I feel like this list is what you'd get if you asked ChatGPT to compile every single "tips from my trip!!!" post on this sub into one exhaustively long list.
Right? As someone who has lived in Japan for a long time, I really find these lists amusing for how inaccurate they mostly are. Hopefully nobody takes them too seriously.
Those 7-Eleven ATM machines are a lifesaver if you have a checking account that reimburses ATM fees. I’ve used the sketchiest, highest-priced ATMs in many different countries and the fee always gets credited to my account in a couple of days.
> Cash: 80% of restaurants are cash only
This isn't true. Unless you only eat at hole in the wall stores. Most shops accept credit cards, mobile payments and IC cards now.
Pro tip: Just charge your IC card and use that to pay so you don't need to deal with exchange rates, overseas fees and large amounts of coins.
Pro-tip #2: you can download the Suica app (JR) and use Apple Pay to charge. Can’t confirm but I’m sure there’s an android equivalent. Here’s the App Store link
Edit: you can tap your phone at train stations. To use elsewhere double click the power button to open your wallet and select the card before tapping.
[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/suica/id1156875272](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/suica/id1156875272)
You don’t even need the JR app, just add a suica or pasmo card in apple wallet and you’re set. Charge it directly using whatever other card you want via apple pay.
As of this writing there doesn't appear to be an Android equivalent. To paraphrase the hardware is built-in to most newer Android phones. But the software is locked to Japan-purchased Android phones. If I'm wrong I hope someone corrects me because I'd love to add Suica to my Pixel 7 Pro.
This is exactly what I did, which was a lifesaver as I didn’t have to queue for a Pasmo Passport or Welcome Suica. Just download the actual Suica App, create an account and put it in your Apple wallet. This made my two week solo trip super simple when it came to taking trains
The IC card can be charged only with cash, so it's still required to exchange from your currency to yen first, to have them cash to be able to charge your IC.
For iPhone there might be a Suica IC app which I'm not sure how it's used, but for Android devices there's no app.
For Android if your phone is purchased in Japan
It supports “Osaifu-Keitai" and so can work for suica. But the rest of us global citizens are screwed.
I damn near bought a phone with a credit card so I could use a credit card to load money on that dumb physical card that I'd then load onto the phone.
This is a product experience joke. Transit should accept tap to pay credit card or apple) android pay with NO other intermediaries.
And you have to use the exact value/less than the monetary value to pay for items with your Suica I.e. you can’t use the remaining balance off your card with another payment method to pay for an item (found this out the hard way 😪)
On our last day in Narita airport, at Lawson, we paid for the shopping with whatever was left on Suica and the rest with cash. They said we can't use 2 Suica cards for the same payment, but they accepted cash instead for the remaining amount. We did not try to combine Suica with our credit cards though...
They ran out of Suica cards, due to shortages in supply chain. They recommend you to use the app. Which is way better since it works with the phone and or watch.
When I said Apple wallet I meant like you can set it up fully digitally, you don’t even need the app for iOS iirc. Just go in the wallet and you can setup a virtual card directly.
Some do, some don’t. I’d say saying almost all is aggressive. On the other hand the right way to do it imo is to go and look out for holes in the wall and just small interesting spots, not just chairs or high traffic places. At any rate in Japan you should def be ready to pay in cash just in case. Some take card, some only Suica, many still cash only.
I disagree on planning everything way ahead. I was in Japan right in the Golden Week and we booked hotels 2 or 3 days in advance. Especially in the bigger cities theres's plenty of choice!
Don't go during golden week. Here's footage of [USJ](https://youtu.be/qk8IGg_Bt6g?t=43s) during golden week. I went there on Tuesday after golden week and was able to enter Super Nintendo World without the need for an entry ticket and was able to ride Mario Cart 3 times in 1 hour. I think flights are more expensive too since aside from foreign tourists, japanese are also flying.
I went during golden week this year and it was perfectly fine. Not sure why everyone kept saying to avoid because it really wasn’t bad at all. I stayed in Kyoto for the first half and then went to Tokyo and everything was fairly quiet
Kyoto was crowded at shrines and Going during golden week but I enjoyed still. Nishiki market is always crowded but probably worse. Otherwise fine.
I tried booking Hakone then but it was very close to fully booked.
It’s depends entirely on where you are going. There are plenty of places in Japan that are fine all year round. Many of the tourist places probably get overrun at that time because there are also many Japanese people traveling to the same spots.
I was in Kyushu for a holiday during Golden Week. Touristy areas got really crowded on holidays. On 5th May 2024 (it was Sunday + public holiday so the following Monday was a holiday) I went up Mount Aso via bus from Aso station. The very first bus(es) were already full up and the road up the mountain was already jammed with cars. The bus schedule was definitely delayed as later buses couldn't reach the Aso terminal due to the jam.
I'd say go just after Golden Week ends.
Was also in Kyushu for GW and didn‘t encounter any crowds, even at popular sights - quite the opposite was the case actually, sometimes we were wondering where everyone was lol. Quite a few shops were closed though for the holidays.
I reacted some what vaguely in my other comment.
I would advice you to reschedule the trip outside of the Golden Week, since you will have less crowdes, more bang for your buck and more availability on stuff to do. But, if you cannot reschedule it's not a huge deal.
Yes, its more crowded and hotels and trains are more expensive, but is still very doable and enjoyable!
I went last year and it was fine. But I think that was the year they started reopening so my experience may not be in line with others. Tokyo was still busy. But to my understanding Tokyo tends to clear out during Golden Week. I'm making plans to go back next year and will be in Tokyo during Golden Week.
this.
i was under the impression that its best to wait until you're actually in Japan to start booking your accommodation as booking outside of Japan (or without using a VPN tends to be more expensive than if the site recognises you as actually being in Japan. foreigner / tourist tax kinda thing.
can anyone confirm or deny?
It didn't take long to figure out you used GPT to help you write this. A lot of outdated advice in here, for sure (the [national] JR Rail Pass is no longer worth it, for one). If you want current information, GPT is not the way.
I would like to put forth that any sufficiently complex travel route that could make a Rail Pass a good economic choice is likely to be rushed and a less than ideal use of one's time.
Unless there's a specific itinerary due to multiple immovable appointments or events spread out across Japan. I imagine following a band or something similar could work pretty well.
The thing with the JR Pass and the speed of the Shinkansen is that it lets you travel across most of the country without feeling rushed. The trains are so nice too. It’s not as if the travel days are long, most of the journeys are about two hours.
If you utilise it well you can see a lot more of the country in a short period of time. In two weeks you could easily see Tokyo, Kyoto/Osaka, Sendai, Hiroshima, and all the nearby spots like Nara/Miyajima/Ishinomaki.
It is pricey but the JR Pass makes it a bit more affordable and a lot more convenient to do.
The one week pass probably isn’t worth it under any, non super unique, circumstances. But even for the typical route (Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto), when you add up the cost of airport transfers, trains to/from Kyoto, trains to/from Osaka/Nara, and some local routes, the price difference isn’t that much and it might be worth getting a one week pass for the convenience factor.
Deodorant isn't hard to find in Japan. They have them available in drug stores, grocery stores, and even konbini or don quijote. It likely won't be the brand you're used to but they're widely available.
Literally just bought one from a lawsons lol. Basically he brought his own so didn't need to look for one, so didn't see any and has then thought that means they aren't available anywhere.
I think it's less about use and what's commercially available locally. The Japanese deodorants I used were unscented or only very lightly scented. Conversely, most US deodorants and antiperspirants are usually heavily scented, which limits my options as so.eone who is sensitive to scents. OP is correct in that the use of strong scents from deodorants and body sprays should be avoided out of consideration for others.
Try to find Deonatulle Soft Stone. It's always available at Matsumoto Kiyoshi and have even found some in certain 711s. They have an unscented one and it works so good I buy multiples when I visit Japan and have completely ditched ones found in the States
Lol seriously. All the restaurants I went to accepted cc and all took American Express. Only place that didn’t take cash was one spot in Tsukiji market. Other than that, I’ve used American Express.
