16 ESSENTIAL Japan Tips for First-Time Travelers

Traveling to Japan? Get JR Rail Pass & Pocket Wifi Here: click.jrpass.com/SH5O

I’m Japanese. Please carry cash with you. In particular, most shrines and temples only accept cash. And always carry 1,000 yen bill with you. There is a currency exchange machine on the bus, but 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen bill can’t be used.

I visited Japan about 3 years ago - because of a flight issue at Dubai I arrived in Japan about 2am. I was advised the trains wouldn't be running at that time so when waiting for my flight in Dubai to take me to Tokyo, I went online and searched for a taxi service to collect me from Haneda to my hotel in Tokyo. I was amazed at the companies in Tokyo that offered to collect me from Haneda - I booked and paid for the taxi whist waiting in Dubai. I was very sceptical about there being no Taxi there to pick me up when I arrived in Tokyo. I needn't have worried, because waiting at one of the airports exits was a taxi driver holding up a sign with my name on it. A fantastic service. Yes the taxi was expensive (cost me about £110) but because the flight delay in Dubai wasn't my fault, my insurance company refunded me most of that cost. £110 is expensive but for the peace of mind and no hassle, I'd do it again. Oh and Japan was wonderful. I am going back soon. If you're thinking of going - do it, you won't regret it & you'll meet some of the most polite, helpful people you could wish to meet. 👍

Just got back from Japan. FYI viewers, Taxi is NOT that expensive after the exchange rate and they are EVERYWHERE! If you have a family of 4, it's easy, quick and not expensive to go wherever you want to get to and you save a TON of time, no reservations necessary not even from the airport. 2ND if you have ATT, activate the international roaming, it cost us $25 per day for all 4 of use to use 4 phones just as we would at home. 3RD, around Tokyo, EVERYONE takes credit card. Lastly, use Travelocity to grab your hotel and IMO stay around major Tokyo cities, not in them. Such as Akasaka. My "biggest" recommendation is to print out where you want to go and your hotel's address on paper in both Japanese and English, despite whatever you read, no, 99% of the Japanese we encountered in Tokyo did not understand English in any form or fashion and this was a life saver.

Thanks for the info! I'll be flying there in 4 weeks and this helped alleviate some of my anxiety

This is the most informative video! Each topic is concise, did not waste any second of my day. Literally everything a first time traveller should need to know. I'm happy I came across this. Thank you so much!

Nice tips and great presentation! My points that i missed in your video: Plan enough time for your trip. It takes time to accommodate. So rather than the usual one or two weeks, add two or three days, otherwise it will feel rushed. It also allows you to take cheaper flights during the week. And: You don't need to use the JR Pass for your whole stay or beyond that; You can spend one or two weeks riding the shinkansen every day but you don't have to. If you don't know what food is good, look at the waiting lines. In Japan you normally don't have reservations, so you instantly know what places are popular, even if they don't show up on Google Maps. Don't trust Tripadvisor; If some place has a nice rating and you don't see anyone waiting, you know that something is off or this place is just a tourist trap. Some of these tourist traps ask their visitors explicitly for a nice comment.

Super informative video also love the two week itinerary both have great video great video composition and informative details like price. I will be heading to Japan in April thanks for making the preparation towards the trip better

Going to Japan is on my bucket list ❤❤❤

I love the Matrix sound effect used for Tip 2. Small detail but amusing haha

I visited japan in March. I love every minute of it. This video is very helpful and on-key.

Vending machines are your friend and they are everywhere. I always use Limo bus from the airport to my hotel. They are comfortable, convenient and have free wifi. Everyday when we were exploring cities 7/i (7eleven) is fantastic and cheap for lunch and most have seating inside. Same for Lawson and Family Mart but I found these 2 usually dont have seating inside and your pulling up pavement to eat. If your hotel has a microwave and a fridge find a grocery store and have a feast in your room. We just got back from mt Fuji / Fujikyu Highlands trip and there is a grocery store at the back entrance of Fujikyu highlands. We didnt want a heavy meal so we got stuff from the grocery store and were satisfied and on the cheap. Don Xijote and Daiso for souveniers on the cheap. Pocari Sweat and Aquarius are orange flavored water. That's was surprising my first time drinking them.

Most underrated video 💯 recommended for traveller going to Japan

DO NOT skip booking hotels in advance. If it's not fully offseason, you will be left with only capsule hotels as your only cheap option. By bookin well in advance (over 1 month), you will be able to pick cheap hotels with option to cancel a few days before. This way you have the option to switch hotel if better deal opens, thought at least I haven't seen any during my trip in 5/2023...

By the way... My top 5 favorite cities in Japan: 1st - Kyoto 2nd - Hiroshima 3rd - Tokyo 4th - Mastomoto 5th - Osaka

Thank you for your tips, they are very helpful. I am going to Japan on April for a whole month. In my case, I wont get the JR pass even I will visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima etc. I will be traveling to the nearest cities and villages and moving on to the southwest, (Not long distances) I checked the JR calculator and expected to be even fares, also I want to have more option for transportation, more flexible and less stress.

Hi, Thank you for informative video! I’m going to Japan in 10 days and would like to share my additional tips based on my pretty extensive (15-20 hours) research: 1) JR Pass with its new price of 332$/week is really expensive and unless you planning to hopping on 4 different cities within a week it will be a waste of money. In most cases I’d say do not buy JR Pass. Do your research and evaluate if it will work for you, even if it’s so obviously promoted. 2) I changed my VPN and hotel prices were the same. In my opinion, considering how popular Japan I’d definitely prioritize having a booking over possibility of saving some money in case of getting a booking after landing. Rooms in hotels we booked couple months ago are all gone now. 3) Booking in advance also applies to trains. We decided to buy tickets online for our trip Tokyo -> Kyoto and seats were very limited. I’m very happy we didn’t follow the popular advise of buying tickets on a stations, because we probably would be in trouble.

Amazing video , I’m going next week and I would have been screwed without you

Heading back to Japan for my birthday in October. Even tho I’ve been before these are still some good tips. Def vouch for the JR pass. Such a convenient deal

im only 15 at the moment but i want to move to japan as soon as possible and visit tokyo ive spent 3 years studying japanese culture and language