Japan

About Japan

Japan is an island country with four main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, plus Okinawa and other southern islands. Most first-time visitors spend their time on Honshu, where Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima are linked by a dense rail network. A first trip depends on four decisions: which regions to visit, when to travel, whether a rail pass is worth buying, and which entry rules apply to your passport.

Lodging shapes most of the cost, and visitors from long-haul countries spend well above the average. Many nationalities enter visa-free, but the permitted stay depends on the passport. A ¥3,000 departure tax applies to flights leaving on or after 1 July 2026. Building an itinerary of one to three weeks brings these decisions together.

Entry rules and the departure tax

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) publishes the visa exemption list and application rules. Citizens of many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and most EU members, can enter for a short stay without a visa. Short-stay entry covers tourism, business meetings and visiting family or friends, and excludes any activity paid by a Japanese source. The permitted length of stay and the qualifying passport type differ by country. Some exemptions apply only to electronic (IC) passports, and a few require registration with a Japanese mission before travel. Check your own nationality on the MOFA page before you book.

The list changes. MOFA’s page records a 1 April 2024 exemption for Panama’s IC ordinary passports, a 2 December 2024 relaxation for Brunei with a longer permitted stay, a 1 June 2025 exemption for Paraguay’s IC ordinary passports, and a 2 June 2025 relaxation for UAE ordinary passports. MOFA recommends travel insurance, though it is not an entry condition.

The departure tax is the one charge many travelers miss. The international tourist tax has applied to every person leaving Japan by air or sea since January 2019, whatever their nationality or purpose of travel. It rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 for departures on or after 1 July 2026, following the FY2026 tax reform, as reported in the national press. Carriers add it to the ticket price, so you do not pay at the airport. Children under age 2, passengers in transit who leave within 24 hours of arrival, and crew members are exempt.

The rate depends on when the transport contract was concluded. Some tickets bought before July 2026 may carry the old ¥1,000 rate and others may not, depending on the fare type, any change to the departure date, and the carrier’s terms. If your trip straddles that date, ask your airline which rate applies to your ticket.

Main regions and what each offers

Tokyo and Kanto. Tokyo is the starting point for most itineraries. It works as a collection of distinct districts rather than a single center. Shinjuku and Shibuya hold the big commercial and nightlife areas. Asakusa and Ueno hold older temples and markets, while Harajuku and Omotesando offer fashion and shrines. Day trips reach Kamakura for its temples and giant Buddha, Nikko for its shrine complex, and Hakone for hot springs and views toward Mount Fuji. Yokohama sits close enough to treat as an afternoon excursion. Tokyo has two airports, Narita and Haneda, and Haneda is closer to the city.

Kansai. Kyoto is the cultural center, with temples, shrines, the Gion district and the bamboo grove at Arashiyama. Osaka, a short rail ride away, is the food and nightlife city, known for street food in Dotonbori. Nara has Todai-ji temple and its free-roaming deer, and Kobe is known for beef and its harbor. Himeji Castle, one of the best-preserved original castles in the country, can be reached by train in a day. Kansai International Airport serves Osaka and makes the region a practical entry or exit point.

Chubu and the Japan Alps. Between Tokyo and Kansai lie Nagoya, the mountain town of Takayama with its old merchant streets, and the thatched-roof villages of Shirakawa-go. On the Sea of Japan side, Kanazawa has a well-known garden, Kenroku-en, and a preserved samurai and geisha quarter. Nagano is the gateway to hiking and winter skiing. Mount Fuji dominates the landscape west of Tokyo and is best viewed from Hakone or the Fuji Five Lakes area.

Chugoku and Shikoku. Hiroshima is a standard stop for its Peace Memorial Park and museum, with Miyajima island and its floating torii gate a short ferry ride away. Okayama and the art island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea suit travelers who want something quieter. Shikoku is the least visited of the main islands and rewards those with extra time through its pilgrimage trails, Dogo Onsen and the Iya Valley.

Kyushu. Fukuoka is a convenient entry point for those arriving from elsewhere in Asia and known for its ramen and yatai food stalls. Nagasaki carries both its trading-port history and its atomic bomb memorials. Kumamoto has a major castle and the volcanic terrain of Aso, while Kagoshima faces the active volcano Sakurajima. Beppu and Yufuin are the main hot spring areas.