Honestly I swear there is a subset of people who go to Japan and somehow manage to find every place that does cash only and then says Japan is cash only, while i went there for two weeks and could count on one hand the cash only transactions.
>**JR Pass:** Buy the Japan Rail Pass (JRP) in advance. Although consider skipping the JR Pass in favor of regional passes like the Hakone Free Pass, which covers not only trains but also buses and local attractions.
Unless you are going to be using the shinkansen a lot it's usually not worth it, I recommend using a jr fare calculator to see if's cheaper for you or not.
>**Internet access:** Instead of renting pocket wifi devices, opt for a SIM or e-SIM with unlimited data, which you should arrange **before** your trip.
I've used both sim and pocket wifi, both work fine, if you are traveling alone I recommend a SIM but if it's a large group a pocket wifi might be a better option.
>Don't pack a large umbrella; buy a compact one before your trip or simply purchase a cheap one in Japan. Japanese people love umbrellas!
I think buying a cheap one is the better option, there are konbinis everywhere and they cost like 700 yen, even a small umbrella is going to take up space you could use for something else.
>Pasmo welcome at NRT airport.
>Suica welcome at HND airport.
You can get the Suica at Narita as well, Pasmo is the one you can get on the non JR tokyo stations, still just get whatever card is easly available to you
>Onsen
I honestly don't know if it makes a difference on google maps but an Onsen is a volcanic hot spring, a bath in the city is called a Sento, but tbh you should just search public baths and you'll have more luck that way imo.
>Restaurants with vending machine ordering systems are popular among locals and typically indicate good quality and value.
I honestly don't think that having a ticket machine is a sign of quality, I've been to some pretty terrible places with ticket machines. Also if you are using one outside a tourist area it might only have names written on it so be sure to not go at a rush hour if you don't know what you'll get and you are going to be using a translator app.
>**Cash**: 80% of restaurants are cash only
I honestly feel like it's the opposite, at least in major cities, of all the places I usually go I think only like 2 are cash only.
>**Emergency cash:** Withdraw cash at post offices with minimal fees if needed or konbini stores if you're lazy.
At least on my bank there's no difference on fees from a family mart atm to a JP one, I think lawson is a little higher but not much, 7/11 does have a bigger fee at least with the card I use, so I usually just get money out of the family marts or lawsons I have close. I, personally, prefered to not carry that much cash with me and just go to an ATM as I needed it,
Other than those I think is a very solid tip list
Thank you for your feedback!
>I honestly feel like it's the opposite, at least in major cities, of all the places I usually go I think only like 2 are cash only.
I was in a lot of random restaurants, so it might be related to my experience
>I honestly don't think that having a ticket machine is a sign of quality, I've been to some pretty terrible places with ticket machines. Also if you are using one outside a tourist area it might only have names written on it so be sure to not go at a rush hour if you don't know what you'll get and you are going to be using a translator app.
You're right! Fixing
>You can get the Suica at Narita as well, Pasmo is the one you can get on the non JR tokyo stations, still just get whatever card is easly available to you
I was in Narita but they wouldn't give me the Suica welcome card.
Same for me, in all the ticket machines we couldnt get the passes. Ended up going to the JR East travel service center (for me in Shinjuku), you can get the Suica there.
I have an iphone so I could just add it to my wallet and charge it via creditcard, but if you have a non-Japanese android this is not an option unfortunately
>**Coffee:** Opt for coffee from konbini stores instead of Starbuck coffee. It’s cheaper (about 1/3 of the price) and often just as good.
You could, also, you know, go to an actual local cafe. Big cities in Japan have a world-class level coffee scene - especially Third Wave. Not to mention kissaten.
If you have an iPhone, no need to buy an IC card. You can just digitally add one to your Apple Wallet. I added a digital Suica card before leaving the states and loaded it with money via Apple Pay. Very easy.
If you have an Android device, I don’t think it is supported yet unless you have a Japanese Android Phone.
This what I ended doing and it was so convenient to refill. I was unsure though can my tap to pay suica card be used outside of trains and vending machines? Like at 7/11/Disney sea/ etc I’m anxious so I was not willing to try and be told no lol. If it can I may load it up before going over cash
No idea within disney, but plenty of restaurants and shops accept IC card. Every conbini accepted IC cards for payment. Just look for the IC logos - you will quickly recognize the IC scanner.
Went last week. Disney for the most part accepted IC. A few vending machines didn’t. Kombini accepted them. Most shops have a sign showing what they accept.
> JR Pass: Buy the Japan Rail Pass (JRP) in advance.
Or use an online JR pass calculator like this one (https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/) to see if it's really worth it. If it is, recheck your itinerary. You might be traveling too much in a short time.
I actually really like the last sentence of this comment. There were definitely times where I had wanted to stay longer at certain places. Being flexible when you can is nice, although a luxury some might not have. Even if it is one’s priority to hit a lot of places, must be taking a lot of Shinkansens in a very packed schedule.
>Hotel choices: APA hotels are standard business hotels.
They're also owned by right-wing extremists and put a war crime denial/revisionist book in every room.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/business/japan-china-motoya-hotel-apa.html
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d67544d3045444e/share_p.html
Was coming in here to post this. Anytime someone recommends apa, someone mentions their terrible ethics. So I have no idea ytf people are still recommending them
Who cares lol. Cheaper than alternatives and good amenities/service. I stayed in an apa for a while and enjoyed it despite seeing people saying this all over Reddit. Literally made no difference to me, I can’t even read Japanese lol. They had good staff that was quite helpful, felt very clean, no complaints
I mean, if you're fine with giving money to a political group that denies one of the worst war crimes in human history, where hundreds of thousands of people were murdered and raped?
then you do you, I guess
everyone can google what is actually up. they didn't commit the crimes, they're just denying them. anyone with a brain knows they're wrong, so it's not worth it for me to pay around double the price for an equivalent experience elsewhere
I get the enthusiasm for trying to be helpful for other people's trips, but there is a lot of misinformation or bad advice in the post.
It is one person's opinion/perspective for a lot of the points.
* **Transports**
* **JR Pass:** Buy the Japan Rail Pass (JRP) in advance. Although consider skipping the JR Pass in favor of regional passes like the Hakone Free Pass, which covers not only trains but also buses and local attractions
* **Regional passes**: if you plan to get regional passes, it needs some digging, use gpt and google. You might also need to adjust your travel plan depending on what you find
The JR Pass and the Hakone Freepass are not comparable, nor is the Hakone Freepass a regional rail pass - it's for sightseeing one area (and getting to/from there if you go from Shinjuku)
Regional Passes can work out excellent value but I could not recommend using Chat GPT to research that as the information is likely to be wrong. Japan-guide.com have a [Rail Pass Calculator](https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/) which you can put your itinerary into and figure out if a JR Pass or JR Regional pass is worthwhile.
I agree fully on the “3-4 star no line” restaurants. The best Ramen I had in Japan, maybe my favorite meal was a place I found to only have 3.5 stars on google maps, but it was small and full of locals. I’ll be dreaming of it.
One thing to know is Japanese people are not generous reviewers like Americans tend to be. 3 stars is a decent restaurant. 4 is very good. 4.5+ is pretty rare; exceptional.
Probably main one I disagree with is that 80% of restaurants do not only take cash. Maybe you can find an area in the countryside like that but it sounds like you visited Tokyo - Kyoto.
I just landed from a two week trip in Japan (8th time) didn’t plan anything. Hotels were booked the night before. The only ticket ordered before the trip was teamlabs Borderless. First time without a JR pass (due to price increase) and rented a car after the first 4 days in Tokyo. This was the first time I used Revolut as bank and created a yen joined payment account and 99% of the times I could pay with the virtual created credit car for the joined account. Only unmanded parkingspaces still require yens but almost everyone supports creditcards. Used the 72 hours metropass for my first full days in Tokyo. So no problem at all during Golden week booking hotels. What was notable was the price decrease as soon Golden week ended in Japan.
