First Time in Japan? 35 Things to Know Before You Go

Before you leave home

1. Set up internet access before you need it

Free Wi-Fi exists in airports, hotels and many public places, but you should not build an entire trip around finding a hotspot every time you need directions. For short visits, an eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi is often the simplest option. If you plan to use a physical SIM, make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave home.

You will use mobile data for maps, train routes, translation, reservations and last-minute opening-hour checks. Connectivity is not a luxury item on a first trip; it is part of your navigation system.

2. Save your hotel name and address offline

Keep the name, address and phone number of your first hotel somewhere that does not depend on mobile data. A screenshot is enough. It helps if you need to show a taxi driver, ask station staff for directions, or fill in arrival information after a long flight.

Do the same for any accommodation in a rural area where English signage may be limited.

3. Do not overpack

Japan is much easier with a smaller suitcase. Stations can involve stairs, transfers, narrow platforms and crowded trains, while many city hotel rooms are compact.

If you need a large suitcase, Japan has excellent luggage-delivery and storage services. You do not have to personally escort every bag through every station.

4. Learn five Japanese phrases, not fifty

You can travel through major tourist areas with limited Japanese, but a few phrases make everyday interactions easier: sumimasen (excuse me / sorry), arigato gozaimasu (thank you), onegaishimasu (please / this, please), daijobu desu (I'm okay / no thank you, depending on context), and wakarimasen (I don't understand).

Perfect pronunciation is not required. A short polite attempt is usually more useful than memorizing a complicated phrase you are too nervous to use.

5. Remember that all of Japan uses one time zone

Japan Standard Time applies nationwide, and Japan does not observe daylight saving time. That makes domestic planning simple once you arrive.

The more important issue is jet lag. Avoid scheduling your most complicated transfer or non-refundable activity immediately after a long international flight if you can help it.

6. Check the weather by region, not just 'Japan'

Japan stretches a long way from north to south. Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa and mountain areas can have very different conditions at the same time.

Check the actual cities on your itinerary shortly before departure, then pack for those places rather than for a vague image of 'Japan weather.'

7. Keep your passport accessible

Your passport is not something to bury at the bottom of a suitcase. You may need it for identity checks, certain hotel procedures and tax-free shopping.

Keep it secure, but keep it somewhere you can actually reach without unpacking your life in front of a counter.

8. Do not schedule every hour

Japan rewards wandering. A neighborhood, station complex, department-store basement or small restaurant can easily take longer than expected.

A first trip becomes much less stressful if you leave empty space between major reservations. The country is efficient; your vacation does not need to operate like a railway timetable.

Money, cards and shopping

9. Carry some cash even if you prefer cards

Cashless payment is widespread, especially in cities, but cash still matters. Smaller shops, rural businesses, some ticket machines and other services may not accept your preferred card or mobile-payment method.

You do not need to carry your entire travel budget in cash. You do need enough yen that one card problem does not become an emergency.

10. Convenience-store and post-office ATMs are useful

International visitors can withdraw cash at widely available ATM networks, including many machines in convenience stores and post offices. Fees and card compatibility depend on the ATM and your own bank.

Before traveling, tell your bank about the trip if necessary and know what your own card issuer charges for foreign withdrawals.

11. Do not assume your phone payment will work everywhere

A payment method that works constantly at home may not be accepted by a Japanese terminal, and some mobile-payment systems are designed primarily for locally issued accounts or devices.

Look for the payment logos at the register and keep a backup card or cash option.

12. An IC card is one of the most useful things you can have

Prepaid IC transit cards such as Suica, PASMO and regional equivalents make ordinary trains and many buses much easier. Instead of calculating a fare for every short ride, you usually tap in and out.

They can also be used for many small purchases at convenience stores, vending machines, lockers and other participating locations.

13. An IC card does not cover every train product

IC cards are excellent for ordinary transportation, but they do not automatically replace every limited-express, reserved-seat or Shinkansen ticket.

If a train requires a supplement, reservation or separate fare product, tapping an IC card alone may not be enough. Check the specific service before boarding.

14. Watch the 2026 tax-free shopping change

Japan's tax-free shopping system is changing on November 1, 2026. Until October 31, eligible purchases at participating shops generally use the current tax-exemption system. From November 1, the new refund method is scheduled to apply, with eligible travelers paying the tax-inclusive price first and receiving the consumption-tax equivalent after departure procedures.

If shopping tax-free is important to your trip, check the current official rules shortly before you travel. This is exactly the kind of travel advice that can become outdated overnight.

Trains and getting around

15. Look down at train platforms

Platform floors often contain useful information: door positions, queue lines, car numbers and markings for different services. Before standing in a random place, check the floor.

On busy lines, the markings can tell you more quickly than watching everyone else and hoping you joined the right queue.

16. Let passengers get off before you board

This is one of the easiest ways to move with the flow. Wait to the sides of the doors, let people exit, then board.

It is not a ceremonial etiquette rule. It simply keeps a very busy transport system moving.

17. Train conversation is not forbidden; phone calls are different

Japanese trains are not silent libraries. Quiet conversation is normal. Ordinary phone calls inside commuter trains, however, are generally discouraged, and loud audio from a phone is unwelcome.

