Essential Japan Travel Tips You Should Know Before Your Trip

Are you planning a trip to Japan? The Land of the Rising Sun offers a unique culture and way of life. We spent 2 weeks in Japan largely on the classic Golden Triangle route – Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka – with some day trips to other areas. There is a lot of planing that went in the trip. I have compiled a comprehensive list of travel tips for Japan based on my experience.

As a well-travelled person, the amount of planning for the trip to Japan surprised me. I am used to large, crowded cities and yet, the size of Tokyo was overwhelming even for an Asian like me. Train travel was not difficult, but it did a day or two to adjust to the sheer size of underground stations in Tokyo and Osaka, and to figure out the right entry and exit gates. The popular attractions were sold out, even when we travelled in the shoulder season in early June. You get my drift! A first-time trip to Japan is great but here are all the tips & tricks to help navigate the country more easily.

Disclaimer: This helpful post contains some affiliate links. If you click on any of the links in this post (AND make a purchase) I may receive a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. As such I thank you in advance should you decide to click & buy.

Travel Tips For Japan before arrival

Immigration Form

Fill out the immigration form online on the Visit Japan site few days before your departure to Japan. This will basically fast track you through various procedures such as immigration, and customs declaration. Each traveler must have their own QR code.

Take a photo of the QR code on your phone or take a printout. This will make immigration much faster once you land in Japan. No need to fill paper forms there!

Connectivity

You need wifi for sure in Japan to navigate. Google maps is a must to figure out how to reach a destination or an attraction, or the specific platform from where to board your train, or the exit that you need to take from a massive underground train station.

So either get on a roaming plan from your cellular provider, or for a cheaper option, buy a pocket wifi when you land at the airport or an e-SIM. Purchasing an eSIM before you land is the easiest way of getting cheap wifi for your trip.

Pack comfortable Shoes

Bring a good pair of walking shoes, preferably two. This is important to be mentioned separately from packing tips! We did an average of 15000-20000 steps each day despite taking taxis at times. And don’t depend on the sneakers you may buy in Japan during your trip. You do need a good pair of broken-in shoes.

In large cities like Tokyo or Osaka, it is best to plan for one or two main activities each day preferably in one neighbourhood, and keep the rest of the day to explore. 

Packing tips

Packing light was not easy to do so for our summer trip to Japan in June. The hot and humid weather meant that clothes could not be repeated for wear. And moving around cities needed a bit of planning for laundry (which I hate doing on a vacation!).

But every time you will drag your suitcase around massive train stations and climb steps in Tokyo or Osaka, you will be glad to have light luggage. The extra space in your luggage will get filled with food items, souvenirs, clothes, sneakers, beauty products etc to take back home.

Japan uses Type A Travel Adapter (flat two-pronged, 100v). You may need a compact umbrella but no need to pack that from home. We bought one at a convenience store in Japan itself.

Do remember that Japan has an excellent luggage forwarding service between cities – Yamato. Your hotel reception desk or concierge will help set this up for you. We used this once during our trip, while leaving Osaka for an overnight trip to Koyasan. We got the Osaka hotel concierge to forward our luggage to our hotel in Tokyo (our next stop after Koyasan).

Book accommodation in advance

If you are travelling in high season like springtime (from March until May) or the fall season, make sure you have accommodation booked in advance, especially for popular places like Kyoto and Tokyo. Popular hotels and unique accommodations can fill up quickly, leaving you with limited and potentially less desirable choices if you wait until the last minute. We booked our hotels in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka few months in advance, even though our trip was in June, not high season.

Book certain activities and attractions in advance

Certain attractions like Shibuya Sky in Tokyo fill up quickly. Don’t expect to get tickets for them after you land even while travelling in shoulder season. Digital art museums in Tokyo like teamLab Borderless or Planets need to be booked at least 3-4 weeks in advance. Certain cafes for animal petting etc also require advance reservation. This is not true for everything though. You don’t need to book Tokyo DisneySea tickets too much in advance, unless it is peak season.

Some of the popular day tours around Tokyo like Kawaguchiko for Mount Fuji views and Hakone fill up fast as well, especially in spring and autumn season.

