Japan trip prep checklist
eSIM, Visit Japan Web, tax-free, insurance — done in one read.
Pre-Trip
Trip Essentials
eSIM, Visit Japan Web, tax-free, insurance, weather — every pre-trip essential covered. (88 in-depth guides)
Prep · Essentials
Essentials
Flying a Drone in Japan 2026: The New 1,000m No-Fly Rings
Since 14 July 2026 the no-fly rings around Japan’s key facilities run to roughly 1,000 metres — the Imperial Palace ring swallows Chidorigafuchi and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. Visitors can register a drone, but only one of four identity routes works, and MLIT permission does not cover that ring.
Essentials
Japan E-Scooter Rules 2026: No Licence, Same Blue Ticket
No licence is needed, so the law added a bracket to keep the ¥6,000 blue ticket available to unlicensed riders. Three things flip it to criminal — and what really blocks visitors is not in the Road Traffic Act at all.
Essentials · Payment
Konbini Payment in Japan 2026: The 13-Digit Number
Konbini payment gives you a 13-digit number, not a slip. The seller picks the chain, the register takes cash only, and the terminal starts a 30-minute clock.
Essentials · Health
Air Quality in Japan: The Alert Season Is August, Not Spring
PM2.5 averages 8.4 and drew zero alerts in 2025. What Japan does issue alerts for is August photochemical smog.
Essentials · Rules
Tattoos in Japan: Pools, Gyms and Water Parks 2026
One city pool welcomes tattooed swimmers; another refuses entry. Three water parks state that covering up still does not permit use — and eject you without a refund. Three words in a rules page tell you which case you are in.
Essentials · Food
Japan Oyster Huts: Every Shack Has Its Own Rules
One Itoshima hut says bring your own beer; the shack down the pier bans it. Table fees, booking rules and closing dates all change from hut to hut.
Essentials · Ice Fishing
Japan Ice Fishing 2027: The Opening Date Is Not About Ice
Akagi and Yamanaka opened on 1 September with no ice on either lake, because that date is a legal fishing period. Ice access has no date at all — Lake Akan announced three days out and takes no bookings.
Essentials · Fruit Picking
Japan Strawberry Picking 2027: Every Farm Sets Its Own Rules
The same 10-year-old pays ¥1,600, ¥2,200 or ¥2,700 at three farms in one city, because each farm draws the adult line itself. Six things to ask before you go.
Essentials · Onsen
Kakenagashi Has No Legal Definition: Reading Onsen Signs
The Hot Springs Act forces nine facts onto that changing-room wall and four more only if the bath is altered — but 'kakenagashi' it has never defined.
Essentials · Drugstores
Buying Cold Medicine in Japan 2026: The One-Box Rule
Japan's one-box limit on cold medicine dates from 2023, not 2026. What changed on 1 May 2026: a day count you can work out yourself, two new ingredients, and a person who must stand by the shelf.
Essentials · Safety
Bears in Japan 2026: Where Those 238 Injuries Happened
238 injured and 13 killed in FY2025, 89 of them in October. But the ministry splits them 282 in inhabited areas against 172 in bear habitat — the spike was not on the trails.
Essentials · Accessible Travel
Accessible Japan 2026: You Can Book the Seat, Not the Staff
You can book a shinkansen wheelchair space online right up to departure day — but no online system will also summon the staff member who gets you aboard.
Essentials · Health
Hospital Costs in Japan 2026: What Tourists Actually Pay
No Japanese law caps what a hospital charges a tourist, and the "triple cap" binds only six corporate types. What changed in April 2026 sits at the other end: the unpaid-bill reporting threshold fell twentyfold.
Essentials · Shipping
Shipping from Japan Post 2026: Costs, Bans and Taiwan Rules
Japan Post refuses power banks by sea as well as air, SAL to Taiwan is suspended while the rate table still lists fares, and sea mail costs more than air under 1 kg. Plus Taiwan's NT$2,000 postal limit.