Tohoku and Hokkaido. Northern Honshu has mountain temples, castle towns and a quieter pace. Hokkaido is a different kind of destination, with Sapporo as the main city, wide landscapes, seafood and some of the country’s best powder snow. It draws summer visitors for flower fields and cooler weather as well as winter sports travelers.

Okinawa. The southern islands have a separate Ryukyu culture, beaches and coral reefs. Most visitors reach them by a flight from Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka, and the region suits a beach extension at the end of a trip.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most popular seasons because temperatures are mild and the scenery is at its best. Cherry blossoms open first in the south and move north through spring, so the timing varies by region and year. Autumn foliage peaks in November across much of central Japan, including Kyoto. Both seasons bring heavy crowds and higher hotel prices at the most popular sites, so book accommodation well ahead.

Early summer brings a rainy season that dampens sightseeing but also thins crowds. Midsummer is hot and humid in Tokyo and Kansai. This is the time for the cooler north, Hokkaido, or mountain areas such as the Alps. Typhoons are most likely in late summer and early autumn and can disrupt flights and trains for a day or two, so leave slack in the schedule if you travel then.

Winter is dry and sunny on the Pacific coast, including Tokyo, and heavy snow falls on the Sea of Japan side, Nagano and Hokkaido. It suits skiing, hot springs and winter illuminations, and the major sights are less crowded than in spring or autumn.

Three national holiday periods strain transport and lodging: Golden Week in late April and early May, the Obon holidays in mid-August, and the New Year period. Trains and hotels fill up and prices rise, and many businesses close for several days around New Year. Avoid these dates unless you book early and accept the crowds.

Getting around by rail

Japan’s rail network is dense and punctual. The Shinkansen, the high-speed bullet train, connects Tokyo with Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka along the main trunk line, with other lines running north and to the Sea of Japan coast. In cities, subways and local trains handle most trips, and a rechargeable IC card such as Suica or Pasmo lets you tap in at the gates and pay without buying individual tickets. Many cities accept the same cards on buses and at convenience stores.

Japan Rail Pass

The national Japan Rail Pass offers unlimited rides on JR lines for 7, 14 or 21 days. The prices on the official sales site, in yen for web sales, are:

The 21-day option is listed on the same page. These prices reflect a major revision that raised the cost of the 7-day ordinary pass by as much as roughly 69% over the earlier price, and the pass no longer pays off as easily as it once did. Holders must buy a separate ticket for the Nozomi and Mizuho trains, the fastest Shinkansen services, so confirm the current terms on the official page. For a first trip, compare the pass price with the cost of your actual long rides, such as Tokyo to Kyoto, Kyoto to Hiroshima and a return, before buying. A trip that stays in one region or uses a single Shinkansen leg usually costs less with individual tickets or a regional pass.

Regional passes

JR East announced new foreign-visitor passes effective 14 March 2026. The new JR EAST PASS covers all JR East lines plus some other companies’ lines for 7 consecutive days from first use. It also reaches some JR West areas, namely Hokuriku and Keihan-Hanshin, and the Tokyo Monorail. The older Tohoku and Nagano/Niigata passes stopped selling on 13 March 2026, and passes bought before then keep their original terms within their validity. Check JR East’s current price list before buying.

Other regional passes include the JR West Nara pass (2 days, ¥3,600 for adults, valid through 31 March 2027, requiring the KANSAI MaaS app) and the Kyoto/Tajima pass (2 days, ¥3,900 adult and ¥1,800 child, on sale 1 April 2026 to 30 March 2027). The Tabiwa passes cover JR, private rail, buses and ferries in the Hokuriku, Setouchi and San’in areas, which suits travelers going beyond the main Tokyo to Osaka corridor. Seasonal passes, such as the autumn unlimited-ride ticket sold in 2025 for ¥7,850, cover only local and rapid trains and exclude limited express and Shinkansen services, so read the terms.

Costs

Accommodation is the largest cost. Japan Tourism Agency’s final estimate for 2025 puts total inbound spending at about ¥9.45 trillion, up 16.4% on 2024. General visitors spent ¥228,782 each on average, up 0.9%. Accommodation took 36.6% of spending, shopping 27.0% and food and beverages 21.9%.

Spending varies sharply by origin. In 2025 the Agency’s per-visitor averages were ¥226,011 for Hong Kong visitors, ¥184,413 for Taiwanese visitors and ¥105,058 for South Koreans. Visitors from long-haul countries spent well above the overall average, and they stay longer, so their spending reflects that. The average stay in the first quarter of 2024 was 6.5 nights, so the national average per trip is a useful ceiling for a week-long stay rather than a daily budget.

