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Destinations
Japan
🇯🇵 Japan
Suica in Apple Wallet, cash in your pocket, Google Maps for everything else.
Ready-made routes
Know before you go
The practical facts for Japan, at a glance.
Currency
Japanese Yen (JPY)
roughly ¥150 to US$1 — drop the last two digits and add a half for a rough read
Tap to pay
Yes in shops, no on most trains — the gates want a Suica, not your bank card.
Power
Type A / B (same as US)
100V, 50Hz east / 60Hz west
Tap water
Tap water is safe and good everywhere in Japan.
Tipping
Never tip. It is genuinely awkward and may be refused or chased down the street.
Emergency
Police 110 · Ambulance 119
112 · Works with no SIM, no signal
Best months
March–May for cherry blossom, October–November for autumn colour
Entry requirements
Visa-free short stays for many passports (commonly 90 days). Japan uses a pre-arrival digital system (Visit Japan Web) for immigration and customs — register before you fly to use the fast lanes.
Paying in Japan
Yes in shops, no on most trains — the gates want a Suica, not your bank card.
Tap to pay works
Konbini, and they are everywhere
Department stores and chain restaurants
Most city restaurants and cafés
Vending machines showing the IC mark
Carry another way to pay
Small izakaya and counter ramen shops
Ticket machines that take cash only
Rural shops and family businesses
Shrine and temple offerings
JR and Tokyo Metro gates read Suica or Pasmo. Add Suica to Apple Wallet before you fly and top it up with your card — it works from the moment you land.
Apps to download
The apps people in Japan actually use, in the order to set them up.
Suica (Apple Wallet / Google Wallet)
Free to create; load what you need
Critical
One tap for every train, subway, bus and convenience store in the country, with no physical card to buy.
Before you fly
Google Maps
Free
Critical
Japanese transit data in Google Maps is close to perfect — platform numbers, car numbers and exit names included.
Before you fly
Japan Transit Planner (Jorudan)
Free; paid tiers add features
Important
Better than Google Maps for Shinkansen planning, seat classes and fare breakdowns between rail companies.
Visit Japan Web
Free
Critical
Pre-registering immigration and customs turns the arrival queue from 40 minutes into 5.
Before you fly
Google Translate
Free
Critical
Japanese menus, station signs and pharmacy labels become readable through the camera.
Before you fly
JR East / Smart EX (Shinkansen booking)
Free app; tickets at face value
Important
Reserve Shinkansen seats from your phone instead of queueing at a ticket office.
Airalo / Ubigi (Japan eSIM)
From ~US$5 for 1GB / 7 days
Critical
Japan has little free public wifi outside stations and cafés — you need your own data.
Before you fly
Tabelog
Free
Important
The restaurant ratings Japanese people actually use — and the scale is different from Google.
NERV Disaster Prevention
Free
Important
The fastest earthquake and tsunami alerts in Japan, in English, seconds before the shaking.
Wise / Revolut
Free account; ~0.4–0.6% conversion
Important
Japan is cash-heavy, so ATM withdrawals are frequent — fee-free withdrawals add up fast.
Before you fly
LINE
Free
Important
The default messenger in Japan too — hotels, tour guides and restaurants use it.
Before you fly
Booking.com / Rakuten Travel
Free app
Important
Rakuten Travel has Japanese inventory — ryokan and business hotels — that international sites miss.
Step-by-step setup for each app is in the iPhone app.
First 60 minutes after landing
1
Register Visit Japan Web before you fly
The government pre-arrival site generates QR codes for immigration and customs. It turns a 40-minute queue into a 5-minute one at Narita and Haneda.
2
Add Suica to your phone wallet on the plane
iPhone and most Android phones can create a Suica card directly in the wallet app with no physical card and no Japanese bank. Do it before landing.
3
Withdraw cash at the 7-Eleven or Japan Post ATM
Most Japanese bank ATMs reject foreign cards. 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs accept them reliably and are everywhere. Take ¥30,000 to start.
4
Airport express tickets are worth pre-booking
Narita Express and Skyliner both sell discounted foreign-passport tickets online. Buying at the counter on arrival costs more and takes longer.
