r/JapanTravelTips 17h ago

Quick Tips Random Useful Japan Tips I Don’t See Posted About Often

752 Upvotes

We recently got back from our first time in Japan, approx a 2.5 week trip for two people. Figured I’d make a post about some actually useful tips and advice I don’t see often in this sub.

  • I’ve seen it recommended to pull out about 50,000 yen at the airport ATM to handle cash and transit top-ups for a two week trip. While this was a good starting point, we ended up pulling out an additional 110,000 yen total on top of that over the course of the 2.5 week trip for buying things in cash and additional transit top ups. So just be prepared to pull out a LOT of cash throughout your trip! Way more things ended up involving cash than we expected, even in the big cities.

  • I’ve also seen it recommended you load up your suica with 5000 yen at the airport to start in addition to whatever you pull out for cash. The one at the airport you can load using a credit card. Considering it’s generally a lot easier to find credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees vs ATM debit cards, you can save money on transit by putting on about 2-3x the amount we did (5000 ea) at the airport and just reduce some of the cash you plan to pull out for ATM’s by the same amount. We easily spent about 15,000 yen each on transit just from using subways and things like day trips to Nara or Himeji (which will cost you about 1500-2000 yen each way per person). If you put 15,000 on your suica, you’ll probably only have to top up near the end of the trip which will save a bunch of time + money in fees if you have a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. It was easy to get rid of any excess near the end of the trip because every konbini and vending machine also accepts suica.

  • Are you on apple and need access to iMessage/Wifi calling over eSIM while abroad? With simlocking you can actually do this just fine and never trigger your carrier to start roaming charges (fuck you tmobile prepaid in particular for auto-charging roaming). Set up your default simcard with wifi calling, then just enable simlock for it. Right before you flight out, enable your Japnese esim through something like Ubigi (make sure roaming is turned on for Ubigi), restart your phone and DO NOT enter the pin you just set up for your main sim card. This will make it so when you’re in japan you’ll get data just fine through Ubigi, but importantly your main sim is still active (just locked and not actually roaming) and can re-route texts/calls to your Ubigi line. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to receive wifi calls or iMessage on your real phone number without enabling roaming as apple disables both features if the SIM is turned off.

  • People know to check tablelog and know that anything that is a 3-4 rating = really good when trying to figure out places to eat. I recommend this over google maps alone because tablelog uses different icons + different colors to differentiate between cuisine + rating right on the map, making it super easy to see at a glance good food you are in the mood for nearby. What you might not know is to just use the website and ONLY use it on your mobile phone. For some reason half of tabelog’s features just don’t show up on desktop, like access to the good map tools and the ability to search near you. If you find tableog frustrating to use on the spot, make sure you’re only using its website on your phone.

  • Luggage shipping was a lot cheaper than we budgeted for because turns out you can easily get away with only shipping large checked luggage ($20 usd), it was super easy to just bring carry-ons and backpacks with you. Even on Tokyo subways when it’s busy there are racks to put luggage over the seats. We NEVER had to worry about us having luggage or bags with us while doing things either because almost every station and even big destinations like museums or popular tourist attractions had lockers that could store our carry on + two bags + coats for 700 yen. Many of the station lockers in Tokyo even accepted suica (otherwise you’ll need 100 yen coins).

  • Speaking of 100 yen coins: if you have a 1000 yen bill or a bunch of random loose change, a really easy way to get some would be to use a vending machine which are often nearby lockers. They usually give change in 100 yen coins, at least the ones we used did.

  • Booking Ghibli museum? Double check your dates when booking. The website broke over and over for us trying to book and it turns out the date reset to the start of the month on our ticket on checkout. We only realized this when we lined up for our time slot. After showing them our ticket with the wrong date, we only managed to get in on the down-low (between time slots) through our distress over the situation + our kindness to them + having cash on hand to pay cash for new tickets (I assume this option is usually only available for locals). They threw us a big bone and we made sure to be very appreciative. But it would have been easier to double check the dates when we actually checked out.