An earlier breakdown for 2022 gives a sense of the other categories: transport accounted for 10.2% of spending and entertainment for 6.6%. The 2022 totals included pre-trip package spending, so do not compare them directly with the later figures.

Lodging costs rise in cherry blossom and foliage seasons and during national holidays. Long rail rides can be bought individually or through a pass, as described above. The ¥3,000 departure tax is built into your return or onward ticket.

Etiquette and customs

Quiet is the main norm on public transport. Phone calls are generally avoided on trains, and a train announcement usually asks passengers to set phones to silent mode. Phone calls on trains are among the things to avoid, and missing the last train is another common mistake, since service ends at night in most cities and a taxi home is expensive.

On platforms, line up at the marked boarding positions beside the doors, let passengers get off first, then board in order. Priority seats are for people with disabilities, older passengers, pregnant women and parents with small children. Give up a seat promptly if someone who needs it boards. Escalator etiquette varies by region: Tokyo riders typically stand on the left and walk on the right, and Osaka reverses this.

Eating depends on the train. Boxed meals (ekiben) are normal on Shinkansen and limited express trains, which have tray tables. Avoid eating on crowded commuter trains and subways, and avoid strong-smelling food. Stations and trains generally have few trash bins, so carry your trash with you. Eating while walking is generally avoided, and tipping is not customary in restaurants or taxis.

At the table, do not stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice. Travelers with dietary restrictions should plan ahead. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ guidebook for restaurants serving foreign visitors notes that dietary customs differ and that some visitors cannot eat certain foods for religious reasons. Fish stock and pork-based broths appear in many dishes, so ask about ingredients and carry a written list of foods you avoid.

Planning one to three weeks

A week. Spend it on two bases. Give Tokyo three or four days with a day trip to Kamakura, Nikko or Hakone. Then take the Shinkansen to Kyoto for the remaining days, adding Nara or Osaka as day trips. This route keeps all rides on the main Shinkansen corridor, and buying individual tickets will normally cost less than a pass.

Ten days. Add Hiroshima and Miyajima to the Kansai section, or add Kanazawa and Takayama on a route that loops back to Tokyo through the Alps. A ten-day trip in this form is the point at which a rail pass or a regional pass begins to merit a price comparison.

Two weeks. Two weeks allows a third region. Options include Kyushu, with Fukuoka and Nagasaki or Kumamoto, or the Seto Inland Sea with Naoshima. Alternatively, head north to Tohoku or Hokkaido. A 14-day Japan Rail Pass costs ¥80,000 in ordinary class, so tally your planned long rides against that figure. Consider flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka, Fukuoka or Sapporo to avoid backtracking.

Three weeks. A trip of this length can combine the main corridor with a slower pace and one or two lesser-visited areas, such as Shikoku, the Japan Sea coast or Okinawa. It also leaves room for rest days, weather delays and a few nights in countryside inns or hot spring towns. The 21-day pass option is worth checking against your route, though three weeks of slower travel fits regional passes better.

Whatever the length, avoid moving hotels every night. Each change costs half a day in packing, transfers and check-in, and a base of two or three nights per city lets you reach nearby sights by day trips. Book lodging early for spring, autumn and the holiday periods, and leave a buffer day before an international flight in typhoon season.

Decisions to settle before you book

• Verify your passport on the MOFA page: Visa-free entry and permitted stay depend on your nationality and passport type, and the list has changed several times since 2024.
• Budget for the ¥3,000 departure tax: It applies to departures on or after 1 July 2026 and is added to your fare. The old ¥1,000 rate may still apply to some tickets bought earlier, so confirm with your airline.
• Price the rail pass against your actual rides: A 7-day ordinary Japan Rail Pass costs ¥50,000 and a 14-day pass costs ¥80,000, so if your trip has few long Shinkansen legs, individual tickets or a regional pass will be cheaper.
• Plan around lodging: Accommodation took 36.6% of inbound spending in 2025, and prices climb in blossom and foliage seasons and during Golden Week, Obon and New Year.
• Pick two or three bases: A week suits Tokyo and Kyoto, ten days adds Hiroshima or the Alps, and two to three weeks open up Kyushu, Hokkaido or Shikoku.