15 Travel Tips for Japan: A Helpful Survivor’s Guide for American Visitors
A first-time visit to Japan from America can be overwhelming. The culture is so different from ours that planning beforehand and then getting acclimated once you’ve landed can be difficult. But it doesn’t have to be with my 15 travel tips for Japan.
During my trip there, I took note of some of the things I found most helpful and most challenging. I wanted to create a survivor’s guide with these travel tips for Japan to help future visitors have a fun and successful trip.
Whether it’s knowing some of the most important phrases or something as simple as being ready for the lack of public garbage cans, here are my 15 travel tips for Japan!
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Travel Tips for Japan #1 – Language Essentials
The language barrier is likely going to be the most daunting thing you face on your trip to Japan. It’s not like going to Western Europe where a lot of the words sound similar, especially if you have some knowledge of Spanish. It’s for this reason that this is one of my first travel tips for Japan.
Japan is also different from many European countries where most everyone you’ll encounter as a tourist can speak fluent English. Some people are able to speak some English, but it isn’t enough to be reliable.
In addition to the difficulties you’ll run into when talking to people, signs are another huge barrier. A lot of restaurants and shops only had signs with Japanese characters. Often, restaurants only had Japanese menus available, too.
Rather than be upset that they aren’t catering to English-speaking visitors, take some time to learn ways to work around the language barrier.
To help with talking to people, try to learn a few simple words and phrases. Between the little bit of English most Japanese people knew, the (very) few things in Japanese I knew, and gesturing, we were always able to make it work. Here are the phrases I used to successfully navigate most situations.
Hai: Yes
Konnichiwa: Hello
Kudasai: Please
Sumimasen: Excuse me
Arigatō: Thank you
Dō itashimashite: You’re welcome
Okanjo onegaishimasu: Bring the check, please
Toire o sageshiteimasu: I’m looking for the toilet
Toire: Toilet (simply saying toire was often enough to have them point in the right direction)
That helps with talking to people, but what about the signs? For this, we used the Google translator app to translate words on signs and menus. Simply point your phone at what you want to translate, take a picture, and it will show you the translations. (However, this app didn’t always work for us for some reason. You may want to be prepared with a backup app just in case.)
Travel Tips for Japan #2 – Take Advantage of Its Public Transit
Japan is well known for its reliable and efficient public transportation, and after visiting myself, I can attest to its greatness. Every single train and subway arrived and left exactly when they were supposed to with the exception of one train that was all of two minutes late. People boarded and disembarked in an orderly and quick manner. Everything is clean and well maintained. It’s all one very well-oiled machine.
It’s this efficiency that made traveling without a car throughout the majority of our trip spectacularly easy. The JR Rail Pass and Suica card are two tools to make your use of Japan’s public transportation even easier.
The JR Rail Pass is an unlimited ticket for most JR-run railways in the country for one, two or three weeks. This pass used to offer a large discount compared to single-use tickets, but a recent price hike in late 2023 changed the calculus a little bit. Depending on how much traveling you are doing, it still may be a cheaper alternative. Even if the price is comparable, the JR Rail Pass can be a good option because you won’t have to stop to buy tickets for each trip.
The Suica card is a similar pre-paid card you can use on most of Japan’s public transit options, including subways, trains and buses. You can even use these cards at certain arcades and convenience stores.
While Suica cards don’t offer any type of discount, they are incredibly convenient and easy to use. You simply preload your card with however much money you think you’ll need and swipe it whenever you need it. You can top it off with more money at Suica machines found in train stations and convenience stores across the country.
Travel Tips for Japan #3 – But a Car for a Day Can be Helpful
Renting a car for a day can be huge timesaver in some of the more rural areas of Japan where there aren’t convenient trains. That was our experience in the Japanese Alps and Fuji Five Lakes areas, at least.
If you’re staying in a place popular with tourists, there are buses you can take to save money (Fuji Five Lakes has a particularly useful one). Nevertheless, by renting a car we were able sightsee at our own pace. Not only could we spend as much time as we wanted at each stop, but we could also go wherever we wanted.
On a bus, you’re entirely confined to their schedule. That means no out-of-the-way stops and no spontaneous detours. You also have to be more mindful of the time since buses in Japan run on a tight schedule.
What’s more, renting a car for a day on those two separate occasions wasn’t as expensive as you might think. Since it was only one day and we were picking up and dropping off at the same location, we paid only $50 for each day we rented a car! While $50 was more than a bus would have cost, the comfort and convenience was well worth it.
