Heading to Japan? Here’s the Stuff You Need to Know That Nobody Tells You
- traveleidoscope
- Mar 9
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 11
Are you heading to Japan soon? Here are things I wish I'd known beforehand.
Customs and Immigration
Complete the Japan entry form on the Visit Japan Web prior to landing in Japan. It will save you a lot of time moving through customs and immigration If you’re traveling with family member, you can register as a family, but each person will receive their own QR code. You can also get a QR code for tax free shopping, but you can’t get it until after you enter Japan and receive your visitor permit.
Upon returning to the U.S., use Global Entry if you have it. It’s faster than the Mobile Passport (MPC).
Enroll in STEP, the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. You can also check out my recent post on STEP. Once enrolled, STEP provides security updates on the destination country you select.
Tipping
Since tipping is uncommon in Japan, I read that a small gift, in lieu of tipping, is acceptable. Specifically, small snacks or biscuits. I gave tour guides mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I wrapped them in small cellophane bags with ribbon and raffia so they looked like party favors. They were a huge hit, especially because I didn’t see Reese’s anywhere in Japan. One of my “Reese’s tipping” stories was when I was skiing in Hokkaido, Japan. I dropped my ski goggles from the lift. I told the lift operator who kindly retrieved them. Later, I returned to the lift with three Reese’s minis for the operator (yes, three). It was such a small thing, but the lift operator reacted with such appreciation, it was as if I gave him a $100 tip. And the reaction seemed genuine. Lesson? Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will help you overcome that ingrained American need to tip and the receipient will appreciate the token gesture.
Bathrooms, Trash, and all things unsexy
Bathrooms – bring a quick dry towel to dry your hands. Many restrooms in Japan don’t have paper towels. I saw that most Japanese women had their own hand towels.
Trash – bring plastic bags to hold your trash. There are few trashcans in Japan, yet it’s very clean. Plastic bags like the ones you use for produce are fine.
Bring a plastic bag to hold your umbrella. Otherwise, you’ll have to lock up your umbrella in the umbrella corral before entering places like museums, so you don’t get the floors wet. A 1-gallon food storage bag will work fine for small, compact umbrellas.
Bring reuseable shopping bags. While plastic grocery bags are available at stores, you’ll have to pay for them. And, if you shop at the airport to get rid of your remaining yen, make sure to bring a reuseable bag because they’ll charge you for bags there, too. I used my Baggu bags that my niece gave me years ago. I use them on every trip - they're compact and life savers!!
If you’re from the U.S., you won’t need to bring adapters for electrical outlets. Japanese outlets use the same voltage as U.S. outlets. But, if you do need an adapter, your hotel will likely have some available for use. I can’t speak for Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.
Google Translate is your friend, but you need to learn a few basic Japanese phrases like:
Greetings - good morning, good evening, hello
Please and thank you
Excuse me; please, go ahead
I don’t speak Japanese. Do you speak English?
Always use a greeting when entering and say thank you when leaving. It’s just part of being polite. I find this to be the case in many places I've visited.
Transportation
Get an IC card (Integrated Circuit) card, like Pasmo, Pasmo Passport, Suica, or Welcome Suica. I found this helpful post on IC cards on Truly Tokyo. IC cards are convenient because you can use them to buy tickets for trains or buses, or in convenience stores to buy snacks, without having to use cash every time. The initial IC card load is cash only. We also reloaded our IC cards with cash, but you may be able to reload with a credit card. Pasmo and Suica require a 500 yen deposit that each will refund (minus a service fee) if you decide to return the card (as of March 2025). Regular Pasmo and Suica cards are good for 10 years. The Pasmo Passport and Welcome Suica cards are for foreign visitors only. They don’t require a deposit, but each expires after 28 days. Keep all your receipts from IC card loads and reloads. My husband’s Pasmo card stopped working shortly after his initial load. We went to the office at the station and gave the agent his Pasmo card and the receipt. The agent was able to take care of the issue quickly because hubby had both.
Transportation is convenient, but initially overwhelming. Google Maps is helpful in navigating. It will give you useful information like train times, route options , travel time, and cost.
You can see the cost of this trip, how often trains go to this destination and the total trip time. Navigating Tokyo’s Shinjuku station is an unprecedented level of chaos. 3.6 million people pass through it. Daily. So knowing how to get through it without losing your mind is important. To exit the station (read escape), you need to know not only what gate (ex: east/west), but also the exit (ex: B18). If you don’t know both, you’re basically trapped.
You can see that you must take West Gate Exit, but you also need to know the exit - B18 - to exit Shinjuku. If you go through the wrong turnstyle and/or enter the wrong train area in any station, go to the train office (Pasmo or Suica), usually right at the turnstyle, and ask for a refund. You may need to use Google Translate to do that.
Shinkansen (bullet train):
To go through the Shinkansen turnstyle, if you’re using a QR code, scan QR code (not your receipt) AND IC card.
The Shinkansen first class reserved car or Green Car, is unecessary, but totally worth it. It’s quieter and you don’t have to fight for a seat like you would if you had an unreserved ticket. If you are going to Kyoto, try to reserve a seat on the Mount Fuji side. You’ll pass Mount Fuji very quickly (the Shinkansen can reach speeds of 200 mph!), but you’ll see it on a clear day, then you won’t need to do a Mount Fuji tour!
There isn't a real meal or drinks service on the Shinkansen. A Shinkansen may offer drinks via a QR code ordering system, but you'll have to get it. It's not like being on a plane. If you're looking for food and drinks, best to load up the train station before you leave. And speaking of food...
It's a quick view from the Shinkansen, but you can clearly see Mount Fuji on your way to Kyoto!
Food
Make reservations if you can, but we found that a lot of restaurants are really small (maybe five tables) and don’t take reservations, so plan to either stand in line or understand that you’ll probably visit 4-5 restaurants before you find a seat. We tried to enter one restaurant that had locked their doors because they were full! We even SAW people eating in the restaurant!
Be aware that some restaurants will charge more if you order from a menu written in English than from a menu written in Japanese. We experienced it in at least one restaurant.
Train stations and convenience stores have an abundance of food choices, but they’re hit or miss. You just have to figure out what suits you.
Cool sightseeing
If it’s cold and rainy in Tokyo, like it was when we visited, here are ideas of things to do on those rainy days: We visited all of these and I recommend them:
Tokyo National Museum: Gves you a great overview of Japanese history!
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (TMG): Go up the observation tower at Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. It’s free and easy to access. You don't have to sign in (like we tried to do) if you're going up the observation tower. As of March 2025, you can also see the Night and Light show. The show displays images on the TMG building. We were exhausted on the day we visited, so we didn't stay for the show, but wish we had.
The Tokyo Skytree has comparable views to the TMG building, but you have to buy a ticket for Skytree. My husband preferred the Skytree views. I thought Skytree was more crowded.
Art Aquarium: Okay, stay with me here – it combines goldfish and lights. I know, I know, it sounds weird, but it was fun!
One of the displays at Art Aquarium Tokyo. 
Another very cool display from Art Aquarium Tokyo The Sumida Hokusai Museum: Hokusai was a Japanese artist famous for the block prints "36 Views of Mount Fuji" and “100 Views of Mount Fuji”. It’s small, but the collection is impressive and the building is also cool!
Tours
What about tours? We took two one-day tours and found that day tours aren’t our style, but you’ll figure out what’s best for you.
I hope this is helpful. Now go visit Japan!
