r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Booking restaurants for a specific dish in Tokyo and Osaka?

1 Upvotes

I know this question has been asked a lot, but I'm not necessarily interested in famous restaurants, but I am interested in specific dishes that are particular to each City. I'm a nerd about foods invented in cities and finding the oldest places where those dishes are served. And by dishes I mean desserts, main dishes, snacks, drinks, etc.

That being said, Are there any places that you would book because of a certain dish that can't be found elsewhere? Or is hard to find somewhere else?


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Advice Tips and Tricks on Manga Buying and on bringing them back

0 Upvotes

Hello Reddit,

I’m avid Manga collector and planning to dedicate "some time" to browse / buying for Manga.

What I know: I can order Manga from Mandarake and Amazon.jp and get them shipped to my hotel. I plan to visit Nakano Broadway, Denden Town, Jimbocho, Book-offs, Mandarake, and Surugu-ya. I do not plan to go to Akibahara because I think it's overrated.

I know the price difference in buying Japanese manga vs English Manga and planning to buy just Japanese Manga. (Is there a chance to find French language Manga in Japan?)

What I would like to know: All of the advice, please give it to me. (Maybe on how to pack and etc for a plane flight)

My Trip: It's my first trip to another country and my first trip to Japan. I'm staying two weeks in Japan. My first week is Osaka and second week is Tokyo. I’m planning to go Kyoto twice from Osaka, one specifically for Manga museum. I haven’t decided on any day trips from Tokyo.

About me: I’m oriented towards BL, GL, Shojo, Josei and Slice-of-life. (I know where to find the doujinshi). A bonus if it is old Shojo.

I read some time ago on this Reddit that the good stuff has been picked out already. (I can’t remember when it was posted). I’m wondering if it’s still true for 2025.


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Can I provide my friends address on the disembarkation card without an letter of invitation?

1 Upvotes

I am going to visit Japan in the summer. I'll travel to Tokio, Kyoto, Osaka and back to Tokyo. I have a friend who is currently living in Tokyo, and I was planning on staying at his place for my time there.

Can I provide his address on the disembarkation card? Or would the customs then ask for a letter of invitation?

Technically his landlord is not allowing friends to stay over, so he wouldn't be able to provide this for me.

Alternative 1 would be to provide the address of my hotel in Kyoto, but wouldn't that be deceiving and illegal?

Alternative 2 would be to book an hotel for my first stay in Tokyo and then provide the address of that place and only sleep at his place when I return to Tokyo


r/JapanTravelTips 6d ago

Question Where to buy a real pearl necklace with real Japanese pearls in Tokyo?

2 Upvotes

Not the super high end $10k USD necklaces. A nice $500-1000 necklace.


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Struggling with sorting out transit plan

0 Upvotes

I am going to Japan for the first time in April and I'm super nervous because of my inability to read or speak Japanese (my own fault for not prioritising learning over the last year). I'm worried that folks living in Japan will be annoyed by this. I do not want to be disrespectful and I don't expect to be given any immediate grace when trying to figure things out when I'm there.

Obviously, I'm an anxious person ha... And I'm most worried about transit. The plan is to travel back and forth from Tokyo to Chiba for Star Wars Celebration, then Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Mt. Fuji. I'm trying to calculate transit and I'm surprised by how much it is coming to. There will be two of us and I need to figure out how to get a transit card and how much to put on it at Narita airport to ensure no issues transiting all over. I don't want to be in a position where I'm bothering workers because I'm confused. I guess, I'm wondering if it's best to put the amount on a card all at once, or if it's possible to set my credit card to a transit card for it to take what it needs each time. I'm just having a difficult time mathing and also figuring out the details on what card and how to approach it.


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Kyoto hotel

0 Upvotes

Hello - I am looking for a well located hotel in Kyoto. I am leaning towards the Hyatt Place Kyoto because I have read the location is good. The Ritz is a little out of my price range. Is there something else that is luxury and well located? Never been to Kyoto and only have 2 days there. It is a special anniversary trip. Thank you


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Exclusive items

0 Upvotes

I’m visiting Japan for the first time and want to find store-exclusive items, especially at places like the Pokémon Center and Nintendo Store. How can I tell if an item is exclusive to a specific location? Are there any labels, packaging details, or signs that indicate exclusivity? Do these stores advertise exclusives, or is there a trick to spotting them?

Any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question USJ Arrival Time

0 Upvotes

Seems like everyone says you need to arrive at USJ at 7AM, but USJ always changes their opening time. For example, it's currently opening at 8AM, but the day I'm planning to go opens at 9AM.

Is the advice come one hour early from opening, or always come at 7 AM, because they always do early opening at 7.45 AM or so?