Essentials · When Things Go Wrong
Lost Something in Japan? What Actually Happens (2026)
The police say they do not place international calls, and items ship only inside Japan. None of the three clocks starts the day you lost it — and phones get destroyed at three months.
Essentials
Japan Cycling Rules 2026: When a Warning Becomes a Ticket
Japan issued 2,147 bicycle fines in the system’s first month — against 135,855 verbal warnings. What actually earns a ticket, why holding your phone has no warning stage, and why the fine is cash-only at a bank counter.
Essentials · Shopping
Japan Alcohol Tax Oct 2026: Beer Down, Chuhai Still Cheaper
Beer loses 9.1 yen of tax a can and third-category beer gains 7.26, meeting at 54.25. Chuhai rises too but stays 19.25 yen cheaper — and the category printed on the can stops meaning anything.
Tokyo · No Pandas Left
Are There Any Pandas Left in Japan? No — Here Is What to Do Instead
Zero giant pandas in Japan, stated on all three zoos own sites. Ueno lost its last two in January 2026 — the third of three departures in 22 months. Includes the per-exhibit closing timetable.
Essentials · Airport
Japan Airport Security Rules 2026: Power Banks and Liquids
Customs wants your tax-free goods in hand; security wants your knife in the hold. Only five of Japan's seven power bank rules carry a penalty, and the 100 ml liquid limit has never been relaxed.
Essentials · Health
Hay Fever in Japan: Cherry Blossom Season Is Pollen Season
Official 2026 counts: Tohoku beats Tokyo fourfold, Kyoto’s April is 92% cypress, Hokkaido is birch.
Essentials · Sento
Japan Sento Guide 2026: Tokyo ¥600 and the Legal Price Cap
Tokyo sento fees hit ¥600 on 1 August 2026 — a ceiling set by governor decree, not by the owner. Nationwide the same hot water runs ¥300 to ¥600.
Essentials · Lodging Rules
Japan Hotel Rooms Are Small by Law: Booking Guide 2026
Nine square metres is the legal minimum for a room with a bed. And Osaka, holding 94% of Japan's special zone minpaku, stopped taking new applications on 29 May 2026.
Essentials · Eyewear
Buying Glasses in Japan 2026: JINS vs Zoff vs OWNDAYS
Same-day glasses in Japan only work one way. Miss the conditions and official lead times run 7-14 days — and JINS says glasses cannot be shipped abroad at all.
Essentials
Missed the Last Train in Japan? Night Taxi Costs 2026
The right question after a missed last train is distance, not price: roughly ¥2,700 at 5km and ¥5,300 at 10km, and about 19km to break ¥10,000 — plus an April 2026 fare rise you cannot see on the meter.
Essentials
Japan Smoking Rules 2026: Where You Actually Get Fined
Shibuya issued 27,516 street-smoking fines last year; Shinjuku issues none. Japan changes the rules ward by ward — where you actually pay, and how to read the door signs.
Essentials
Japan to Taiwan Customs 2026: What You Can Bring Back
Japan is African swine fever free — and it will not save your pork jerky. Taiwan bans cloven-hoofed meat from swine fever zones too. A decision table covering the NT$35,000 allowance, the 6 kg cap, the fresh-fruit ban, and the fine everyone quotes wrong.
Essentials
Japan in November 2026: The Weekend With No Non-Reserved Seats
From 21 May 2026 the Nozomi all-reserved blocks expanded to eight, and 21-23 November joined the list — the first Labor Thanksgiving weekend ever with no non-reserved seats. The maples are not out yet either.
Essentials · Baseball
Japanese Baseball Tickets 2026-27: From ¥2,000 at Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome starts at 2,000 yen and Koshien outfield at 1,700. The real trap is the cheering blocks: the rules police what you wear and where you sit, both ways.
Essentials · MUJI
Does MUJI Have a Tourist Coupon? Japan Tax-Free Guide 2026
MUJI issues no tourist coupon, and its only 10% discount is members-only. Officially, tax-free purchases forfeit points and member perks — so you choose one.