Japan Travel Tips related to transportation

Airport Transfer

We landed at Narita international airport, which is quite a distance from the main Tokyo neighbourhoods. The Airport Limousine Bus service is your best option for transfer from Narita to Tokyo city, in my opinion. These are your 4 airport transfer options –

• Narita Express: This JR train offers direct access to major Tokyo stations like Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shibuya, and Shinjuku, as well as Yokohama. It takes about an hour.
• Keisei Skyliner: This train connects Narita Airport to Nippori and Ueno stations in approximately 36-41 minutes. From there, you can easily transfer to JR lines.
• Airport Limousine Bus: Several bus companies operate routes from Narita Airport to various locations in Tokyo, including Tokyo Station, and Shinjuku. This bus service is on time, convenient with suitcases, and inexpensive. We got dropped at Ginza station from where we dragged our bags to reach our hotel.
• Taxis: Taxis are the most expensive option due to the distance between Narita Airport and Tokyo. Families or large groups with a lot of luggage opt for this. Pre-book this private airport transfer if your flight lands at Narita at odd hours.

If you land at Haneda airport instead, which is significantly closer to central Tokyo as compared to Narita, a private airport transfer may work best. You can also opt for the train to reach central Tokyo. The Tokyo Monorail connects Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho Station, where you can transfer to the JR Yamanote Line for access to Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Tokyo Station.

Train Travel between cities

You will likely take the bullet train or shinkansen to travel between cities. This is part of the Japan trip experience. A shinkansen is all that its reputed to be, clean, fast, efficient. Perhaps not the cheapest way to travel but the best for sure. 

For most itineraries, the JR National Pass is no longer cost effective. A JR Rail Pass allows you to ride as many JR trains as you want in a specific time frame. It is in most scenarios cheaper to buy a shinkansen individual ticket. You can put your itinerary on the official site and analyse whether the JR national pass makes sense.

We pre-booked our tickets and seat allocation on the Smart Ex site for most of our journeys a month in advance, but it’s not really needed. Once, we missed our train with allocated seats, and took a later one (using the same ticket) in the non-reserved compartment. You can book green car seats on shinkansen for extra comfort but even the regular seats are very comfortable. There is enough space overhead for regular sized luggage. But you can pre-book oversized luggage space separately along with your seats.

For your specific itinerary, you should look into regional JR Passes ( a LOT cheaper than the national pass).  Or specific ones like the World Heritage 2 Day Pass we purchased for our round trip to Koyasan from Osaka. We missed out buying the Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass. This exclusive pass grants you unlimited travel between Osaka and Hiroshima and other cities like Himeji, Kyoto and Nara. We would have saved not only on our Hiroshima day trip from Osaka, but also on train travel between Kyoto, Osaka and Himeji.

Travel within a city

We ended up using a lot of Uber in Kyoto, a city far more compact than Osaka or Tokyo. You can use the Go Taxi App instead of Uber. Download and set up either Uber or Go before your travel. 

In Tokyo and Osaka, we ended up using the subway or the metro mostly. At times, we took a uber at the end of the day to save us from more walking.

Two things are important for using the metro – one is the smart payment card like Suica, Pasmo, etc. Instead of purchasing a metro ticket at the counter, all you do is tap the card to get into the specific platform. Then the fare gets deducted when you exit (based on the distance covered).

The other thing is Google Maps. Some of the stations are so large is it took us 10/15 minutes to figure which platform / level to go to board our train. And much longer at times to figure the exit to get out on a specific street in Osaka or Tokyo. If you take the wrong exit, it could mean walking back a lot to get on the right track.

Japan Travel Tips related to payments

Suica or Pasmo Card (IC card)

Japan makes transportation and shopping easy with a rechargeable smart card. It’s a convenient way to pay for train rides (even some shinkansen routes), subway, bus fares, and make purchases at many stores and vending machines.

You can buy the Welcome Suica Card, specifically designed for tourists with no deposit fee an 28 days validity, only at the airports. Or, you can buy the physical Suica or Pasmo card at all train stations, which works the same, but needs a non-refundable fee of 500 yen. The Suica card can be downloaded on your iPhone. You can load money on it using Apple Pay. Do note that each family member requires a separate Suica or Pasmo card.

We bought a Pasmo physical card using cash from a train station. A helpful Japanese attendant at the train station guided us on the machine during our first time. It is easy to load more money using cash at these machines at train stations.

Cash

It surprised me the amount of cash we ended up using on our Japan trip, at several restaurants especially in Kyoto, to pay our tour guides, to pay taxis at times, to top up the Pasmo (or Suica) card. However, you needn’t stress about where to get your cash from. You don’t need to exchange a large cash amount at the airport. It is easy to use your debit card at any ATM (at 7/11, Lawson et) to withdraw cash. The fixed fee of 220 yen for cash withdrawal is not steep at all.

To pay as the Japanese do, place your cash or card in the small tray at the register rather than handing either to the cashier. Japan does not have a tipping culture so you won’t need cash for that. 