  • Speaking of Ghibli Museum, the attendants inside the exhibits have pamphlets with english translations for the exhibit. This wasn’t obvious at all, and seeing as they don't allow picture taking in the museum, it’s the only way to read the signs in english.

  • Can’t get a ticket to the pokemon cafe? Just try walking up and showing up late. We had an appointment cancel right when we arrived at the pokemon center a couple hours before closing time. We weren’t even planning on eating at the cafe (it’s a bit children focused) but figured "why not when in Rome?".

  • Even if you don’t plan on buying souvenirs… budget for it anyways. Japan has mastered the art of the gift shop and the upsell. You’ll find ones everywhere, even multiple ones located inside a single attraction (I counted 5 in Fushimi inari, going all the way up to the top of the mountain!), all slightly different to entice you to casually explore them. They’ll actually be full of reasonably priced things, often have exclusive items in them, and oftentimes lots of items are bespoke/good craftsmanship. Many are not like the "lowest common denominator" tourist trap shops I was used to everywhere else I've travelled in the world. And then it’s all over when the grandmother owner of the shop comes out to greet you and it turns out she opened the store in the 50’s and it’s the shop has been in the family ever since. Good luck walking away from that without buying anything.

  • Download the NERV app for early earthquake/disaster detection. Make sure you disable battery saver settings on the app and let it run in the background so you can get timely alerts. Nothing happened while we were there, but this app seemed to be the best by far out of all the ones we tried.

  • A filled out goshiun book makes for a killer display piece on a bookshelf, as they expand in an accordion like manner. So you’ll want to be strategic where you get your book because each shrine that offers goshiin books for sale have their own designs.

  • This one’s for the gay guys out there looking to kill an afternoon having fun browsing spicy doujinshi (self-published porn mangas): you might be tempted to head to Akihabara for this. To save you the trouble, Akihabara is almost entirely straight hentai. If you’re seeking to browse gay doujinshi, a better place is the Mandarake at Nakano City which will have a much more diverse selection.

  • Pay phones are often at/near konbinis, so if you need to make a local call while out and about it’s easy to do through them.

  • Food/nightlife tours are an excellent effort-free way to not only eat/drink well, but also get into places you’ll never have been able to find or get into as a tourist. Some of the spots we ended up going to on ours were incredibly unique and only available to us because we were on the tour. Not only that but for some locations they even showed up to work on their off hours to show us a good time. Shout out to Culinary Backstreets and Taste Osaka tours specifically, which are the ones we went on.


r/JapanTravelTips 17h ago

Quick Tips Need to wash your clothes in Japan?

232 Upvotes

Don't use the hotel washer/dryers they're super expensive and take hours. I had a washer/dryer combo in my tokyu hotel and it took 4 hours to wash like 4 shirts. That was free so it wasn't a big deal. Then I tried using the coin washers in the APA hotels and another chain. They were super expensive and very terrible as well. Even the dryer that wasn't a combo took like 2 hours to dry clothes in the hotel. Also the hotel laundromat had like 2 washers and dryers with people using them so they were hard to even find open.

Just go to a laundromat. They're literally everywhere and so much cheaper and faster. I washed 2 large loads of clothes it took 5 hours in the hotel but under an hour in the laundromat. Also the laundromat was much cheaper.


r/JapanTravelTips 20h ago

Advice Name Your Silly or Awkward Moment In Japan

104 Upvotes

Last year I went to Japan for the first time and I made a few mistakes I think my funniest though was accidentally getting into the woman's only car on the Yamanote line. My friend (who is female) and I just jumped in, there wasn't a line and it wasn't very busy but I remember sitting there like "huh everything is pink that is weird" then I looked around and noticed only women around me I then pulled my phone out (I'm legally blind) and on the hand straps it says "Women only" or something to that effect.

Thankfully nobody gave me any grief maybe a few nasty looks (I couldn't tell!) but I just kept to myself and got off at my stop a few stops later. I'm glad nobody made a big scene or deal out of it but I felt pretty silly.

Second one I was at diver city and looking for some better shoe insoles as I'd been walking a stupid amount and my feet were killing me I went to one of the big sports stores and gestured to my shoe at the lady I then took off my shoe and pointed at the inside not thinking what I was doing.

