain such as Aso and Kirishima. The volcanic mountains bring bless of hot-springs to this island like Beppu and Ibusuki. Kyushu is also know for the beautiful coastal sceneries like Kujukushima and Amakusa in Kumamoto.

The southern islands of Kyushu continues to the world heritage island of Yakushima, Amami, and further down to Okinawa. You can experience warm weather and different island cultures and cuisine.

Okinawa

Okinawa consists of numerous island in the southern part of Japan. The major island to visit is Okinawa Honto (Main island) with capitol city of Naha, and two other islands Miyakojima and Ishigakijima also have direct flights from Tokyo. You can enjoy the relaxed time at top luxury resorts overlooking the beautiful beach of Okinawa. Also, you can enjoy the quiet local island atomosphere and cuisine.

How long do you need in Japan?

Getting Around Japan

The Gateway to Japan

The major International airports in Japan with many International flights are Tokyo Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Kansai Airport (KIX) in Osaka. Depending on where you fly from, you have either all the choices or to the one of the above airport.

Mid sized airports like Chubu in Nagoya, and Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa Naha airport also has some International flights. There are a lot more international airports across the country, but they usually have small number of flights that has flight mainly from eastern Asian airports such as Seoul, Taipei and Hong Kong.

Landing airport greatly infuluence your itinerary, so it’s something to be considered with your itinerary planning.

 

Inter Cities Travel in Japan

Japan’s islands are covered with moutains and separated by ocean, so sometimes traveling from place to pace is not as easy as it looks on the map, but the main 4 islands are well connected by public transportations.

But today, trains and high-speed railways called Shinkansen, are connecting between cities and cities through many tunnels and across bridges. This will be part of fun for Japan trip to enjoy the extensive train networks. Tokaido Shinkansen going from Tokyo to Kyoto are running frequently, and unless you travel on peak season, you can purchase tickets at the station. But for better price and better seats, you can consider Smart EX or travel agency site like Klook, Japan Bullet Train.

In case you get around different cities, you might be able to consider getting Japan Rail Pass(JR Pass) . JR Pass pass allows you to travel across Japan on JR lines (former Japan National Railway) including most of the Shinkansen routes. In case you travel each local area haevily by train, you can also consider regional rail passes that JR’s each regions office issues.

In addition, there are nearly 100 passenger airports in every region of the country, and most destinations have direct flights either from Tokyo or Osaka, by Japan’s two major career Japan Airline (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA). There are also small airlines and LCCs.

For budget concious travelers, you have choice of long distance buses. This is usually save you the cost of transportation and accommodation, also time. There are different choices from economy bus to luxury bus. Still, it’s tiring to sleep on the bus and I can say it’s not a choice for everyone. Japan does’t have long distance night train in regular schedule anymore, except one called Sunrize Izumo / Sunrize Seto.

With some investigation on maps and timetables, you can make your own travel itinerary.

 

In City Transportation System

Most of the train system in Japanese city has gates at the station before the platform, and you either insert ticket or tap transportation IC card to the machine. Fare depends on the length of the travel, and you can purchae tickets at the machine from looking at the fare map in the station.

Something make it complicated in a big city like Tokyo and Osaka is, trains are served by different companies. In Tokyo, subways are operated by two different companies. That means, when you transfer to the different train lines, you might need to purchase a new ticket again.

To avoid that, something key factor you need to get in Japan is Transportatoin IC card. This card is the card you can tap to the gate of train station or on the bus, and the fare is deducted automatically. You deposit 500 yen first and add the amount you like after. It’s usually sold from 1000 yen with 500 yen value already included. There is almost no discount function in this card, but the IC card let you go through the complexed transportation system of a big city like Tokyo stress free.

Each major metropolitan area of Japan has its own IC card name. In Tokyo, it’s called Suica or Pasmo, in Osaka it’s called Icoca. But once you get one of them, you can use your IC card in other cities too. For example, if you get Icoca when you arrive at Kansai Airport in Osaka, you can use the IC card in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Nagoya, and any other major cities. I find it especially convenient when I can use my IC card on the bus systems in other regions, which is intimidating even for Japanese too. The only downside is, you can only charge with cash of Japanese Yen. But this IC card, you can get on Apple Pay which means you can charge with your credit card.

The number of foreign tourists to Japan is increasing, but safety are not the only reason. Now let’s see the attraction of traveling to Japan.

 

Rental Cars

Reantal car might not be a common tranportation mathods for travelers from abroad, mostly because of the difficulty of driving in different rules, and the cost and efficiency comaring with the public transportation. Japan drive left side, and it might be a little challenging to drive as emost of the signs are in Japanese. However, in some places with less public transportation like Hokkaido and Okinawa, rental car gives a lot more choices of where you can get to.

