15 Japan Travel Mistakes Tourists Always Make (and how to avoid them)

Many people that come to Japan make the same mistakes and these can cost you money, waste your time and even offend the locals without you realizing it. I've been living in Japan for a few years now and the longer I'm here the more I realize that there's a bit of a gap between what people expect Japan to be and what it actually is. So before you go here are the biggest travel mistakes broken down into three categories planning, travel and etiquette mistakes and exactly how to avoid them. Let's start with planning. This is by far the thing that I got asked the most about and look Japan is an amazing country you'll probably have a good time even if you wing it but there is a difference between a good trip and a great one and a lot of that can come down to just a few things you can fix at the planning stage. Number one, choosing the wrong time of the year to visit. When you go completely changes your experience. Japan is a very seasonal country and that's part of the beauty of it but you need to be aware of what you signed up for. I'm not going to beat around the bush I'm talking about summer. If you're visiting in summer you're going to want to have a good hard look at your itinerary to see if it's actually physically possible to do. Japanese summers have been getting hotter and hotter over the years and you can really feel it if you live here but a lot of online advice is based on information from summers that happened like five, ten or so years ago back when you could enjoy a summer festival in the middle of the day. Summer in Japan is from about June, July until the end of October. Sorry that's how it feels technically until about the end of August but it feels like it goes on until the end of October. The first month is rainy season which is just really hot, humid and you'll have whole days where it's just raining the whole time and then from about mid-July it gets even hotter. Summer is definitely my least favorite season in Japan. I just feel like I can't step out of the house without getting completely drenched in like 15 minutes. If you can help it don't visit in summer. I understand that sometimes you can't pick when you get time off to visit Japan and it's not going to be the end of the world you just want to make sure that you are aware of what you're signing up for and you're planning accordingly. If you're interested on more information on this I've actually made a video about tips on how to survive the Japanese summer and enjoy it so you can go check that out after you watch this one. This time of the year is also when you'll have the highest chance of typhoons which are also another thing that you can't forecast or predict but they can be quite disruptive. Something you can do is download an app like Navitime or Nerve on your phone and these kind of apps will give you up-to-date information on things like nearby natural disasters or even give you a heads up a few seconds before an earthquake hits. But apart from seasons it's important to be on top of the Japanese national holidays. The biggest one to be aware of is Golden Week. Golden Week is a cluster of public holidays that happen kind of at the start of May and a lot of Japanese people will take the whole week off and everything gets busy everybody's moving around everybody's going on holidays visiting families it's just a very crazy and expensive time of the year to be traveling. The dates change every year this year 2026 it's from the 29th of April until the 6th of May. Don't panic if you are coming during those dates you'll be fine you just need to do some extra planning and I'll explain how in this video and definitely don't make this next mistake. Just imagine you've landed at the airport after a long flight you're tired you're hungry you just want to get to your hotel as soon as possible and now you've got to line up to buy a sim card meanwhile the airport wi-fi is gaslighting you google maps isn't loading and your messages aren't sending. I don't think anyone wants to start their holiday like that and I used to and that's exactly why I switched from physical sim cards to e-sims and I've never looked back. I use Airalo, an e-sim provider that offer data packages in over 200 locations not just Japan. I don't need to worry about purchasing a physical sim card or pocket wi-fi I just got an app on my phone that lets me connect to the mobile network as soon as I get off the plane so even if you're arriving during Golden Week or over New Year when it's crowded and everything's closed you'll be connected and ready to start your trip. Just make sure to download the app before you arrive at your destination. Your plan doesn't start until you arrive so there's really no downside to setting it up in advance and for anyone interested I have made a one minute step-by-step guide on how to install and activate it on your phone but a heads up not all phones are compatible with an e-sim so definitely double check before you purchase it. But if you would like to check out Airalo you can use my discount code Sunny to get three dollars off when you sign up. You can check it out through the QR code on the screen now or there'll be information in the description below. Thank you so much to Airalo for sponsoring this video. Number three, underestimating distances and travel time in Japan. So maybe you're doing Tokyo and then going to Osaka and Kyoto by the bullet train and you want to do a stopover somewhere around Mount Fuji maybe Hakone for