Top Tips for Travelling Japan

It seems like lately, everybody and their dog (not really but how cute would that be?!) have been jet-setting to Japan and for good reason: there’s so much to eat, see and do!

This being my third visit to the country, I thought it would be hella useful to bestow upon you my absolute top tips for tackling Japan.

Note: I wrote most of this on a Shinkansen, could I be anymore of a tourist?!

1. Organise Your Rail Pass + Suica Card

If you’re planning on covering a lot of ground on your trip, I would highly recommend getting yourself a Japan Rail Pass. While it can’t be used on subways or other local rail lines, it’ll cover you for travel on JR buses and trains across the country, plus as many Shinkansens as your heart desires (just not the suuuuuper fast ones.)

The Japan Rail Pass does seem expensive, but keeping in mind the amount of travel you’re doing and that a single Shinkansen trip can set you back close to half the price of a 7-day Rail Pass. If you’re still unsure of the value, I’d recommend planning out how many cities you’re going to visit using the Shinkansen and if the JR service covers those cities. Once you’ve decided to buy one, you can make arrangements via your local travel agent but I found it cheaper to book directly via JTB (and you will need to arrange it at least a month before you go as you can’t get the Rail Pass in Japan.)

If you’re looking to make use of subways, buses and trains, you might want to consider organising a Suica Card. It’s kinda like an Opal or Myki card and you can top it up as you please for easy travel on most local transport. I don’t actually use a Suica Card when I’m in Japan as I prefer to purchase individual tickets as needed (the ticket machines have an English option), but if you’re planning on a lotta subway trips, it’s something to consider!

2. Reserve Special Tours/Museums

Kinda like the Japan Rail Pass, some tours and museums will only accept reservations made in advance, sometimes even requiring a travel agent to make the booking for you. A prime example is if you’re hoping to visit the Studio Ghibli Museum, which is inexpensive but must be organised in advance.

I’d recommend researching the sights you want to hit relatively early to identify whether or not you need to make any arrangements in advance.

3. Arrange Portable Wifi

I’ve done Japan without access to reliable wifi and while it’s doable, if you can arrange portable wifi for a reasonable price, why wouldn’t you? This is the second time I’ve used the 4G Pocket Wifi from eConnect Japan and the process is super simple: they deliver to your accomodation for you to pickup upon check-in and when you hit the airport to fly home, you drop it in an easily-located postal box.

For about $80 you’ll get 2 weeks of reliable internet, so you can take full advantage of tip number 4.

4. Get Appy

I have a few key apps that I rely on during travel and some are particularly useful when making your way around Japan. I’ve found that Google Maps provides much more reliable directions than Apple Maps (which is my pick for navigating almost everywhere else). It’ll be able to get you from A to B and also give you a range of options to get there including walking, Uber/taxis and public transport.

If you’re not already all over Happy Cow, you’re going to want to get downloadin’ before your trip to Japan. You’ll hear people say that eating vegan here is hard but if you’re in a big city, it’s fairly simple if you use this app to its full potensh. I like to map everything out in advance (and sometimes even book my hotels closest to where there’s a high concentration of vegan food spots) but also having the option to identify what nearby is always handy.

Finally, and this is a big one, one of my absolute favourite apps to use while travelling Japan is Google Translate. While a lot of stuff you need to read is often in English, you know what usually isn’t? Ingredients! I’ve discovered so many suitable vegan snacks simply by employing the use of this app. Take a snap of the ingredients list and let the app do the rest (I definitely prefer this to the auto-translate option.)

5. Go Tax Free

One of the awesome things about shopping in Japan is that they have an awesome tax free shopping system for visitors. There are some rules and restrictions but essentially you need to spend over 5000 yen in a participating store (you’ll see the signage!) to receive a tax refund. Some stores and shopping centres will have a specific tax refund counter where you can get the refund in cash, or alternatively will just charge you the tax free price at the register. Some stores will even offer more discounts for travellers, just be sure to keep your passport on you when you plan to shop to take advantage of tax free shopping.

6. Get Cashed Up

While a lot of restaurants, stores and services in Japan accept cards, there are still a number of places where cash is going to be the simplest or only option. It’s not ideal to keep a tonne of yen in your wallet while travelling and I find that the ATMs at 7-Eleven are the most accessible option for grabbing cash as you need it with English options available. Depending on your bank they don’t charge fees and accept most Australian credit, debit and travel cards.

Got any awesome Japan travel tips to share that I’ve missed or have other questions about travelling to Japan? Feel free to chuck them in the comments below.