 

Deciding Accomodation in Japan

How to Choose Hotels

During your stay in Japan, your accommodtion will be an important part of your experience. You an find many international brand hotels in major cities and resorts such as Hilton and Marriott group  if you prefer comfort more than adventure.

Tokyo is home for luxury hotels, and you see fine brands such as Ritz Carlton, Aman, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula. Some Japanese brand hotels also offer equivalant service, such as Palace Hotel, Imperial, Okura, New Otani in Tokyo are luxury high brand hotel in Japan. Kyoto and Oaska is also a home for luxury brand hotels. These are usually a large its own building, or located on the top of tall buidlings.

But these hotels can be easily above $500. In Japan, you see lots of compact hotel chains that you can find for more less price range. These hotels are positioning between city hotel and business hotel (which I manetion after this). Usually the room is so so spacious, and very clean and organized. The difference from the International brand hotel is usually they don’t offer like room service. But these hotels tends to be in a great location. This category is sometimes called premium business hotel or small city hotel, or I’ve seen it’s called life style hotel…

The common chains for this category is Mitsui Garden Hotel, Richmond Premier, Nishitetsu Solaria, Daiwa Roynet Hotel.

But you will also see several types of accommodations that are unique to Japan.

Ryokan

Ryokan is a general name for traditional Japanese Inn. Often associated with hot springs, but you can also find in the city like Kyoto. Ryokan are usually bigger than operated by one family which is called Minshuku. The characteristics of Ryokan depends on the each place, but the traditional style Japanese inn has Japanese room which you sit on the floor. It’s typical to choose the plan with two meals included, because in many cases, Ryokan are located in the mountain that has no other place to eat. Also this is part of the objectvie of the trip along with the hot springs. Ryokan in the hot springs town are usually comes with indoor / outdoor public bath for the hotel guests, and you can enjoy the hot springs over the night.

The price vary from economical place to luxury place with private hot sprigns in the room. You can choose depending on your budget and type of travel. Ryokan might not be for everyone, but it will be a great memory of Japan. In case you use foreign portal site, it might not includes two meals sometimes, so please make sure to check in case you like to experience the full service.

Business Hotels

Accommodations commonly stayed by visitors from abroad is the business hotel. Business hotel can be found in almost any cities in Japan, many of them are near the train stations. Business hotels are made for a single travler who travel for work originally, so many of them has a single bed room. Some business hotels has twin bed rooms, or allows you to stay in one wide bed room with two guests.

Business hotel is usually very clean, and made for efficient stay. The room comes with fridge, electric kettle, desk for work, and usually there is a loundly facility. It’s a great palce to stay for long term travelers, but the only thing to concer is the small room. The size of the room can be 1/3 to 1/2 of typical Amerian motels’ room. If you tend to feel claustrophobia, you might want to pay attention to the size of the room. Common business hotel chains are: Toyoko Inn, APA, Super Hotel, Vessel Inn, Sotetsu Fressa Inn… there is a lot more.

Capsule Hotels

Capsule hotel is a type of the accoommodation that you sleep in the small pod that are allined on the floor. This is originally a quick easy place to sleep for Japanese business men who missed the last train to home. Recently, it’s established as a reasonable accommodtion. You share everything except sleeping space with other guests, but you usually don’t communicate with other guests unlike guist house or youth hostel. Recently, there are lots of modern type of capsule hotels that are popular among young Japanese tourists and visitors from abroad. The popular chains are First Cabin, 9 Hours, and Anshin Oyado.

 

Practical Tips for Japan Trip

Seasons to Visit Japan

Japan has four seaons. It can be cold in winter and snowy in mountain regions or norhtern Japan. In summer, all over Japan goes under intense heat with humidity. The comfortable season for you depends on where you are from, and your favor.  However, the time you can travel around Japan without too much concern about weather is late Spring and Autumn.  From late May to early July, Japan enters rainy season. It enteres from Okinawa and covers all the way to Aomori. Hokkaido usually don’t have rainy season. Summer can be very hot in Japan, and it might restrict some activity in day time. Japan also experience typhoon season form Summer to early Autumn. It’s impossible to expect the weather in advance, so you might want just visit when you have day off, or when you like.

Time Difference

There is no time different in Japan. It’s +9 hours UST. Japan doesn’t use summer time system. During the Summer Time in EST (New York): 8am in NY is 9pm in Tokyo (+13 hours). During winter time, when NY is 8am, Tokyo is 10pm (+14 hours).

