Japan Travel Tips: Things to Know Before Going to Japan 2025

If you plan to go to Japan this year or next year, then this is your first stop and making sure you have the Japan Ultimate Travel Guide. I am going to Japan again this year. I love Japan and so do many other people because tourism is on the rise and continues to rise in Japan. And with that, we want to make sure we're being respectful of the country but also having lots of fun. Now let's talk about Japanese airlines. Of course, the domestic flights will get you to Japan. If it's possible, I would like to do non-stop flights. And the Japanese airlines are JAL, ANA, or Zip Air. Now Zip Air is the budget airline for Japan, but it is going to be very clean and I heard they have a lot of food options if you want to pay for it. My friends went on Zip Air and they told me right when we're ready for takeoff, people started switching seats. Now some people may not be okay with that given, you know, maybe they paid for their specific seat. I have been in airlines where it was 100% okay to switch around and the flight attendants did not care. And then there are some flights where the flight attendants really care and want to make sure everybody stays in their assigned seat. If I could choose between the three, I really like Japan Airlines. Their seats are super comfortable. ANA service is amazing too, but their seats are a little bit hard. But for the most part, what's most important is that you get to Japan, right? What I like most about Asian airlines is that they're going to give you the most legroom that you can have in economy. Now when you plan to visit Japan, it's heavily going to impact the cost. So if you go during high tourist seasons, like especially the spring or in the early summertime, it's going to be expensive. If you go during off-seasons, hopefully it's a lot more affordable. Some people found Zip Air tickets for $350. The top destinations to Japan are Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. If you stay in Osaka, you can do day trips to Kyoto. You can do a day trip to Nara where the deer are. And another place that has gotten really popular is Hokkaido or Sapporo, which is in the northern region of Japan. And on the way there, you can do little day trips too. If you're a snow mountain person, then Niseko is a must. And it's kind of a trek to get there. I heard soon they're going to have transportation that's going to get you there a lot faster. But for right now, you need to take like three trains to get there. But it's worth it. It's beautiful. Of course, there's also places like Hiroshima, Fukushima, as well as Okinawa. But most people hit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Japan has different rail lines, but the Suica card or the IC card will get you pretty much everywhere except on the bullet train. On the bullet train, you're going to have to buy a ticket at the train station or you can order the JR Pass online. Now, the JR Pass has gone up significantly in price, so it's not really worth it unless you plan to go back and forth on the bullet train multiple times. If you're just going to go once or twice, it's not worth it. So we have the Suica card, the PASMO card, or the IC-OCA card. They all pretty much function very similarly. So on Reddit, people say, What do you prefer? The penguin, the platypus, or the robot? But for tourists, it's not a huge difference because we're pretty much just going to most of the local trains. And I usually take the JR lines and the Suica card works fine. There's also the GO app in case you want a taxi, but taxis are very expensive in Japan. The only time we found this to be very helpful is when we had a bunch of luggage and we wanted to go just a couple of miles down. It wasn't worth it to ship our luggage to the next spot, so we took a taxi. My friend who recently visited Japan loaded ¥1,500, which is about $10, and they used it all in one day. You can start off with ¥5,000 or ¥10,000 and go from there. You can always reload as you go. Next is luggage forwarding in Japan. Japan is notorious for having so many stairs and then the elevators are just really far away from where you're trying to go. It's not in a convenient spot like it is in America, and you're going to have to walk quite a distance to get to one. So a lot of people will just forward their luggage either from the airport to their hotel, or from one hotel, you can transport it to the airport, you can transport it to another hotel, or anywhere that offers the Yamato transport. Or you can ask the 7-Eleven people if they know if they do luggage forwarding. I plan to do it on my next trip. I haven't done it yet. Literally the past times I've gone to Japan, I thought I was going to break my back carrying all my luggage up and down the stairs. Japanese food guide. Oh my goodness, the food scene in Japan is amazing. And now if you see a food place that has 3.5 stars, that's considered really good and affordable. Anything more than that is just going to be out of this world. Pretty much everywhere in Japan, they take food very seriously. Their food quality is so much better than America. I don't think I've had a bad meal in Japan. Everything's so good. Some things you definitely should try if it's your first time is try to have sushi there, because it is a lot more affordable and you're going to just be shocked by how much you can eat for the price compared to America. There's the broccoli type of ramen, there's sukimen, which is dipping ramen, there's okonomiyaki, and then there's takoyaki. So I like crispy