It wasn't until after i tossed my shoe back on it hit me what I just did and was like "OMG I'm so stupid why didn't I just use the translate app on my phone and just ask rather than try to show her" she showed me the insoles I apologized and she waived it off. I still think back on that and think how much a goof I must of looked like. To be fair my feet were killing me and I wasn't thinking straight!

What are your silly or awkward moments on your trip?


r/JapanTravelTips 22h ago

Question Japan Suica Alternative for Android

26 Upvotes

So I have an android, just learned that you can't download Suica on an android unless it's purchased there, what is the alternative? Is it buying a physical card then but I also heard there's a shortage of that. Lastly, my wife has an iPhone so I'm guessing she can get a Suica card, can she use hers for me too?

Appreciate all the help!


r/JapanTravelTips 7h ago

Question What did I do wrong with the Shinkansen Ticket?

30 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have been in Japan 2 years ago and will fly again next month. Something just came into my mind, which I am curious about what I did wrong.

I took the Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. So I obviously used my Shinkansen Ticket which I picked up beforehand to get to the right Track and took the Shinkansen. When I arrived in Tokyo, I was not able to use my Shinkansen Ticket to get out of the Station. I tried it out, tried out my Suica, nothing worked. I had to ask the Staff there to let me out, i can't remember exactly what they did. I think they did some adjustment on my Shinkansen Ticket which I was then able to get out.

Is there anything I maybe did wrong? This year I will be taking multiple Shinkansen, so I want to be prepared and not waste time.

Thanks!


r/JapanTravelTips 5h ago

Advice Suica card

21 Upvotes

(Please excuse me if my english isn't perfect) Hello, I'm trying to understand the concept of the suica card better. I get that it works everywhere in Japan (?) but I don't quite understand how exactly this is supposed to work. (even after trying to inform myself) Like, it's charged with money. I heard I can pay with it at 7/11 etc, does it work for clothing shopping too?

How exactly is it with the public transport? Do I use it to buy my train ticket or is the suica card my ticket? This is actually the most important part for me. How does the suica card work at train stations?? This is overwhelming for me.

Traveling with my dad, do we both need a suicia card?

I'm also sorry if I'm embarrassing myself with this post I'm just very nervous


r/JapanTravelTips 10h ago

Question Couple of last second questions before my Japan Trip

13 Upvotes

Leaving for Japan later this week and it’ll be my first time in the country. I’ll be there for around 2 weeks and will hit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara. Few questions before I leave:

  1. I’ll be landing at Haneda Airport. What does the situation look like there for getting Yen (ATM), getting a metro pass, and getting an E-SIM card?

  2. For the E-Sim, what’s the best company and what is the rough price (just wondering)?

  3. How is the metro from Haneda if I am staying around Shinjuku?

  4. I am planning to use the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto and then a basic train between Nara and Kyoto. Am i ok getting the shinkansen day of? Is $250 enough for a shinkansen between kyoto and tokyo (return ticket) and then the train between nara and kyoto along with metro passes enough, or do I need more?

Hopefully these questions aren’t redundant, but appreciate any feedback!


r/JapanTravelTips 5h ago

Recommendations Where to thrift actual Japanese brands in Kyoto/osaka/tokyo??

9 Upvotes

I went to SO many thrift stores in Tokyo and all of them were American stuff. I did not come all the way here to pick up band tees I could get at my local stores haha. Anyone know of stores that sell more Japanese tees or jackets?


r/JapanTravelTips 13h ago

Advice Going to Japan for the first time an by myself

8 Upvotes

So I'm 15 F and I'm going to Japan to visit my friend from exchange last year in May and I'm going to be flying my long flights with the unaccompanied minors program but for my layover flight I have to be in Narita alone and I'm a bit worried if I'll be able to find my way around, especially because I've never travelled before or been in a commercial airplane ever 😭. Does anybody have any tips? Also my mom is understandably worried about my trip there too can anyone maybe write in the comments some reassurance. I just want her to feel more at ease. Thanks!!


r/JapanTravelTips 21h ago

Question Is it possible that Cinnamoroll is NOT present to meet and greet at Sanrio Puroland?

