Asia / Destination guide
Japan
Plan your journey city by city. Explore destination facts, arrival planning, and practical travel guides.
22 of 50 guides checked against official sources · others are editorial previews- Capital
- Tokyo
- Currency
- JPY
- Languages in source
- Japanese
- Geographic region
- Eastern Asia
Source-imported reference data; not an entry or visa guide. Source & verification notes ↗
Explore the country
Find your city
Prepare for your trip
Travel essentials
The practical guidebook
Planning for Japan
Fukuoka / Food
How many yatai are left in Fukuoka, by the city's own count
Fukuoka City publishes a yatai count going back to 1961 and a licensed-stall list. Here is the dated series, the areas they sit in, and where official figures disagree.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingFukuoka / Food
Mentaiko in Fukuoka: Korean Roots, Fukuya's 1949 Start and the Makers
Spicy pollock roe came from Korea; Fukuya began selling its version in Hakata on 10 January 1949. Who makes it now, what labels mean, and how to take it home.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKyoto / Practical information
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji: Tickets and Trains
Tenryu-ji's garden costs ¥500 (buildings ¥300 more), open 8:30–17:00; the bamboo path starts outside its North Gate. Randen is 5 minutes away, JR 13, Hankyu 15.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Practical information
Fushimi Inari Shrine: Hours, Getting There and the Hike
Fushimi Inari Taisha is open 24 hours with no admission ticket listed. JR Inari Station is beside the gate; touring Mount Inari (233 m) takes about 2–3 hours.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Practical information
Gion photo rules: which Kyoto lanes are private and what is banned
Hanamikoji in Gion is a public street, but the lanes off it are private and closed to photography. What the Gion rules say, the 10,000 yen sign and maiko photos.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKyoto / Practical information
Goshuin in Kyoto: Temple Stamps and Book Etiquette
Collect goshuin respectfully in Kyoto: visit the shrine or temple first, use a dedicated book and check whether the office offers handwriting or a paper seal.
Official sources checked 2026-10-16Kyoto / Airports
Kansai Airport to Kyoto: Haruka Train vs Limousine Bus
Kansai Airport to Kyoto: the Haruka visitor ticket is ¥2,200 and takes about 78 minutes; the limousine bus is ¥2,800, about 85–90 minutes, and runs later at night.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Practical information
Kiyomizu-dera Hours, Night Viewing and Getting There
Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6:00 and closes at 18:00 (18:30 in July–August). Autumn night viewing runs 21–30 November 2026 until 21:30. Bus 206 or 100 to Gojozaka.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Accommodation
Kyoto Accommodation Tax: Rates per Person per Night
Since 1 March 2026 Kyoto's accommodation tax is ¥200 to ¥10,000 per person per night, set by the room-only price per person. You usually pay it at the hotel.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Transportation
Kyoto Bus and Subway Fares: ¥230 Bus, Day Passes, IC Cards
Kyoto city buses charge a flat ¥230 in the city zone and the subway ¥220–¥360. The bus-only day pass is gone; the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass costs ¥1,100. No credit cards.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Practical information
How Many Kyoto Machiya Are Left? The City's Counts from 2008 to 2024
Kyoto City counted 47,735 machiya in 2008–09, 40,146 in 2016 and 34,580 in its FY2024 survey. What the losses mean, what the 2017 ordinance does, and how to stay in one.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKyoto / Day trips
Kyoto to Nara Day Trip: Kintetsu vs JR and Todai-ji
Kyoto to Nara takes about 35 minutes by Kintetsu limited express or 45 by JR rapid. Kintetsu-Nara is 8 minutes' walk from Nara Park; Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall is ¥800.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Day trips
Nara Deer Crackers: Price, Feeding Rules and Safe Seasons
Nara deer crackers cost ¥200 for 10 (2024 price). Feed the deer nothing else, hand them over one at a time, and keep away from bucks in Sept–Nov and mothers in May–July.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Practical information
Nijo Castle Tickets: Prices, Hours and Honmaru Booking
Nijo Castle costs ¥800, or ¥1,300 with Ninomaru Palace. Entry 8:45–16:00, closed 29–31 Dec. Honmaru Palace (¥1,000 extra) needs a web reservation.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Kyoto / Practical information
How to visit a Kyoto shrine, and how a Buddhist temple differs
You clap at a Shinto shrine and never at a Buddhist temple. The purification and worship sequence the shrines publish, and the documented Izumo exception.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKyoto / Transportation
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen: Fares, Times and Booking
Tokyo to Kyoto by Nozomi takes about 130 minutes; smartEX reserved seats cost ¥13,970 (Green ¥18,840). JR Pass holders need a ¥4,960 Nozomi ticket; big bags need a seat booking.
