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Quick answer: From 1 November 2026 you pay the full price at the register, including consumption tax, and the tax comes back to you after customs checks your purchases on the way out. The check happens before security, not after, so you need to be at the airport earlier than you think. What decides which system applies to you is the date you bought the item, not the date you fly home. First, check the date you bought it This is the part most guides get wrong, so start here. The new system applies based on the date of sale, ...

Quick answer: There is no single autumn leaf season near Tokyo. There is a two-and-a-half month window that moves downhill, from the highlands above Nikko in late September to the gardens of central Tokyo in mid-December. So the useful question is not "where are the best spots" but "what is peaking during the dates I am already here." If you are here in October, leave the city. If you are here in late November, don't. See the NIKKO PASS on Klook → There Is No Single "Autumn Season" Near Tokyo Most guides answer the wrong question. They hand you a ...

Quick answer: Check your dates before you book anything. Tokyo hosts a real grand tournament only in January, May and September, about 45 days a year, and a seat starts at ¥2,500. If your trip overlaps one, go to that. If it doesn't, which is most of the year, a sumo show is the only sumo you can see in Tokyo, and it is a genuinely different thing rather than a consolation prize. See the Tokyo sumo show with chanko dinner on GetYourGuide → First, Check Whether a Tournament Is On This is the question that decides everything else, and ...

Quick answer: Do Visit Japan Web before you fly, not in the arrivals queue. It turns immigration and customs into QR codes you show from your phone. JESTA is a separate pre-screening system for visa-exempt visitors, so check whether it applies to your nationality and your travel dates before you assume you need it. Both are free, and both are easier at home than at the airport. See the Japan eSIM on Klook → Planning to visit Japan in 2025? With new rules coming into effect, it's important to understand two key systems: JESTA and Visit Japan Web. This complete ...

Quick answer: If your licence is from the US, UK, Australia, Canada or Ireland, you don't need a Japanese translation. You need an International Driving Permit, issued in the country that gave you your licence, before you fly. The translation route described below covers only six places: Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan. Either way you may drive for one year from your date of entry, or until your licence expires, whichever is shorter. (Japan's National Police Agency, checked August 2026.) Before you read further, check which route applies to you. If your licence is from the US, UK, ...

Quick answer: Most visitors never need to pre-book train tickets. For local trains you tap in with a Suica or Pasmo and buy no ticket at all. For the Shinkansen, every JR ticket machine has an English button, and reserved seats are usually available on the day outside peak periods. Booking through an agency adds a convenience fee, and is worth it mainly for cherry-blossom season, Golden Week and Obon, when specific trains genuinely do sell out. 🚅 Skip the ticket machine entirely: for local trains and most city journeys you do not buy a ticket at all. You tap ...

Quick answer: Pocket WiFi makes sense if you are travelling as a group or family. One device connects up to five phones and needs no setup. Travelling solo with a recent phone? An eSIM is usually cheaper, with nothing to collect or return. Either way, do not count on free public WiFi in Japan: coverage is patchy and many networks make you register through an app or web form first. ✈️ Book Now 👉 Check Pocket WiFi at Sakura MobileUnlimited data from ¥299 a day, English support including technical help, and pickup at airports, hotels or your accommodation. Feeling Anxious ...

Quick answer: Only if you are actually covering distance. The nationwide pass pays off on a route like Tokyo–Kyoto–Hiroshima in one or two weeks. It does not pay off on a Tokyo trip with one Kyoto round trip, where paying per journey or buying a regional pass costs less. Price your real itinerary before you buy. The pass is a bet on how much you will move. Is the Japan Rail Pass Worth It? How to Travel Smart Across Japan Usually not, and this guide's own example route proves it. The nationwide pass is priced for people crossing the country ...

Quick answer: This is the page to skim the night before you fly, not a planning document. It answers the questions visitors actually ask me after eighteen years here, in short form: cash, tipping, luggage, etiquette, timing. If you are still deciding where to go, start with the main Tokyo guide instead and come back here once your itinerary exists. After 18 years of living in Tokyo and guiding countless foreign friends, I've compiled the practical information most tourists wish they knew before visiting. From timing strategies that help you avoid crowds to transportation hacks and seasonal advice, these insider ...

Quick answer: These are the things worth doing once you have already ticked off central Tokyo. Yokohama and Kawagoe are genuine day trips. The manga café and the department-store food halls are evening fillers you can decide on the same day. None of it is essential on a first three-day visit. Save this page for a longer stay, or for your second trip. Book the Tokyo City View deck ticket on Klook → The Tokyo experience extends beyond city limits and typical tourist activities. These 8 special recommendations include worthwhile day trips to nearby destinations and uniquely Japanese experiences from ...