Japan - The Basics

Things that make sense in Japan? We've got you covered: bathrooms, restaurant reservations, transportation, visas, phone cards and more.

Isn't Japan Really Expensive?

Not necessarily. Even when exchange rates were seriously not in the favor of US dollars, we found some key ways to keep expenses low.

Use a business hotel: our choice has usually been Toyoko Inn, but there are several brands that are similar, such as Dormy Inn, Tokyu Stay and Daiwa Roynet. These are often around $100/night and sometimes less in smaller cities. The bedrooms are small but extremely efficient and clean. Usually, breakfast is included, and that will mean rice and soup.

The hardest part about booking is you have to select a particular hotel of theirs from a dropdown list. If you don't know the city you are visiting yet, it can be hard to decide which hotel to pick. Our advice is to have a Googlemap open and trust that if the hotel is near any point of interest for you, and a subway stop, it will be fine.

Eat meals at a supermarket or department store: Major department stores in Japan (like Daimaru or Takashimaya) have a basement-level food market. There are prepared foods, like salads and sushi, as well as raw ingredients; trays of sushi tend to be super cheap and fresh and there are always many, many cooked and inexpensive items available as well. If you arrive an hour before closing, foods are marked down 20-40% or more! But note you will be competing with Japanese homemakers at this time; it's crowded and face-paced.

We really enjoy seeing how people shop and what they shop for, but also these markets have so many samples one can really make a meal of it. We like to start in the pickle area and work our way towards the sweets so we have a balanced meal by the end! Note that during the COVID pandemic, samples stopped being offered. Stores are slowly starting (as of 2024) to offer samples again.

Shop the discount stores: for souvenirs and basics needed on the road, 100 Yen stores and similar are the places to be. Like Daiso (US) or Daiso (Japan), which many will know from their US locations, the 100 Yen stores tend to have a huge variety of goods. They include Seria, Watts, and Can Do. The products at the following chains are also very Japanese and very reasonably priced, though not necessarily 100Yen, and range from food, to housewares, clothing, and much, much more. Check out 3Coins, Muiji, and Don Quixote (aka "Donkey"). Any of these names can be entered into your GoogleMaps in order to locate what is close to you.

Take the subway or other public transportation. It's safe, clean, fast, on time, and much cheaper than a taxi.

Visit free locations, like shrines, temples, and some public baths. Shop in antique stores or at flea markets. "New" is usually preferred in Japan, unless something is really, really old. This means that 30-100-year-old items are often not very expensive. We picked up some silk obi for under $10 each from a roadside vendor, and kokeshi dolls for a few dollars each in antique shops.

Tips on Airlines and Airports

From the United States, the only direct flights to Japan are to Tokyo (either Haneda or Narita Airport) and Osaka (Kansai Airport). In Tokyo, Haneda is a little bit closer to the middle of Tokyo but if you can find a cheaper flight to Narita, do that instead. Going from Haneda to the middle of Tokyo takes about 45-60 minutes by train, whereas Narita to the middle of Tokyo is about 80-90 minutes.

The main airlines from the US to Japan are JAL (Japan Airlines), ANA (All Nippon Air), United, American, and Delta. In addition, JAL's budget subsidiary ZIP Air offers good prices on both economy and lay-flat seats (which are not called business class but rather premium seats). Finally, look at other foreign airlines for occasional deals. For example, Aero Mexico sometimes offers flights from Mexico City to Tokyo at amazing prices. Other airlines to look at include Air Canada (from Vancouver), WestJet (from Calgary), Singapore Air (via Singapore), Korean Air and Asiana (via Seoul), EVA Air (via Taipei) and Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong).

Getting Around

The subway, bus and train systems are wonderful. We like to map our route ahead of time using Jorudan (link is to web page but there is also an app for iPhone and Android) or Google Maps.

IC Cards

Note: You can put IC cards on your iPhone or Android phone, buy a physical card or use a credit card with an IC chip.

Several train companies throughout Japan created transit cards for their networks in the mid 2000's. In 2013, the 10 biggest networks all agreed to honor/allow interchangeability with each other. So, you can buy an IC (integrated circuit) card in Tokyo that gives you access to all public transit in Tokyo (train, subway, bus, some shinkansen) and even allows you to buy stuff at vending machines and many convenience stores. Then you can use that same card just about everywhere in Japan. In Tokyo, the two main IC cards are Suica and Pasmo. Suica is the JR East card while Pasmo is a joint venture of several non-JR train lines, as well as the subway and bus systems. This is the key point - it doesn't matter which one you buy. And you should buy it ASAP, optimally at the airport train station (or from home - see below) if you have time.