Travel Tips for Japan #4 – Don’t Leave Home Without an International Driver’s Permit
An International Driver’s Permit (IDP) is a must if you are going to do any driving in Japan. You won’t even be able to pick up a rental car without first showing proof of your IDP. Fortunately, these permits are very easy to obtain.
It may go without saying, but the first requirement for getting your IDP is that you have a valid US driver’s license. Assuming you have a license, fill out an application form to take to your local AAA within six months of your trip. You will also need two passport photos. These can be taken at the AAA office for an additional fee if you don’t already have them.
Once those two steps are done, you just need to pay a $20 fee for your IDP. You could also do this process through the mail if you don’t have a AAA close to you. Just make sure to submit your application early enough to get your IDP back in the mail before you leave for Japan.
Travel Tips for Japan #5 – Always Have Plenty of Cash
Surprisingly, we used much more cash in Japan than we have anywhere else in the world. It’s a common misconception that Japan is a largely cashless society owing to their love of technology, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
I even knew about this fact before our trip and was still shocked at how few places accepted credit card. Even in Tokyo we still ended up paying with cash at least half the time.
Fortunately, ATMs are pretty easy to find and offer English translations. You can reliably find ATMs in most train stations. If you aren’t near a train station, convenience stores like FamilyMart and 7/11 are another spot where you can find an ATM.
Both of these options are pretty easy to find in big cities, but if you’re going to be out on the road visiting Japan’s countryside, you may have a harder time. Whether that’s the case or not, it’s a good idea to always have around 10,000 yen on hand to cover any expenses you may come across.
Travel Tips for Japan #6 – Don’t Let High Yen Prices Shock You
Which leads me to my next travel tip for Japan: what to expect with regards to currency exchange rates and costs of goods. Japan was shockingly inexpensive!
I didn’t expect it to be particularly costly, but I was amazed at how far our money went. Most of our dinners came out to around $40, and that typically included at least two drinks. Lunch was even cheaper, averaging around $30. Breakfast usually consisted of a konbini meal or bento box at the train station, which cost between $8 and $12 or so per person depending on how much we got.
The other nice thing about expenses in Japan is that many of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions are free. I’m talking about the country’s many temples and shrines. Some of the more notorious ones have a fee of about $10 to enter, but many are completely free to enter. This includes Tokyo’s famed Senso-ji and Meiji Gingu, as well as most smaller religious sites across the country.
Kyoto was the only stop on our itinerary where we had a bit of trouble staying within our somewhat-flexible budget. Food and drinks were both a little more costly here and many of Kyoto’s 2,000 temples and shrines had a small fee to visit. Still, we only spent around $90 to $100 each day there (compared to about $80 most of the other days of our trip).
Travel Tips for Japan #7 – Should You Tip?
This one’s pretty simple: Don’t tip.
Unlike in America, tipping is not expected throughout Japan. Not only is tipping not expected, but you may even insult your waiter or host by trying to leave one.
If this is your first time traveling internationally, you may feel uncomfortable or like you’re doing something wrong by not leaving a tip, but don’t worry, it’s perfectly acceptable to not do so here. Many countries outside of America pay their service industry employees good wages so they don’t have to rely on tips.
Besides not leaving a tip, many restaurants have you pay at the front register. Once you notice this trend, it’s easy to spot which restaurants do that and which ones don’t, but at first, it may be a bit confusing if you don’t know what to expect.
Travel Tips for Japan #8 – Accessing the Internet
Unless you know the language, having reliable internet service on your phone is invaluable in Japan. Besides the fact that signs are rarely in English, many places, especially big cities, have so many streets and alleys going every which way that getting around becomes confusing. Add to that the often-bright lights and loud noises and it’s easy to get lost.
Having internet is also helpful if you are exploring without a guide. Because the culture is so different, we were constantly coming across things we wanted to look up to learn more about Japan.
Fortunately, free public Wi-Fi is fairly common, particularly in big cities. We found the most reliable internet in train and subway stations, but most cities offered it, as well. However, the city Wi-Fi wasn’t always the most reliable. For instance, Nara offered public Wi-Fi, but we never got it to work during our entire time there. You can also always ask at restaurants, cafes and bars for their Wi-Fi whenever you stop for a bite to eat or a drink. A final option is your hotel.