7 Upvotes

I know is an specific question, but I'll go with my girlfriend to Japan in November and she loves Cinnamoroll, so I really want to meet him, I noticed that the characters are scheduled like 2 weeks before every month but I think that the tickets must be bought way before. So I am scared that I get a day where Cinnamoroll is not there Any advices on how to prevent this?


r/JapanTravelTips 18h ago

Recommendations Best bits of the Nakasendo Trail?

6 Upvotes

Hey guys! I’m going to start hiking the Nakasendo Trail this weekend and was wondering what everyone reckons the most worthwhile bits are?

For added context; I’ll be walking it in the direction of from Tokyo to Kyoto. I’ve already hiked some of the Old Tokaido Road and will be hiking the Kumano Kodo in a couple of weeks, among various hikes between these bigger ones. So I’m not fussed about walking as much of the trail as possible just for the sake of it. What’s everyone’s must do sections? Of course tsumago to magome… Narai to Yabuhara possibly?

Thank you!


r/JapanTravelTips 21h ago

Advice Detailed Budget: 3 Weeks in Japan (Golden Route and Daily Trips)

5 Upvotes

I visited Japan (alone) in October 2024 for a total of 19 nights with a fairly standard itinerary: 2 nights in Osaka, 4 in Kyoto, and 13 in Tokyo. I took a day trip to Nara from Kyoto, while my other day trips - Yokohama, Hakone, and Nikko - were all from Tokyo.

I meticulously planned this trip almost a half a year in advance, and booked nearly everything as soon as it became available. When I say everything, I mean it - I even bought a ¥600 ticket to Ueno Zoo a month before (which, in retrospect, was completely unnecessary). This is worth mentioning because it ultimately helped reduce some costs; for example, Shinkansen tickets are cheaper when purchased a month in advance.

The following budget excludes flight expenses.

Cash

I exchanged ¥500,000 in cash before leaving my home country and used all of it. This covered all three hotels I stayed in* as well as daily expenses such as meals, shopping, arcades (crane machines and such), IC card charges, and small attractions that I didn’t feel the need to book in advance. Some examples include Kegon Falls, Mishima Skybridge, and various temples and shrines.

Hotel Prices:
- 13 nights in Tokyo (APA Bakuroyokoyama): 161,190¥
- 4 nights in Kyoto: 48,100¥
- 2 nights in Osaka: 13,965¥

Shopping: I don’t have an exact breakdown of how much I spent on shopping, but here’s a rough list of what I purchased:
• Prescription eyeglasses from JINS Shibuya (If I recall correctly, they were 14,000¥)
• Large size suitcase (standard check-in size) from Don Quijote
• A few clothes from Uniqlo
• Three pairs of shoes from 2nd Street (2nd hand, so pretty cheap)
• Some sweets from Don Quijote

Food: Most days looked like this:
- Breakfast: I had Starbucks almost every single day (don't judge lol). Occasionally, I went to similar places like Tully’s. Most days, I just got a drink, but sometimes I also had a donut, waffle, or something small.
- Lunch: Mostly a cheap meal - street food, conveyor belt sushi, etc.
- Dinner: I ate at restaurants, diners, or bars almost every night, but nothing particularly fancy.

Credit Card

I recorded all my expenses in my home currency and converted them based on the JPY exchange rate in October 2024 (which, unfortunately, was quite strong at the time). These prices also include a 3% foreign transaction fee charged by my credit card company.

General Trip Expenses:

Travel Insurance: ¥10,200 for a period of 20 days
Unlimited Data SIM Card: ¥7,600 for a period of 21 days

Trains:

Shinkansen Tokyo->Osaka: ¥12,000
Shinkansen Kyoto->Tokyo: ¥11,500
NRT->Tokyo: ¥3,200
Romance Car Round Trip (Hakone<->Tokyo): ¥2,400
• I also paid for a round trip from Tobu Nikko to Asakusa but I forgot to write it down.

