First Time in Japan: A Complete Beginner's Guide

Japan is easier for a first-timer than its reputation suggests: most Western passports get 90 days without a visa, trains run to the minute, and you can travel for two weeks without speaking Japanese. What trips people up is practical, and all of it can be sorted before you fly:

• Entry: no visa for US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passports on a holiday of up to 90 days. Register on Visit Japan Web before you go.
• Money: cards cover most spending, but small restaurants, shrines and the countryside still run on cash. Carry ¥10,000 to ¥20,000.
• Trains: get a Suica on your iPhone or at the airport, and skip the JR Pass for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka: ¥50,000 for the pass against ¥29,470 in single tickets.
• Phone: buy an eSIM at home. Maps, translation and train times all run through it.
• Timing: late March to early April, or November. Avoid New Year, Golden Week and Obon, or book very early.

Ten to fourteen days covers Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima without rushing. The route, the costs and the etiquette that actually matters are below, with links to our deeper guides.

Visas and Entry Rules for Japan (2026)

Japan waives visas for 74 countries and regions. Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and all 27 EU countries get up to 90 days as a tourist, and UK, German, Irish, Austrian, Swiss and Mexican citizens can extend that to six months. Thailand and Indonesia get 15 days with an ePassport (Indonesians register it first); the Philippines and Vietnam need a visa. Check your passport on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list.

• Visit Japan Web: register on the free Visit Japan Web site for one QR code covering immigration and customs, and ignore lookalike sites that charge a fee. The form is easier on a laptop, but the code must be shown on a phone, so log in there before you fly and stay logged in: it then opens offline. Our Visit Japan Web walkthrough.
• Departure tax: ¥3,000 since July 1, 2026 (it was ¥1,000, and older tickets keep that rate). Airlines include it in the fare.
• JESTA: an online pre-travel approval for visa-free visitors, like the US ESTA, is planned for fiscal 2028 (April 2028 to March 2029). Nothing extra is needed until then.
• Medication: some ordinary medicines are restricted, so read bringing medication to Japan before you pack.

When to Go on a First Trip

Go in late March to early April for cherry blossoms, or in November for autumn leaves and settled weather. Tokyo's blossoms normally open around March 24 and peak around March 31, with Kyoto a few days behind; our cherry blossom forecast tracks the real dates. November is drier than October, and typhoons rarely reach the main islands by then. May and October are good runners-up, while July and August are hot and humid: summer 2025 was the hottest Japan has recorded.

How Much Does a First Trip to Japan Cost?

Plan on about ¥10,000 per person per day as a backpacker, ¥20,000 mid-range and ¥40,000 in comfort, covering your room (shared by two, except in a dorm), food, local transport and sightseeing. Our daily budget breakdown shows the prices behind those numbers. The hotel is the part that swings: Kyoto rooms cost about three times as much in cherry blossom and autumn leaf weeks as in January. Long-distance trains come on top (Tokyo to Kyoto is ¥14,170 on a reserved Nozomi). On the ground, costs are modest: a Kyoto bus ride is ¥230 and Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall is ¥800.

Cash, Cards and ATMs in Japan

Bring a card and some cash. In 2025, 58% of consumer spending in Japan was cashless, most of it on credit cards, and in the big cities cards work in most shops, restaurants and taxis. Small family restaurants, shrines, temples and much of the countryside still expect yen.

• ATMs: the Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven stores (over 28,000, plus machines at Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports) take all the major foreign card brands, up to ¥100,000 a withdrawal. Japan Post Bank ATMs, in post offices and many FamilyMarts, allow ¥50,000 and may charge ¥220. Fees are per withdrawal, so fewer, larger withdrawals cost less.
• Choose yen when the ATM offers to bill you in your home currency, so your own card issuer does the conversion.
• Coins pile up fast. A wallet with a coin pocket helps, and your IC card pays at konbini and vending machines.

Tax-Free Shopping Changes on November 1, 2026

Shops with a "Tax-Free" sign refund the consumption tax (10% on most goods) when you spend ¥5,000 or more before tax in one shop on one day and show your passport. Until October 31, 2026, the tax comes off at the till. From November 1, you pay the full price, then scan your passport at a tax-free kiosk in the departure lobby, within 90 days of buying and before you check in your bags, and the shop or its refund agent pays the tax back. Keep every item with you: if one thing from a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt qualifies. The Japan Tourism Agency's traveller page has the details.

Where to Stay in Japan

For most first-timers, a business hotel next to a big station is the best value: small, spotless rooms that make early trains easy. In Tokyo, a double at a chain business hotel cost about ¥15,000 to ¥22,000 a night on a January weeknight in most areas when we checked, and ¥25,000 or more in cherry blossom week. Toyoko Inn, APA and Dormy Inn are reliable chains, and Dormy Inns add big public baths and free late-night soba. Hostel dorm beds run about ¥3,000 to ¥5,000, and a capsule hotel is worth one night for the experience.