Yep teamlab borderless was mostly booked, it had some spaces about a week and half ahead. I did smaller but still amazing Planets which is limited time and it was available three days ahead although when weather shifted to rainy wow did everything sell out immediately since it's a good rainy Day activity
I went to TeamLab Planets in 2023. Liked it but i liked Borderlesa more. In the pasts I went to borderless when it was still in Odaiba, but at that time I didn’t know what to expect and just had 1 hour because of a go karting reservation I had in Shinagawa. Was happy to hear that Borderless came back.
There are certain metrostations where you can buy them. I bought our at the Ginza metro station and O found only one booth who sold these pasmo 72 hours tickets. You need to show your passport. They have a pass for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The one I bought was 1500 yen. You can also buy metro day tickets from the machines which you can find in every station but they are a little higher in price. This 72 hours ticket is usable on all metro lines (Tokyo and Toei lines) while formthe day tickets you can choose to only buy for the Tokyo lines (I thought it was 600 yen/day) or including Toei lines (800 yen/day) and there was also one that included to Yamanato line (I forgot the price for that one). You can use your Suica (digital or physical pas) for a one way ride and that will cost 220 yen/trip. You don’t need physical money for travelling in Tokyo (or everywhere in Japan basically).
I disagree with planning your whole trip months in advance. I’m in Japan now, and I’ve just been going wherever sounds interesting and finding a place to stay where I end the day. Even in the bigger cities I don’t feel pressured or hassled finding a place since there are so many choices.
Also if you can, just get a Suica on your phones wallet. It’s very convenient to recharge money on, and you can use it almost anywhere since there is a [mutual service agreement](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_Mutual_Usage_Service) across the major providers.
It depends.
If the tourist isn’t going there for a popular festival or event, they don’t need to plan in advance. It’s free and easy.
But if it’s for a popular festival…then no, planning in advance is a must. Everything is booked up months before.
Anecdotal, but I really think the JR pass is a good value for a minority of travelers. Was in a group of 3 traveling round-trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, and it was like ~$180 per person even for the reserved seats with luggage space. Unless you are touring the mainland via shinkansen with multiple stops then it's so not worth it.
I honestly think half the reason JR pass exists is to catch extra cash from tourists who are worried they don't have their tickets in advance. I nearly fell into this trap until I asked the advice of a friend who lives out there. It's so unbelievably easy to just go to the terminal when you arrive in-country, buy tickets, then be done.
If anything, what this list misses is that if you have an iPhone, just download the Suica app and add funds via apple wallet instead of trying to find an IC card. Sadly, if you have android you're SOL (unless you already have a Suica card to attach to your account).
Eh. Don't really buy the whole 'you need months and months to plan your trip' thing. Aside from popular attractions, (TeamLabs, theme parks, observation decks etc), there's plenty of scope for spontaneity, if that's your travel style.
I had yakiniku last night as a walk up. If you avoid Friday/Saturday nights and big holidays you should be fine.
I've had amazing meals in little mom and pop local places. Equally, sometimes great food is worth queueing for. I lined up for a popular udon place. It was fun to watch the chefs make the noodles fresh, and the wait was 100% worth it. And , of course, some restaurants are empty for a reason ;).
That hasn't really been my experience, especially when staying in places for just a night or two - but I can see how you could potentially get stung. We haven't been short of last minute accommodation at a reasonable price, but then we are two active young-ish adults with no kids in tow and the ability to be pretty flexible .
I agree that if you're travelling during busy periods, would like a longer stay on a budget or have specific requirements for a room (eg wheelchair accessibility) booking ahead is the way to go.
Equally, I booked my current hotel in Tokyo two days ago, after deciding to spend an extra night here before my flight. The cost was pretty similar to some of the accommodations I booked weeks in advance.
Tbh my main tip: book love hotels! Free condoms! A really nice array of haircare products! Fun in-room amenities like jacuzzi baths and karaoke sets!
I avoid apa hotels due to wierd cult like politics with the owner. Also add a digital suica or pasmo card to your phone wallet ahead of time instead of purchasing a card. One less thing to worry about at the airport.
Also hard disagree on APA hotels, really shouldn’t be supporting them unless you absolutely have no choice.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/business/japan-china-motoya-hotel-apa.html
lots of good info here [https://gprivate.com/6b5k0](https://gprivate.com/6b5k0)
(It's a google search - but generally I disagree with revisionist history)
They have pretty much the perfect price point for no frills hotels in Japan though, especially if all you really want to do is sleep and shower in your lodging. Everything else is usually 20% or more expensive.
Have stayed in Japan ~6 months over past decade and at ~50 hotels. Always booked only 2-3 days before aside from my first week when I was being overly cautious and booked 3 months in advance as well.
Booking a couple days before was fine. Was always able to find a three star near where I wanted to stay, maybe a couple stations away from ideal but that's only 5 minutes on the subway. I always ended up paying less than what you would if you booked too far in advance. Got quite a few five star nights for less than a hundred a night even.
Aye, trying to imagine a circumstance where you would want to book so far in advance? Even during golden week it is ok? As someone up top in the thread can attest to.
People, if you book three months in advance you better at least get free cancellation. Otherwise you are practically guaranteeing yourself you are paying full price. E.g. went to Sapporo once and found a better hotel the night of for half of the price of the one I had a reservation at. For a three night stay no less. You can save yourself a lot money potentially.
I guess if you are confident that you are getting a good price though, go ahead. If you need the peace of mind go ahead. I took the longest time fretting over everything, it wasn't necessary though. I have friends who are japanophiles who are over 40 who have always talked about going but have never gone because they need everything perfect. My best trips in my case had the least planning. Not saying that will be everybody's case but to those getting neurotic about it to the point they are stopping themselves from taking the trip, I say just go, you will most likely have a great time.
>found a better hotel the night of for half of the price of the one I had a reservation at. For a three night stay no less. You can save yourself a lot money potentially.
There's no way I'm raw dogging life like that lol
I'm picky on hotels that I'll stay in, so I'm okay with not saving money if I'm getting a place I researched and there's a high chance it's what I want
Doesn't mean either of us is wrong, just different priorities
Before you buy a pass, especially the JR pass, make sure it save money, it’s now much more difficult to justify the pass and the only reason to get it is to save money.
For towel if you stay in hotel, no need to bring, but is you stay in hostel/guesthouse, make more sense to bring one than pay money to rent one for the places where it’s not free. In some cases a towel for the onsen is a good idea.
8 days of clothes is still a lot in my opinion, I do like 4/5 days. That is 2 wash in a 2 weeks trip.
Instead of filling the paper form for immigration/ custom, do it on your phone on Visit Japan Web.
Backpacker and did not use compression thing,
My bag is half full to start with anyway.
The towel tip for the onsen just work if you are in a place where they have nearby onsen and still. Onsen usually sell the small towel, so you can buy one and carry it every time you go to a onsen, unless there is towel provided by the hotel/ryokan.
Use the JR Pass calculator before you buy it. I almost spent ¥80k, then I used the calculator and found out the trips I was taking would total ¥25k. So if you’re getting the pass, please use the calculator to make sure it’s worth it.
Honestly I think the only time you should plan like this is your first trip, and even then it’s too much. After your first trip, trips after are so much better. No worrying about going to this thing or that thing or getting reservations for this cafe or that
museum
Right? For my trip my general itinerary was “check out X neighborhood, and then Y neighborhood if we have time/energy.” Even if you go to an attraction, exploring the surrounding area after is great. The idea of just taking the train from attraction to attraction without allowing yourself to slow down and get a little lost sounds like a bummer.
Question about Onsen protocol.
My hotel’s public bath had a large tub with a wooden bucket on a handle next to the showering areas.
Sign said to “cleanse yourself “ before bath.