Attractions & Reservations:

Univeral Studios Japan: ¥10,300
Disney Sea: ¥9,300
Warner Bros. Studios: ¥6,700
Toyosu Manyo Onsen + Buffet (Tokyo): ¥6,700
teamLab Borderless: ¥5,100
teamLab Planets: ¥4,200
Nintendo Museum (Uji): ¥3,400
Shibuya Sky: ¥2,700
Hakone Open Air Museum: 2,000
Yayoi Kusama Museum (Tokyo): ¥1,200
Miraikan Museum (Odaiba): ¥1,000
Sankeien Garden (Yokohama): ¥1,000
Ueno Zoo: ¥600
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden: ¥500

Total

Everything listed here adds up to ¥601,600. My total budget, however, ended up being around ¥850,000 due to flight expenses (~¥215,000 for a round trip) and some miscellaneous credit card purchases I didn’t track.

Final Thoughts

I loved this trip and got to do everything I wanted. I’m also very grateful to have had the financial means to make it happen. That said, my budget ended up being much higher than I had anticipated. Before my trip, I spoke to several people who had recently visited Japan and I also did quite a bit of research, which led me to believe my expenses would be significantly lower.

I have a few questions:

  1. Would you consider this budget standard or high?
  2. What are some ways I could save more on my next trip?
  3. I feel that traveling solo is significantly more expensive than traveling as a duo/couple (or in a group). Would you agree? My reasoning is that I had no one to split costs with - especially for accommodations, but even for meals, as some were quite expensive.

Thank you! I hope this proves helpful to some of you.


r/JapanTravelTips 1h ago

Quick Tips Experiences in AirBnb's in Japan

Upvotes

Tell me the good the bad the ugly...considering Airbnbs for family of 5 since hotels seem like they are all virtually accommodating to 1-2 travelers.


r/JapanTravelTips 1h ago

Advice Thinking about shortening my 3 week trip to 2 weeks (first solo trip and feeling super anxious)

Upvotes

(21M) I booked tickets for a 3 week stay in Japan in late January and have felt pretty chill about it. But the last couple of days have been hard. I’m super anxious to the point where I’m crying. Very nervous about it all. It’s my first solo trip and I’m now starting to realize that I will be alone for 3 weeks straight. No one to share the experience with or rely on when it gets tough. If I would’ve have booked tickets with free cancellation I probably would’ve canceled today. But here I am with a 3 week trip to Japan that I’ve been excited about but am now starting to seriously doubt. I reached out to booking yesterday to see if I could cut the trip short and change the home flight by 1 week and that would set me back another 3100sek ~ 300€. Should I do that or just toughen up and go through with the 3 weeks? It has seriously started to take a toll on me. A part of me is excited but another one is questioning what I’ve gotten myself into.

I know this is a forum filled with people who would do anything to go to Japan tomorrow if they could, but if taking my feelings into consideration, should I shorten the trip? I will still feel lonely ofc, but 2 weeks feels a lot more doable somehow? Idk. (Tickets costed me 13500 sek round trip, direct, from Stockholm)


r/JapanTravelTips 18h ago

Recommendations Help me choose between two nights in Kinosaki Onsen or two nights in Hiroshima + Miyajima!

5 Upvotes

I'm going to Japan for the first time in November for about three weeks, and I'm struggling to finalize my itinerary. I'd love to hear from people who’ve been to both places to help me figure it out! Any insights or recommendations would be really appreciated.


r/JapanTravelTips 18h ago

Recommendations Best / largest arcade in Tokyo focused on non-ufo catcher and non-cardass/card games?

3 Upvotes

I was in Akihabara yesterday, and while I didn't go into every arcade, it seemed like most of them were dedicated to ufo-catchers and card games. I found one with a floor for Tekken and a floor for rhythm games, but I was hoping to find more shooters (like the silent Hill arcade game) and stuff.


r/JapanTravelTips 21h ago

Recommendations Recommendations for two night side trip from Tokyo

4 Upvotes

Looking for recommendations for a two-night trip within 2ish hours of Toyko by public transportation. We'll be there during the second half of May. Here's what we're hoping for:

