Japan is an easy country to fall for and a slightly harder one to plan. Tokyo can feel like several cities joined by train lines, Kyoto has temples on almost every hillside, and Osaka seems to organize its evenings around food. Then there are the mountains, the hot springs, and the small towns between them. It's a lot of choice for one trip.
The practical side is more manageable than it first appears. Trains run on time, convenience stores sell almost everything, and the main cities are very comfortable for a first visit. A few things still catch people out, though: cash, luggage on the bullet train, quiet carriages, and how tax-free shopping works.
Below is what I'd want to know before booking: when to go, how to get around, how to pay, which cities to start with, the etiquette worth learning, and a few practical tips for when you land.
Before You Go
Many travelers can visit Japan without a visa. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the countries and regions with visa exemption arrangements, and for most of them a short-term stay is up to 90 days. A few nationalities get a shorter period, and others need a visa, so check the official list for your passport rather than relying on what a friend was told.
You may have heard about JESTA, Japan's planned electronic travel authorization. It isn't running yet, so for now there's nothing extra to apply for.
What I would do is register with Visit Japan Web before you fly. It's the government's online service for immigration and customs information, and it generates QR codes you can show on arrival. It's free. Be wary of any website that asks you to pay for it.
One more cost is already in your airfare. Japan's departure tax, the International Tourist Tax, is ¥3,000 per departure. Airlines normally include it in the ticket price, so you won't pay it separately at the airport.
When to Visit Japan
Spring and autumn are the seasons I'd start with. Late March and early April bring the cherry blossoms to Tokyo and Kyoto, while November is when the autumn leaves usually turn in both cities. The weather is comfortable for walking all day, which is how you'll spend a lot of time here. The catch is that everyone else knows this too. Book accommodation early and expect company at the famous viewpoints.
Bloom and foliage dates move every year and vary a lot by region. They arrive earlier in the south and later in Hokkaido and the mountains. Forecasts appear closer to the season. Treat any specific date you read months in advance as a rough estimate.
Summer is hot and humid in most of the country. The rainy season usually runs through June and into July across much of Japan, and typhoons are most likely in late summer and early autumn. None of that means you should skip summer. It's festival season, and it's the time for hiking or climbing Mount Fuji during the official climbing period. Just plan indoor options and keep an eye on forecasts.
Winter is cold but often clear and bright in Tokyo and Kyoto, and it's ski season in Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps. I'd avoid the New Year period if you want everything open, since many businesses close for a few days.
Three domestic holiday periods are worth checking against your dates: Golden Week from late April into early May, Obon in mid-August, and New Year. Trains, hotels, and popular sights get much busier at these times.
Getting Around Japan
Shinkansen and the JR Pass
Japan's bullet trains are the easiest way to cover longer distances. The Tokaido Shinkansen links Tokyo with Kyoto and Osaka, and the network continues west toward Hiroshima and Fukuoka and north toward Tohoku and Hokkaido. Reserved seats are worth having in busy periods. You can book online or at ticket offices and machines in major stations.
Large luggage needs a little planning. On the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags with total dimensions over 160 cm need a reserved seat with an oversized-baggage area. Check the rules before you travel, or skip the problem entirely by sending your suitcase ahead (more on that below).
The Japan Rail Pass is worth a quick calculation before you buy. A 7-day ordinary pass costs ¥50,000 through the official online store, or ¥53,000 through an overseas agency, so buying it online is the cheaper route. For a simple Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka round trip, individual tickets usually work out cheaper. The pass starts to make sense when you add longer journeys, like Hiroshima or a trip up north, inside the same seven days. Price your actual route on a fare calculator before buying one.
Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA
For city trains, subways, and buses, get a rechargeable IC card. Suica and PASMO are the main cards in Tokyo, and ICOCA is the main one around Kyoto and Osaka. They work across each other's areas for most local travel, and you can use them at convenience stores and vending machines too. Standard physical Suica and PASMO cards are on sale at station machines, though stock at individual machines can vary.
