Know before you go

A rechargeable card for trains, buses and convenience stores. Tap in and out — no need to work out fares or buy tickets.

On iPhone and Apple Watch you can issue a Suica straight into Apple Wallet with no physical card at all. On Android you need a device that supports Google Wallet in Japan. Physical cards are sold at station machines and carry a ¥500 deposit, refunded when you return the card. Cards from any region work nationwide, so it does not matter which city you buy one in.

Since the 2023 price rise, a single Tokyo–Kyoto return no longer pays for a pass. It only wins if you are making several long hops.

Before buying, add up the fares for the legs you will actually ride and compare. Nozomi and Mizuho services are usable only with a surcharge on top of the pass. Regional passes (JR East, Kansai Area and others) are often cheaper and are the better buy for any itinerary that stays in one part of the country.

Cards are widely accepted in cities now, but small restaurants, shrines and rural buses are still cash-only. Carry around ¥10,000 at all times.

The ATMs that reliably accept foreign cards are Seven Bank (inside 7-Eleven stores) and Japan Post Bank (in post offices); ordinary bank ATMs often reject them. Ticket machines, coin lockers and small shops may not take ¥10,000 notes, so keep a stock of ¥1,000 notes.

Spend ¥5,000 or more in one shop in one day and the 10% consumption tax comes off. You must show your physical passport at the till.

Only short-stay foreign visitors qualify. Consumables — food, cosmetics, medicine — are sealed in a special bag you may not open until you leave the country; general goods such as clothing and electronics can be used freely. Almost no shop accepts a photocopy or a photo of your passport. The refund is processed at the time of purchase only; you cannot claim it later.

Free Wi-Fi exists at stations and convenience stores, but it will not cover maps and translation while you are moving. Arrange an eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi before you arrive.

An eSIM can be bought and installed before you fly on a compatible handset, so you are online the moment you land — check your phone is carrier-unlocked first. Pocket Wi-Fi is shared between several people and works out cheaper for groups, at the cost of carrying and charging a second device. Airport counters rent on the day, but at a premium over booking ahead.

Wash your body before you get in the bath. No swimwear, and your towel never goes into the water.

Tattoos are the thing to check. Many baths still refuse entry, though private baths and tattoo-friendly facilities are increasingly common, and small tattoos can sometimes be covered with a patch — ask before you book. Tie long hair up so it stays out of the water, and do not bathe after drinking.

Look for a step up and a shoe rack. Where the floor rises, that is the line.

Ryokan, temple halls, tatami-floored restaurants, some museums and fitting rooms. Turn your shoes to face the exit when you take them off. If the toilet has its own slippers, change into them — and remember to change back on the way out. Bring socks without holes.

There are almost no public bins. Keep a plastic bag in your day pack and carry your rubbish until you find one.

Convenience store bins are meant for things bought at that store. Vending machines have a container bin beside them. Station bins separate burnable waste, cans and bottles, and PET bottles. Eating while walking is frowned on, so finishing what you bought where you bought it is the safe move.

Tipping is not a custom in Japan. Leave money on the table and staff may chase you down the street to return it.

You normally carry the bill to the register rather than paying at the table. If there is a small tray on the counter, put cash on the tray rather than into the cashier's hand. Exceptions exist — a discreet gratuity to the attendant at a high-end ryokan — but no visitor is expected to know or observe them. If a service charge appears on the bill, just pay it.

100V, Type A (two flat pins). Phone and laptop chargers work as-is; heating appliances like hairdryers are the ones to check.

If your charger reads "100-240V" you need only a shape adapter, not a voltage converter. The country runs 50Hz in the east and 60Hz in the west, but this almost never matters for traveller electronics. Hotels nearly always provide a hairdryer, so leave yours at home.

Some ordinary over-the-counter drugs contain substances that are illegal in Japan. Check before you fly.

Products containing pseudoephedrine (in many cold and sinus remedies) or codeine (in cough medicine) are prohibited. Bringing more than a month's supply of a prescription drug, or any injectable, requires a Yakkan Shoumei import certificate obtained in advance. Carry an English prescription and a doctor's letter to make the customs conversation short.

Send your big bag ahead to your next hotel. It is cheaper and far easier than wrestling it onto a shinkansen.

Send from a hotel front desk or a convenience store. Between cities it usually arrives the next day, at roughly ¥2,000–3,000 per suitcase. It works airport-to-hotel and hotel-to-airport too. Oversized luggage space on the shinkansen must be reserved in advance, which is often more trouble than simply forwarding the bag. Tell your hotel when to expect it.