Useful information for traveling to Japan

Sep 11, 2026

This post is a collection of information and tips that I would have found useful before my first Japan trip. A lot of this information isn't well-captured in existing Japan travel content online, so the post should be helpful for others to avoid similar issues that I faced.

This video by Kensho Quest is a good start to be mostly functional with the train system.

Lots of videos online cover the different kinds of trains (local, rapid, limited express) and fares (base/local fare, limited express fare), but the main point I want to highlight is: Be clear on which fares are required for the types of trains you're riding, and be clear on how you're paying them.

Most trains that you'll use in Tokyo are "local" trains. To ride these, you need to pay a "base/local fare". If you're riding a local train from Shibuya station to Omotesando station (Ginza line), you'd tap your IC card and only pay the base fare. In total, you'll tap your IC card twice on this trip (once to enter Shibuya station and once to exit Omotesando station).

Sometimes you'll only ride local trains but need to transfer between train lines, and sometimes these train lines are managed by completely different companies. For example, in the case of transferring between train lines both managed by the same company: If going from Shibuya to Tokyo on JR Yamanote, followed by Tokyo to Shinjuku on JR Chuo, then when you arrive at Tokyo station, you would follow the JR Chuo signs to get to that line; there won't be a ticket gate to tap your IC at to get to the Chuo line because you're already in the "paid area" of the same company (JR) running the line. You only tap your IC card twice in total on this trip.

You can easily tell if two train lines are both run by JR because the train line symbols will be square-shaped

Another possibility is that you're transferring between train lines run by separate companies. For example, to get to Mount Takao for hiking, you might go from Kanda station to Shinjuku station (JR Chuo), followed by taking the Keio line to Kitano Station, followed by taking the Takao line to Takaosanguchi station. In this case, at Shinjuku station, you would look for the transfer gates to the Keio line and tap your IC card at those gates; that tap ends the JR trip and starts the Keio trip. Then you head to Kitano station, and then when you get off there you walk to the Takao line train; there's no ticket gate to tap at here because the Keio line and Takao line are managed by the same company. In total, you scan your IC card 3 times on this trip.

Sometimes, stations won't have a combined transfer gate. In that case, when following the station signs to transfer between train lines, you'll first tap your IC card to exit the curent train line (thus closing out that trip), and then you'll continue following the signs to the other train line's ticket gates, where you'll tap your IC card again (thus starting a new trip).

Another type of train you may take in Japan is a limited express train (特急). Along with the usual base fare, these trains also have a "limited express fare". For example, if you want to take the Keisei Skyliner from Narita Airport to Keisei-Ueno station, you'd need pay for both the base fare (~¥1,280) and the limited express fare (¥1,300). You can buy tickets online or in-person, but in both cases you are given the option to either buy a combined ticket that includes both fares, OR you buy only a limited express ticket and use your IC card along with inserting your limited express ticket at the ticket gate. I don't understand why that option exists when a combined ticket would be simpler (I guess it allows people to use their existing IC card balance?). In any case, the point is that you need to know if your ticket is a combined ticket or not, because that determines whether you also need to tap your IC card onto the gate.

The Shinkansen is another common example of a train type where you'll pay both a base fare and a limited express fare. If you buy your ticket on SmartEX (which I recommend unless you have a reason to purchase your ticket at the station), the ticket always includes both the base fare and the limited express fare. In other words, if you enter Tokyo station from the outside and go to the Shinkansen gates, you only have to scan the SmartEX QR code to go past the gates.

However, consider this example that happened during my trip: I wanted to go from Shinjuku-gyoenmae station to Tokyo station, and then take the Shinkansen to Kyoto station. To do this, I tapped my IC card at Shinjuku-gyoenmae station (Marunouchi line), and then at Tokyo station, I tapped out of the Marunoichi line, and then I followed the signs for the JR/Shinkansen lines and arrived at JR ticket gates, and so I tapped my IC card to enter the JR paid concourse area, and then I walked to the Shinkansen gates. At the Shinkansen gates, I scanned my SmartEX QR code first, and then I scanned my IC card right after. This was important to do because I needed to close the "trip" that I started by scanning into the JR concourse area. So scanning my QR code handled the base + limited express fares for the Shinkansen ride, and scanning my IC card after concluded the "trip" that was started when tapping at the JR gates. If I didn't do this, I'd have a pending trip that would likely cause problems the next time I tried using my IC card at a different station. It's apparently also important to scan in that order (QR, then IC), or else the ticket gate may get confused. As for why I didn't exit the Marunouchi line and then walk directly to the Shinkansen gates (as opposed to going through these JR gates), it's because the recommended signed path in the station pointed me in this direction (presumably because it's faster and the extra IC tap at the Shinkansen gates isn't complicated once you understand why it's necessary).

On the other hand, when I took the Shinkansen again from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo, I didn't have to scan my IC card as well because I was coming in from the direct Shinkansen gates (where I hadn't already scanned my IC card before to get there) and my QR code ticket was a combined ticket. Again, the main point is to be clear on what fares are required to enter/exit certain areas of a station and how exactly you're paying them (or not paying them in the case where I entered the JR concourse area only for that trip to be "closed" for ¥0 when tapping my IC card at the Shinkansen gate).