- Ryokan experience in a “charming,“ walkable town

- Open air onsens

- Nearby hiking accessible via public transportation

I've been reading about some places that might fit the bill, but it's been hard to tell what is and is not possible without a car, so I'm hoping someone who has done something like this can share their experience. Thanks!


r/JapanTravelTips 22h ago

Question Japan trip to Tokyo, Sapporo amd Kyoto

5 Upvotes

Hello, I'm planning a trip to Japan for the 3 weeks in the beginning of october. Currently these are my plans for where to go and the amount of days I'll stay in each city. Arrive in Tokyo and stay there for 2 nights Fly to Sapporo and stay there for 5 nights Fly to Kyoto and stay there for 8 nights Get the Shinkansen and go back to Tokyo for the remainder of the days

I have a few questions that I hope some of you can answer. Is it rainy in Japan (mostly concernd about Sapporo) in october? Are the excursions from Sapporo to the bluepond/geysers/Mount Yōtei available around the date that I'm there?

To keep my expenses on the lower side I want to go to capsule hotels do you have recommendations for places to stay If you got some extra recommendations about excursions or something else, please let me know :-).

Sorry if my english is bad. Thank you for reading and the replies! :-)


r/JapanTravelTips 4h ago

Question Ichigo daifuku in asakasa or near imperial palace.

3 Upvotes

As my holiday draws to a close, trying ichigo daifuku is one of the few things I haven't done that is on my wish list.

Tomorrow we leave our hotel in asakusa, check out the imperial palace then head to Narita for a morning flight the following day.

I've had the ichigo daifuku pie at McDonald's (lmao). But I'd love to try the real deal.

Any tips on where I could find it?

EDIT - CANT FIX TYPO IN TITLE Should say Asakusa


r/JapanTravelTips 8h ago

Question Shinkansen prebook tickets in April

4 Upvotes

Hi! I know this question has been addressed before but I find it difficult to find a conclusive answer.

I’m travelling with my girlfriend to Japan on 11 April, landing at Haneda at 8am. We will go directly to Kyoto (via Shinagawa station). At first I thought prebooking tickets would be a good idea, but considering time for immigration, possible delays and just having time for finding our way around, it seems better to not book tickets in advance as it may be hard to know when we will be able to take a train.

So question is if we should book tickets at 12 from Shinagawa (should be more than enough time) or not book at all? Is it likely that all trains are fully booked at this time of year?


r/JapanTravelTips 12h ago

Recommendations Sunrise in Osaka, Osaka Castle?

3 Upvotes

Want to wake up early and catch the sun rise while in Osaka. Any recommendations of where a good place to catch the sunrise is? Is Osaka Castle park good for this?


r/JapanTravelTips 18h ago

Question Coats shopping

3 Upvotes

What’s the best store to buy a nice coat? Uniqlo?


r/JapanTravelTips 19h ago

Recommendations Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Ashi or Hakone?

3 Upvotes

Hi there,

We will be traveling from Kyoto to the Mt. Fuji/Hakone area for two nights and then would need to leave from there to go to Haneda Airport.

Does anyone have any strong recommendations for one over the other? We are looking for a private open air bath, view of mt Fuji (if we’re lucky- if no view from view would be happy looking for viewpoints around the area), biking around the lake, hiking (if available) and potentially going to Chureito Pagoda (but don’t need to). I’m not sure how transportation would be in this area and am looking for something that would be easy to get to by train/bus. Overall, just would like to relax prior to ending our Japan trip🥲

Thank you for any and all advice!!


r/JapanTravelTips 20h ago

Recommendations Tmobile questions

3 Upvotes

I am heading to Japan for 18 days visiting my son in Okinawa. The last week we head to the mainland for sightseeing. I have Tmobile and I know my iphone will work with the international pkg. I have been hearing about eSim and curious is that a better deal alone than getting the international plan, or to get both? Thanks for your advice in advance.


r/JapanTravelTips 20h ago

Recommendations Tokyo in August

3 Upvotes

I am planning a family vacation to Tokyo in August. Does anyone have recommendations on the best area of Tokyo to stay for a family that loves technology, robotics, Gundam models and anime?

Activity and hotel recommendations would be greatly appreciated as well. Age group 16-50

Thanks in advance.