Essentials · Obon
Obon in Japan 2027: Dates, Okuribi and Travel Limits
Obon is not a public holiday and banks stay open by law — but the Nozomi drops its non-reserved cars and the expressway discount is switched off.
Essentials · Safety
Japan Disaster Alerts 2026: New Names, and Your Phone
Japan renamed every weather warning on 29 May 2026. The new Level 3-5 names, what JMA says to do in the first minute, and whether a roaming phone alerts at all.
Essentials · Yodobashi
Yodobashi Coupon 2026: There Isn't One — What to Do Instead
Verified on the official site: no tourist coupon exists. Yodobashi pays 10% in points on cash but only 8% on credit cards — unless you use its app, which restores the full 10%.
Essentials · Lodging Tax
Japan Lodging and Bath Tax 2026: Kyoto Did Not Raise Yours
Kyoto rooms under 6,000 yen saw no rise at all. And Kutchan is the only place in Japan where the town rate already includes the prefectural one.
Essentials · Sumo
Watching Sumo in Japan 2026: Official Tickets from ¥2,000
Official chair seats start at 2,500 yen in Tokyo and 2,000 in Fukuoka. Resale is banned, and the association enforced it 138 times last year.
Essentials · Christmas
Christmas in Japan 2026: Not a Holiday, and When Lights End
December 25 has never been a public holiday in Japan, and December 23 stopped being one in 2019. Some illuminations end on the 25th; others run to May.
Essentials · Setsubun
Setsubun in Japan 2027: Date, Beans and Ehomaki Explained
Setsubun is not fixed to February 3 — it landed on the 2nd in 2021 and 2025. The observatory has published 2027, and it is the 3rd.
Season · Plum Blossom
When Do Plum Blossoms Bloom in Japan? Ume Guide 2027
There is no official ume forecast and no "full bloom" observation at all — so the sakura playbook breaks. Here are the 30-year normals instead.
Season · Snow
When Does It Snow in Japan? First Snow by City
Tokyo’s first snow falls later than Osaka’s on average, and Aomori gets 567cm a winter to Tokyo’s 8cm. The official 30-year normals, city by city.
Essentials · Hatsumode
Hatsumode 2027: Your First Shrine Visit in Japan
There is no official deadline for hatsumode, and you may pray from the side when it is packed — both straight from the Shinto authority itself.
Essentials · New Year
What's Open in Japan Over New Year? 2026-27 Guide
Department stores now shut on Jan 1–2, Tokyo’s subways stopped running all night years ago, and every Nozomi is reserved-only over the holidays.
Shopping · Tax-Free
Is Suruga-ya Tax-Free? 2026 Guide for Anime & Game Hunters
Suruga-ya publishes nothing about tax-free, yet some branches do it. Here is the honest answer, the ¥5,000 rule for second-hand goods and how rivals compare.
Shopping · Gotemba
Gotemba Premium Outlets Guide 2026: Access, Tax-Free & Tips
290 stores at Mt. Fuji's foot — official app coupons, per-store tax-free, the Nov 2026 refund-system switch and buses from Shinjuku, Hakone and Kawaguchiko.
Essentials · Loft
Does Loft Japan Have a Tourist Discount? 2026 Tax-Free Guide
Loft has no tourist coupon — the rumored 5% Guest Coupon isn't official. The real saving is 10% tax-free (1.55% fee, ¥5,000 minimum). Full walkthrough.
Essentials · Winter Food
Japan Winter Food Guide: Which Crab Is Worth It?
How the four crab species differ, where and when to eat them, plus ishikari nabe, fugu, oysters and warm sake — Japan's winter table, decoded.
Essentials · Winter Driving
Winter Driving in Japan: Snow Tires, 4WD & Whiteouts
Renting a car in snow country isn't enough — studless tires, 4WD, chain zones, whiteouts, roads to skip, plus insurance and JAF rescue.