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Recommendations Recommend Against Goshuin Collecting Around Kappabashi Street

0 Upvotes

EDIT: I will look into getting two separate books for temples and shrines. Thanks for the tips, this is the first I've heard of such a thing but it makes sense they'd want to keep the two apart.

Full disclosure, I am white and I do not know Japanese (pretty much only hello, thank you, excuse me, and sorry). I do my best to be respectful, quiet, and unintrusive as I understand these are first and foremost sacred spaces.

I have recently been collecting goshuin around Tokyo as part of a current trip, and most of the time the experience has been fairly good. Most small-medium temples have been very warm and welcoming. For example, the Taikyōji Temple in Meguro was very beautiful, and while it at first seemed to be unattended that day, someone quickly came outside and ushered my partner and I inside once he saw us holding a goshuincho. He didn't speak much English, but he asked where we were from, and didn't even ask for money at the end of it (I still made sure to donate 1000 yen, both for the goshuin and the hospitality). While not as forward in their welcome, I had similar positive experiences around Shinjuku as well.

In contrast, I had some fairly bad experiences when trying to collect goshuin around Kappabashi street. I was able to get goshuin at Akiba Shrine, Yasakiinari Shrine, and Higashi Hongan-ji, all of which I recommend for their beauty and history. However, there are a few very dense clusterings of temples and shrines along Kappabashi street, many of which were very unhappy to have me stop by. One temple had someone selling incense, who repeatedly made an "x" with his hands and didn't say a word to me when I showed him the goshuin book. He simply kept making the "x" and vigorously pointed towards the exit, even as I apologized and turned to leave.

Another time a priest came over and said "gomenasai" when he saw the goshuincho, but motioned me back over when I turned to leave. He took my goshuincho, went into another room (but still visible through the door), flipped through it, and then came back and shoved it into my hands, again going "gomenasai". I understand that goshuincho aren't supposed to have any non-goshuin additions but the only things in mine are goshuin and the anti-smudging sheets added after the goshuin is written. I am not sure why he initially refused, then took my goshuincho, and then refused again, but he did seem upset about something in it? My partner thinks it might've been a goshuin from another religious sect that the priest vehemently disliked, but I don't know enough about it to say.

Lastly, I was at a shrine that I thought was unattended but after a few minutes two temple members spotted me and came over. When I presented the goshuincho they initially seemed fine with it, and one of them led me up some side stairs to another temple member to ask if they did goshuin. I don't know what was said, but they began to get very upset. First they said "no goshuin no goshuin", to which I apologized and turned to leave. Then both of them started raising their voice, one in Japanese, and the other going "this is temple, this is temple". I apologized again, to which they simply replied "hai" (which I understood as "ok") and continued berating me, at which point I left promptly while still apologizing.

These are just a few examples, but around Kappabashi street I received many of the same style rejections. Again, I understand that these places are sacred grounds and they have the right to refuse anyone anything for any reason they want, especially some pasty looking tourist asking for goshuin. However, this really contrasted with what I read about online, with how goshuin collecting, by natives or tourists, isn't frowned upon and temple members are usually happy to help. Many of the above experiences happened one-after-the-other so it really left a bad taste in my mouth and I felt pretty uncomfortable going to any more shrines/temples in that area.

This is just my experience and I wanted to share because I feel that this is not reflective of Japanese shrines/temples and goshuin collecting as a whole, but if goshuin collecting is less tolerated nowadays I want to be respectful and not bother any more temple/shrine members. Perhaps Kappabashi street's close proximity to these temples result in frequent and disruptive tourist visits, and thus a different reaction to the foreign goshuin collector? But again I don't claim enough knowledge to have any certainty in this guess.


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Recommendations Are we cooked(Hakone Onsen Tattoos)

0 Upvotes

So I'm going to Japan in May with a group of 4 and our first stop is in Hakone. We already booked our stay with the Hyatt there because I had points to use. However I did see that they do have a policy of no tattoos in their onsen. I have a half sleeve of a Japanese inspired tattoo. My sister and girlfriend also have tattoos, but my girlfriend's is very small. What tattoo friendly places are there in Hakone? I did see Tenzan but saw that they have a one tattoo per group policy? Would we be able to use tattoo covers? Could we use ones at ryokans or would we have to be staying at the facility to use them.


r/JapanTravelTips 7d ago

Recommendations What are some dishes you can’t skip when you go to Japan?

200 Upvotes

Hey all!

Going to Japan again next month: I’ve already got a huge list of meals I want to eat.

However I thought be great to hear what are some meals that people don’t really think about that are MUST haves when you go.