takoyaki and I found that in Tokyo, they make it crispy, while in Osaka, it's actually a little more like steamed. So you're not going to get that crispiness, they're a little bit soft. Kaisendon, gyukatsu, tempura, omurice, they're just such good food you need to try. I mean, definitely check out my vlogs and see everything I ate. When planning an itinerary, just keep in mind you're going to have to be flexible and you may not get to everything because in Japan, there's just so much walking in between. So things may take you longer than you anticipated and that's okay. But you just have to be a little bit flexible, don't over plan. Something else that I did not foresee was just how long the lines can be. We ended up waiting for a restaurant for about 2 hours, that was not part of the itinerary, but we just had to be flexible and move some things around. In Japan, culturally, people are just okay waiting in line. They can wait 2-3 hours in line very patiently and it's just part of the culture. To Americans, or even Koreans, it may seem like, oh, it's inefficient and I want to be able to put my name down and leave. Some places do have that option, but for the most part, just remember, this is their country, this is the culture they're used to, and we are in it. It's very normal for a lot of Japanese restaurants to close in the middle of the day. So make sure you look on Google and I found that those times are usually accurate. Cultural etiquette. So in Japan, it's also very common to bow when you're entering a place or you're about to leave. And also, some spaces will also want you to take off your shoes. Not everywhere, but a lot of places. So just be prepared for that. Don't wear socks that have holes in it. Also, the Japanese really like to follow rules. So if you notice that there are certain arrows going in one direction, make sure you're following that direction and that you're not just going rogue and going against traffic like salmons swimming upstream. Especially in subway stations or when you're walking around, make sure you're following how other people are walking. Especially up the escalators too. Make sure on one side, you are standing and you're just following along. Patience. Shopping and souvenirs. Oh my, there's just so many places to look at in Japan. And definitely, Akihibara for electronics and Shibuya for fashion. And then of course, there's local markets and street vendors too that you can look at. But there's just so many stores. And in Ginza is where you're going to find a giant majority and a giant Uniqlo. Attractions. There are a lot of tourist attractions too, but I feel like some of these are really cool. Like Tokyo Planets this year has really expanded. And then Tokyo Borderless is open. When I went, it was not. So I am definitely going to check that out this year. And then this year in Japan is the World Expo 2025. So this rotates around different countries and this year it's in Japan. So Japan is definitely going to be so popular in 2025. But there's just really cool things that you can look at. And it's $25. I really thought it would be more. That's something to consider too. Basic Japanese phrases. So here are some phrases that I think would be helpful when you're in Japan. So sumimasen is like excuse me. Kudasai is please. Arigato is thank you. Mizu is water. And oishii is like tasty or delicious. And gomenasai is sorry. But sumimasen I feel like is the term I use the most. Especially if I'm trying to get through someone and they're standing right there and I'm like, Oh, sumimasen. And then they just move aside. And my absolute favorite thing to ask is Toire wa doko desu ka? Which is where's the toilet? So anime and pop culture. So there are just so many cool things to look at when you're in Japan. But these places require a reservation. And the Japanese do not play when it comes to reservations. They are on it. They are going to get what they need and get what they want. And all of these reservations are in Japan time. So it might be 2am in America. And you're trying to get these Pokemon Cafe reservations. It does help to make reservations in advance. I always check no matter what I'm doing. I just look and see. Do they offer reservations? And if so, when does it open? And then I'll go from there. Temples and shrines. There's just so much history to look at in Japan. Culturally too. Be respectful. It is not our country. It's not our space. Next, what I also love about Japan is that there's vending machines everywhere. You need a water bottle. You want a quick little corn soup. You're just going to find it literally just on the streets. So vending machines are everywhere. Trash cans are nowhere. You're going to have to hold your stuff until you find a space to throw it away. Your plug-in does work if you have a 2-prong charger. But if you have something that has a 3-prong like this, it's not going to fit. So you need an adapter for that. But if it's like this, then it does fit. Everyone always talks about how much you walk in Japan. And it really is no joke. There's just so much land to cover. There's so much to see. And people are usually out all day long. So you're going to need comfortable walking shoes. I like to wear my Hoka Cliftons. I felt like they were perfect for my trip. Would recommend and would do it again. So overall, those are my really quick Japan tips for you. If you have any questions for me, leave a comment below. And I'll try to get back to you. If you like what you see, please like and subscribe. And follow along for all of my journeys. Bye!