Book one night in a ryokan, ideally in Hakone or another hot-spring town: tatami, futon, a hot bath, and usually dinner and breakfast, priced per person rather than per room. It's one of those experiences people remember years later, and the kaiseki dinner alone is worth it.

Location matters more than the room. In Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ueno are easy bases; in Osaka, Namba or Umeda; in Kyoto, Kyoto Station or downtown around Kawaramachi. Our area guides for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka name verified hotels, and our Airbnb guide covers the rules for holiday rentals.

Getting Around Japan

Get an IC Card on Day One

An IC card pays train and bus fares with a tap and works in shops and vending machines. It covers all the big-city networks, though one journey can't cross from one IC region into another (Tokyo to Sendai, say).

• iPhone: add Suica to Apple Wallet, or use JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile app (valid 180 days; the balance isn't refunded).
• Everyone else: buy a Welcome Suica at the Narita or Haneda Terminal 3 stations, or at the JR East Travel Service Centers in Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro and Ueno stations. It needs no deposit and lasts 28 days, but top-ups are cash only and the balance isn't refunded, so spend it down. The new TOURIST PASMO, sold since May 2026 at Keikyu's Haneda stations and Keisei's Narita stations, works the same way. A regular Suica takes a refundable ¥500 deposit.

Shinkansen and the JR Pass

The Shinkansen links the big cities: Tokyo to Kyoto in 2 hours 15 minutes on the Nozomi, Shin-Osaka in 2 hours 30, Hiroshima in about 3 hours 50. Buy a bento on the platform; eating on board is completely normal. How to book Shinkansen tickets covers seats, luggage and the apps.

The 7-day JR Pass costs ¥50,000 on the official site (¥53,000 through overseas agents from October 1, 2026), and stations no longer sell it over the counter. A Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka loop is ¥29,470 in single tickets, so the pass only pays on longer loops, such as Tokyo to Fukuoka and back within the week. For Kansai plus Hiroshima, JR West's Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5 days, ¥17,000) is the better buy.

Getting Around Cities

In Tokyo and Osaka, subways and JR lines reach almost everything, and Google Maps routes them well. Kyoto is the exception: its two subway lines miss many of the famous temples, so you'll ride buses (¥230 a ride) or buy a Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass (¥1,100, worth it from the fifth bus ride). The buses near the big temples get packed in peak season, and a rented bicycle is a good alternative in flat central Kyoto.

• From the airport: Haneda is 25 to 45 minutes and under ¥750 to most central Tokyo stations; Narita takes 45 to 90 minutes and ¥1,060 to ¥3,330. Our airport transfer guide picks the right train or bus for your hotel.
• Taxis are metered and clean. The GO app works in all 47 prefectures and takes international cards.
• Send your suitcase ahead. Yamato's TA-Q-BIN takes a 140-size case from Tokyo to Kyoto for ¥2,310 (¥100 less if you drop it off yourself), normally by the next day, and hotel front desks arrange it. The Japan Tourism Agency asks visitors to keep big luggage out of crowded spaces, and one rush-hour ride with a suitcase shows why. How luggage forwarding works.

Phone and Internet: Get an eSIM

Buy an eSIM before you fly if your phone supports one. It activates when you land and turns your phone into map, translator and timetable, which you'll lean on in the big stations. Our eSIM guide compares the providers. Pocket WiFi still suits a family sharing one connection, but it's one more device to charge, carry and return.

Eating in Japan

Food is what most people talk about when they get home, and it delivers at every price: a counter-seat bowl of ramen can stay with you as long as a kaiseki dinner. A few things work differently:

• Ticket machines (kenbaiki): at many ramen shops and casual chains you pay at a machine by the door and hand the ticket to the staff. The top-left button is often the house favourite.
• Water or tea and a wet towel (oshibori) come free at almost every sit-down restaurant.
• Pay at the register by the door at most casual places, and use the table button to call staff when you want to order more.
• No tipping. It isn't practised in Japan and causes confusion rather than goodwill.
• The small dish you didn't order at an izakaya is otoshi, a cover charge of a few hundred yen, not a mistake.

What to eat: ramen by region (miso in Sapporo, pork-bone tonkotsu in Fukuoka, shoyu and dipping tsukemen in Tokyo); okonomiyaki, mixed in Osaka and layered with noodles in Hiroshima, so try both; conveyor-belt sushi at chains like Sushiro and Kura Sushi; and konbini onigiri, egg sandwiches and fried chicken, which in Japan aren't a guilty pleasure but simply how people eat. The restaurant guide for first-timers and the guide to Japanese drinks go further.