--->Note that you can now put Suica, PASMO or ICOCA on your iPhone via Apple Wallet - to do this, open Apple Wallet, tap the '+' symbol in upper right corner, select "Transit Card", then choose any one of the (as of this writing, three) Japanese IC cards.

The Suica card can only be purchased at JR East train stations (e.g., airport stations, Ueno station, Tokyo station, Hamamatsucho Station, Shinagawa Station, Shibuya Station, Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station) but you are very likely to go through one or more of the stations frequently. The Pasmo card can be purchased in any metro station. You can then recharge the card at any metro station (look for recharge/ticket machines that have the Pasmo and/or Suica logo) or with any 7 Bank ATM (both in the stations and at 7-11 stores).

There are pros and cons to getting the physical card vs putting the IC card on your phone:

Pros - you use your phone to pay so no need for yet another card; adding value to your card can be done on your phone (NOTE: as of early 2023, foreign VISA cards do NOT work to recharge IC cards, either on Apple wallet or the recharge machines at metro stations. Guess who only has VISA cards and no Mastercard or AmEx?).

Cons - There are fewer machines for reloading smart phone IC cards. Most 7 Bank ATMs also allow you to reload IC cards (using cash), and you can find one or more in basically every metro station as well as all 7-11 convenience stores. However, in our experience, the machines were finicky and it took us a few tries to figure out the easiest way to do it. For best performance on the 7 Bank machines, you need to unlock your phone and pull up the Suica or Pasmo card on your Apple Wallet. If it asks you for passcode to pay or unlock, enter it. Then you should be able to recharge (with cash).

Renting/Driving in Japan

There are some rural areas where having a car is just more convenient than taking a bus or train that only goes once a day to a certain place. Check out our post on Renting and driving a car in Japan for more info.

Luggage Transfer

Way back in 2006, I wrote about takuhaibin (宅配便), luggage transfer services, in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. You can see my full commentary here.

Signs for this service are marked with a little luggage symbol or with a cat carrying a kitten (Yamoto brand), and can be found in transportation hubs (trains, airports, etc) but also around town, particularly convenience stores. When you think about how you will make your way around Japan, consider having a takuhaibin service help you. If you will struggle with your luggage for whatever reason, or you are going to a destination that doesn't require all the luggage you have with you, send it by takuhaibin instead. As an example, we often stop at a ryokan when traveling by train between 2 cities; we'll send the big luggage ahead to the next city but just take a single roll-aboard to the ryokan for a night or two.

This is a really economical way to manage luggage while traveling (typically costs $12-25 per bag; delivery can be as fast as overnight though typically takes 2 days), preserving your strength and allowing you freedom and flexibility to move about. More information is available on the Yamoto website; Yamoto is one of the main takuhaibin services.

Experiences

Visit a Japanese bath. If you are in an upscale lodging, they may have an in-house bath. If not, find out where your local bathhouse is and go. This is a uniquely Japanese experience. It is relaxing. We did it with our young children and it's still one of their best travel memories. Some hotels have public baths as well, and may permit guests to use the bath for a fee.

Visit a shrine or temple (or 2). The gardens are lovely. The visit is (usually) free. There are locations that require more hiking or less, some which have manicured gardens and others with more wildness. We've even visited some that had shopping halfway through. Temples usually have good luck charms for sale.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are almost always lovely and clean, usually free, and easy to find. Many large public restrooms, such as those in department stores, subways, and public sites have 2 gendered rooms plus an all-access room. The latter is set up for the disabled but not limited to them so use it if it matches your gender identity better. 7-11 and Lawson convenience stores all have bathrooms and there is no expectation that you will buy something in order to use them. Subway bathrooms are usually clean as well. Many bathrooms do not provide paper towels for drying hands; it is customary for individuals to carry a small washcloth-sized towel for this purpose (called a tenugui). Tenugui are often sold as souvenirs at shrines or baths.

Restaurant reservations

There are now several online companies that handle reservations for restaurants (JPNEAZY, Tabelog, PocketConcierge, etc.). Many restaurants work with one or two of these sites. These brokers do have an upcharge; however, it means you don't have to speak Japanese to make a reservation so consider the added expense a toll that helps you with your language barrier and helps the restaurant (because it guarantees they get paid even if someone doesn't show.). If you are staying at a hotel, the staff will usually be very happy to call and make reservations for you.