Insurance

When you travel to Japan, it might be better to join travel insurance. Travel insurance can support you financially, when you are involved in accident or get ill that you have to see a doctor. Your health insurance doesn’t cover the expense in other country most of the case, so you need to add travel insurance only during your trip. Some credit card includes travel insurance, so it’s good idea to check with your credit card compnay if your card covers travel insurance abroad. Othewise, you can purchase travel insurance at your local travel / insurance agency or online for better price.

I have personally used online insurance from Japanese company, when my mom was taken by amburance to hospital in Spain. The travel insurance covered the cost of seeing a doctor, so it was a great help. Depends on what insurance you take, it might cover the cost of lost luggage or airplane delays. But having the basic insurance for giong to hospital gives you a peace of mind during your travel.

Currency and Money

Japan’s currency is Japanese Yen. The coin is widely used in Japan, and from 1 yen to 500 yen is coin. 1000 yen, 5000 yen, and 10,000 yen bills are most widely used bills in Japan.

Creditcard is widely used across Japan, so having at least one credit card would be a must to travel to Japan. However, when you travel local areas, you might found many signs saying “only cash” at small shops or restaurants. It’s always good to have some cash with you especially before you leave the big city. Also, you can charge transportation IC cards (physical card) only with cash of Japanese Yen.

Purchase JPY cash from Bank or Currency Shop

Now let’s see how you can get cash of Japanese Yen. The most old fashioned way is, you can exchange from your currency to Japanese Yen cash in your local bank, or bank counter at the arrival gate of the airport. There are some currency shops in the airport and in the town. Some banks have service that they send you the cash of Japanese Yen by mail.

Withdraw Cash from ATM

Another way is to use ATM in Japan. The most convenient ATM is operated by Seven Bank with logo of Seven Eleven. The ATM allows you to withdraw money from your bank account or credit card, in Japanese Yen. Please be aware that the fee of exchange rate and ATM fee may cost, and it can greatly depends on the bank you use.

Using IC Card

Again, creditcard is widely used in Japan and many machines started to allow touch check out. However, some location only has system with Japanese payment sysmte including IC card such as Suica. In that case, it’s convenient to carry around charged Suica, or use Suica on Apple Pay. Apple Pay is a convenient way to charge IC card with your careditcard in your currency. One thing you might want to know is, if you are saving points or mileage, the charge of IC card might be exemption from points saving.

Get Updated information

Japan is politically stable country, but you might want to check the latest information for the  requirement for entry before you go to the airport. Also, something what you see is the suspension of train service due to natural disasters. You can find out from the train company sites, and also their X account.

Be aware of Fake News

In case there is an emergency during your stay in Japan, please be aware of the fake news. After the earthquake in January 2024 in Hokuriku, many fake news with photos and videos occupied the screen of SNS. To keep you safe and avoid from being panicked, getting the right information becomes key.

 

What to bring

There aren’t anything special to bring for Japan, and you can purchase many things in Japan too. However, for medicine and daily care prodcuts, you hardly see the same brand as your country. You might want to make sure to bring the products you are used to use.

Medicine, Polident, Contact lenses or glasses, eye drops, Guidebook, Smart phone, Power bank, Some disposable plastic bags, Light jacket you can keep in your bag, foldable umbrella or poncho, nail cutter, skin care products you are used to.

 

What to wear

There aren’t any cultural taboos related to what you wear. Sometimes, wearing something you can be yourself is very important to keep your mood. However, walking around shirtless or too much exposure of skin might be inapprpriate. Also, some bars are not allowing perfume. Other than that, you might want to wear a comfortable cloths for you according to the weather. In summer, it can be hot and humid most of the regoins in Japan. You might want to make sure to bring sunglasses, hat and put on sun blocks. Even in summer, some mountai areas can get chilly in the mornig and evening, and indoor facility can be quite cold with air conditioning. It would be great if you can carry one light jacket that you can sneak into your bag all the time. During the Winter time, it can be very cold depending on the area, so I recommend you to wear warm jacket with warm inner, with snow boots in case you travel to the snowy area.

Luggage

Unless you visit by tour, handling your luggage is a major topics of the travel you might want to think of. First is, deciding your main bag either a backpack or a suitcase. I used to travel with back packs when I was young, but recently I find it quite tiring. I tends to travel with suitcase even for a night, and plan the travel along with that. With backpack, you can somehow visit anywhere without any problem, but with suitcase, you need some imagination how you move around.

For example if you “drop by” Kyoto, you cannot bring around suitcase into temples and shrines, so you might try to keep in the station before you head to your hotel. But that is quite difficult during the busy season as all the coin lockers get full. Frist of all, there aren’t many coin lockers that can fit a big suitcase. If you go to the mountain resort Kamikochi, no matter how you get there, you end up carrying suitcaes on stone or dirt load. The resort is not really made to visit with suitcases.