Japanese Etiquette That Actually Matters

Nobody expects visitors to know every rule. Get these right, and our etiquette guide covers the rest:

• Shoes off where the floor steps up: homes, ryokan, temple halls and many traditional restaurants. Slip-on shoes make it painless.
• Quiet on trains. Phone on silent ("manner mode"), no calls, voices low. The calm is one of the best things about riding them.
• Don't eat while walking, and carry your rubbish. Public bins are rare, and the Japan Tourism Agency asks visitors to take their trash with them.
• Smoke only in designated areas. Smoking while walking can bring a fine.
• Ask before photographing people, geiko and maiko in Gion included.

At Shrines and Temples

Many people bow slightly before walking through a shrine's torii gate. At the water basin, rinse your left hand, then your right, then pour a little water into your left palm to rinse your mouth (the ladle never touches your lips), and rinse your left hand once more. At the hall, drop in a coin if you like, then bow twice, clap twice, pray, and bow once. At Buddhist temples you bow but don't clap. Photos are usually fine outdoors; inside halls, look for signs.

Onsen (Hot Springs)

Wash at the showers before you get in, no swimwear, keep your towel out of the water and tie long hair up. After the first minute, the self-consciousness fades. Tattoos are generally not allowed in hot springs and public baths, though some places make exceptions, and a private bath (kashikiri-buro) sidesteps the question. The onsen etiquette guide goes step by step.

The Classic First-Time Route (10 to 14 Days)

There's a reason most first-time visitors follow a similar path: the Shinkansen strings Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima along one line. Ten days covers it comfortably, and fourteen adds day trips and slack. Our classic 2-week itinerary lays it out day by day, and the 7-day first-timer version trims it to a week.

Tokyo (3 to 4 days)

Each Tokyo neighbourhood feels like a different city: Shibuya's crossing and youth culture, Shinjuku's skyscrapers and nightlife, Asakusa's Senso-ji, Akihabara's anime and electronics, Harajuku's street fashion next to Meiji Shrine.

Don't miss: Tsukiji Outer Market for a breakfast of sushi and tamagoyaki. Meiji Shrine for a moment of calm in the forest. Shibuya Sky or Tokyo Skytree for the view. Golden Gai in Shinjuku for its tiny bars. In the evening, Ginza has the department store food halls (depachika) and Ebisu a more local dining scene.

Day Trip: Hakone or Kamakura

Hakone means hot springs, a lake cruise, a ropeway and Mt. Fuji on clear days, about 90 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu Romancecar. The Hakone Freepass (¥7,100 for 2 days from Shinjuku) covers the Odakyu round trip and unlimited rides on eight kinds of transport around Hakone, the Lake Ashi pirate ship and ropeway among them; the Romancecar needs a ¥1,200 limited express ticket on top.

Kamakura is a coastal temple town with the Great Buddha, 56 minutes from Tokyo Station on the JR Yokosuka Line (¥1,040). Get a shirasu-don (whitebait rice bowl) near Komachi-dori. If you want an onsen without staying overnight, pick Hakone.

Kyoto (2 to 3 days)

Kyoto is where Japan's traditional side is easiest to see: bamboo groves, geiko districts, tea houses and quiet zen gardens.

Don't miss: Fushimi Inari, where around 10,000 torii line the mountain paths (go at dawn to beat the crowds). Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. Arashiyama's bamboo grove and monkey park. The Philosopher's Path. An evening walk through Gion, where you might spot a geiko (Kyoto's word for geisha) on her way to an appointment.

Osaka (1 to 2 days)

Osaka earned its old nickname, "the nation's kitchen", and still eats like it. It's louder, funnier and more relaxed than Tokyo.

Don't miss: Dotonbori for the neon and street food, where takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki are mandatory. Kuromon Market for seafood. Osaka Castle for the park and views. Shinsekai for retro streets and kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers, with a strict no-double-dipping rule).

Hiroshima and Miyajima (1 to 2 days)

The Peace Memorial Museum is one of the most moving places you'll visit anywhere. Allow at least 2 hours, and buy a web ticket in advance: it opens at 7:30, and the museum warns that same-day tickets can mean a wait.

The short JR ferry to Miyajima costs ¥200 each way (covered by the JR Pass), plus a ¥100 island visitor tax the pass doesn't cover. The island has the torii of Itsukushima Shrine standing in the sea, friendly deer, and grilled oysters on the main street. Stay overnight if you can, and you get the island after the day-trippers leave.