a beautiful ryokan experience with a view of Mount Fuji. Sounds amazing and it will be but the Shinkansen can really make you misjudge how far everything is. Let me explain. The bullet train is an amazing invention that will get you from Tokyo to Kyoto in two hours but if you were to drive that distance it would take you six hours. Just getting from Tokyo to Hakone is about two hours already and then you also have to get to your accommodation and then from Hakone to Kyoto will be another two hours at least. Why? Because you'll be on a slower bullet train than the super super express one that goes directly from Tokyo. Just something to be aware of if you're planning on squeezing in like an overnight stay around Mount Fuji. Another thing to be aware of is that Kyoto and Osaka are very close to each other actually. There is a Shinkansen that connects them and it's like one stop but you can just take the local express train. You don't need to buy a bullet train ticket. The local train is going to be cheaper, they're very frequent, easy to access and very good connections to wherever you need to go after that. So you don't need to buy a Shinkansen between Osaka and Kyoto. Number four, not booking ahead. Popular restaurants and experiences book out fast especially during busy periods. You might not be able to get tickets or a seat if you just rock up on the day so to avoid missing out I definitely recommend planning ahead. Some things you won't be able to book ahead for and you'll have to line up like for example a ramen restaurant but it never hurts to do your research ahead of time because sometimes maybe you'll be able to skip a line at some experience just because you've pre-booked. For booking restaurants I would recommend checking out Tabalog. It's an app that is widely used here in Japan for looking at restaurant reviews and for booking restaurants and it's now in English so that is very exciting and very useful so I recommend that one. And for booking experiences there's a few different things you can use, one such being Glook. Okay let's go into some travel mistakes. Number five, choosing the wrong type of accommodation. You've got a range of accommodation options in Japan that vary in affordability, convenience and the type of experience you're paying for so I would definitely recommend being on top of the different options and picking the one that suits your travel plans best. So to start we've got capsule hotels. If you're not familiar with what a capsule hotel is I guess the best way I can describe it is it's kind of like a hostel in terms of comfort levels but for introverts if that makes sense. You've just got a capsule and that is your room so you slide in and you sleep there. The bathroom is shared and you've got a locker space. These are going to be your most affordable option and you're going to find more of them in the bigger cities like Tokyo and Osaka. A lot of the times there won't be rooms it'll just be a sheet covering your actual capsule bed so you might not get the best quality of sleep especially if you're the type of person that needs complete darkness and complete silence. However it is a very unique experience and if you are okay with sacrificing one night's good sleep it could be something fun to do. Then you've got business hotels and these ones tend to be very affordable and conveniently located so often around major train stations they're quite small. This is a semi-double so two people can sleep here so you won't necessarily be able to completely open your suitcase there. Business hotels are often used by Japanese businessmen when they're traveling so they'll generally be pretty basic but they'll be clean and quite often also have laundry facilities. If a business hotel is maybe a bit too small for you then you've got like a mid-range hotel which is also a very clean and convenient experience but maybe the rooms are a little bit bigger and it's a little bit nicer. One example I can think of is Hankyu Respire in Osaka which is a very conveniently located hotel. I think that the smaller rooms would fall in the mid-range although I'm sure you can get some very nice rooms there as well it's a very nice hotel. And then you've also got luxury hotels which I'm not going to cover in this video and the last category which is traditional Japanese inn or ryokan. Now a ryokan is a little bit different to a hotel because it is more of an experience rather than just somewhere where you sleep the night while you're traveling. So this is where you shower and once you're clean then you can hop in the onsen and for this reason they will often be much more expensive than a hotel and often not conveniently located. They're very popular with Japanese people for vacations or weekend trips. A lot of the times it'll have a kaiseki dinner, an onsen or hot spring included, as well as a very lush breakfast. So if you only need somewhere to sleep I would not recommend staying at a ryokan during this time. If you want a ryokan experience dedicate that whole day and night to the ryokan experience. Also just something to note there's not many breakfast spots in Japan so if you're the type of person that needs to start your day with breakfast I'd recommend booking breakfast at your hotel if that's something they offer. Number six not getting the IC card on your phone. When you're traveling around Japan using the public transport system you're mostly going to be traveling around either with physical tickets or an IC card. But if you've got an iphone I would highly