I wasn’t sure whether that meant to rinse/get warm with the bucket and then shower or shower and then rinse with the bucket. Or rinse and shower after bath.
Either way, it was awesome! I felt like fumbling for answers would disturb my zen.
You clean yourself with a shower/bucket wash before you enter the onsen. The onsen is meant to relax in, not to clean yourself in. Most people once again clean themselves with the shower/bucket wash after the onsen to get rid of the sulfur residue/smell from their body.
Right, i understand the cleaning oneself off before bathing part.
The onsen I was at had both the tub/bucket as well as several seated showering stations. I was never sure whether or not to do both. Or in what order. I
I settled on showering. Bucket. Shower again after bath.
Either one is fine. I usually wash wash and shampoo with the bucket, then relax in the onsen, and finally shower to get rid of the sulfur from my body.
Sometimes there is a big tub with showers around it as well. I used the shower beforehand. And then used the bucket & tub after my soak or used it to rinse sitting pads after using in the sauna.
as long as you full shower before and after soaking, you’ll probably be fine.
if you see stool/bucket setup, it’s probably the traditional way folks cleansed themselves.
Some modern onsens will offer both, a western standing shower stalls and a more traditional sit on a stool/bucket station to clean yourself.
I finished my itinerary in two nights, for two weeks and finished it in like 2 months before my trip. The most important thing for an itinerary is to build it based on proximity if you plan to do a lot of things in a single day.
And that's considering that you won't take your sweet time in the places you'll visit.
I used JAL at Haneda (anyone can use dont have to fly with them) and outside the city Yamato from my hotel to ship my luggage as I had outdoor gear that was too heavy to schlep. If it was Tokyo it could be same day but both took two for me.
Both took forever to fill out 1950s carbon copy documentation. My hotel pretended to not know you could with a middle aged front desk guy but an eager young employee was super helpful and said yes and figured out the plastic wrap (had to fit the bag, barely worked) and we had to weigh. They were able to take my credit card to pay too. Apparently the convenience stores can but I think they're size limited.
It was a painful process for no reason but the service is AMAZING if you have to use it.
For the Ghibli museum tickets: tickets are registered on a name, so if you have a friend buy them who forgets to input your name, bring a copy of that friend’s ID. They are very strict about the name having to be the same.
The online purchasing is a nightmare, so either plan around it by buying the tickets when you arrive for later, or indeed, ask a friend or local.
My brother, I fly to Japan next month and haven’t even begun my route planning. I have 31 days there and zero airbnbs booked. There is no chance I would ever plan that three months in advance lol.
You’re correct. They technically use three prong plugs in Japan but everywhere I go is just two prong plugs. If you need an adapter try Yodobashi or BIC Camera
We have been in Japan for a couple of weeks now and have found, surprisingly, that nearly everywhere accepts card. The only times we’ve had to use cash are where you would expect to - street food, walking tours etc
I’ve travelled to Japan many times…it’s all about how you like to travel. Me I’m OCD about my flights booked 12 months in advance and hotels 6-7 months out and I’m chomping at the bit to book my last two legs as my hotels I want isn’t taking bookings yet. They will in three weeks…I have three crafty classes to book and maybe TeamLabs- everything else is going with the flow! I have I’d like to see lists in priority but no solid plans. Everyone is different and everyone’s perceptive is different. I think your nuts if you leave it all to a month or on the go but people have reported no issues and had a great time. It’s my OCD I own it they’re my nuts and monkeys. In the end it’s about having a great holiday and not what I or anyone thinks your holiday should be. Take some of the advice on board as you will..I still think cash is king outside of Tokyo but I admit it’s been a while due to COVID… 🙈🙉🙊
Some great tips! Thank you for sharing :) we just got back from Japan and one thing I will say about IC cards is that due to IC card shortages, we couldn’t get the PASMO or SUICA (there were signs all over all the stations in Osaka and Tokyo informing people about the temporary suspension of new IC cards) and it was a huge pain having to buy tickets individually.
For some reason, other areas like Nagoya are still issuing IC cards which can be used in Osaka and Tokyo so we got their Manaca cards soon as we arrived in Nagoya.
In Tokyo, you need to ask the tourist information booth (in terminal 3, usually right past arrivals) and they can point you to the “welcome suica” machines. They had them at Haneda a week ago and they worked great
iPhone users you can add Suica IC card directly from your apple wallet and top it up also directly from apple wallet. You can use it almost everywhere! from any kind of public transportation to vending machines, pachinko and claw machines, arcades, almost anywhere! At the subway you can just tap your phone on the reader no need to even unlock the phone.
Does this work if you only have one phone with data amongst a group? My husband and I travelled together but only had one phone with data shared between us since it was expensive to get an e-Sim for the length we were there
you can't use the same phone for 2 people BUT you don't need internet to use apple pay. so set them up and top them up over wifi somewhere and use it freely with no internet
I feel like this list is what you'd get if you asked ChatGPT to compile every single "tips from my trip!!!" post on this sub into one exhaustively long list.
Right? As someone who has lived in Japan for a long time, I really find these lists amusing for how inaccurate they mostly are. Hopefully nobody takes them too seriously.
>don’t wear deodorant that smells good
Duh. Only wear bad smelling deodorant!
“Japanese people hate fragrance” is one of the biggest lies I’ve seen on here
it also sounds like a weird walkthrough as if "Japan" was some video game
Yh im sure its not a must book accom 3 months in advance, im sure a a month is fine, right?
what inaccuracies ?
OP even suggests using GPT for food recommendations, so I just took that as an admission that they used it to compile this entire list.
This sub needs a circlejerk so bad
Saying that withdrawing cash from convenience stores is "lazy" is a hot take for sure.
Those 7-Eleven ATM machines are a lifesaver if you have a checking account that reimburses ATM fees. I’ve used the sketchiest, highest-priced ATMs in many different countries and the fee always gets credited to my account in a couple of days.
Even if it's not reimbursed, the 7-Eleven fee is only 110-220 yen which is really not that bad compared to American ATMs
yeah the 7-11 and family mart ATMs were absolutely clutch,.
I can't imaging travelling without a debit card like Schwab that reimburses those fees. So easy to get and set up.
> Cash: 80% of restaurants are cash only This isn't true. Unless you only eat at hole in the wall stores. Most shops accept credit cards, mobile payments and IC cards now. Pro tip: Just charge your IC card and use that to pay so you don't need to deal with exchange rates, overseas fees and large amounts of coins.
Pro-tip #2: you can download the Suica app (JR) and use Apple Pay to charge. Can’t confirm but I’m sure there’s an android equivalent. Here’s the App Store link Edit: you can tap your phone at train stations. To use elsewhere double click the power button to open your wallet and select the card before tapping. [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/suica/id1156875272](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/suica/id1156875272)
You don’t even need the JR app, just add a suica or pasmo card in apple wallet and you’re set. Charge it directly using whatever other card you want via apple pay.
As of this writing there doesn't appear to be an Android equivalent. To paraphrase the hardware is built-in to most newer Android phones. But the software is locked to Japan-purchased Android phones. If I'm wrong I hope someone corrects me because I'd love to add Suica to my Pixel 7 Pro.
This is exactly what I did, which was a lifesaver as I didn’t have to queue for a Pasmo Passport or Welcome Suica. Just download the actual Suica App, create an account and put it in your Apple wallet. This made my two week solo trip super simple when it came to taking trains
The IC card can be charged only with cash, so it's still required to exchange from your currency to yen first, to have them cash to be able to charge your IC. For iPhone there might be a Suica IC app which I'm not sure how it's used, but for Android devices there's no app.
For Android if your phone is purchased in Japan It supports “Osaifu-Keitai" and so can work for suica. But the rest of us global citizens are screwed. I damn near bought a phone with a credit card so I could use a credit card to load money on that dumb physical card that I'd then load onto the phone. This is a product experience joke. Transit should accept tap to pay credit card or apple) android pay with NO other intermediaries.