Nara (Half a Day from Kyoto or Osaka)

Nara is the easy side trip most first-timers love. Todai-ji (¥800) houses a 15-metre bronze Buddha in one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. The stars, though, are the deer of Nara Park, 1,687 at the July 2026 count. Many bow when you offer a deer cracker; hand it over promptly, because teasing them can make them aggressive, and they are wild animals. Nara is 47 minutes from Kyoto on the JR Nara Line (¥720) and 37 minutes from Osaka-Namba on Kintetsu (¥680).

Optional Extensions

• Kanazawa (1 to 2 days): Kenroku-en, one of Japan's three great gardens, plus samurai and geisha districts and the Omicho seafood market. It's about 2 hours from Kyoto (change at Tsuruga) and 2 hours 27 minutes from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, so it makes a better way back than retracing your route.
• Nikko (1 day from Tokyo): the lavishly decorated Toshogu Shrine, waterfalls and mountain scenery, under 2 hours from Asakusa by Tobu limited express.
• Kobe (half a day from Osaka): Kobe beef where it comes from, Chinatown and the harbour, 21 minutes from Osaka on the JR Special Rapid (¥420).

Ready to map out your own version? The Trip Planner builds a day-by-day itinerary with accommodation, or you can start from a ready-made template.

Do You Need to Speak Japanese?

No. Stations and major sights have English signs, the main train lines announce stops in English, and Google Translate's camera reads menus. Still, a few phrases go a long way, and staff at small restaurants really do appreciate the effort:

• Sumimasen (すみません): "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry". The most useful word in Japanese: it gets attention, apologises and thanks.
• Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます): "Thank you very much."
• Kore kudasai (これください): "This one, please." Point and say it. Works everywhere.
• Eigo wa dekimasu ka? (英語はできますか？): "Do you speak English?"
• Okaikei onegaishimasu (お会計おねがいします): "The bill, please."
• Oishii! (おいしい！): "Delicious!" Say it at the counter and watch the chef light up.

Apps to Download Before You Go

• Google Maps for train routes, platforms and fares, and Google Translate with Japanese downloaded for offline camera use.
• Suica in Apple Wallet or Welcome Suica Mobile: an IC card on your iPhone. Welcome Suica Mobile can be set up before arrival only from six countries; everyone else adds it after landing.
• GO: the taxi app, with international cards accepted.
• Japan Travel by NAVITIME: a route planner built for visitors, and a useful second opinion.
• Safety tips: Japan's official alert app for visitors, with earthquake early warnings and tsunami and weather warnings in English.

The essential apps guide adds restaurant and booking apps, and the ones you can skip.

Practical Details: Konbini, Toilets, Plugs and Safety

Convenience stores are a way of life. 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson sell properly good food (fresh onigiri, sandwiches, hot meals, decent coffee) for a few hundred yen, many are open around the clock, and they have clean toilets. 7-Eleven and many FamilyMarts also have ATMs for foreign cards. You will eat there more than you expect, and that's completely fine.

Book the popular things early. teamLab, high-end sushi counters and some temple visits sell out in peak season, and Kyoto's Moss Temple (Saiho-ji) admits visitors by reservation only.

Toilets live up to the reputation: heated seats, bidets and a control panel like a cockpit. The big button flushes; the bidet button usually shows a water droplet. Plugs have two flat parallel prongs, as in the US, at 100 volts. Most phone and laptop chargers handle 100 to 240V, so from Europe, the UK or Australia you only need a plug adapter.

Safety: street crime against visitors is uncommon, and the risks worth planning for are natural: earthquakes, typhoons (August and September are the peak months) and summer heat. Install the Safety tips app for alerts in English. The Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, answers 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean. In an emergency, dial 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance.

What to Pack for Japan

• Comfortable slip-on walking shoes: you'll walk for hours each day and take them off often.
• Light layers: spring and autumn mornings are cool and afternoons warm.
• A small day bag, with your main luggage forwarded between cities.
• A power bank, because your phone is your map, translator and ticket.
• A coin wallet and pocket tissues (most public toilets have paper, not all).
• A foldable shopping bag: shops charge a few yen for plastic ones.

Common First-Timer Mistakes

• Trying to see too much. Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with a day trip or two is plenty for 10 to 14 days. Add Hokkaido and Okinawa and you spend half your holiday in transit. How many days you need has plans by trip length.
• Not carrying cash. "Japan is modern, cards work everywhere" holds in a department store and fails at the six-seat ramen counter.
• Buying the JR Pass by default. Price your route first; the classic loop is about ¥20,000 cheaper in single tickets.
• Leaving the setup until landing. Visit Japan Web, an eSIM, Google Translate's offline pack and a Suica on your phone should all be ready before you board.

Start Planning

Japan rewards a little preparation, but don't overthink it. Book flights and your first few nights, sort the setup above, and the rest falls into place. Build the trip day by day in the Trip Planner, or dig into the details in our other guides.