Where to stay in Japan
3 cities
Tokyo
The best public transport system in the world and the most confusing station layouts. Shinjuku alone has over 200 exits.
Watch out for
Shinjuku and Tokyo stations are mazes — always note your exit number, never just the station.
Trains stop around midnight and taxis after that are expensive. Know your last train.
JR lines and Tokyo Metro are separate companies; transferring between them can mean exiting and re-entering.
Kyoto
A bus city more than a train city. Temples cluster in a ring that the subway barely touches.
Watch out for
Buses are slow and crowded in autumn. Walking or cycling often beats them.
Many temples close at 16:30 and stop admission 30 minutes before.
Cash is still expected at smaller temples and machiya restaurants.
Osaka
Easier to navigate than Tokyo, cheaper to eat in, and the base for Nara, Kobe and Himeji.
Watch out for
ICOCA is the local IC card but Suica works identically — do not buy both.
Stand on the right on escalators here, opposite to Tokyo. Locals notice.
Getting around
Narita / Haneda → central Tokyo
Narita is 60 km out. Haneda is 30 minutes away. Which airport matters enormously.
Narita Express (N'EX)
Follow JR signs down from arrivals. Reserved seats, luggage racks, runs every 30 min.
¥3,070 (or ¥5,000 round trip for foreign passports)
53 min to Tokyo Station
Keisei Skyliner
Faster than N'EX but arrives at Ueno/Nippori rather than Tokyo Station.
¥2,570
41 min to Ueno
Haneda Monorail or Keikyu line
Tap your Suica and go. No reservation, no ticket, trains every few minutes.
¥500–650
20–30 min
Getting around Tokyo
Tap Suica and go. The complexity is in the stations, not the system.
JR and subway with Suica
Tap in, tap out. Google Maps tells you the platform and car.
¥150–320 per ride
Fast and exact
Walking
Tokyo rewards walking within a district; between districts, take the train.
Free
Neighbourhoods are compact
Taxi
Hail on the street or use the GO app. Doors open automatically — do not touch them.
¥500 flagfall, ¥2,000–4,000 typical
Traffic-dependent
Tokyo → Kyoto / Osaka
The Shinkansen is the reason Japan feels small.
Nozomi Shinkansen
Book on Smart EX or buy at any JR ticket office. Reserved seats are worth the small surcharge.
¥13,320 to Kyoto
2h 15m
Hikari Shinkansen
Same price as Nozomi, 25 minutes slower, and covered by the JR Pass.
¥13,320 to Kyoto
2h 40m
Overnight bus
Willer Express and others from Shinjuku bus terminal.
¥4,000–8,000
8 h
Staying connected
Yes — a carrier-locked phone cannot use a local SIM or eSIM
Ubigi
Japan
10 GB · 30 days · US$17
Docomo has the best rural and Shinkansen coverage. Reliable choice for a two-week trip.
Airalo
Moshi Moshi — Japan
5 GB · 30 days · US$11
Fine in cities. Good value for a one-week city trip.
Nomad
Japan
10 GB · 30 days · US$16
Usually a little cheaper than Ubigi on the same network.
Sakura Mobile
Tourist SIM with number
Unlimited · 15 days · US$55
Physical SIM including a Japanese phone number, delivered to your hotel. The option if you need a number for reservations.
When to go
Best months
March–May for cherry blossom, October–November for autumn colour
Hardest months
June–July rainy season; August heat and humidity; New Year when much of the country closes
Languages
Japanese, limited English outside major hubs
Getting it right socially
No eating or drinking while walking, and no phone calls on trains.
Cash goes in the tray on the counter, not into a hand.
Shoes off where there is a step up or a shoe rack — always.
Queue on the marked floor positions on platforms; people genuinely follow them.
Tattoos can bar entry to onsen and some gyms. Check ahead or cover them.
Ready-made routes
Japan’s Golden Route in 7 days
7 days · about US$150 a day
Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka on the Shinkansen spine — the classic first trip, paced so you are not changing hotels every night.
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