Visitors also have a couple of dedicated options. Welcome Suica is a deposit-free physical card for tourists, valid for 28 days, sold at airports and selected JR East stations. On a compatible iPhone, the Welcome Suica Mobile app lets you set up a Suica in Apple Wallet and top it up with Apple Pay. JR East says it's valid for 180 days. Whichever you choose, unused balance on the visitor versions isn't refunded, so don't load more than you need.
An IC card covers your everyday travel. It isn't a substitute for a Shinkansen ticket, so budget for those separately.
Luggage Forwarding
This is one of my favorite things about traveling in Japan. Luggage delivery services, often called takkyubin, can send your suitcase from one hotel to the next, or to and from the airport. Your hotel front desk or a convenience store can usually help you arrange it. It usually takes a day or more, so pack a small overnight bag and send the big case ahead before your train day. Climbing station stairs with a suitcase is nobody's favorite memory.
Driving
You won't need a car in the cities, and I wouldn't want one in Tokyo. For rural areas like Hokkaido or the countryside of Kyushu, a rental car can be useful. Japan drives on the left, and most visitors need an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, plus their home license. Some nationalities use an official translation instead, so check the rules for your license before you arrive at the rental desk.
Money in Japan
The currency is the Japanese yen. Card and mobile payments are much more widely accepted than they once were, especially in hotels, chain restaurants, department stores, and convenience stores. Even so, I'd still carry some cash. Small restaurants, older shops, temple admission desks, and rural businesses may be cash-only.
ATMs at 7-Eleven stores and post offices generally accept foreign cards, which makes getting cash easy. Check your bank's foreign withdrawal fees before you go. When a machine or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choosing yen is usually the better deal.
There's no tipping culture in Japan. Good service is expected, not added to the bill, and leaving extra money can cause confusion. Some higher-end restaurants and hotels add a service charge, which will be shown on the bill.
Tax-Free Shopping
Visitors can get the consumption tax back on purchases at participating tax-free shops. You pay the full price in store and show your passport. Then, when you leave Japan, you have the goods checked at customs before you check in your bags, and the refund follows.
Purchases need to total ¥5,000 or more (before tax) per shop per day, and you'll bring the items with you in your luggage when you depart. Refunds can be paid in different ways, such as to a card or through an app, so ask the shop how theirs works when you buy.
Key Cities to Start With
Tokyo
Tokyo is where most first trips begin, and it's easiest to think of it as a collection of neighborhoods. Shinjuku and Shibuya are the big, bright hubs. Asakusa has Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, with its shopping street leading up to the main hall. Ueno has the park and museums, and Harajuku and Omotesando sit beside the forested grounds of Meiji Jingu.
I'd stay near a station on the JR Yamanote Line, which loops around central Tokyo. Shinjuku and Shibuya are convenient but busy. Areas like Ginza, Tokyo Station, or Ueno can be calmer and still well connected. Give Tokyo at least three full days. It's a huge city, and you'll want time to wander rather than ticking boxes.
Kyoto
Kyoto was Japan's capital for over a thousand years, and it shows. Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, the streets of Higashiyama, and Arashiyama are the classic first-visit stops. They're spread across the city, so group them by area. Our first-time guide to Kyoto goes through five places in more detail, including how I'd split them over three days.
Kyoto is busy at its famous sights, especially in spring and autumn. Early mornings help a lot. So does remembering that Gion and Higashiyama are neighborhoods where people live and work, not open-air museums.
Osaka
Osaka is about 15 minutes from Kyoto on the Shinkansen, or a little longer on regular trains, and it has a very different feel. It's louder, more casual, and very serious about food. Dotonbori's neon canal and street-food stands are the famous stop. Try takoyaki and okonomiyaki while you're there. Osaka Castle and its park are worth a morning.
Osaka also makes a practical base. It has plenty of hotels and an international airport, Kansai, and it's an easy day trip from there to Kyoto, Nara, or Kobe.