Use headphones, keep your voice reasonable, and save calls for the platform or another appropriate area when possible.

18. Eating on trains depends on the train

Eating a meal on a Shinkansen or many other long-distance trains is normal. Eating a full meal on an ordinary commuter or subway train is generally not.

A useful shortcut is to look at the seating and purpose of the train. If it is clearly designed for long-distance travel, eating is much more likely to fit the setting.

19. Not every train on the same line stops at the same stations

Local, rapid, express and limited-express services may share tracks while serving different stops. A faster train is not automatically better if it skips your destination.

Check the departure time, service type and destination—not just the platform number.

20. Rush hour is a different version of the railway

A route that feels effortless in the middle of the day may be crowded and stressful during weekday commuting periods. Large luggage makes the difference even bigger.

If your schedule is flexible, avoiding the busiest periods can make a first trip much easier.

21. If a ticket gate rejects you, move aside

Do not repeatedly tap the same card while a line grows behind you. Move to the side and ask station staff.

Ticket and IC-card problems are normal parts of railway operation. Staff deal with them all day.

22. Use luggage forwarding when it solves a real problem

Japan's luggage-delivery network can send bags between many airports, hotels and other service points. It is particularly useful when you are changing cities, visiting a destination for one night, or traveling on crowded trains with large suitcases.

Delivery timing, size limits and accepted items vary, so plan ahead rather than assuming every bag can arrive immediately.

Restaurants and accommodation

23. Wait to be seated unless the restaurant clearly says otherwise

At many sit-down restaurants, staff will choose your table. Even if you can see an empty seat, it may be reserved, not cleaned yet, or part of a seating plan you cannot see.

If the restaurant uses self-seating, a sign or staff member will usually make that clear.

24. You can call staff with 'sumimasen'

In many casual restaurants, politely calling sumimasen is normal. Some tables also have a call button.

You do not need to spend ten minutes attempting to establish telepathic eye contact with a server.

25. Tipping is generally not expected

For ordinary restaurant service, you normally pay the amount requested rather than adding a percentage. Leaving extra cash on the table can create confusion.

Service charges and table charges can exist in certain restaurants and hotels, which is a separate issue from voluntary tipping.

26. Learn what otoshi is before your first izakaya

At many izakaya, a small appetizer may arrive automatically and be associated with a table or seating charge. Visitors sometimes assume it is a free welcome dish and are surprised by the bill later.

The exact system varies by establishment, but knowing the concept removes a very common source of confusion.

27. Restaurant payment may happen at the register

Do not assume someone will bring a card terminal to your table. Many restaurants expect you to take the bill or table slip to a register near the entrance.

Others use self-checkout, pay-first systems or meal-ticket machines. Watch the local system instead of assuming one national rule.

28. Hotel rooms can be smaller than you expect

City business hotels often fit everything you need into a compact room. If you are traveling with multiple large bags, check the room size in square meters before booking.

A low price and a good location can be excellent value, but only if your luggage can coexist with you.

29. A ryokan is not just a hotel with tatami

Traditional inns may have meal schedules, shoe rules, futon arrangements, communal bathing and other routines that are part of the experience.

If your stay includes dinner, check the required arrival time. Turning up very late can mean missing something that was prepared specifically for your reservation.

30. Tatami and toilet slippers are different problems

Outdoor shoes generally stay off tatami, and indoor slippers are also usually removed before stepping onto tatami. Some places provide separate slippers specifically for the toilet.

If you remember only one thing, remember to look at the flooring and the slippers before walking automatically into the next space.

Etiquette and practical safety

31. Japanese etiquette is mostly about not inconveniencing other people

Visitors sometimes imagine a giant hidden rulebook. In practice, many everyday expectations come back to one idea: notice the shared space and avoid creating unnecessary trouble for the people around you.

Keep noise reasonable, do not block entrances or ticket gates, manage large luggage carefully, and follow local signs. That gets you surprisingly far.

32. You do not need to bow perfectly

A small polite nod is enough in ordinary tourist interactions. Visitors are not expected to master formal business bowing.

Trying too hard to perform Japanese culture can look less natural than simply being courteous.

33. Take your shoes off when the space tells you to

Homes, some restaurants, ryokan, temples and other traditional spaces may have no-shoe areas. Look for a step at the entrance, rows of shoes, slippers or signs.

Do not apply the rule randomly to every building in Japan. Follow the physical space and instructions.

34. Do not treat every shrine or temple like a photo set

Shrines and temples are tourist attractions, but they are also active religious places. Photography is often allowed outside, while some interiors, ceremonies or sacred objects may prohibit it.

Read signs, keep entrances clear and remember that a person praying next to you is not necessarily participating in tourism.

35. Trash cans may be less convenient than you expect

Public trash bins can be limited in some areas. Plan to keep a small bag for your own rubbish until you find an appropriate place to dispose of it.

Do not leave trash beside an overflowing bin or on the street because a bin was inconvenient to find.

36. Know the two emergency numbers

For urgent police assistance in Japan, call 110. For fire or ambulance emergencies, call 119.

Save those numbers before the trip. You will probably never use them, which is exactly how you want this particular piece of travel preparation to work.