Except for one day where we had to pay for ATT&T’s International Day Pass, we were able to get by for 14 days like this. If you’re worried this won’t be enough, you can pay for roaming each day (cost depends on your carrier and plan), pay for an international SIM card or rent a mobile hot spot. The cost for either of those last two options will depend on the brand you go with and the duration of your trip.
Travel Tips for Japan #9 – How to Behave at Temples and Shrines
Japan’s many temples and shrines are some of its top attractions for people visiting the country. They are a window into Japan’s history and its modern-day culture. Moreover, these buildings and complexes are beautiful to behold, both in terms of their grandeur and intricate details.
During your visit, you may want to offer your own prayers either for your own spiritual reasons or just as a sign of respect. If that’s the case, you may also be a bit bewildered by what to do. Frankly, even though I learned what to do before our visit, I was still confused most of the time because it sometimes seemed like people just did whatever they wanted to do.
(In hindsight, I wonder if this was due to watching other tourists who didn’t know what to do.)
First off, you need to know the difference between temples and shrines. Shrines are places of worship for Shintoism whereas temples are for Buddhism. The easiest way to know the difference is by observing the gate when you enter. Simple torii gates are Shinto shrines and more elaborate gates are typically Buddhist temples.
Below are the steps for praying at Shinto shrines.
- Bow as you pass through the torii gate.
- Purify yourself at the wash basin by first cleaning your left hand, then your right hand and finally rinsing your mouth.
- Throw a few small coins into the offering box at the main shrine.
- If there’s a bell, ring it to let the gods know you’re there.
- Bow deeply twice, clap your hands together twice and keep your hands together to pray.
- Bow one more time before leaving.
- As you pass back under the torii, turn to face the shrine and bow one last time.
Buddhist temples follow fairly similar customs. The main difference when praying at a temple is when you go to actually pray. Here, place your hands together (do not clap), bow once, pray and then do one more small bow when you’re done.
Now, with all that said, the history of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan is so intertwined that what was customary at one became customary at the other. As far as I can tell, as long as you’re doing some combination of the above, you shouldn’t have to worry about being disrespectful.
Travel Tips for Japan #10 – Shinjuku can be Wild
This one isn’t a tip but rather a word of caution if you’re in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo: Be prepared for some culture shock!
Shinjuku is one of Japan’s most popular entertainment districts. If you’ve ever been to Times Square in New York City, take that and multiply it by 100. It’s pretty intense.
You’ll be confronted with blaring noises and bright lights almost everywhere you walk through Shinjuku. The skyscrapers are littered with LED signs advertising everything and anything while the sound of arcades and bars permeates the air. Every inch of space in Shinjuku desperately vies for your attention, which ironically makes it almost impossible to focus on any one thing for too long.
It’s all a bit overwhelming, especially if you’ve just arrived in Tokyo.
Then, there’s Kabuchiko. Kabuchiko is its own district within Shinjuku that caters towards a more mature audience. In other words, Kabuchiko is Shinjuku’s infamous red-light district.
Kabuchiko isn’t dangerous or even particularly graphic at street level. You can expect some suggestive ads and photos, but I would say it’s all pretty PG-13. If you have kids with you, they may ask some questions, but they won’t actually see anything too graphic.
It is a lot, though. If you’re uncomfortable with these types of things, you should avoid Kabuchiko. While it isn’t overly graphic, it is everywhere.
This includes the many touts out on the street shouting people down to try and find potential customers. People in a group can usually just ignore them, but if you’re alone, they can sometimes be relentless, especially if you’re a man. Make sure you’re firm in telling them no, and do not stop to give them any attention.
Travel Tips for Japan #11 – Look Up!
Unlike in America, where most buildings have restaurants and shops on the ground floor and residential space on most of the upper levels, Japan does things a bit differently. Its skyscrapers are filled with shops, malls, restaurants, bars, cafes and more from top to bottom.
This is especially true in big cities where every building seemed to have a never-ending supply of restaurants on every floor. It actually made me wonder where people even live.
Many buildings have vertical billboards advertising what is contained within or a listing somewhere near the stairway or elevator telling you what’s inside. Unfortunately, most of these signs are strictly in Japanese, so unless you’re using a translator app, it’s hard to know what’s there at a glance.
If you don’t have a way to translate these signs, don’t be afraid to head upstairs to see what you can find. Even if you don’t find anything that interests you, it’s a fun little adventure to see what all each building offers.
