Frequently asked questions about travelling in Japan

1Before you fly

How many days does a first trip need?

Seven nights covers two cities without wasting a day, and ten to twelve lets you add a third base or a Fuji day. Tokyo and Osaka each carry three days of sightseeing and Kyoto four, because the temples sit out at the edges of the city. Guide: Japan first trip: the ten decisions.

What has to be booked before the flight?

The room, and the three things that sell out on a schedule: Shibuya Sky and the Ghibli Museum release seats on fixed dates, and the seat reservations on the Fuji Excursion out of Shinjuku go the same way. The IC card, the rail pass and the eSIM can wait for the week you fly. Guide: First Japan trip.

Do I need a visa, or a paper arrival card?

The visa depends on your passport, because entry rules are set per nationality; check Japan's foreign ministry list for yours. The paperwork is the same for everyone arriving in 2026: Visit Japan Web replaces the arrival card and the customs form with one QR code, and at eight terminals a single machine clears both desks. Guide: Visit Japan Web.

Which airport should I land at?

Haneda is 14 km from central Tokyo and 11 minutes from Shinagawa on the Keikyu Airport Line for ¥327 by IC card. Narita is 60 km out: the Keisei Skyliner reaches Ueno in 36 to 41 minutes for ¥2,580, and the Narita Express reaches Tokyo Station in 53 minutes for ¥3,140. Kansai is the gateway for Osaka and Kyoto, about 76 minutes from Kyoto on the Haruka. Match the airport to the bed, not to the airfare. Guide: Narita vs Haneda vs Kansai.

When is Japan at its busiest?

New Year, from late December into the first days of January, and Golden Week, late April into early May. Both move transport and rooms early: over New Year the shops close from 29 December and the Nozomi runs all-reserved either side. Guide: Japan over New Year.

What plug does Japan use?

Type A sockets at 100V, 50Hz in the east of the country and 60Hz in the west. A phone or laptop charger rated 100 to 240V needs nothing but the plug shape; a hair dryer or kettle built for 220V will run badly or not at all.

Can I drink the tap water?

Yes. Tap water is drinkable across the country, and restaurants bring water to the table free with the meal.

2Money and the tax-free counter

How much is the departure tax?

¥3,000 for every departure since 1 July 2026, up from ¥1,000, and it is already inside the ticket price, so there is no counter and no cash. Children under two and passengers who leave Japan within 24 hours of arriving pay nothing. Domestic flights inside Japan are not charged. Guide: Japan departure tax.

How does tax-free shopping change on 1 November 2026?

The shop stops taking the tax off at the till. You pay the tax-inclusive price, the purchase is recorded against your passport, and the refund is claimed at the customs terminal in the international departure lobby before you check in. Guide: Japan tax-free 2026.

What is the minimum spend for a refund?

¥5,000 in one store on one day, before tax, which the new system keeps. The clock runs 90 days from the day after the purchase, and the customs check has to happen inside it. The ¥500,000 cap on consumables and the sealed-bag rule were both abolished on 1 November 2026. Guides: Japan tax-free 2026, Tax-free calculator.

Do I need my passport at the till?

Yes. The shop records the purchase against the passport itself; a copy is accepted only for cruise-ship landing permits. Guide: Japan tax-free 2026.

Is the price on the shelf the price I pay?

Not always. 税込 means the consumption tax is already in the figure and 税別 means it is added at the till, a 10% difference, and hotel plans are printed both ways. A hotel rate can sit on top of a city tax as well. Guide: Booking a Japanese hotel.

Do I tip in Japan?

No. Tipping is not part of the transaction, and coins left on a table are more likely to be chased down the street than kept. To split a bill, ask when you order rather than at the register. Guide: Izakaya in Japan.

3Getting around

Suica, ICOCA or PASMO?

Any of them. The ten major cards ride one national network at the same fares, so a Suica works on Osaka's subway and an ICOCA works in Tokyo. Buy whichever is in front of you when you land. Guide: Suica vs ICOCA vs PASMO.