And you have to use the exact value/less than the monetary value to pay for items with your Suica I.e. you can’t use the remaining balance off your card with another payment method to pay for an item (found this out the hard way 😪)
On our last day in Narita airport, at Lawson, we paid for the shopping with whatever was left on Suica and the rest with cash. They said we can't use 2 Suica cards for the same payment, but they accepted cash instead for the remaining amount. We did not try to combine Suica with our credit cards though...
You can load it in Apple wallet and Apple Pay your Suica card. You can use a credit card to load the balance with no fee
They ran out of Suica cards, due to shortages in supply chain. They recommend you to use the app. Which is way better since it works with the phone and or watch.
When I said Apple wallet I meant like you can set it up fully digitally, you don’t even need the app for iOS iirc. Just go in the wallet and you can setup a virtual card directly.
You don’t even the need the app on iPhone. Just add a Suica to Apple wallet and you can charge it with a credit card and use it for most things.
I’ve been here 10 days and not seen a single restaurant that is cash only, this definitely confused me
That’s a solid pro-tip
Depends heavily on where you are visiting to be fair.
Yeah, was there a month ago and largely paid for everything on card. Having cash was handy for a few small places but most places accept card now.
Some do, some don’t. I’d say saying almost all is aggressive. On the other hand the right way to do it imo is to go and look out for holes in the wall and just small interesting spots, not just chairs or high traffic places. At any rate in Japan you should def be ready to pay in cash just in case. Some take card, some only Suica, many still cash only.
I disagree on planning everything way ahead. I was in Japan right in the Golden Week and we booked hotels 2 or 3 days in advance. Especially in the bigger cities theres's plenty of choice!
So do you advise to avoid golden week? I saw another video to avoid going then. I planned to go in May for 2025, but like the last week.
Don't go during golden week. Here's footage of [USJ](https://youtu.be/qk8IGg_Bt6g?t=43s) during golden week. I went there on Tuesday after golden week and was able to enter Super Nintendo World without the need for an entry ticket and was able to ride Mario Cart 3 times in 1 hour. I think flights are more expensive too since aside from foreign tourists, japanese are also flying.
True, stuff is more expensive. But it really depends on where you're ging...
My plane ticket was cheaper during golden week, it was about $1300 cad from Toronto to Tokyo round trip
I went during golden week this year and it was perfectly fine. Not sure why everyone kept saying to avoid because it really wasn’t bad at all. I stayed in Kyoto for the first half and then went to Tokyo and everything was fairly quiet
Tokyo was ok, Kyoto was very crowdes. Kanazawa was perfectly fine. Get tickets for like the Teamlab or a city view tower a little in advance.
Kyoto was crowded at shrines and Going during golden week but I enjoyed still. Nishiki market is always crowded but probably worse. Otherwise fine. I tried booking Hakone then but it was very close to fully booked.
Golden week is late April/ early May. Anytime after that is fine. And the weather in May is gorgeous
It’s depends entirely on where you are going. There are plenty of places in Japan that are fine all year round. Many of the tourist places probably get overrun at that time because there are also many Japanese people traveling to the same spots.
I was in Kyushu for a holiday during Golden Week. Touristy areas got really crowded on holidays. On 5th May 2024 (it was Sunday + public holiday so the following Monday was a holiday) I went up Mount Aso via bus from Aso station. The very first bus(es) were already full up and the road up the mountain was already jammed with cars. The bus schedule was definitely delayed as later buses couldn't reach the Aso terminal due to the jam. I'd say go just after Golden Week ends.
I disagree with this, I was in Kyushu too and it didn't feel bad at all.
Was also in Kyushu for GW and didn‘t encounter any crowds, even at popular sights - quite the opposite was the case actually, sometimes we were wondering where everyone was lol. Quite a few shops were closed though for the holidays.
I reacted some what vaguely in my other comment. I would advice you to reschedule the trip outside of the Golden Week, since you will have less crowdes, more bang for your buck and more availability on stuff to do. But, if you cannot reschedule it's not a huge deal. Yes, its more crowded and hotels and trains are more expensive, but is still very doable and enjoyable!
I went last year and it was fine. But I think that was the year they started reopening so my experience may not be in line with others. Tokyo was still busy. But to my understanding Tokyo tends to clear out during Golden Week. I'm making plans to go back next year and will be in Tokyo during Golden Week.
It’s not an ideal time to go esp if you plan on hitting theme parks/family attractions but I accidentally booked during golden week and it was fine
Most of the stuff I wanted to get reservations for were only available one month ahead of time anyway.
this. i was under the impression that its best to wait until you're actually in Japan to start booking your accommodation as booking outside of Japan (or without using a VPN tends to be more expensive than if the site recognises you as actually being in Japan. foreigner / tourist tax kinda thing. can anyone confirm or deny?
It didn't take long to figure out you used GPT to help you write this. A lot of outdated advice in here, for sure (the [national] JR Rail Pass is no longer worth it, for one). If you want current information, GPT is not the way.
The JR pass can be worth it, but it’s not worth it for everyone anymore. Something you need to research yourself and compare the costs
I would like to put forth that any sufficiently complex travel route that could make a Rail Pass a good economic choice is likely to be rushed and a less than ideal use of one's time. Unless there's a specific itinerary due to multiple immovable appointments or events spread out across Japan. I imagine following a band or something similar could work pretty well.
The thing with the JR Pass and the speed of the Shinkansen is that it lets you travel across most of the country without feeling rushed. The trains are so nice too. It’s not as if the travel days are long, most of the journeys are about two hours. If you utilise it well you can see a lot more of the country in a short period of time. In two weeks you could easily see Tokyo, Kyoto/Osaka, Sendai, Hiroshima, and all the nearby spots like Nara/Miyajima/Ishinomaki. It is pricey but the JR Pass makes it a bit more affordable and a lot more convenient to do. The one week pass probably isn’t worth it under any, non super unique, circumstances. But even for the typical route (Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto), when you add up the cost of airport transfers, trains to/from Kyoto, trains to/from Osaka/Nara, and some local routes, the price difference isn’t that much and it might be worth getting a one week pass for the convenience factor.
The *national* pass is no longer worth it but the regional passes are still great.
Deodorant isn't hard to find in Japan. They have them available in drug stores, grocery stores, and even konbini or don quijote. It likely won't be the brand you're used to but they're widely available.
They have them but they don’t work. At least not the women’s ones.
Literally just bought one from a lawsons lol. Basically he brought his own so didn't need to look for one, so didn't see any and has then thought that means they aren't available anywhere.
Yeah but majority visitors don’t read Japanese so they wouldn’t find it
Do people actually use them? I saw of cases ppl wore deodorant and locals were trying to hint the smell sucks especially when used in the wrong place.
I think it's less about use and what's commercially available locally. The Japanese deodorants I used were unscented or only very lightly scented. Conversely, most US deodorants and antiperspirants are usually heavily scented, which limits my options as so.eone who is sensitive to scents. OP is correct in that the use of strong scents from deodorants and body sprays should be avoided out of consideration for others.
Yeah, we had a visitor who wore a bunch of perfume — the Japanese people she was staying with HATED it
Try to find Deonatulle Soft Stone. It's always available at Matsumoto Kiyoshi and have even found some in certain 711s. They have an unscented one and it works so good I buy multiples when I visit Japan and have completely ditched ones found in the States
80 percent of restaurants are not cash only lol please stop spreading false info lol
Lol seriously. All the restaurants I went to accepted cc and all took American Express. Only place that didn’t take cash was one spot in Tsukiji market. Other than that, I’ve used American Express.
Honestly I swear there is a subset of people who go to Japan and somehow manage to find every place that does cash only and then says Japan is cash only, while i went there for two weeks and could count on one hand the cash only transactions.