Essentials · Shopping
Japan vs Taiwan Prices 2026: What to Bring Home
Not everything is worth lugging home. A 13-item decision table on which Japanese drugstore goods and snacks are worth it versus skippable, plus Taiwan's customs limit on medicine (12 units per product, 36 in total) and how the 2026 tax-free reform stacks.
Essentials · Payment
Paying in Japan 2026: Cash, Card, IC or QR? Full Guide
Japan is 58% cashless now, but shrines, small shops and rural towns still want yen. How much to carry, where to withdraw at 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs, and the best exchange route.
Essentials · Luggage
Luggage Forwarding in Japan: Hands-Free Travel Guide
Stop dragging suitcases onto the shinkansen. Yamato takkyubin runs roughly ¥2,300 Tokyo-Osaka, plus ecbo cloak storage and the oversized-baggage seat rule — everything to travel hands-free.
Essentials · Solo
Solo Travel in Japan 2026: Safety, Stays & Dining Alone
Japan is one of the easiest places on earth to travel alone — safe, intuitive transit, zero stigma to eating solo. Here is what to know about nightlife districts, women-only cars and single-rate stays.
Essentials · Vegetarian
Vegetarian & Vegan in Japan: How to Eat Meat-Free
The real trap eating vegetarian in Japan is dashi — fish stock hides in "vegetable" dishes. Shojin ryori, vegan ramen chains, ingredient cards and which cities are easiest, all covered.
Essentials · Etiquette
Japan Etiquette 2026: Trains, Onsen & Dining Dos & Don'ts
Tipping can offend, never stand chopsticks in rice, wash before the onsen, stand left in Tokyo but right in Osaka. The mistakes tourists actually make — and which rules are overblown.
Essentials · First Trip
Japan First-Timer Mistakes 2026: 10 Things to Avoid
What ruins a first Japan trip isn't getting lost — it's cramming the itinerary, buying a JR Pass that no longer pays, assuming cards work everywhere, and not pre-booking the sell-outs. Ranked by how much they actually hurt.
Essentials · Apps
Best Japan Travel Apps 2026: Maps, Transit & Translate
Which apps you actually need in Japan and which to skip — navigation and transit (Google Maps, Navitime), Suica and payments, translation with an offline Japanese pack, and food (Tabelog). The 4-5 must-haves vs the nice-to-haves.
Essentials · Phrases
Essential Japanese Phrases for Travelers 2026
You don't need grammar — just these. From the all-purpose "sumimasen" to ordering food, shopping, asking directions, and flagging allergies or a vegetarian diet, each with Japanese, romaji and when to use it.
Essentials · Shopping
Best Japan Souvenirs 2026: What to Buy & Where
Region-limited KitKats, Shiroi Koibito, drugstore beauty, stationery, kitchen knives, character goods — what's genuinely worth buying in Japan and where. Depachika, Don Quijote, 100-yen shops and tax-free, with the tourist traps flagged.
Seasonal · When to Go
Best Time to Visit Japan 2026: Season-by-Season Guide
Cherry blossoms, autumn colour, fewer crowds, or snow? There is no single best time to visit Japan — only the season that fits your trip. A decision matrix comparing crowds, price, weather and what's on, with a clear verdict (honestly: November).
Essentials · Customs
Bringing Medication to Japan 2026: Customs Rules
Travelers get detained for the wrong cold medicine — Japan strictly bans pseudoephedrine and ADHD stimulants, some even with a prescription. When you need a Yakkan Shoumei, duty-free limits and what not to pack, checked before you fly.
Essentials · Onsen
Onsen with Tattoos in Japan 2026: The Workarounds
A tattoo doesn't mean missing out on onsen. Japan's tattoo ban is slowly relaxing, and you have four routes: tattoo-friendly baths, cover-up patches, private kashikiri baths, and the cleanest fix — a ryokan room with its own open-air bath.