Official sources checked 2026-10-19Nagoya / Food
Nagoya morning service: which chains still give breakfast free
Komeda gives toast and egg with any drink until 11:00, no extra charge. Nagoya households spend JPY 14,301 a year in kissaten against JPY 5,770 nationally.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingNaha / Transportation
Okinawa Rental Car: IDP, Naha Bus Lanes, Tolls, Typhoons
Renting a car in Okinawa: the Geneva IDP rule, Naha's weekday bus-lane hours and fines, the Naha to Kyoda expressway toll with and without ETC, and typhoon-season planning.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingOsaka / Transportation
Osaka Expressway Tolls in a Rental Car: ETC and SEP Pass
Why an ETC card is close to essential around Osaka in 2026, sample tolls to Kyoto, Kobe and Hiroshima, and when the San'in-Setouchi-Shikoku pass pays off.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingOsaka / Shopping
Are Japan's shopping arcades half empty? What the counts show
Japan's FY2024 arcade survey put average vacancy near 11 per cent, not 50. Here is the year-by-year series, what the arcades blame, and how to read one.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingOsaka / Tax refunds
Japan's tax-free shopping becomes a refund from 1 November 2026
From 1 November 2026 Japan's tax-free shops charge full price and refund the tax only after customs checks your goods at departure. What changes and what to do.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingOsaka / Food
Why Osaka Was Called the Nation's Kitchen, and Where to See the Traces
Tenka no daidokoro meant rice warehouses, a futures market and trade, not street food. What Osaka's own sources say, and which sites and markets you can visit now.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingSapporo / Practical information
How to read a Sapporo address: the jo-chome grid explained
Sapporo addresses like Kita 1-jo Nishi 2-chome are grid coordinates counted from Odori Park and the Sosei River. How to read them, where the grid began, and its limits.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingSapporo / Transportation
Hokkaido Winter Driving from Sapporo: Tyres and Road Rules
Whether to drive a rental car around Sapporo in winter, what the tyres and road info sources cover, and the Japanese rules and fines that catch visiting drivers.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
How Tokyo coin laundries work: detergent, dryers, payment
Japanese coin laundries dose their own detergent and sell drying by the minute, not by the load. Here is what each machine does and where the money goes.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Shopping
Who Owns 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart in Japan, and Why It Matters
Seven & i still runs 7-Eleven Japan after Couche-Tard walked away, KDDI and Mitsubishi split Lawson 50/50, ITOCHU controls FamilyMart. Counts, dates, visitor tips.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Shopping
How to read a Tokyo drugstore label: the five words that decide
The words on a Japanese drugstore box are legal classifications, not marketing. Learn the five that decide whether you can carry a product to the register yourself.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
Ghibli Museum Tickets: How Booking Works in Mitaka
Ghibli Museum tickets are sold only online through Lawson Ticket, from 10:00 JST on the 10th for the next month. Adults ¥1,000; closed Tuesdays; no door sales.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Shopping
Daiso, Seria, Can Do or Watts: choosing a 100-yen shop in Tokyo
Daiso, Seria, Can Do and Watts run different price structures and ranges. Store counts, what a 110-yen tag means at the till, and which chain to enter.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Transportation
International Driving Permit 1949 vs 1968: Japan, EU, US
Which International Driving Permit to carry: Japan takes only the 1949 Geneva type, many others take 1968. Country table from UN treaty records and official traffic pages.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Food
Otoshi in Japan: Why Your Izakaya Bill Has a Table Charge
Understand the small dish served automatically at some Japanese izakaya, ask about the table charge before sitting down and handle dietary restrictions clearly.