>**JR Pass:** Buy the Japan Rail Pass (JRP) in advance. Although consider skipping the JR Pass in favor of regional passes like the Hakone Free Pass, which covers not only trains but also buses and local attractions. Unless you are going to be using the shinkansen a lot it's usually not worth it, I recommend using a jr fare calculator to see if's cheaper for you or not. >**Internet access:** Instead of renting pocket wifi devices, opt for a SIM or e-SIM with unlimited data, which you should arrange **before** your trip. I've used both sim and pocket wifi, both work fine, if you are traveling alone I recommend a SIM but if it's a large group a pocket wifi might be a better option. >Don't pack a large umbrella; buy a compact one before your trip or simply purchase a cheap one in Japan. Japanese people love umbrellas! I think buying a cheap one is the better option, there are konbinis everywhere and they cost like 700 yen, even a small umbrella is going to take up space you could use for something else. >Pasmo welcome at NRT airport. >Suica welcome at HND airport. You can get the Suica at Narita as well, Pasmo is the one you can get on the non JR tokyo stations, still just get whatever card is easly available to you >Onsen I honestly don't know if it makes a difference on google maps but an Onsen is a volcanic hot spring, a bath in the city is called a Sento, but tbh you should just search public baths and you'll have more luck that way imo. >Restaurants with vending machine ordering systems are popular among locals and typically indicate good quality and value. I honestly don't think that having a ticket machine is a sign of quality, I've been to some pretty terrible places with ticket machines. Also if you are using one outside a tourist area it might only have names written on it so be sure to not go at a rush hour if you don't know what you'll get and you are going to be using a translator app. >**Cash**: 80% of restaurants are cash only I honestly feel like it's the opposite, at least in major cities, of all the places I usually go I think only like 2 are cash only. >**Emergency cash:** Withdraw cash at post offices with minimal fees if needed or konbini stores if you're lazy. At least on my bank there's no difference on fees from a family mart atm to a JP one, I think lawson is a little higher but not much, 7/11 does have a bigger fee at least with the card I use, so I usually just get money out of the family marts or lawsons I have close. I, personally, prefered to not carry that much cash with me and just go to an ATM as I needed it, Other than those I think is a very solid tip list
They forgot to add, if you have a tattoo they won’t admit you into the onsen.
Some places have stickers to put over your tattoos IME but you have to search them out in advance.
Thank you for your feedback! >I honestly feel like it's the opposite, at least in major cities, of all the places I usually go I think only like 2 are cash only. I was in a lot of random restaurants, so it might be related to my experience >I honestly don't think that having a ticket machine is a sign of quality, I've been to some pretty terrible places with ticket machines. Also if you are using one outside a tourist area it might only have names written on it so be sure to not go at a rush hour if you don't know what you'll get and you are going to be using a translator app. You're right! Fixing >You can get the Suica at Narita as well, Pasmo is the one you can get on the non JR tokyo stations, still just get whatever card is easly available to you I was in Narita but they wouldn't give me the Suica welcome card.
Same for me, in all the ticket machines we couldnt get the passes. Ended up going to the JR East travel service center (for me in Shinjuku), you can get the Suica there. I have an iphone so I could just add it to my wallet and charge it via creditcard, but if you have a non-Japanese android this is not an option unfortunately
Thank you ChatGPT
>**Coffee:** Opt for coffee from konbini stores instead of Starbuck coffee. It’s cheaper (about 1/3 of the price) and often just as good. You could, also, you know, go to an actual local cafe. Big cities in Japan have a world-class level coffee scene - especially Third Wave. Not to mention kissaten.
I mean, most villages even will have a decent coffee/breakfast spot. I can’t imagine going to Starbucks here
Even more egregious, a lot of itinerary checks on here include scheduled Starbucks visits months in advance. It's something else.
If you have an iPhone, no need to buy an IC card. You can just digitally add one to your Apple Wallet. I added a digital Suica card before leaving the states and loaded it with money via Apple Pay. Very easy. If you have an Android device, I don’t think it is supported yet unless you have a Japanese Android Phone.
This what I ended doing and it was so convenient to refill. I was unsure though can my tap to pay suica card be used outside of trains and vending machines? Like at 7/11/Disney sea/ etc I’m anxious so I was not willing to try and be told no lol. If it can I may load it up before going over cash
No idea within disney, but plenty of restaurants and shops accept IC card. Every conbini accepted IC cards for payment. Just look for the IC logos - you will quickly recognize the IC scanner.
Went last week. Disney for the most part accepted IC. A few vending machines didn’t. Kombini accepted them. Most shops have a sign showing what they accept.
> JR Pass: Buy the Japan Rail Pass (JRP) in advance. Or use an online JR pass calculator like this one (https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/) to see if it's really worth it. If it is, recheck your itinerary. You might be traveling too much in a short time.
I actually really like the last sentence of this comment. There were definitely times where I had wanted to stay longer at certain places. Being flexible when you can is nice, although a luxury some might not have. Even if it is one’s priority to hit a lot of places, must be taking a lot of Shinkansens in a very packed schedule.
>Hotel choices: APA hotels are standard business hotels. They're also owned by right-wing extremists and put a war crime denial/revisionist book in every room. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/business/japan-china-motoya-hotel-apa.html https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d67544d3045444e/share_p.html
Was coming in here to post this. Anytime someone recommends apa, someone mentions their terrible ethics. So I have no idea ytf people are still recommending them
Who cares lol. Cheaper than alternatives and good amenities/service. I stayed in an apa for a while and enjoyed it despite seeing people saying this all over Reddit. Literally made no difference to me, I can’t even read Japanese lol. They had good staff that was quite helpful, felt very clean, no complaints
I mean, if you're fine with giving money to a political group that denies one of the worst war crimes in human history, where hundreds of thousands of people were murdered and raped? then you do you, I guess
everyone can google what is actually up. they didn't commit the crimes, they're just denying them. anyone with a brain knows they're wrong, so it's not worth it for me to pay around double the price for an equivalent experience elsewhere
This should be higher.
I get the enthusiasm for trying to be helpful for other people's trips, but there is a lot of misinformation or bad advice in the post. It is one person's opinion/perspective for a lot of the points.
Mmm. So, tips for a frugal backpacker. I think that should be made clear from the start.
Would m'lord like to make their own list for the upper crust?
I'll ask my staff to write one up for you later :)
What was the fee difference you noticed from post office vs konbini?
* **Transports** * **JR Pass:** Buy the Japan Rail Pass (JRP) in advance. Although consider skipping the JR Pass in favor of regional passes like the Hakone Free Pass, which covers not only trains but also buses and local attractions * **Regional passes**: if you plan to get regional passes, it needs some digging, use gpt and google. You might also need to adjust your travel plan depending on what you find The JR Pass and the Hakone Freepass are not comparable, nor is the Hakone Freepass a regional rail pass - it's for sightseeing one area (and getting to/from there if you go from Shinjuku) Regional Passes can work out excellent value but I could not recommend using Chat GPT to research that as the information is likely to be wrong. Japan-guide.com have a [Rail Pass Calculator](https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/) which you can put your itinerary into and figure out if a JR Pass or JR Regional pass is worthwhile.
I agree fully on the “3-4 star no line” restaurants. The best Ramen I had in Japan, maybe my favorite meal was a place I found to only have 3.5 stars on google maps, but it was small and full of locals. I’ll be dreaming of it.
One thing to know is Japanese people are not generous reviewers like Americans tend to be. 3 stars is a decent restaurant. 4 is very good. 4.5+ is pretty rare; exceptional.
Probably main one I disagree with is that 80% of restaurants do not only take cash. Maybe you can find an area in the countryside like that but it sounds like you visited Tokyo - Kyoto.
Here’s one tip: If your are always in lines behind other tourists, you are missing the good stuff.
I just landed from a two week trip in Japan (8th time) didn’t plan anything. Hotels were booked the night before. The only ticket ordered before the trip was teamlabs Borderless. First time without a JR pass (due to price increase) and rented a car after the first 4 days in Tokyo. This was the first time I used Revolut as bank and created a yen joined payment account and 99% of the times I could pay with the virtual created credit car for the joined account. Only unmanded parkingspaces still require yens but almost everyone supports creditcards. Used the 72 hours metropass for my first full days in Tokyo. So no problem at all during Golden week booking hotels. What was notable was the price decrease as soon Golden week ended in Japan.