Travel Tips for Japan #12 – Onsen Etiquette
A trip to Japan is going to require a ton of walking whether it’s your first time there or your hundredth. What better way to relax at the end of the day than with one of Japan’s many onsens?
These hot spring-fed baths range from public bathhouses to smaller, private onsens in traditional ryokans. Before your visit, there are some rules and customs to be aware of to make your experience a smooth one.
The one that is likely to make many Americans uncomfortable is the nudity. Onsens are not only nude-friendly but require guests be naked. For this reason, public onsens are typically separated into male and female sections, and some may even have different hours for men and women.
While it may take some getting used to, after using shared onsens myself (and similar places in other parts of the world), I assure you no one is judging you. As long as you aren’t being awkward about it, most people likely won’t pay you any attention at all.
When you arrive at the onsen, you can expect either lockers or baskets to store your belongings in while there. Japan is generally a very safe place, so you should be able to soak without worrying about your things being stolen. Still, it’s smart to not being much money or anything else valuable just to be safe.
After disrobing, it’s time to shower. Onsens provide shower services to guests so they can wash away any grease, makeup or other dirt to keep the onsen water pure. These showers are also nice to use afterwards for a cold rinse to bring your body temperature back down. If you use a stool while showering, it’s considered polite to rinse that off after you’re done.
Those are the big things to be aware of when visiting an onsen. Asides from that, take your time and relax in the hot water. It’s considered customary to keep to yourself while in the onsen, so take this opportunity to just rest in relative silence!
Travel Tips for Japan #13 – Don’t Stress Over the Bidets
Those were my most important travel tips for Japan, but I still have three more things to help you out.
Be prepared to see almost nothing but bidets during your trip to Japan. If you aren’t familiar with bidets, they’re toilets that clean your nether regions after you’re done with your business. Most basic bidets only do that, but some of the fancier ones in Japan come with all sorts of settings. Unfortunately, not every bidet has English translations available which can make them hard to use.
It’s important to know the general buttons so you can make use of the bidet. The most essential button turns on the spray. Bidets have a front and back spray function. You may be able to guess, but the front spray is for women and the back spray is for your rear end. It should be pretty obvious which is which based on the pictures. After you’re done being cleaned, press the stop button.
The second most important buttons control the pressure of the spray. I always made sure to adjust this to a lower setting before using the spray. Too much intensity can be a bit alarming! Look for these symbols 水勢 to know where the pressure buttons are.
Another useful button on some bidets turns on sound. If you’re afraid of being a little noisy, press this button for some music or sound effects to get some privacy. Yes, everyone will know why you have the noise going, but it’s better than them hearing everything that’s happening.
Travel Tips for Japan #14 – Stash Your Trash
Japan has an almost comical lack of public garbage cans and recycling bins. I read about this before our trip, but I shrugged it off, saying that it couldn’t be that much different than anywhere else.
How wrong I was. It’s not just that Japan has less garbage cans than other countries. They have virtually no garbage cans! At first it was a little amusing. “Look at how there are no garbage cans – how quirky!” However, once that initial bemusement wore off and we had things that needed thrown away, it became a bit of an annoyance.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to work around this issue as long as you’re prepared for it. Simply make sure you have a backpack, purse or something else similar with a separate compartment to carry your trash around in. If you’re concerned about your things getting dirty, pick up some bags from a convenience store or save any bags from things you buy.
Japan’s lack of public garbage cans extends to its bathrooms, too. In fact, many bathrooms don’t even have paper towels to avoid people leaving them on the ground. You’ll notice many Japanese people carry around small hand towels they use for drying their hands (or, on hot days, dabbing sweat off their faces). You can purchase a cheap towel to carry around with you for these instances if you don’t like using your clothes to dry your hands.
Travel Tips for Japan # 15 – Keep Cool with Body Wipes
A fellow American traveler clued us in on the last of my travel tips for Japan. While walking along Japan’s streets, you may notice cooling body wipes at the front of various stores. You likely also noticed that Japan is hot and humid if you’re there during warmer months of the year.
These wipes are designed to keep you cool on hot days. They’re made with a variety of ingredients to keep you comfortable while sightseeing. I also used them as a makeshift napkin if I was eating things on the go.
They weren’t perfect, but they were better than nothing. I found them to be particularly helpful whenever we were sitting. Trying to use them while actively walking around felt nice, but the effect didn’t last too long. With that said, they’re pretty inexpensive, so if you see them, pick up a pack and see what you think.
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