One solution is using luggage delivery service. You can deliver your luggage from the airport or previous hotel, to the next hotel. It can cost from $20 or so per suitcase, but it’s great to trave hands free. One thing to be careful is, just in case the luggage delay or lost, you might want to keep essentials such as medicine, contact lenses and light cloths in separate bag. Japanese delivery system is quite efficient and on time, so this is one solution that makes your travel easy.

Coin lockers is available at most of the statoin, but there is no way to find out the vacancy until you get there. I recommend you to avoid the travel that are heavily rely on the coin lockers, especially if you are traveling in a big group or with big suitcases.

 

Duty Free Shopping

Japan’s sales tax is 10%, so it can be quite expensive when you purcahse souvenirs. Luckily, short term visitors from abroad can purcahse with duty free price. If you purcahse more than 5000 yen,  less than 500,000 yen per day, you can purchase products with duty free price. You need to show your passport and you cannot open the package before you leave Japan. For the detailed procedure of each shops, you can find the sign of “Duty Free” at shops and ask the store person.

 

Internet and Phone

During your travel in Japan, usually your phone doesn’t have reception. Almost all hotels are equipped with good WiFi and you can find free public WiFi in many locations such as stations, airport and restaurants. However, when you look around Google Map or use digital tickets, it’s always convenient to have your smart phone connected to Internet. There are several ways you can stay connected in Japan.

International Data Plans

The first way is to get the International travel plan for your smart phone. Many phone companies offer either monthly plans that includes data usage outside the country. Sometimes, one time ticket that allows usage in Japan can be purchased from your phone. For example, Verizon in the US sells “Travel Pass” for $10 a day and $100 Montly Plan for unlimited data. The benefit is you don’t have to do anything to your phone, and you can start using as soon as you land Japan with your phone number. The con is, it can be expensive.

Get eSIM card or SIM card

Probably the most reasonable way to stay connected is to get local eSIM card or SIM card for your phone. SIM card is the physical card that you have to switch with the one you use in your country (some phones allows double SIM). Something to be careful is you need some pick to open the sim slot, and also in case you only have one sim slot, you lose your phone number while you are using another SIM card. IeSIM is more covenient if your phone is eSIM compatible. You can install eSIM to your phone easily by reading QR code with your phone, or other ways depending on the eSIM. You don’t have to worry about losing your SIM card or losing your phone number.

 

Rent Portable WiFi device

In case you travel with a group or use several devices, something you can consider is renting portable WiFi device. It’s often called Pocket WiFI. You can share the data with family or partner, and you can use for your laptop too. It’s a great tool for your unlimited WiFi.

Social Taboos / What to Know

How to Pray in Shrine / Temple

When you pray in the shrine, usually you throw coins, bow 2 times, crap hands 2 times and hold, after you pray, 1 bow and leave. When there is a bell, ring the bell after you throw coins. It sounds complicated but basically 2 2 1 is the key. You easily get used to it if you see people ahead of you. No big worry even if you make a mistake. Only thing to be careful is you don’t crap hands in Temples. You can just hold your hands and bow.

 

App to Get

Google Translate is a must have app to get when you travel abraod. Especially with Google lens, you can see what the package of products say, or what the menu or signs say when they are all Japanese. When you travel around Japan,  Google Map is the most convenient to find out the direction from where you are right now, to the destination. If you click the “by public transportaiton” tab or “by walk” tab depending on the destination, you’ll find your way including the train and bus information including timetable. When you like to get more precise information and to double check the long distance route for train, something convenient isJapan Travel by Navitime. This is all in one site for Japan’s public transportation in English, and you can also get alert in case there is earthquake. When it comes to the natural disaster, something you might want to install is Nerv. This gives you the updated information about natural disaster, so it can be an important informatino resouces in emergency.

 

Emergency / trouble

The emergency number to call polis is dial 110. For medical emergency and when you need amburance, the number is dial 119. For the unexpected medical emergency, you might want to consider purchase international travel insurance before your departure of your country.

 

Safety / Koban

Even though Japan is a safe place even in a big city like Tokyo, it’s important to keep basic sense of security alart during your travel. Be aware not to follow anybody when they say they know good restaurants. You might end up getting over charged by the restaurants or bars. If you follow someone, it can end up more serious crime. Especially if you are a female solo traveler, do not follow friendly person talk to you.