General travel tips for Japan

Learn a few Japanese phrases

Most people speak limited English, especially outside tourist areas. Even though you will manage using google translate, knowing some key phrases helps:

• Arigato gozaimasu [Thank you]
• Konnichiwa [Hello/Good afternoon]
• Sumimasen [Excuse mme / Sorry]
• Hai [Yes]
• Iie [No]
• Sayōnara [Goodbye]
• Gomen nasai  [I’m sorry]
• Kudasai [Please]
• Eigo o hanasemasu ka? [Do you speak English?]

If you’re considering a longer stay in Japan or even looking to teach English while you travel, it’s worth investing in a recognized TEFL certification before your trip. This opens doors to ESL teaching opportunities across Japan and can be a great way to immerse yourself in the culture more deeply.

Convenience stores or ‘konbini’

One of the best parts about cities in Japan besides the excellent public transport is their convenience stores. You will find a 7/11 or a Lawson or a Family mart at every street. So convenient to get a late night sandwich or a snack or a drink. And cash from the ATM!

Vending machines

Vending machines are a mainstay of Japanese culture. There are over 5.5 million in the country. They’re ubiquitous and almost always outdoors, making them immediately stand out to anyone visiting Japan. Some Japanese vending machines will accept credit cards, but the majority of them are either cash-only or cash + IC cards.

Public Toilets

Called “washlets,” Japan’s high-tech, electronic bidet-toilets will wash and dry your delicate parts with the touch of a button. At times, tourists complain of no paper to dry your hands or no soap at certain toilets. But it wasn’t inconvenient as per my personal experience. There was mostly no paper to dry hands, but I always had a tissue in my bag and a small sanitizer.

General etiquettes to be noted in Japan

Politeness is everything in Japanese society. make sure you are not talking loudly, and that you greet, thank and apologise as required.

The Japanese are big on queues, forming neat lines everywhere from checkout counters to train platforms.

Note the small details when travelling. Where to stand on the escalator, which side if the street to walk on, where to put your bag during busy train rides, to put your phone on silent and not talk loudly in the train.

It is NOT ok to walk and eat in Japan. There are designated areas in front of small restaurants. You are expected to finish your meal there and not walk about with it. You can only carry water on public transportation (the exception being a shinkansen train where people do carry meals, snacks, drinks).

Dressing at Buddhist Temples and Shinto shrines: It is not written in front of temples (unlike Thailand Buddhist temples) as to how to dress. But dress modestly to be respectful to local culture. You will not see any Japanese in a short skirt or tiny shorts or sleeveless top in a Buddhist Temple. Keep this in mind especially for your Kyoto travel itinerary, where you will visit many temples and shrines.

Beaware of where you have to take off your shoes, in a specific temple area, even for some restaurants.

Refrain from Littering: On any trip to Japan, expect to carry any on-the-go trash (such as wrappers and empty bottles) with you until you return to your accommodation, or to dispose of it the point of purchase. There are fewer trash bins in Tokyo and Osaka that what you may be used to in western countries.  

Don’t blow your nose loudly in public.

Tipping culture is not at all common in Japan. In fact, tipping can be seen as rude.

Onsen etiquettes 

Onsen etiquette involves specific rules and customs for bathing in Japanese hot springs. Focus on the followig –

• Undress completely in the changing room. This one is tricky. Most of us take some time to wrap our head that NO clothing is allowed in a public bath.
• Shower thoroughly using soap and water before getting in an onsen.
• Be quiet in the onsen. Keep conversations in a low tone.
• Onsen is for soaking, so avoid swimming or submerging your head.
• Stay hydrated. An onsen is surprisingly hot and dehydrating! Drink water before and after your onsen bath to stay.
• Tattoes: Many traditional onsens prohibit entry with tattoos. Although this is changing in cities and bigger towns, tattoes are seen as dirty.

Hope your Japan trip is amazing with above travel tips. Happy planning!

Planning a trip to Japan? Check out –

Start with 2 Weeks in Japan

City Itineraries: Tokyo 5 day Itinerary, 3 Days in Kyoto Itinerary, Osaka 3 Day Itinerary

Day Trips: Day trips from Osaka, Tokyo day trips, Day Trip To Hiroshima, Himeji Castle day trip, Ultimate Guide to Tokyo DisneySea, Overnight Trip to Koyasan Japan

And finally, Japan’s 4 Luxury Hotels

_________________________

Pin it for later!

_________________________

Have you been to Japan? Which travel tip was most useful to you there?

Subscribe to Zest In A Tote Digest, my monthly newsletter, for travel tips and inspiration.

Join me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook as I share my travel experiences.