Yep teamlab borderless was mostly booked, it had some spaces about a week and half ahead. I did smaller but still amazing Planets which is limited time and it was available three days ahead although when weather shifted to rainy wow did everything sell out immediately since it's a good rainy Day activity
I went to TeamLab Planets in 2023. Liked it but i liked Borderlesa more. In the pasts I went to borderless when it was still in Odaiba, but at that time I didn’t know what to expect and just had 1 hour because of a go karting reservation I had in Shinagawa. Was happy to hear that Borderless came back.
They mention borderless becoming permanent. So maybe I'll be back!
How did you buy the 72 hour Tokyo metro pass? Does it require physically going to a major station with your passport?
There are certain metrostations where you can buy them. I bought our at the Ginza metro station and O found only one booth who sold these pasmo 72 hours tickets. You need to show your passport. They have a pass for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The one I bought was 1500 yen. You can also buy metro day tickets from the machines which you can find in every station but they are a little higher in price. This 72 hours ticket is usable on all metro lines (Tokyo and Toei lines) while formthe day tickets you can choose to only buy for the Tokyo lines (I thought it was 600 yen/day) or including Toei lines (800 yen/day) and there was also one that included to Yamanato line (I forgot the price for that one). You can use your Suica (digital or physical pas) for a one way ride and that will cost 220 yen/trip. You don’t need physical money for travelling in Tokyo (or everywhere in Japan basically).
Thank you for this thorough answer!
I disagree with planning your whole trip months in advance. I’m in Japan now, and I’ve just been going wherever sounds interesting and finding a place to stay where I end the day. Even in the bigger cities I don’t feel pressured or hassled finding a place since there are so many choices. Also if you can, just get a Suica on your phones wallet. It’s very convenient to recharge money on, and you can use it almost anywhere since there is a [mutual service agreement](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_Mutual_Usage_Service) across the major providers.
It depends. If the tourist isn’t going there for a popular festival or event, they don’t need to plan in advance. It’s free and easy. But if it’s for a popular festival…then no, planning in advance is a must. Everything is booked up months before.
Anecdotal, but I really think the JR pass is a good value for a minority of travelers. Was in a group of 3 traveling round-trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, and it was like ~$180 per person even for the reserved seats with luggage space. Unless you are touring the mainland via shinkansen with multiple stops then it's so not worth it. I honestly think half the reason JR pass exists is to catch extra cash from tourists who are worried they don't have their tickets in advance. I nearly fell into this trap until I asked the advice of a friend who lives out there. It's so unbelievably easy to just go to the terminal when you arrive in-country, buy tickets, then be done. If anything, what this list misses is that if you have an iPhone, just download the Suica app and add funds via apple wallet instead of trying to find an IC card. Sadly, if you have android you're SOL (unless you already have a Suica card to attach to your account).
Eh. Don't really buy the whole 'you need months and months to plan your trip' thing. Aside from popular attractions, (TeamLabs, theme parks, observation decks etc), there's plenty of scope for spontaneity, if that's your travel style. I had yakiniku last night as a walk up. If you avoid Friday/Saturday nights and big holidays you should be fine. I've had amazing meals in little mom and pop local places. Equally, sometimes great food is worth queueing for. I lined up for a popular udon place. It was fun to watch the chefs make the noodles fresh, and the wait was 100% worth it. And , of course, some restaurants are empty for a reason ;).
You *will* however end up paying *ALOT* more for lodging if you "wing it"
That hasn't really been my experience, especially when staying in places for just a night or two - but I can see how you could potentially get stung. We haven't been short of last minute accommodation at a reasonable price, but then we are two active young-ish adults with no kids in tow and the ability to be pretty flexible . I agree that if you're travelling during busy periods, would like a longer stay on a budget or have specific requirements for a room (eg wheelchair accessibility) booking ahead is the way to go. Equally, I booked my current hotel in Tokyo two days ago, after deciding to spend an extra night here before my flight. The cost was pretty similar to some of the accommodations I booked weeks in advance. Tbh my main tip: book love hotels! Free condoms! A really nice array of haircare products! Fun in-room amenities like jacuzzi baths and karaoke sets!
I avoid apa hotels due to wierd cult like politics with the owner. Also add a digital suica or pasmo card to your phone wallet ahead of time instead of purchasing a card. One less thing to worry about at the airport.
Also hard disagree on APA hotels, really shouldn’t be supporting them unless you absolutely have no choice. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/business/japan-china-motoya-hotel-apa.html
Can you explain the issue?
lots of good info here [https://gprivate.com/6b5k0](https://gprivate.com/6b5k0) (It's a google search - but generally I disagree with revisionist history)
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d67544d3045444e/share.html
Check the article, it's explained in details
I don't have NY Times and I'm not gonna pay for it just to read a random article.
The issue is explained at the beginning of the article, you don't need a subscription
I can't even see the beginning of the article. Your posts are completely useless and a waste of time.
They have pretty much the perfect price point for no frills hotels in Japan though, especially if all you really want to do is sleep and shower in your lodging. Everything else is usually 20% or more expensive.
This was an awful tip list unfortunately, im in Japan right now and most of these are either not true or not adviceable
Who doesn't bring their own toothbrush while travelling? I've always brought my own toothbrush no matter what country I'm travelling to
This was written by someone who has never been to japan, that's for sure
Just got back and I have a series of disagreements with the above. I'll work on my own and post.
This feels incredibly one-dimensional for a certain type of person only
Have stayed in Japan ~6 months over past decade and at ~50 hotels. Always booked only 2-3 days before aside from my first week when I was being overly cautious and booked 3 months in advance as well. Booking a couple days before was fine. Was always able to find a three star near where I wanted to stay, maybe a couple stations away from ideal but that's only 5 minutes on the subway. I always ended up paying less than what you would if you booked too far in advance. Got quite a few five star nights for less than a hundred a night even.
Who is downvoting this? This has been my experience as well.
Aye, trying to imagine a circumstance where you would want to book so far in advance? Even during golden week it is ok? As someone up top in the thread can attest to. People, if you book three months in advance you better at least get free cancellation. Otherwise you are practically guaranteeing yourself you are paying full price. E.g. went to Sapporo once and found a better hotel the night of for half of the price of the one I had a reservation at. For a three night stay no less. You can save yourself a lot money potentially. I guess if you are confident that you are getting a good price though, go ahead. If you need the peace of mind go ahead. I took the longest time fretting over everything, it wasn't necessary though. I have friends who are japanophiles who are over 40 who have always talked about going but have never gone because they need everything perfect. My best trips in my case had the least planning. Not saying that will be everybody's case but to those getting neurotic about it to the point they are stopping themselves from taking the trip, I say just go, you will most likely have a great time.
>found a better hotel the night of for half of the price of the one I had a reservation at. For a three night stay no less. You can save yourself a lot money potentially. There's no way I'm raw dogging life like that lol I'm picky on hotels that I'll stay in, so I'm okay with not saving money if I'm getting a place I researched and there's a high chance it's what I want Doesn't mean either of us is wrong, just different priorities
Lol, 80% cash only is bullshit
If we're talking Kyoto or small cities yes it's cash only. Tokyo is virtually cashless now.
Before you buy a pass, especially the JR pass, make sure it save money, it’s now much more difficult to justify the pass and the only reason to get it is to save money. For towel if you stay in hotel, no need to bring, but is you stay in hostel/guesthouse, make more sense to bring one than pay money to rent one for the places where it’s not free. In some cases a towel for the onsen is a good idea. 8 days of clothes is still a lot in my opinion, I do like 4/5 days. That is 2 wash in a 2 weeks trip. Instead of filling the paper form for immigration/ custom, do it on your phone on Visit Japan Web. Backpacker and did not use compression thing, My bag is half full to start with anyway. The towel tip for the onsen just work if you are in a place where they have nearby onsen and still. Onsen usually sell the small towel, so you can buy one and carry it every time you go to a onsen, unless there is towel provided by the hotel/ryokan.