How much do I load, and where?

¥1,000 to ¥2,000 at a time at station machines and convenience stores, in cash: a single machine top-up is capped at ¥10,000 and the card balance at ¥20,000. On the 28-day visitor cards anything left when the clock runs out is gone, so load late. Guides: Suica 2026, PASMO 2026.

Can I put the card on my phone?

On an iPhone 8 or later, yes: Suica, PASMO and ICOCA go into Apple Wallet wherever the phone was bought, with no Japanese Apple ID, and a credit card can load them. Most Android phones sold outside Japan lack the FeliCa chip the mobile cards need. Guide: Suica 2026.

Does an IC card cover the airport trains and the bullet trains?

No. The card pays the base fare on ordinary trains, subways and buses, so the Skyliner, the Narita Express and the Haruka need their express tickets as well, and a bullet train is booked through EX or SmartEX. Guide: Suica vs ICOCA vs PASMO.

Is the JR Pass worth it?

Only if the itinerary earns it. The 7-day pass costs ¥50,000 on japanrailpass.net and ¥53,000 from an overseas agency since 1 October 2026, against ¥13,850 for a single Tokyo to Kyoto Hikari reserved seat, so it takes about 3.6 of those tickets to break even. A Tokyo–Kyoto return is ¥27,700, a little over half a pass, and a Tokyo–Hiroshima return at ¥37,820 is still short of one. The trip that clears ¥50,000 is a Hiroshima return plus a Kyoto single, ¥51,670, or four long legs inside the same seven days. Guides: JR Pass 2026, JR Pass break-even calculator.

Can a pass holder ride the Nozomi?

Only with the add-on. NOZOMI and MIZUHO are the two shinkansen a pass cannot board free, and the supplement is a flat ¥4,960 per ride from Tokyo or Shinagawa to Kyoto, whatever the seat class. It is sold inside Japan from one month before boarding. Guide: JR Pass 2026.

How do I get to Kawaguchiko?

The Fuji Excursion runs Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko in 1 hour 58 minutes for ¥4,200, four departures a day between 07:30 and 10:30, and the reserved seats go early. The highway bus is the fallback when the train is full. Guides: Tokyo to Kawaguchiko, Mount Fuji in one day.

How do I get from Kansai Airport into Osaka or Kyoto?

Kansai to Kyoto is about 76 minutes on the JR Haruka, ¥3,640 reserved or ¥2,200 with the visitor one-way ticket, and Kansai to Namba is 34 to 38 minutes on the Nankai Rapi:t, which is all reserved. Guides: Narita vs Haneda vs Kansai, Osaka transport.

Is there a pass for Osaka or Tokyo?

Osaka has the Amazing Pass at ¥3,500 for one day or ¥5,000 for two; Tokyo has the Subway Ticket at ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 for 24 to 72 hours. Each covers one operator group rather than every line, which is what decides the day. Guides: Osaka in three days, Tokyo in three days.

4Where to sleep

Why does the price double for two people?

Japanese hotels quote per person per night, and the plan is the bed, the meals and the services for one guest. A ¥9,000 rate can be an ¥18,000 night for two, and an overseas booking site often shows the per-room figure instead. Guide: Booking a Japanese hotel.

What does a night cost?

In low season the Tokyo list runs from ¥4,700 to ¥20,200 a night, the Osaka list from ¥7,800 to ¥15,000 and the Kyoto list from ¥4,007 to ¥6,787, which is what separates a room you can turn around in from one you cannot. Guides: 10 Tokyo hotels, 10 Osaka hotels, 10 Kyoto hotels.

Which part of Tokyo should I stay in?

Shinjuku carries the most passengers in Japan and the most lines; Ueno has five shinkansen platforms and the Skyliner; Asakusa has one subway line and a slower start. The station beside the hotel does the walking for you, so pick it for the days you have planned. Guide: Where to stay in Tokyo.