Foreigners and restaurants

You may have read how some restaurants turn away foreigners. In our experience, several things appear to lead to this:

1) Many restaurants block out seats for reservations in the near-future (next 30-60 minutes) and prefer to keep those seats open rather than let others use them;

2) Many restaurants order a fixed amount of fresh produce, meat, and seafood each night and can only feed a certain number of people;

3) The restaurant really is full. Without exception, when we were told there was no room for us at a restaurant (and this applies to most restaurants other than high-end kaiseki-type places or maiko clubs), and we asked to make a reservation for a later date, the staff happily did so. We typically could make a reservation anywhere from the next night to 3-4 nights later. (Side note: When we returned and they confirmed our reservation, we were treated like any respected restaurant guest.)

4) It's a different culture about what a seat in a restaurant means, and what service means. In the States, if you arrive at a restaurant you will often be told "there's a table finishing, so maybe 10-20 min?" In Japan, they will not do this. If there are three people done eating, but they have not asked for the check yet, the staff will say they are full.

Visas

US citizens can enter Japan visa-free for up to 90 days. However, there is a fast-track website that helps speed up the entry process upon arrival and we definitely recommend it. Go to the Visit Japan website to enter your information for COVID (though not a requirement, definitely worth doing as it helps you bypass one of the immigration stations at the airport), immigration and customs. Print out the QR codes and the page regarding COVID (it won't have a QR code on it but the Immigration people wanted to see the page as evidence of COVID vaccination). You can also have the QR codes ready on your phone.

SIM cards

We used to buy data-only SIM cards (not an affiliate link) on Amazon before leaving the US, so that we could have data as soon as we landed. Nowadays we typically buy e-SIMs before we travel via sites like eSIMDB, which is consolidates various companies and deals. It's not absolutely necessary to do that, as the airports have wifi and there are many SIM card vendors at the major airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai). Note that since we are often in Japan for almost 2 months, we want to get a SIM card that lasted longer than 30 days, which limits our options. There are many tourist cards that last 1-15 days. Any SIMs that are LTE, 4G or 5G and are on the Docomo, Au, SoftBank, or Rakuten Mobile networks should be fine in any major city and usually even rural areas. There are also a bunch of resellers - a quick google search and/or searches on Rakuten and Amazon should help you find several options.

Tailoring

Got a tear in those pants or did your purse strap break while in Japan? Head to a large department store. We went to the 7th floor of the Daimaru in Kyoto and asked for a wool coat to be fixed where the seam had come undone. It was about $18 and ready the next day. Location here in Kyoto, but in general look for "reform boutique" as the keywords for clothing repair (as opposed to getting whole suits made). Reform Boutique in Daimaru, Kyoto

Souvenirs

Beyond the obvious multi-flavored Kit Kats (largest selection at Donkey stores), what are some suggestions for souvenirs?

Tenegui: the washcloth carried by most Japanese, used to dry hands in public restrooms. They are sold everywhere, celebrating everything from movie characters and nature to pets and food. Some spots will personalize with a name for a slight upcharge. Onsen locations will have long, thin tenegui for sale.

Fabrics and Purses: antique stores and flea markets are great places to buy obi (a long piece of silk that is part of the kimono), silk scarves, purses, shoes, hair ornaments, and other traditional pieces of the kimono. An obi from the 1900's can cost $5-$30, depending on the pattern and your location. Stores selling NEW kimono often have great deals on new purses, scarves, hair ornaments, and shoes.

Candy: caramels in flavors liked grilled beef, corn, and sake are popular and inexpensive.

For the Cook: kitchen gadgets and specialty cooking items are favorites for us. A few items we've acquired include: Ginger graters and their bamboo whisks, forks to remove meat from skewers, long cooking chopsticks with small tasting spoons on the end, and miso muddlers (for easy removal of 1Tbs miso). Find these items at the discount stores listed on this page, and at a department store housewares floor. For foods we love hon mirin 本みりん (special aged cooking sake. Look for it in upscale grocery stores, such as those in department stores' basements, and at farmers' markets. You may need to show the Japanese word to shop owners, as Japanese who do NOT cook much often don't know this cooking item.) Seaweeds and bonito flakes are also good souvenirs for those who make miso soup or similar.