recommend getting the app on your phone. Having it on your phone saves so much time you don't need to actually turn on your phone to use it you just tap the phone at the ticket gate and you're through. And you don't have to waste time lining up at the kiosks at the train stations to top up your IC card. You can top it up on your phone using apple wallet. Sometimes visa won't work right away in which case just try mastercard or something. Number seven not using the hotel luggage service. Getting around with a suitcase is difficult in any country and Japan is no exception here. But there are two Japan specific situations here that I want to note. Number one is that you can't take large suitcases onto the shinkansen or bullet train unless you've pre-reserved a specific seat that has extra storage room behind it. Otherwise your suitcase is just not going to fit. Number two is kind of Kyoto specific but the buses in Kyoto are tiny. Kyoto is a bus society and the popular buses around downtown get incredibly incredibly busy. So if you can avoid taking your suitcase on the bus I would highly recommend doing so. If you need to move your suitcase around I would recommend either the subway or just take a taxi. But also take advantage of the fact that Pan has this thing called takyubin which is a luggage delivery service that you can find at most hotels and at the airports. And they can send your suitcase for you from one hotel to the other. It is such a lifesaver. So if you're interested head to the kiosk at the airport or ask your hotel staff. They should be able to help you with that one. Number eight. Overspending on sushi. I know a lot of people come to Japan and want to tick off the omakase experience and if that is something you're set on doing please go for it. But if you're on the fence here's my opinion. This might get me cancelled in Japan but I personally can't tell the difference between regular sushi and expensive sushi if they're both fresh. And I live here. If you come from a country that doesn't have a big fresh fish culture I would recommend starting with just regular conveyor belt sushi. It is honestly a great experience. It's affordable, the trains are super fun, there's so much variety and it is so fresh and tasty. And then if you want to level up go to like a mid-range sushi restaurant. So something run maybe by a single sushi chef and his family. Often even fresher, locally sourced but it doesn't have the big omakase price tag. And then if you want to go even further then go for the omakase experience. I think having something to compare the omakase experience to will make it more worthwhile in my opinion. Number nine, not having enough cash. A lot of places in Japan still don't take card. I wouldn't say cash is king. Card is still very much the dominant payment method although only maybe 50% of places will actually let you like touch your card. So definitely have your physical card on you. But maybe like 5 to 10 percent of places that you go are going to be cash only depending on where you plan to go and what you plan to do. I think having about 20 to 30,000 yen on hand would be a good idea which is maybe equivalent to about 200 dollars. You don't need to have too much cash on you. You've got ATMs at every convenience store but definitely have some on you in the event that the ramen place you're heading to for lunch takes cash only. And number 10 is not carrying a small bag for rubbish. There are no bins anywhere. Honestly everywhere where you want a bin it's not going to be there. So I would definitely recommend carrying a small bag around with you. It can be a reusable one or just hang on to a plastic one that you get at the convenience store. It will honestly save you so much frustration and time from looking for a bin. Also if you do find a bin just make sure you're throwing your rubbish in the correct bin if that makes sense. These bins next to the vending machine are for the drink bottles that you buy at the vending machines. They're not for other rubbish. Number 11 not getting a goshuin-cho. If you're planning on visiting more than one temple in Japan seriously get a goshuin-cho. I think it's such a cool souvenir idea. A goshuin-cho is a book of stamps or goshuin that you get at temples and shrine as like a proof of your visit. You can buy these at a lot of places but I actually made mine at a Japanese washi paper making experience in Kyoto. Full transparency it was a sponsored event but they were such lovely people and I had such a good time putting this together. It just makes the book so much dearer because I made it myself but basically after you've paid your respects you take this book to the temple or shrine staff and you say goshuin onegaishimasu and you make a small offering about 500 yen generally but it depends on the shrine and they'll make these beautiful stamps for you. I can't read but neither can case just for reference. Generally I think they'll have the date that you visited and the name of the shrine and then sometimes they'll add extra stuff but it looks so beautiful and watching the staff write the calligraphy is just stunning. It's such an artwork I'm obsessed but yeah I think it's such a great souvenir and a nice way that you can also support the temples and shrines that you visit. And finally we have etiquette mistakes. Japan is really good at making signs and posting rules everywhere like walk this way or no photography here which is very helpful when you're visiting a new place but there's also a lot of unwritten rules