Which part of Kyoto should I stay in?

The same double in low season runs ¥4,375 in Shijo, ¥4,925 beside Kyoto Station and ¥10,500 in Arashiyama. Shijo puts the restaurants and the shopping on foot; the station is the transport answer. Guide: Where to stay in Kyoto.

What extra tax does the desk add?

The city accommodation tax is assessed on the room-only charge and collected at the desk. A hot-spring inn adds the bathing tax as well: ¥150 per person per day is the national standard, with Beppu and Atami charging more. Guides: Booking a Japanese hotel, Japan onsen.

What if I arrive late?

Call. A no-show with no phone call closes the booking at 21:00 and the plan can still be charged; one call moves the arrival. Guide: Booking a Japanese hotel.

Is dinner included?

Read the plan. 素泊まり is room only, 朝食付き adds breakfast and 一泊二食 is dinner and breakfast, which is how ryokan sell nearly everything. A room-only rate on a hot-spring property can leave nothing to eat within walking distance, because dinner there is a fixed sitting. Guide: Booking a Japanese hotel.

How many people fit in the room?

The 定員, the published capacity, counts everyone, the free-sleeping child and the infant included. The figure comes from the building's fire and construction standards under the Hotel Business Act, so a hotel cannot trade it away for a booking. Guide: Booking a Japanese hotel.

5Eating, and booking a table

Do I have to book restaurants in Japan?

Most of them take no online reservation at all: about 96,000 of some 890,000 Tabelog listings are signed up to the booking service. If a restaurant has no booking button, the route is a phone call, a hotel concierge, or a queue at opening. Guide: Tabelog and restaurant booking.

What does booking a table cost?

Tabelog's English service charges ¥440 per person the moment the table is confirmed, against a card on file. It is a system fee rather than a deposit: it buys the booking whether or not you eat, and it stays with Tabelog if you cancel for your own reasons. The meal is paid at the restaurant. Guide: Tabelog and restaurant booking.

What if I have no Japanese phone number?

The English booking service is the way round it, and a hotel concierge can call on your behalf. Cancelling and re-booking charges the fee a second time, and turning up with fewer people does not reduce it. Guide: Tabelog and restaurant booking.

What is the small dish that arrives before I order?

お通し, the table charge: billed per person with the first round. You can decline it while it is untouched, and a shop that runs it as a condition of entry may refuse the table instead. Guide: Izakaya in Japan.

Do I have to order a drink at an izakaya?

Nearly every izakaya expects a drink per person, and a soft drink counts. Drinking nothing at all is the order that gets noticed. Under-20s may come in with somebody 20 or over but cannot be served alcohol or enter a smoking room. Guide: Izakaya in Japan.

What is the cheapest sit-down meal?

Torikizoku, where every food and drink item is ¥410 including tax, up from ¥390 on 1 October 2026. Ichiran is the other benchmark: one bowl runs from ¥980 in Itoshima to ¥1,180 in Tokyo. Guides: Torikizoku prices, Ichiran.

What does the food street in Osaka cost?

On Dotonbori, takoyaki is about ¥600 a portion, kushikatsu about ¥1,500 a head and crab lunch sets from about ¥3,500, with okonomiyaki cooked at your table. Guide: Dotonbori food.

I have an allergy. When do I say so?

When you book, not on the night. A ryokan dinner is a set menu ordered ahead, so the kitchen can only work around an allergy if it is told before the order goes in. Guide: Booking a Japanese hotel.

6Data, luggage and power

eSIM, pocket WiFi or a local SIM?

A seven-day eSIM runs about ¥2,480 to ¥5,775, bought once per phone. A pocket WiFi costs ¥440 to ¥2,200 a day for the whole group, and it needs charging and a return. A group that splits up wants eSIMs; three or four devices that stay together want the router. Guides: Japan eSIM 2026, Pocket WiFi, eSIM or a SIM.