Nara
Nara works well as a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka. The park is known for its deer, which wander freely and will bow, nudge, and occasionally chase you for the crackers sold nearby. Todai-ji, with its giant bronze Buddha, is the main attraction. Treat the deer politely, and keep paper maps and snacks out of reach.
Hiroshima and Miyajima
Hiroshima is a meaningful stop on a longer route west. The Peace Memorial Park and Museum tell the story of the 1945 atomic bombing, and I'd give the museum proper time rather than squeezing it in. Nearby Miyajima, reached by ferry, has Itsukushima Shrine and its famous torii gate standing in the water at high tide. Check the tide times if you want to see it that way.
Beyond the Big Cities
With more time, the options open up quickly. Hakone is a classic hot-spring area within reach of Tokyo, with views of Mount Fuji on a clear day. Kanazawa has one of Japan's most celebrated gardens, Kenroku-en. Hokkaido is the place for powder snow in winter and open countryside in summer, and Okinawa has beaches and a subtropical climate. I'd add one of these only if it doesn't turn your trip into a series of train days.
Japanese Etiquette Worth Knowing
You don't need to master every custom, and people are generally understanding with visitors. A few habits make a real difference, though.
On trains, keep your voice down and set your phone to silent. Avoid phone calls on board. Line up where the markings on the platform show, and let people off before you board. Escalator etiquette differs by region: in Tokyo people generally stand on the left, while in Osaka it's usually the right. Follow what everyone around you is doing.
Take your shoes off when you enter homes, traditional inns, some temples, and some restaurants. A step up at the entrance, a shoe rack, or a pair of slippers waiting for you are the usual signs. Separate toilet slippers are common too, so don't wear them back into the room.
Public bins are surprisingly hard to find. Carry a small bag for your rubbish and dispose of it at your hotel or beside convenience store bins. Eating while walking is frowned upon in many places. Finish your snack near where you bought it, which is also what many shops prefer.
At hot springs, wash thoroughly at the showers before getting into the bath, and keep your towel out of the water. Many onsen restrict guests with tattoos. Policies vary, so check in advance if that applies to you. Some places allow small tattoos to be covered, and some offer private baths.
At temples and shrines, follow the signs about photography and restricted areas. In historic districts like Gion, don't photograph people on private streets or stop geiko and maiko for pictures. With chopsticks, don't stand them upright in a bowl of rice or pass food from chopstick to chopstick. Both are associated with funerals.
A Few More Practical Tips
A working phone makes Japan much easier, from train connections to translating a menu, and free Wi-Fi gets patchy once you're on the move. For most travelers, an eSIM is the simplest fix: install it before you fly and you're online when you land. If you're wondering about the best eSIM for Japan, I'd look for unlimited data on a major local network. The Japan Unlimited Data eSIM from our friends at Earth Esim runs on the au network, starts from $10, and code GL15 takes 15% off full-price plans.
Japan uses Type A plugs, the two flat pins also used in North America, at 100 volts. Most phone and laptop chargers handle this fine, but check anything with a heating element, like a hair straightener.
For emergencies, dial 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance. JNTO runs the Japan Visitor Hotline at 050-3816-2787, available 24 hours a day, for tourist information and help in an emergency. Save it in your phone before you travel.
Travel insurance is worth having. Medical care in Japan is excellent, but visitors aren't covered by the national health system.
How Long Do You Need in Japan?
For a first trip, I'd suggest 10 days to two weeks. That's enough for a few nights in Tokyo, three or four in Kyoto, and time for Osaka and Nara, without spending half your holiday in transit. With a week, I'd stick to Tokyo and Kyoto and accept that you'll want to come back. Most people do.
Book your accommodation and any long-distance trains first, especially in spring and autumn. After that, Japan is a surprisingly easy country to keep flexible. If you're combining it with more time in Asia, our 10-day Vietnam itinerary and Bangkok hotel guide are good next places to plan. Give Japan its own unhurried days, though. It rewards slowing down.