If you wanted to avoid thinking about when to scan both your IC card and a QR code, the simplest approach would be to link your Suica card to your SmartEX ticket. This way, at every step of the journey, all you need to think about is scanning your IC card once at every gate on your path to your train line.

Another option would be to buy a physical Shinkansen ticket when you arrive at the station (both the base fare and the limited express fare), assuming you're fine with more limited seat/time selection for the train. The ticket machine will probably print out two separate tickets (one for each fare). Then, you use those tickets accordingly (e.g. if you have to go through local JR gates first like in the earlier example, you'd use your base fare ticket to get through, and then at the Shinkansen gates, you'd stack both tickets on top of each other and insert them at the same time into the Shinkansen ticket gate).

Ideally, you enter/exit from the correct station exits that Google Maps specifies. Sometimes, the exits are labeled with a number, and sometimes with a name (and sometimes both). On Google Maps, usually both get shown, and so you can use both pieces of information and see which of them the station uses in their signs, and then from there you shouldn't have issues following the correct signs to your entrance/exit.

When trying to enter (or exit) a train station, if you can't find the exact entrance, it's usually fine to use a different entrance as long as it's for the same station (for example, if you can't find entrance C9 for Ueno station, you can always enter through C8 and you won't have any issues getting to your train). The worst case I experienced is having to spend a few extra minutes walking to the train platform that I needed to go to. For example, I was in Uji and entered the train station from the entrance closest to me instead of the entrance recommended by Google Maps, and because of this, once in the station, I remember having to go through some underpass (or overpass, I forgot) because we needed to board the train that travels in the opposite direction on the other side of the train platform, so we had to take this roundabout way to get to the other side of the tracks (when we would have already been on that side if we entered using the entrance that Google Maps suggested). I know in New York I've been in train stations where this sort of overpass/underpass didn't exist, and so it was important to use the correct entrance to be on the correct side of the platform, but I never saw this in Japan (maybe they exist though!).

I say "as long as it's the same station" because for example, entering the Keisei-Ueno station is not the same thing as entering the JR Ueno station (there are sometimes multiple stations in the same general area, and they are ran by different companies operating different train lines, so you want to make sure you enter the station that corresponds to the train line you want to get on).

Selecting large tourist areas on Google Maps can give you inaccurate time estimates. For example, Google Maps says that going from Sensouji to TAITO Station (an arcade) in Akihabara would take ~16min (using the Ginza line), but that's because it assumes your starting position is the southern temple entrance.

Selecting the "Sensouji" badge that Google Maps displays by default assumes your starting position is the southern entrance in this case

In reality, you likely wouldn't put TAITO Station into Google Maps until right after you saw all of Sensouji and were on the northern side, making the more accurate time estimate ~22min.

The starting position here is around the northern side of Sensouji, where you'd end up at after going through Nakamise street from the south

And that's assuming that you actually walk at the speed that Google Maps expects. In my case, I was walking pretty slowly during the trip, so the projected walking times were too short, and I'd sometimes miss the train that Google Maps was recommending, forcing me to wait for the next train.

The order of stops matters as well. Let's say that after TAITO Station, you also wanted to shop at Yodabashi Camera and explore the rest of Akihabara. If you swapped the order and went to Yodabashi Camera first and TAITO Station afterwards, Google Maps would actually recommend a completely different train line (Tsukuba Express) that's way faster!

Going from Asakusa/Sensouji to Akihabara using the Tsukuba Express line (separate station from the Ginza line station)

With this route, you save time that you otherwise would have spent backtracking through a temple you already saw!

A similar issue occurs when selecting specific train stations. For example, for going from Shin-Osaka station to the Umeda area, if you select JR Osaka station on Google Maps as the destination, you'll see the option to take the Osaka East line, but if you instead select Umeda station, Google Maps will only recommend the Midosuji line (or Tokaido line plus some walking), which is reasonable given that only this train line will get you directly to the station you specified, but if you simply wanted to get to the Umeda area and didn't know that Google Maps would hide train route options based on the specific station you clicked (even though all of these stations in Umeda are quite close to each other), you would miss some options and potentially have a longer travel duration. Maybe you wanted to go to Umekita Park, in which case the JR Osaka station would be closer than Umeda station.

Taking the Tokaido line to JR Osaka station is faster than taking the Midosuji line to Umeda station if your goal is to get to Umekita Park

In any case, to avoid issues, the easiest thing you can do is always select a precise coordinate location close to where you want to be at (e.g. "Current Location" for your starting position) instead of selecting a tourist attraction or station.

