Japan Travel Tips — 50 Things First-Time Visitors Should Know
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These are the things first-time Japan visitors consistently wish they'd known before arriving — not the big planning decisions (those have their own guides), but the small, specific observations that make the difference between a trip that runs smoothly and one that generates unnecessary friction. Some of these will seem obvious in retrospect. None of them appear clearly in most pre-trip research.
Before you arrive
1. Photograph every page of your passport before leaving home. Store the photos in cloud storage (not just your phone). If your passport is lost or stolen in Japan, these images significantly accelerate the embassy replacement process.
2. Save your embassy's emergency number in your phone contacts. Not in a notes app — in contacts, where it's accessible without unlocking and navigating menus. Takes 2 minutes before departure.
3. Download Google Maps offline for Japan before you board the plane. Airport WiFi is unreliable, and the period between landing and getting a working SIM or connecting to hotel WiFi is exactly when you need navigation most.
4. Set up Mobile Suica on iPhone before departure if possible. It works immediately on landing without queuing at airport card counters. Use Mastercard or AMEX — Visa cards frequently fail when charging in the app. Android users on non-Japanese phones need a physical IC card from the airport.
5. Register on Visit Japan Web before arrival. Pre-registering immigration and customs information speeds up the arrival process at Japanese airports. Also generates a tax-free shopping QR code for use at participating stores — however, not all stores accept the QR code yet, and many still require your physical passport for tax-free processing. Always carry your passport when shopping, regardless of whether you have the QR code.
6. Check your medication against Japan's import rules. Adderall is illegal in Japan. Some codeine products and ADHD medications (methylphenidate) require advance import permission (Yunyu Kakuninsho) from the Japanese Embassy before you travel. Standard medications are fine without special procedures.
7. Book Shinkansen reserved seats for Golden Week and Obon travel one month in advance — exactly. JR opens reservations exactly one month before departure date. For peak travel days (April 29, May 3–6, Obon mid-August), popular trains sell out within hours of the window opening.
8. Book popular ryokan 3–6 months ahead for peak seasons. For cherry blossom (late March–early April) and autumn foliage (mid-to-late November), popular properties in Hakone and Kyoto sell out months in advance.
9. Book teamLab Planets before departure. It sells out on weekends and school holidays. Don't assume you can book when you arrive.
10. Print your hotel addresses in Japanese. A small card with your accommodation address in Japanese for each city — essential for taxi drivers, and useful when your phone battery dies.
Money and payments
11. Withdraw yen from a Seven Bank (7-Eleven) ATM, not a currency exchange counter. The exchange rate at ATMs is consistently better than at airport exchange desks or hotel desks. Do this immediately after clearing customs.
12. When the ATM asks JPY or your home currency, always choose JPY. Choosing your home currency activates dynamic currency conversion (DCC) — a poor exchange rate set by the machine operator rather than your bank's standard rate.
13. Carry ¥5,000–10,000 in cash at all times. Small local restaurants, temple entrance fees, traditional shops, and some taxis are cash-only. Running out of cash in the middle of a day is an avoidable problem.
14. Get a coin purse. Japan uses coins heavily — ¥500, ¥100, ¥50, ¥10 accumulate quickly. A wallet that handles coins easily prevents heavy pockets and makes payment faster.
15. The ¥500 coin is worth more than it looks. About $3 at current rates. Don't let them pile up unspent — use them for vending machines, shrine offerings, and small purchases.
16. Department store basement food halls (depachika) have exceptional food at reasonable prices. Better than most restaurants for prepared food, no waiting, no ordering difficulty. Isetan in Shinjuku and Takashimaya in several cities have the best selections.
17. Keep receipts from tax-free shopping. Customs may check them when you leave Japan. Disposing of tax-free purchased items before leaving (consuming food, opening sealed items) invalidates the tax exemption and is technically a customs violation.
Getting around
18. The station exit matters as much as the train. Large Japanese stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Osaka Umeda) have dozens of exits, often on opposite sides of city blocks. The wrong exit adds 15–20 minutes of unexpected walking. Always check the specific exit before leaving the platform.
19. The Yamanote Line is the key to Tokyo. This circular JR line connects all of Tokyo's major neighborhoods — Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ueno, Akihabara, Tokyo Station. Understanding it makes the rest of the city navigable.
20. Check the last train time on travel days. Most Tokyo train lines stop around midnight. Missing the last train means a taxi (expensive) or waiting until 5 AM for the first morning train. Knowing your last train time before an evening out removes this risk.
21. Coin lockers fill up during peak season. In tourist-heavy periods, station coin lockers are often full by mid-morning. The ecbo cloak app connects you with nearby shops and cafes that store luggage for ¥600–800 per day — a reliable alternative.
22. Japan's luggage forwarding service (takkyubin) is genuinely useful. Send your suitcase between hotels for ¥1,500–2,500 per bag. Travel light by train; luggage arrives the next day. Yamato Transport (black cat logo) is the main provider, available at convenience stores and hotel front desks.
23. Rural buses often don't accept IC cards. If Google Maps doesn't show an IC card indicator for a bus, bring cash — exact change if possible. Many rural bus drivers can't make change efficiently with large bills.
24. A taxi from Narita Airport to central Tokyo costs ¥20,000–30,000. The train costs ¥3,000. There's almost never a reason to take a taxi from Narita.
Daily life
25. There are almost no public rubbish bins in Japan. Carry a small plastic bag or zip-lock for wrappers, tissues, and food packaging. When you do find a bin: vending machine recycling slots are for cans and PET bottles only — not general rubbish. Convenience stores have general waste bins inside (not always visible but usually near the register or entrance), and train station platforms often have bins near the exits. These are your main options during the day.