Essentials · Budget
Japan on a Budget 2026: How to Travel Cheap
Japan doesn't have to be expensive. Konbini and gyudon chains, supermarket half-price evenings, hostels and overnight buses, when a JR Pass actually pays, and free observation decks — the 5 highest-impact ways to spend less on the same trip.
Essentials · Luxury
Japan Luxury Travel 2026: Ryokan, Dining & Trains
In-room open-air baths at top ryokan, Michelin kaiseki, the shinkansen Green Car and the Seven Stars luxury train, a private tea ceremony in Gion — how to do Japan in style, with a tasteful take on what's worth the splurge.
Essentials · Budget
How Much Does a Trip to Japan Cost? 2026 Breakdown
A full 2026 cost breakdown by trip length and travel style — flights, hotels, transport, food, tickets, shopping — with yen conversions and where budgets blow up.
Essentials · Itinerary
Japan 7-Day Itinerary 2026: First-Timer Tokyo + Kansai
First trip to Japan with only 7 days? A clean split — 3 days Tokyo, 1 transit day, 3 days Kyoto-Osaka — with day-by-day routes, bullet train vs budget flight, JR Pass advice and a real budget.
Essentials · Itinerary
Japan 10-Day Itinerary 2026: Tokyo + Kansai + One Add-On
How to spend 10 days: Tokyo + Kansai golden route plus one add-on you pick — Hiroshima & Miyajima, Kanazawa, or Takayama & Shirakawa-go. Day-by-day, JR Pass 7-vs-14-day math.
Essentials · Itinerary
Japan 2-Week Itinerary 2026: Golden Route + Kyushu/Hokkaido
Eight days on the golden route, then a six-day extension you pick: south to Kyushu or north to Hokkaido. Covers the 14-day JR Pass math, cross-region transport and pacing.
Essentials · Insurance
Japan Travel Insurance Guide 2026: Medical, Delay & Cards
How expensive is Japanese healthcare for tourists? Travel-medical vs trip-delay vs credit-card cover, how much to insure, ski/hiking/rental-car gaps, and which receipts to keep.
Essentials · Food
Japan Must-Eat Food Guide 2026: Sushi, Ramen & Wagyu
What to eat first in Japan — sushi, ramen, wagyu, takoyaki and regional specialties, with a specialty-by-region-by-budget table, ordering rules, and an opinionated over/underrated take.
Essentials · Ramen
Japan Ramen Guide 2026: Shoyu, Miso, Tonkotsu & More
What separates shoyu, miso, tonkotsu and shio? How to use the ticket machine and pick kaedama — a blogger breakdown of regional bowls, the three to try first and the one type that is overrated.
Essentials · City
Tokyo vs Osaka 2026: Which for a First Trip & How Long?
Tokyo or Osaka for a first trip? Not "it depends" — a clear verdict: which if you do one, which for food, which with elderly or kids, plus day trips, budget and how to split days.
Essentials · Family
Japan with Kids 2026: The Complete Family Travel Guide
Planning Japan with kids? A nationwide family guide: planning by age, the most kid-friendly cities, stroller access, nursing rooms, JR child fares, family rooms, luggage forwarding and a pace that won't burn kids out.
Essentials · Driving
Self-Drive in Japan 2026: License, Insurance & ETC Guide
The thing that stops first-timers isn't driving on the left — it's the licence. Geneva vs Vienna IDP, where to drive, CDW+NOC insurance, ETC cards, fuel and winter tyres.
Seasonal · Holidays
Japan Holidays 2026: Golden Week, Obon, New Year — Go?
Golden Week, Obon and New Year double flight and hotel prices and jam the trains. Which to avoid, how to plan smart if you must, and the festivals only these dates offer.
Essentials · Don Quijote
Don Quijote Coupon Guide 2026: Stack Tax-Free + Coupon to ~17%
Donki has ~669 stores, open late — stack tax-free 10% with the scan coupon (5% over ¥10,000 / 7% over ¥30,000), plus must-buys and store formats.