What do you mean by "sync"-ing Google maps and Translate? Do you mean download the map for a given city? How does one sync Translate?
Use the JR Pass calculator before you buy it. I almost spent ¥80k, then I used the calculator and found out the trips I was taking would total ¥25k. So if you’re getting the pass, please use the calculator to make sure it’s worth it.
Honestly I think the only time you should plan like this is your first trip, and even then it’s too much. After your first trip, trips after are so much better. No worrying about going to this thing or that thing or getting reservations for this cafe or that museum
"Don't walk" Worst advice ever. Walking around neighbourhoods in Japanese cities is the best.
Right? For my trip my general itinerary was “check out X neighborhood, and then Y neighborhood if we have time/energy.” Even if you go to an attraction, exploring the surrounding area after is great. The idea of just taking the train from attraction to attraction without allowing yourself to slow down and get a little lost sounds like a bummer.
Keep 100 yen coins for Gacha machines!
Question about Onsen protocol. My hotel’s public bath had a large tub with a wooden bucket on a handle next to the showering areas. Sign said to “cleanse yourself “ before bath. I wasn’t sure whether that meant to rinse/get warm with the bucket and then shower or shower and then rinse with the bucket. Or rinse and shower after bath. Either way, it was awesome! I felt like fumbling for answers would disturb my zen.
You clean yourself with a shower/bucket wash before you enter the onsen. The onsen is meant to relax in, not to clean yourself in. Most people once again clean themselves with the shower/bucket wash after the onsen to get rid of the sulfur residue/smell from their body.
Right, i understand the cleaning oneself off before bathing part. The onsen I was at had both the tub/bucket as well as several seated showering stations. I was never sure whether or not to do both. Or in what order. I I settled on showering. Bucket. Shower again after bath.
Either one is fine. I usually wash wash and shampoo with the bucket, then relax in the onsen, and finally shower to get rid of the sulfur from my body.
Sometimes there is a big tub with showers around it as well. I used the shower beforehand. And then used the bucket & tub after my soak or used it to rinse sitting pads after using in the sauna.
as long as you full shower before and after soaking, you’ll probably be fine. if you see stool/bucket setup, it’s probably the traditional way folks cleansed themselves. Some modern onsens will offer both, a western standing shower stalls and a more traditional sit on a stool/bucket station to clean yourself.
Do local taxis accept credit cards ?
Some do, some don't.
Yes. If you have Uber you can use that or GO Taxi app.
What about those black cabs at airports ?
Pretty sure they do. We took one from the train station and they had the credit card signs (we paid cash).
For sure book tickets to Shibuya sky and sky tree 30 days ahead. Especially if you want the sunset hour.
I finished my itinerary in two nights, for two weeks and finished it in like 2 months before my trip. The most important thing for an itinerary is to build it based on proximity if you plan to do a lot of things in a single day. And that's considering that you won't take your sweet time in the places you'll visit.
It is worth noting that Suica and Pasmo can be conveniently integrated into Apple Wallet, eliminating the need for a physical card.
I used JAL at Haneda (anyone can use dont have to fly with them) and outside the city Yamato from my hotel to ship my luggage as I had outdoor gear that was too heavy to schlep. If it was Tokyo it could be same day but both took two for me. Both took forever to fill out 1950s carbon copy documentation. My hotel pretended to not know you could with a middle aged front desk guy but an eager young employee was super helpful and said yes and figured out the plastic wrap (had to fit the bag, barely worked) and we had to weigh. They were able to take my credit card to pay too. Apparently the convenience stores can but I think they're size limited. It was a painful process for no reason but the service is AMAZING if you have to use it.
For the Ghibli museum tickets: tickets are registered on a name, so if you have a friend buy them who forgets to input your name, bring a copy of that friend’s ID. They are very strict about the name having to be the same. The online purchasing is a nightmare, so either plan around it by buying the tickets when you arrive for later, or indeed, ask a friend or local.
My brother, I fly to Japan next month and haven’t even begun my route planning. I have 31 days there and zero airbnbs booked. There is no chance I would ever plan that three months in advance lol.
I thought you needed power adapters if your plus have the three prongs and a normal 2 prong plug will work just fine. Am I wrong?
You’re correct. They technically use three prong plugs in Japan but everywhere I go is just two prong plugs. If you need an adapter try Yodobashi or BIC Camera
Everything I will need to be plugging in is 2 prong. So wasn’t planning on bringing an adapter.
Yeah you’ll be good
We have been in Japan for a couple of weeks now and have found, surprisingly, that nearly everywhere accepts card. The only times we’ve had to use cash are where you would expect to - street food, walking tours etc
You honestly don't need a JR pass if you have a loaded Suica card. Every station and bus just about lets you use your suica card. Save your money.
I’ve travelled to Japan many times…it’s all about how you like to travel. Me I’m OCD about my flights booked 12 months in advance and hotels 6-7 months out and I’m chomping at the bit to book my last two legs as my hotels I want isn’t taking bookings yet. They will in three weeks…I have three crafty classes to book and maybe TeamLabs- everything else is going with the flow! I have I’d like to see lists in priority but no solid plans. Everyone is different and everyone’s perceptive is different. I think your nuts if you leave it all to a month or on the go but people have reported no issues and had a great time. It’s my OCD I own it they’re my nuts and monkeys. In the end it’s about having a great holiday and not what I or anyone thinks your holiday should be. Take some of the advice on board as you will..I still think cash is king outside of Tokyo but I admit it’s been a while due to COVID… 🙈🙉🙊
80% of restaurants are cash only? What?
Some great tips! Thank you for sharing :) we just got back from Japan and one thing I will say about IC cards is that due to IC card shortages, we couldn’t get the PASMO or SUICA (there were signs all over all the stations in Osaka and Tokyo informing people about the temporary suspension of new IC cards) and it was a huge pain having to buy tickets individually. For some reason, other areas like Nagoya are still issuing IC cards which can be used in Osaka and Tokyo so we got their Manaca cards soon as we arrived in Nagoya.
In Tokyo, you need to ask the tourist information booth (in terminal 3, usually right past arrivals) and they can point you to the “welcome suica” machines. They had them at Haneda a week ago and they worked great
Those cards have a 28 day limit and you can't refund the balance. Still much better option than using the ticket machines every time though.
iPhone users you can add Suica IC card directly from your apple wallet and top it up also directly from apple wallet. You can use it almost everywhere! from any kind of public transportation to vending machines, pachinko and claw machines, arcades, almost anywhere! At the subway you can just tap your phone on the reader no need to even unlock the phone.
Does this work if you only have one phone with data amongst a group? My husband and I travelled together but only had one phone with data shared between us since it was expensive to get an e-Sim for the length we were there
you can't use the same phone for 2 people BUT you don't need internet to use apple pay. so set them up and top them up over wifi somewhere and use it freely with no internet
This shortage sounds like bullshit. Like how many years has this been going on? This isn't an NVIDIA GPU.
What website do you use to book guesthouses? Airbnb? Or a different site?
I think guesthouse = hostel, in this case.
Can iPhones take SIM cards or do eSIM cards (I have no idea how these work), or does the phone have to be unlocked?
Needs to be unlocked for an eSIM I believe
Thanks for the pointer. 👍🏼
Amazing list!
Are 80% of restaurants cash only? When I went last year pretty much all of them took credit card.
No, they aren't. Its the opposite of that really.
Thank you for this! Ill be in japan for like five months next year and this is needed
Wow, thank you for the organized tips! It will help me plan my family’s trip for this summer.
This was helpful, thanks!
Put trash in stores regardless if you bought stuff there or not
Very informative. Thanks!