26. Convenience stores are a legitimate dining option. 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart sell genuinely good food — fresh onigiri, quality sandwiches, hot counter items, excellent egg salad sandwiches. Not a compromise, a distinct experience.
27. The quiet button on your phone matters on trains. Phone calls on trains are considered rude. Text or use earphones. If your phone isn't on silent, switch it before boarding.
28. Eating while walking is considered bad manners. At street food stalls and festivals, eating standing nearby is fine. Walking through a temple or shopping street eating a snack is not.
29. Escalator etiquette: stand on the left in Tokyo, right in Osaka. Note that JR East and Tokyo Metro now run campaigns encouraging two-abreast standing for safety — in practice the single-file convention still holds in most busy stations.
30. Slippers at ryokan have specific rules. Indoor slippers are for indoor areas. Separate toilet slippers are provided at the toilet room entrance — and must be left there when you exit. Wearing toilet slippers back to your room or the common areas is the most common ryokan mistake tourists make.
31. Many traditional restaurants require shoes off. If a restaurant has a step up at the entrance and wooden flooring, shoes come off. You'll see a shoe rack and may be handed indoor slippers. This is not optional.
32. Bowing is common and appropriate. A slight bow (15–30 degrees) when thanking someone in a service context is appropriate and appreciated. You don't need to master the protocol — any gesture of acknowledgment is positive.
33. "Sumimasen" is the most useful word you'll learn. It means "excuse me" and is used to get a server's attention, apologize for passing someone in a narrow space, or acknowledge minor inconvenience. More useful than "arigatou" (thank you) in practical day-to-day situations.
Food and restaurants
34. Izakayas charge an otoshi (table cover fee) of ¥300–500 per person. A small compulsory starter dish arrives automatically and is charged per head on your bill. This is standard practice — not a mistake or a tourist trap.
35. Ticket machine restaurants are the fastest and cheapest. At the entrance, a vending machine has buttons with photos and prices. Buy a ticket, hand it to the staff. No Japanese needed, no waiting for a server, prices are usually lower than table-service equivalents. Note: older cash-only machines often don't accept ¥10,000 notes — carry ¥1,000 bills for these situations. Newer touchscreen machines typically accept cards and IC cards.
36. "Kore wo kudasai" (これをください) means "this one, please." Point at a menu item or a plastic display and say this. Covers most ordering situations without any other Japanese.
37. Ramen shops often have rules. Some require ordering via ticket machine. Some have specific seating protocols. Some ask you not to use your phone at the counter. Look at what other customers are doing before sitting down.
38. The best meal time slots are before 11:30 AM for lunch and after 7:30 PM for dinner. Tourist-area restaurants fill up completely between 12–1:30 PM and 6–7:30 PM. Eating outside these windows cuts wait times significantly.
39. Portion sizes are smaller than most Western visitors expect. A single ramen bowl is a complete meal. A set meal (teishoku) with rice, miso, and pickles is also a complete meal. Over-ordering is easy and expensive.
40. Ask for water when you sit down — it's free. "Omizu kudasai" (お水ください) or just "water please." Most restaurants bring it automatically, but not all. Tea is also often served free.
Temples, shrines, and attractions
41. 7 AM is the most important time to arrive at Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Senso-ji. The difference between 7 AM and 10 AM crowds at these sites is dramatic. Early starts in Kyoto are the single most effective strategy for popular sites.
42. Shrine entrances are torii gates, temple entrances are temple gates (sanmon). The distinction matters for behavior: at shrines, bow twice, clap twice, bow once at the main hall. At temples, incense and hands-together prayer. Neither protocol is strictly required of visitors, but awareness is noticed.
43. Photography inside main halls is often prohibited. Outdoor temple and shrine grounds are almost always fine to photograph. The main worship hall interior frequently isn't — look for signs or follow what other visitors are doing.
44. Entrance fees are usually worth paying. Japan's temple and shrine entrance fees (¥300–1,000) are modest by international standards and usually include access to significantly better-maintained grounds than the free outer areas.
45. National holidays mean closures. Some museums and government facilities close on specific national holidays or the day after. Check before making a specific visit the centerpiece of a day.
Practical situations
46. Hotel check-in is usually 3 PM — plan your first day accordingly. Arriving at 10 AM and expecting to check into your room immediately creates avoidable frustration. Hotels will store luggage; plan the morning without room access.
47. Japanese pharmacies are good and don't require a prescription for most basics. Cold medicine, pain relief, antihistamines, blister care — Matsumoto Kiyoshi and Sundrug handle most situations. Packaging is in Japanese, but the standardized icons and staff assistance make it navigable.
48. If you get sick, a convenience store is your first stop. Sports drinks for hydration, basic OTC medicines, hot food for energy — all available 24 hours. The hospital is for situations that can't be handled this way.
49. The flushable wipe warning is real. Even if the packaging says "flushable," don't flush wet wipes in Japan. Japanese plumbing — particularly in older buildings — clogs. Use the bin.
50. The trip will feel manageable faster than you expect. The first half-day in Japan — navigating a new train system in a new language with jet lag — is the hardest part of the entire trip. By day two, the trains start to make sense. By day three, it feels intuitive. Japan is very good at being navigated by people who don't speak Japanese.
Related Guides
→ Japan Travel FAQ — 40 Most Common Questions Answered
→ Common Travel Mistakes in Japan — What Actually Goes Wrong
→ First Time in Japan — The Complete Planning Guide (2026)
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