Official sources checked 2026-10-16Tokyo / Day trips
Kamakura Day Trip from Tokyo: Trains, Passes and Temple Fees
Kamakura is about an hour from Tokyo Station on the JR Yokosuka Line. Great Buddha ¥300, Hasedera ¥400; Enoden passes ¥800–¥900 or Odakyu's Freepass from Shinjuku.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Day trips
Tokyo to Kawaguchiko by Bus: Fares, Booking and Train Option
The Shinjuku–Kawaguchiko highway bus costs ¥2,200 per adult and takes about 1 hour 45 minutes; book up to a month ahead. How it compares with the Fuji Excursion train.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Food
Are kissaten disappearing in Japan? What Tokyo's counts show
Japan counted 58,669 kissaten in the 2021 economic census, against 154,630 in 1981. Two of the three official series break in 2021, and here is how to read each.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Safety
Bringing medicine into Japan: limits, permits and banned ingredients
Which medicines you can bring into Japan with no paperwork, when you need an Import Confirmation or narcotics permit, and why Adderall is refused and Vyvanse is not.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Airports
Narita and Haneda to Central Tokyo: Trains, Buses, Taxis
From Narita, take the Skyliner (¥2,580) for Ueno or the N'EX for Tokyo, Shinjuku and Shibuya; from Haneda, the monorail and JR cost ¥720–780 to the same areas.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Transportation
Renting a Car in Japan: Accepted IDPs and Translations
Japan accepts only 1949 Geneva IDPs or official translations for six licences. Check your country, the documents the counter wants, and what NOC charges cost.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
How many public bathhouses are left in Tokyo, and what one costs
Tokyo counted 417 public bathhouses at the end of 2025, down from 2,687 in 1968. The year-by-year series, why two official counts differ, and what a bath costs.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Transportation
Tokyo Train Payment: Suica, PASMO or Tapping a Foreign Card
In Tokyo, a contactless Visa or Mastercard works on Tokyo Metro, Toei and nine private railways but not JR East, so most visitors still need a Suica or PASMO.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Practical information
Watching sumo morning practice in Tokyo: who actually decides
No central system books sumo morning practice. Each stable decides for itself, most published policies refuse the public, and here is what is officially open.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
Tattoos at Tokyo baths and gyms: what the rules actually say
No Japanese law bars tattoos from onsen, sento or gyms: each operator decides. What government guidance says, which gym chains allow covered tattoos, and how to check.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Tax refunds
Tokyo Tax-Free Shopping: Refunds at Narita and Haneda
In Tokyo, items bought up to 31 Oct 2026 are tax-free at the till; from 1 Nov you pay 10% or 8% tax and get it back after a customs check at Narita or Haneda.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Practical information
teamLab Tokyo Tickets: Planets vs Borderless Compared
teamLab Planets and Borderless in Tokyo both price adult tickets by date, from ¥3,600 per teamLab, ¥3,800 listed. Compare time slots, hours, water, lockers and access.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Food
How to Use a Ramen Ticket Machine in Tokyo: Ordering Decoded
Tokyo ramen and set-meal chains make you pay at a machine before you sit down. Decode the sequence, the customisation call, and which chains take which payment.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
Tokyo Disney Resort Tickets: Prices, Sale Dates and Access
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea 1-Day Passports cost ¥10,900–¥12,400 per adult on Oct and Dec 2026 dates, go on sale two months ahead at 2 p.m., and fix one date and park.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Practical information
Tokyo National Museum Tickets: Prices, Hours, Closed Days
Tokyo National Museum costs ¥1,000 for adults and is free for under-18s and over-70s; special exhibitions are priced separately. Closed most Mondays.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Practical information
Tokyo Skytree Tickets: Prices, Weekday vs Holiday, Booking
Tokyo Skytree advance tickets cost ¥2,100 (Tembo Deck) or ¥3,100 (with Tembo Galleria) for a weekday adult, more on weekends and holidays and on the day.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Tokyo / Shopping
Who actually makes the skincare on a Tokyo drugstore shelf?
Japanese law names the company legally responsible for a cosmetic, not the factory that made it. What the back of the pack shows, and what it never tells you.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
Why Tokyo Has So Few Rubbish Bins, and Where Your Trash Can Go Now
Official records show bins removed for summit security, COVID and safety, not a single 1995 decision. Shibuya's 2026 fines, shop-bin rules and what to do with trash.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTokyo / Practical information
Why Tokyo Has So Many Vending Machines: Beyond the Novelty
Read Tokyo vending machines through national figures, regional drinks, disappearing beer machines and the retail decisions behind a station stop.
Editorial preview · factual review pending