and I'm still learning all of them myself. There's so many great resources out there already covering a lot of the basics but I want to go over some that are not really talked about and often overlooked. Number 12. Accidentally disrespecting shrines and temples. Just like any holy or religious place there's a few things you can do at temples and shrines to show respect. When you're visiting a shrine there will be a torii gate at the entrance and this kind of symbolizes the entrance from the human world into the spirit world. So when you're passing through this it is polite to bow before you take a step in. Another thing you might realize is that most Japanese people will not walk in the middle of these places as it's commonly considered that the middle path is for the kamisama or deity. Another common thing you will see at shrines is a purification station which is a place where you cleanse before you proceed into the shrine and there's a specific way to do this. When you're visiting a temple you'll often find that a lot of areas will require you to remove your shoes so I'll recommend making sure you've got clean socks that don't have any holes in them and a hot tip here is to have shoes that you can slip on and off really easily. To pay your respects at a shinto shrine throw a coin in the offering box, bow twice, then align your hands with your right slightly below your left and clap twice followed by one more bow. For a buddhist temple on the other hand you can purchase an incense and make a short prayer. Number 13, the escalators. This is a hard one. Generally the rule is you stand on the left and people walk on the right hand side of the escalator and then in Osaka it's flipped so you would stand on the right and walk on the left hand side but recently there's been a lot of train stations and shopping centers that are actually asking people to stand on both sides and not walk at all. However this isn't always followed. You'll probably notice that a lot of the time especially during rush hour people are still standing on one side and letting people walk on the other. I can't really give you a hard and fast rule on what to do here. It still very much feels like we're in that transition phase if that makes sense from one set of standards to another. The best thing you can do is just keep your eyes and ears peeled for any signage or instructions on how to ride each specific escalator and good luck. Number 14, eating on the train. There are no official guidelines on this it's a bit nuanced but here's how I would generalize it. If you're on a local train I would recommend refraining from eating. You can have a drink of like water or tea if it's got a lid on it that's fine. For sightseeing trains or something like the Shinkansen or bullet train you can eat and that's why you'll see ekiben these bento boxes for the train at Shinkansen train stations. How I judge if it's okay and again this is not an official guideline is if your seat has a tray table it is okay to eat but again you want to avoid any strong smelling foods or something spillable like soup. But Sunny, what is considered strong smelling? And that is a great question. I don't think there's even a consensus among Japanese people from my understanding. There's this famous steamed bun in Osaka called gogoichi or 551 and there was recently a bit of a heated debate on Japanese social media about whether it was okay to eat it on the bullet train or not because it's quite a strong delicious smell. But yeah in summary if you're on a local train avoid eating and if you're on something like a Shinkansen with a tray table you can eat stuff like an ekiben or onigiri from the convenience store. And number 15 filming on the train. I have to admit I have made this mistake myself. It's not something I realized was a bit of a taboo because I wasn't exposed to Japanese social media but then after I moved here I started getting the feeling that people were a bit uncomfortable with it. And I want to be clear I'm talking about pointing your camera at other people or talking loudly to the camera like you're vlogging and disrupting people around you. And yes I know there's a lot of footage already out there of like crowded trains and some beautiful street photography shots and this is not a criticism of any of that but as tourism increases in Japan and more and more people start posting their trips online on social media maybe it's a but it just feels like the climate is changing and this is not something that you'd probably feel unless you live here which is why I wanted to mention it so you don't make the same mistakes that I did. Japan has a very strong culture of respecting shared spaces and not disturbing others and you can really feel that on Japanese trains. There has been a shift in the culture in response to an increase in social media and tourism. So yeah learn from my mistake film the experience not the people. But yeah if you avoid those mistakes your trip to Japan will be that much smoother and more enjoyable and if you have any other mistakes to avoid that you think are worth mentioning please chuck them down in the comments below. For more Japan travel guides you can check out the video on screen here and if you're after an eSIM you can check out Aerolo using my discount code SUNNY for three dollars off when you sign up. You can find more information on them through the QR code here or details will be in the description below. Thank you so much for watching have an amazing trip to Japan and see you in the next one!