In case you got in trouble or have something worry about, you can go to polis station or small branch of police office called “Koban”. It’s everywhere in front of the station, or by the street. You can ask them direction if you are lost. It’s also a place you need to go when you lost something important like wallet or passport. In case you leave train or restaurant seats, make sure you have all your belongings and nothing is left behind.

 

Etiquette / Manners

There are some social norm in Japan that you might notice when you travel in Japan. Japanese people are not very strict about the behaviors of travelers from abroad, but keeping some things in mind might make your travel more cozy. When it’s necessary, please make sure to take off shoes. On trains, refrain from speaking loudly. In case it takes time to understand the menu, please give away to the next person at the vending machine of the store. You might want to avoid staying  too long after you eat at noodle stand. It’s hard to find trash box in Japan, but please do not litter trash on the streets. Of course you cannot put on the post box too. It might help always carrying plastic bags so you can bring back to your hotel. As long as you pay attention to others just you do like in your country, you will be fine in most of the case. Do not worry too much and enjoy the trip.

 

Basic Japanese phrases

1. Thank you: Arigatou Gozaimasu.
2. Excuse me: Sumimasen
3. Just a moment: Chotto Matte Kudasai
4. Hello: Konnnichiwa
5. How much is this? : Korewa Oikura desuka
6. What time is…….?  :  …… wa najji desuka?
7. Where is ………?  : …….. wa doko desuka?

 

What to Know for Different Travel Groups

Senior

Now let’s see the senior travelers. Japan is a great place to retreat yourself with hot springs, and exploring cultural interest. So it’s a good place to visit for seniors too. Again, it’s greatly depends on the each traveler’s physical condition, but the key to success is… try not to get too tired. Having some more allowance in itinerary, sometimes give up places that you have to walk a lot for not much, spare some budget for using taxi, and also avoiding mid-summer travel might make the travel more comfortable.

When I take my mother to travel, the major issue is the food. Food directly influence the physical condition. It’s not about food poisoning or something, but she needs to eat Japanese foods even abroadIf you are eating something particular every morning, it might be good idea to look for that in Japan, or bring that with you.

Mobility issue

The challenges of travel varies depends on the travelers’ condition, but the most of the hotels and train stations comes with elevator. In the major cities, almost all stations have elevator, and wheels chair accessible bathroom too. Many traditional sight seeing spots like temples, for example Sensoji temple in Asakusa, Fushimi Inari shrines in Kyoto, there are elevators that are prepared for travelers with less mobility. From my limited experience abroad, Japanese cities are walkable and streets are smooth. So not a major reason to stop you from visiting Japan. But there are cons like language barrier to ask for support, and sometimes difficult to find elevator in station like a maze, also not all restaurants are made accessible. So you might need some extra research and planning upon your travel.

Also, if you use taxi, you can call wheel chair accessible taxi from app in Tokyo, but taxi price can be expensive comparing with other countries.

Solo Travelers

There are lots of places to eat by yourself in Japan, like Ramen shop, curry shop, beef bowl shop. Some hotels have ladies floor, so you might want to take advantage of that. Also morning rush hour, most of the trains come with ladies only car. The window has the sign. It’s only effective during rush hour time in the morning. Even though Japan is safe, you don’t have to challenge trying to do something risky. There are lots of different kinds of people among 100 million Japanese. Do not follow anybody, no matter how friendly that person is … this is hard to say because some people really trying to help you.

LGBT

Now let’s see LGBT travelers. Legally lots of debates are going on in Japan, but there aren’t any laws that put you in the risk… for example You don’t get caught by showing public affection between two men or two ladies.

Traveling either solo or same sex couple, or in a group, probably you don’t feel any problem. However, too much public affection is not appreciated in Japan, especially in countryside. But that is the same for any couples. There might be some stereotypes, but the crime rate is one of the lowest in the world including hate crime, so you can travel without any problem in Japan, and don’t get any special attention.

Family with small children

Traveling Japan with your family, including small kids can be a great experience. Japan is safe, child-friendly, and has good transportation. You’ll find family attractions, kid-friendly facilities, and unique food options. Just… Some traditional restaurants might say no to family with small children, so it’s better do some research in advance not to feel disappointed.

Vegan / Religious

Japan is not the best place for certain diet. More stores started to care about Glute free, vegan, and Halal foods, but still not many people are caring about that.

If you have food allergy, 7 ingredients marked as allergen in Japan is written in the package (shrimp, crab, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanuts) . So either use Google glass, or for more safety, I recommend you to ask the restaurant or shop person if you cannot eat certain foods.

 

Last thoughts

Even though there are many different reasons to visit Japan, you don’t have to feel pressure to do everything. I hope you find your favorite spots in Japan. Have a great trip to Japan!

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