Essentials · Bic Camera
Bic Camera Coupon Guide 2026: Stack Tax-Free + Coupon, Must-Buys & vs Yodobashi
Bic Camera has ~59 stores and shares coupons with Kojima — stack tax-free 10% with the scan coupon (up to 7%, some 5%/3%) to ~17%, plus exclusions, must-buy electronics and voltage tips.
Essentials · Matsumoto Kiyoshi
Matsumoto Kiyoshi Coupon Guide 2026: Tax-Free + Must-Buys
Tiered coupon (3% over ¥10k, 5% over ¥30k, 7% over ¥50k) plus 10% tax-free — thresholds higher than Don Quijote, so most baskets get 3%; must-buys and exclusions inside.
Essentials · Mitsui Outlet
Mitsui Outlet Park Guide 2026: Coupons, Access & Best Picks
Coupon book up to 10% off (QR + passport at the info counter, not store-wide) — and don't confuse it with Premium Outlets like Gotemba. Shuttle access and which park to pick inside.
Essentials · Snow Peak
Snow Peak Japan Guide 2026: Worth Buying? Coupon & Stores
Premium Japanese outdoor brand from Niigata — no import markup, store-limited colors, 10% tax-free plus a coupon (5% over ¥30k, 7% over ¥50k). Is it worth buying in Japan? Must-buys and best stores inside.
Essentials · Car Rental
Nippon Rent-A-Car Guide 2026: Coupon Code, Pickup & Returns
The visitor promo code is 10% off, or 15% on rentals of 6+ days. How to apply it, what to bring at pickup, the pre-selected Anshin Course, ETC and one-way returns.
Essentials · Coupons
Japan Discount Coupons 2026: Stack Tax-Free + Passport Coupons
Stack tax-free 10% with store passport coupons — how to get coupons at drugstores, electronics, Donki, department stores and outlets, plus the Nov 2026 reform.
Prep · First Night
First Night at Narita: 3 Hotels Compared + What to Do Tonight
Flight lands 6pm+, dragging luggage to Tokyo is brutal — 3 airport hotels + the AEON Mall rescue route.
Prep · Lodging
5 Best Japanese Onsen Ryokans 2026
From a 1925 Cultural Property to Michelin 3 Key — five definitive Japanese onsen inns.
Seasonal · Summer Hanabi
Japan Fireworks Festivals 2026: 8 Hanabi Worth Flying For
Sumida 7/25, Nagaoka 8/2–3, Suwa 8/15, Yodogawa shifted to 10/17 — ticket timing, hidden viewpoints, weather rules.
Prep · Konbini
Japan Konbini Must-Buy 2026: 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart Compared
The big three compared: signature onigiri and bento differences, limited snacks, markdown windows, payment.
Prep · Climate
What to Wear in Japan 2026: 4 Regions × 4 Seasons Packing Guide
A 4,500-word pillar: climate physics, region-by-region clothing strategy, four-season packing lists.
Prep · Weather
Japan Weather by Month 2026: 4-Region Quick Table
Hokkaido to Okinawa monthly temps, rain, what to wear — one table, 30-second lookup.
Prep · Tax Free
Japan Tax-Free Nov 2026: New Airport Refund Rules
The kiosk reads your passport, not a QR — landside, before bag drop. One receipt, all or nothing.
Prep · Entry
Visit Japan Web Guide 2026
Immigration in ten minutes. The tax-free QR stands in for your passport in the shop — it is not what the airport kiosk reads.
Prep · eSIM
Best eSIM for Japan 2026: 5 Brands Compared
Airalo, Ubigi, KKday, Holafly and Jetfi compared on coverage, price and speed. Honest ranking.
Other categories
Tokyo Guides
From Shinjuku to Asakusa, from family trips to Mt. Fuji day excursions.
Browse →Kansai Guides
Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara — every Kansai travel essential covered.
Browse →Transit & Passes
JR Pass, regional passes, airport transit — the difference between an easy and an expensive trip.
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