Trip to Japan

The list adapts to you

When you add it, the checklist asks a couple of questions and keeps only the items that fit your situation.

• Traveling with kids? NoYes

What's inside

1. Check visa rules

   Many nationalities enter visa-free for up to 90 days, others need to apply ahead. Rules change — verify current requirements for your passport before booking.

2. Buy travel medical insurance

   Japanese healthcare is excellent and very expensive for visitors. A doctor's visit without insurance easily runs into hundreds of dollars.

3. Check your medicines against import rules

   Japan is strict: pseudoephedrine (found in common cold meds) and several everyday drugs are banned. Prescription meds beyond a one-month supply may need a Yakkan Shoumei certificate arranged in advance.

4. Get cash yen

   Plenty of places — from ramen shops to temples — are still cash only. ATMs in 7-Eleven and other konbini reliably accept foreign cards; don't count on card payments everywhere.

5. Pack a coin purse

   Yen means mountains of coins: vending machines, temple offerings, small purchases. Without a coin purse they end up in every pocket.

6. Set up a Suica or Pasmo IC card

   One card covers metro, trains, buses, vending machines and konbini nationwide. Suica lives in Apple Wallet and tops up from your phone — no need to hunt for a physical card.

7. Do the math on the JR Pass

   Since the big price hike the JR Pass no longer pays off for everyone: run your route through a fare calculator first. Individual shinkansen tickets often come out cheaper.

8. Make copies of your documents

   Passport and insurance photos to cloud storage, paper copies separate from originals. You're required to carry your passport in Japan.

9. Pack a first aid kit within the rules

   Fever reducer, painkiller, plasters, your regular meds — each checked against import rules first. Japanese pharmacies are great but tricky without the language.

10. Comfortable shoes and hole-free socks

    20k-step days are normal. You'll take shoes off a lot — temples, ryokan, some restaurants — so your socks will be on display.

11. Check the season before packing

    Summers are hot and humid, August–October is typhoon season (watch forecasts), Tokyo winters are sunny but windy. A compact umbrella earns its place year-round.

12. Get a plug adapter for type A sockets

    Japan uses flat type A plugs at 100V. European and UK plugs need an adapter — pack one or a universal travel adapter.

13. Arrange an eSIM or pocket wi-fi

    An eSIM (Airalo, Ubigi and similar) is cheaper than router rental and works on landing. Pocket wi-fi makes sense for a group with many devices.

14. Download offline maps and a translator

    Google Maps handles Japanese transit brilliantly. Add Japanese to your offline translator plus photo translation for menus.

15. Book accommodation early

    For cherry blossom season (late March–April) and autumn leaves (November) rooms sell out months ahead and prices double. Off-season is far calmer.

16. Reserve shinkansen seats

    Oversized luggage (over 160cm combined) requires the special baggage-area seats on many lines — reserve ahead or face a surcharge.

17. Look into takuhaibin luggage forwarding

    Services like Yamato forward your suitcase hotel-to-hotel in a day or two for little money. Riding the shinkansen hands-free is a different life.

18. Tattoos? Find tattoo-friendly onsen

    Many public onsen and sento still refuse guests with tattoos. Search out tattoo-friendly baths or book a private one (kashikiri) in advance.

19. Learn the basic etiquette

    No phone calls on trains, no eating while walking, queue precisely. It's not a formality — everyone around you actually does this.

20. Carry a small trash bag

    Public trash cans barely exist in Japan — people carry their rubbish home or to a konbini. A small bag in your backpack solves it.

21. Remember: no tipping

    Japan has no tipping culture anywhere — leaving money confuses or offends. Staff may chase you down to return what you 'forgot'.

22. Keep your passport handy for tax-free shopping

    Purchases over ¥5,000 at many stores are tax-exempt right at the till — but only with your passport.

23. Check kids' transit fares Yes

    Under-6s ride free, ages 6–11 pay half fare, shinkansen included. Kids can get their own discounted IC card.

24. With a stroller, scout metro elevators ahead Yes

    Stations often have exactly one elevator hidden in a far corner. Transit apps mark elevator exits — check before you ride, not at the stairs.

25. Plan food your kid will actually eat Yes

    Small restaurants may have no kids' menu. Konbini save the day: onigiri, yogurt, fruit and familiar snacks on every corner, 24/7.

26. Kids' first aid kit checked against import rules Yes

    Child-dose fever reducer and your usual remedies — each verified against Japan's import rules. Finding exact equivalents locally without Japanese is hard.

27. Pack quiet entertainment for trains Yes

    Japanese trains are silent, and a loud kid draws every eye in the car. Headphones, coloring books and stickers are a shinkansen parent's best friends.