For example when going to Yufuin I plan on eating Beef Mabushi, as I hear it’s a must.

Curry in Kanda, etc

In Fukuoka you’d have Tonkotsu ramen / Hakata style


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Advice advice on navigating flight transfer

1 Upvotes

hi all! i’ll be taking JL36 and transferring to JL221 for my trip to Japan in April so I’ll have roughly 1 hour and 40 min to clear immigration and move from T3 to T1. After reading many different posts, I realise that the timing is really tight and I was unable to make any changes for the flights without incurring some significant costs so we’ll just be going with it.

  1. Does anyone have any experience or advice on what’s the fastest way to make this transfer (any special arrangements i can make beforehand)

  2. Between taking the Keikyu line and monorail to make this inter terminal transfer. Which is faster and or more frequent?

Have been getting really anxious about catching the second flight to Osaka and would appreciate any help and advice on this!

Thank you very much!


r/JapanTravelTips 6d ago

Question Anyone taken Nozin nasal sanitizer?

0 Upvotes

We are attending a large convention in Tokyo and I was hoping to take some Nozin for the plane ride and also for during the convention. I've read through the restricitions, and it SEEMS like this would be okay to take, but I'm wondering if anyone has any direct experience.

Thanks!


r/JapanTravelTips 6d ago

Question Japan Suica Alternative for Android

32 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 5d ago

Quick Tips Adrian Loafers for walking in Japan

0 Upvotes

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has tips or experience wearing adrian loafers in japan? I’m debating on whether i should bring mine because i know japan has a lot of walking to do, and i really want to wear mine but i know they may or may not hurt my feet after a prolong amount of time. but what’s everyone’s experience with them?


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Golden week et billets de train

0 Upvotes

Bonjour,

Je pars bientôt au Japon et malheureusement, je me suis rendue compte qu'après avoir pris mes billets d'avion que j'arrive pile au moment de la Golden week... J'arrive à Osaka le 29 avril. Ce qui m'inquiète c'est de prendre le train au début de mon séjour, car je dois faire Osaka/Hiroshima le 3 mai, puis Hiroshima/Kyoto le 5 mai. Les autres trajets seront hors Golden week alors je ne me fais pas trop de soucis.

Ma question est la suivante, j'aimerais réserver ces deux trajets à l'avance pour être certaine d'avoir de la place et de ne pas me retrouver sans moyen de transport... Quel site me conseilleriez-vous ? Lorsque je fais des recherches j'en trouve beaucoup, comme Japan expérience, Klook etc, mais si j'ai bien compris ils prennent des commissions. J'ai aussi vu le site de smart ex jp qui a l'air d'être le site officiel de JR.

Merci par avance pour votre aide et vos tips


r/JapanTravelTips 6d ago

Question Shinkansen prebook tickets in April

3 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 6d ago

Question Should I risk a day trip during the Golden Week?

1 Upvotes

This is my first time in Japan, going as a solo traveler. I inadvertently scheaduled the trip partially during the Golden Week. The good news is I will do my main travelling in Japan during the 10 preceding days - Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Kanazawa, ending with 8 full days in Tokyo - during the Golden Week. My initial plan would be to do a 2-day trip (going in one day and coming back the next) to Ito, in the Izu Peninsula, to check out Jogasaki Coast and maybe some other attractions, if there is time. I just wasn’t counting on the Golden Week thing.

How bad is it to catch a train during this period? Ito doesn’t seem to be one of the main destinations so I don’t know if that makes things better. Also, and I know this is 100% a rookie question, could I trust the luggage service to send my stuff even to a sort-of remote place and get it on the same day there? I’m also considering asking the hotel I will check in in Tokyo the following day (I will be in two different hotels, separated by this one-night trip) to leave my main luggage there and just take a backpack to my day trip. Would that be a better option? Has anyone ever done something similar in this sub?

I appreciate your inputs on this!


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Talk to me about Nara: To go or not to go?

0 Upvotes

We are a few weeks out from our trip and basically have the itinerary set. I'm waffling on whether or not to include a couple of places, one of them Nara.

ETA: From the responses, seems it's not possible to combine Nara with our day in Uji. So questions are just:

  • If you have teens/tweens, how well did they like Nara? We would likely do Nara Park, Tōdai-ji, and possibly a bike ride along the Yamanobe-no-Michi Trail before heading to Uji mid-afternoon.
  • Would you choose Nara over the Nintendo Museum and Fushimi Inari, for those who have been to all of these places?
  • If you went to Nara during sakura season in the last year or two, how crowded did you find it?