Are the unlimited eSIM plans really unlimited?

No, each one carries a fair-use figure. Ubigi gives 25GB at full speed on its 7-day plan and then 2Mbps; Klook allows 10GB in a day and then 128kbps until midnight; Sakura Mobile drops to 200kbps for the rest of the day on its 3GB-a-day plan. Guide: Japan eSIM 2026.

Will my phone take a Japan eSIM?

iPhones from the XS and the second-generation SE onward do. The iPhone 16, 15, 14 and standard 13 sold in Hong Kong and Macao have two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM hardware, so those need a physical SIM or a pocket WiFi. Install it at home: the plan starts on arrival, not on purchase. Guide: Japan eSIM 2026.

Can I send my suitcase on ahead?

Yamato and Sagawa carry a suitcase from the airport to a Tokyo hotel the same day from ¥2,450, handed in by 11:00 at Haneda, 10:30 at Narita's Terminals 1 and 2, or 09:50 at Terminal 3. Guide: Luggage forwarding.

Can I fly with a power bank?

Two per passenger at 160Wh or less since 24 April 2026, and they travel in the cabin rather than in checked baggage. Charging a phone from one in the air is banned. Guide: Power banks on flights.

7Baths, manners and safety

Do I have to be naked in an onsen?

In the public bath, yes: swimwear is not worn and the soap you washed with stays out of the water. A private bath, a 貸切風呂, answers the question instead, and most ryokan have one, usually booked by the hour. Guide: Japan onsen 2026.

Can I use a bath with a tattoo?

That is each bath's own decision rather than a national rule, so it belongs in the booking email rather than in a guess at the door. The big town baths are the likeliest to say no; a private bath takes the question off the table. Guide: Japan onsen 2026.

Can I visit an onsen without staying the night?

Yes, and that is what lets a soak fit a travel day. The ten towns on the onsen guide charge ¥400 to ¥2,400 for a day visit, against several times that for a ryokan night with two meals in it. Guide: Japan onsen 2026.

Where can I smoke?

Only in a room built for it. Restaurants have been non-smoking indoors since 1 April 2020, with smoking confined to a booth or a heated-tobacco room, and under-20s may not enter a smoking room. Some older izakaya kept a table-side area. Guide: Izakaya in Japan.

Is Japan safe?

Yes: crime rates are low and public transport is safe at any hour. The numbers to keep are 110 for the police and 119 for an ambulance or the fire service, and lost property usually turns up at the station or the police lost-and-found desk.

When is the autumn colour?

For the mainland cities, the third week of November into the first week of December, which is the 2026 forecast. The ginkgo runs on its own front by region, and the night openings carry fixed dates. Guides: Japan autumn leaves 2026, Japan ginkgo season 2026.

When is the best chance of seeing Mount Fuji?

The morning, and the colder months. The guide gives the odds by month and by hour from 35 years of daily records at Fuji City Hall, plus the live checks that settle a morning. Guides: Mount Fuji visibility, Mount Fuji in one day.

8About these guides

How current are the figures?

Every guide carries the date it was last updated under the headline, and the fares and rules come from the operator or the government body that sets them, with those sources listed at the foot of the page. Hotel rates are the exception: those are estimates for low season rather than live quotes. Guide: About this site.

Who writes this?

One person, from trips taken, with no editorial team behind it. A site this size can rewrite a guide when a rule changes, rather than leave a warning on top of an out-of-date one. Guide: About this site.

What happens when a rule changes?

The guide is rewritten and the date under the headline moves with it. Corrections are made rather than disclaimed, and a figure that changes mid-year is replaced instead of annotated. Guide: About this site.

Do you earn from the links?

Some outbound links are affiliate links, and a booking through one pays the site a commission at no extra cost to the reader. Commission does not decide what a guide says or which option is listed first. Guides: Terms of use, Privacy policy.

Last updated 18 October 2026