• One tricky thing with Google Maps is that sometimes the destination station on the recommended route doesn't match the station name on the signs in the station and train (i.e. Google Maps says "get off at PlaceA", but the signs at the station say "PlaceB"). I unfortunately can't remember any of the specific cases I came across, but I believe I got around this by closely watching my position on Google Maps and deducing what station I'm at based on what the previous stations were.
• It's easy and free to change your Shinkansen ticket reservation with SmartEX. You'll have a more limited selection of train times/seats when booking last minute, but usually it's not an issue (unless e.g. traveling during a peak period like Golden Week). This is convenient if running late (as long as you make the ticket change before scanning your QR code at the ticket gate). People often recommend buying a physical Shinkansen ticket when you arrive at the station so that you are not stressed about arriving too late/early, but even if you were estimated to arrive too early/late, you could simply adjust your SmartEX reservation accordingly.
• Consider relying on taxis in some cases. If you're willing to pay the premium, you can significantly maximize the time you spend doing other things (e.g. around nighttime, you could do a 33-minute train ride from Shibuya to Ueno, or you could take a 16-minute taxi).
• Download the Google Maps data for your travel destinations beforehand so that you can use them offline (tutorial video here)
• For Kyoto buses: Every bus that I was on accepted IC cards, so there's not much to worry about. I believe most buses also accept cash (coins or ¥1000-yen notes only).

Note: I don't think any of this information matters after November 1st, 2026 because the tax-free system will change then (you can learn more about that in this video)

As you may know, tax-free goods must remain unopened until you leave the country. At Narita Airport, after passing through security, there's an area with "kiosks" and signs saying to scan your passport if you did any tax-free shopping during your stay. After scanning your passport, you should see a confirmation screen, after which you can continue onward.

Here is what is confusing: Japan’s National Tax Agency website tells travelers to "obtain customs confirmation before checking in your baggage with the airline company."

This is presumably because they can't easily audit tax-free goods in luggage that's already checked in. I think if they did ask to check your goods and you didn't have them on your person, the worst case would be that they make you pay the consumption tax on those goods.

The problem though is that it's unclear where/how to get this "customs confirmation" at the airport! There's a little bit of writing online about this, but ultimately almost everyone disregards it (according to Reddit comments here as well as here, for example)! They check in their bags containing tax-free goods, pass through security, scan their passport at the tax-free shopping kiosks, and they continue with no problems. So that's what I did as well, and I had no issues, so you probably won't either...

Another point is that some videos I watched warned about "integrated kiosks" that you want to avoid because using them may mean you don't get the temporary visitor stamp in your passport that's needed for tax-free shopping. At Narita Airport, I didn't even see integrated kiosks, and everyone had to go into the same line to speak with an immigration officer (who added the temporary visitor stamp into everyone's passport), so it seems impossible to go to the wrong place to get the stamp.

These places have restrooms that are free to enter:

• Arcades (e.g. Round1 in Sennichimae, Osaka)
• Department stores and malls (e.g. Osaka Takashimaya)

I remember most shrines and temples that I visited having restrooms (although the lines can get really long at the more popular locations). Also, in most cases, train stations will have a restroom, but it's usually past the ticket gate (so you need to already be planning to ride a train at the station to use it). Some food and drink establishments also have restrooms that you can use if you purchase something.

• My phone's "unlimited" data plan was excruciatingly slow. I eventually bought a Ubiqi eSim (10% off with code KENSHOQUEST) which worked much better.
• Carry your passport at all times in Japan - it's illegal not to. You likely were already planning to do this though, since the temporary visitor stamp in your passport is required for tax-free shopping, and many stores will require to see your passport (instead of e.g. seeing your Visit Japan Web info)
• You can top-up your Suica card (using cash only) at convenience stores like 7-Eleven. When I did it, I had to select a specific amount like ¥1,000 / ¥2,000. If you have enough physical coins and want to get rid of some, this is a decent use case to do so (better than buying unwanted drinks from vending machines!)
• To break large bills like 10k yen into smaller bills, you could go to a convenience store, select something like 3k for topping up your Suica, and then you'll receive change in the form of smaller bills.
• For coupons at Don Quixote and BIC Camera (and maybe elsewhere), see taxfreeshops.jp (e.g. the Don Quijote Traveler coupon gives up to 7% off on top of the 10% off from being tax-free)
• If returning to the US, you should keep in mind that at US customs, you may need to pay duty tax depending on the value of the items you're importing from Japan (tl;dr you pay no duty tax if under $800 in goods).
• Apps I downloaded

  • NHK World app (notifications for earthquakes, J-Alerts, etc)

  • Google Translate (make sure to download the Japanese language pack)

  • GO Taxi app

  • Xe currency converter

• What are my best options if I can't find a coin locker in the train station for my belongings (e.g. I've heard there are staffed luggage counters sometimes, but how would I find those? What about ecbo cloak? etc)
  • Apparently a lot of options exist to help hold your belongings. Bounce, ecbo cloak, etc. I never used any of them though so I don't know how good they are, but I've heard that ecbo cloak can be a useful option for storing luggage for some time. In general though, traveling light is better, especially if you can also avoid having to do laundry.
• GO Taxi vs S.RIDE?
• What are alternative accomodation options like? (capsule hotels, internet cafes, etc)
• How to better find food/drink establishments and navigate Tabelog (and/or whatever Japanese people use)? How to best handle reserving tables at these places?