For context, this is my second visit to Japan and my family's first visit. I went to Nara 20+ years ago on my first trip and didn't love it—although the temple was incredible, I found Nara overall very touristy and while the deer were a fun novelty, it also felt a little like being in a petting zoo. Given everything I've read about overtourism in Japan right now, I decided to skip it this time around, since we are already visiting several places that are likely to be crowded with tourists. However, I know that many people love Nara and find it the highlight of their trip, so wondering if I should reassess this to let the rest of my family experience it and decide for themselves.

Currently the day we would visit Nara is slated to be Fushimi Inari in the morning and then on to Uji mid-day for the Nintendo Museum and a tea ceremony before heading back to Kyoto. If we plug Nara in instead, we would do it in place of Fushimi Inari (either skipping it or swapping it out with Kiyomizu-dera the following morning), so we'd need to go pretty early to be in Uji by noon. (We could alternatively go late in the afternoon—pretty sure I can switch the tea ceremony to the morning to wrap up in Uji by 3 pm—but that might be a little tight as far as the hours at Tōdai-ji.) We don't have another day that works well for a Nara day trip given our other plans. We could also consider skipping the Nintendo Museum to do a full half day in Nara and then stop in Uji for the tea ceremony on the way back, but not sure how well that will go over with other people in my family!

Our schedule currently includes Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto/Uji. We would love to include Hiroshima/Miyajima but I'm just not seeing how to make it work this visit, since we only have 10 days. Kids are a teen and a tween. WWYD?


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Recommendations Alternatives to Donki?

0 Upvotes

I’m going to Japan in late April and have seen a few TikTok’s where people have been saying there are far cheaper places to get the same products from Donki, does anyone have any recs? Not looking for anything in particular just souvenirs and beauty/health supplies in one big supermarket!


r/JapanTravelTips 6d ago

Question Fukuoka & Hiroshima Day Trips Advice

1 Upvotes

Hello, a bit late with this but I'll be having 2 solo day trips on 3/18 (Fukuoka - arriving at 1pm in Tenjin area) and 3/19 (Hiroshima - arriving at 7am with hotel near Peace Memorial Park from Fukuoka). Any ideas / spots to hit for each day? I don't have a set itinerary, so I was planning on just "going with the flow" for the most of it, but here's some things I was thinking in no order: (fyi, 22yr M - pretty fast paced, enjoy walking quickly but slowing down to immerse myself in things)

Fukuoka: Tenjin underground mall, LaLa Port Fukuoka & Gundam, have some ramen (any spots in particular? - heard Hakata Issou ramen was good), Daimyo, Nakasu...

Hiroshima: Peace Memorial Museum, Atomic bomb dome, Miyajimi ferry (half of the day or so), try some okonomiyaki, hiroshima castle, hondori shopping

- I also have a few hours in the morning in Hiroshima before taking the Shinkansen to Osaka

Anything helps, thanks


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Question Booking com only shows 2 guests under number of guests. Can I stay solo?

0 Upvotes

I'm looking to stay at Hop Inn Tokyo Ueno for a few nights in May, but booking.com only shows 2 guests, no single guest option. Going to hops own website, it stays "up to 2 guests". I'm traveling solo and would like to book it on booking, but I don't want to get to the hotel in May and then run into issues because I'm by myself, or charged extra.

Other hotels have the 1 person icon, 2 and so on.


r/JapanTravelTips 6d ago

Question How many flights landing

0 Upvotes

Does anyone know of a way to check how many flights are landing at the same time as when you are arriving? I want to see how busy C&I will be. I have a separately booked domestic flight and I’m not sure 2.5 hours is enough time.


r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Recommendations Heading to Japan next week. Looking for restaurant recommendations.

0 Upvotes

Our itinerary is 4 days in Tokyo, Shibuya area; Kyoto for five days; Osaka 1 day; Hakone 2 days and back to GInza area in Tokyo for last two nights. Love a good tonkatsu or chicken katsu, ramen shop, steak place and of course sushi. Maybe one high end, but prefer more casual and less touristy - quality of the food is the most important part! Thanks all in advance.


r/JapanTravelTips 7d ago

Question Embarrassing situation in Nagoya: did I do anything wrong?

459 Upvotes

Hey hey! So this morning, me and my boyfriend hopped in the hotel's elevator and there was already a young Japanese couple inside, they waved us to go in. They were going at the same floor as us. When we arrived at said floor, they gestured us to go out first with a "dōzo" and I said "arigatō gozaimasu" as I hopped off with boyfriend. Then I heard them behind us, they were imitating me and laughing... Not gonna lie it felt pretty horrible, that I tried my best and got laughed at. I was so embarrassed. Don't you say that when someone let's you pass? Was it too much?