First Time in Japan? Don't Travel Without These Tips! — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00One, choose your flight to Japan wisely.
2. 0:02I recommend booking a flight that
3. 0:04arrives in Japan in the afternoon. This
4. 0:07will allow you time to get through the
5. 0:09airport, get to your hotel, have a quick
6. 0:12bite to eat, and get to bed at your
7. 0:14regular bedtime. This gives you the best
8. 0:17chance of adjusting to the time zone. If
9. 0:20you arrive in Japan early in the
10. 0:22morning, you might struggle to stay
11. 0:24awake all day. It can be tempting to
12. 0:26take a midday nap, but that can mess up
13. 0:29your rhythm and make jet lag worse.
14. 0:32Alternatively, if you arrive too late at
15. 0:34night, trains and buses may have stopped
16. 0:36running, and a taxi may be your only
17. 0:38option for getting to your
18. 0:40accommodation. When booking your flight,
19. 0:42don't assume that the only option is a
20. 0:44roundtrip flight into and out of the
21. 0:46same airport. Instead, consider whether
22. 0:49a multi-ity flight would work better for
23. 0:51your itinerary. For example, you might
24. 0:54want to fly into Tokyo, ride the
25. 0:56Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka, and
26. 0:59then fly home from Osaka. This way, you
27. 1:02don't need to waste time and money
28. 1:04riding the Shinkansen back to Tokyo just
29. 1:07to catch your flight home. It's at least
30. 1:09worth comparing the price between
31. 1:11roundtrip and multi-ity. When booking
32. 1:13your flight, pre-seelelect your meal
33. 1:16preference if you have any allergies or
34. 1:18restrictions. It's much easier to do
35. 1:21this in advance than to hope that your
36. 1:23meal preference is available once the
37. 1:25meal cart makes it to you. For example,
38. 1:28Japan Airlines offers special meals such
39. 1:31as children's meal, gluten-free, halal,
40. 1:35kosher, vegetarian, seafood, or fruit
41. 1:39platter. Jal also gives our kids a gift.
42. 1:43Two, take advantage of jet lag. While my
43. 1:46first tip of arriving in the afternoon
44. 1:49will hopefully help to lessen jet lag,
45. 1:51it's somewhat inevitable. Therefore, I
46. 1:54recommend taking advantage of jet lag
47. 1:56and getting an early start to your day.
48. 1:58Head out bright and early to visit
49. 2:00popular tourist sites that will
50. 2:02undoubtedly get crowded later in the
51. 2:04day. For example, Sensoji Temple in
52. 2:07Tokyo or Fushimi Nari Taisha Shrine in
53. 2:10Kyoto. It's much easier to enjoy these
54. 2:12sites in the peaceful early morning
55. 2:14hours than once the crowds arrive.
56. 2:17Three, be aware of opening hours. If you
57. 2:20do get an early start to your day, keep
58. 2:22in mind opening hours. While you can
59. 2:25certainly walk around the grounds of
60. 2:26Sensoji Temple, the main hall as well as
61. 2:29the surrounding shops won't yet be open
62. 2:31at the break of day. My favorite
63. 2:33breakfast spot nearby, Suki 6 Diner,
64. 2:36opens at 8 a.m., but many restaurants
65. 2:38don't open until 10 or 11:00 a.m.
66. 2:41Personally, I sightsee first and then
67. 2:43eat. But if you must eat something
68. 2:45first, you can try a Kini convenience
69. 2:47store, which will most likely be open.
70. 2:50If you opt for breakfast to your hotel,
71. 2:52be aware of last order. For example,
72. 2:55breakfast might be until 9:30 a.m. with
73. 2:58last order at 9:00 a.m. They take this
74. 3:00seriously. Do not think you can wander
75. 3:03up at 9:05 a.m. and get something to
76. 3:05eat. At the end of the day, be aware of
77. 3:08closing times and last entry, as places
78. 3:10such as gardens may close earlier than
79. 3:13you expect. Four, ensure reliable
80. 3:15internet connection. While sightseeing
81. 3:17in Japan, a reliable internet connection
82. 3:20is crucial. This allows me to look up
83. 3:23nearby restaurants and sites and see
84. 3:24their opening hours. When I'm just
85. 3:27chilling in my hotel room, I can use the
86. 3:29hotel's Wi-Fi. But while I'm out and
87. 3:31about navigating with Google Maps, I
88. 3:33need a data plan on my phone. Yes, it's
89. 3:36true you can download offline maps ahead
90. 3:38of time, but I want an internet
91. 3:40connection allowing for realtime updates
92. 3:43such as whether my bus or train is
93. 3:45running late. Luckily, there's Journey
94. 3:47Japan ESIM, the sponsor of this video,
95. 3:50helping you stay connected during your
96. 3:52Japan trip. You can enjoy fast, reliable
97. 3:55data on Japan's top network. We know as
98. 3:58we've tested Journey Japan ESIM
99. 4:00throughout Japan and we had reliable
100. 4:03internet everywhere we went. One thing
101. 4:05that we really like about Journey Japan
102. 4:07Eim is that they're more than just an
103. 4:09eim company. They have a ton of perks
104. 4:12and they keep adding them, including
105. 4:14getting 500 yen off for each member of
106. 4:17your group at Big Echo Karaoke, 500 yen
107. 4:20off your first drink at Lost Bar
108. 4:22Shabuya, a free drink at the new Skiyaki
109. 4:26Junatin and Kyoto, which we can't wait
110. 4:28to try, plus more. Click on a referral
111. 4:30link in the pinned comment, then choose
112. 4:33from one of the 30-day plans, including
113. 4:35an unlimited plan. Personally, I like to
114. 4:38have around 1 gigabyte of data per day.
115. 4:41So, let's choose a 10 gigabyte plan for
116. 4:43a 10-day Japan trip. You'll receive an
117. 4:46email within minutes that will contain
118. 4:47your activation codes, a link to install
119. 4:50via QR code, and easy to follow
120. 4:52instructions. Thank you, Journey Japan
121. 4:54ESIM, for sponsoring this video. Five,
122. 4:57be aware of closed days and holidays.
123. 5:01When planning my trip, I start by making
124. 5:03a rough itinerary of which places I plan
125. 5:06to visit for each day. Then I go through
126. 5:09one by one and I make sure that each
127. 5:11place is actually open that day. Museums
128. 5:14and small shops and restaurants are
129. 5:16often closed one day per week. I try to
130. 5:19check the official website and not rely
131. 5:22only on Google Maps listings, which
132. 5:24aren't always accurate. If there is a
133. 5:26Japanese holiday, that can shift the
134. 5:29schedule of open and closed days. Go
135. 5:32ahead and look at a list of Japanese
136. 5:34holidays for 2026 and see if any fall
137. 5:37during your trip. Japan has its own
138. 5:40unique set of national holidays, and
139. 5:42we've been caught off guard more than
140. 5:44once by a holiday that we'd never heard
141. 5:46of before. Also, keep in mind that
142. 5:49attractions will be crowded on holidays.
143. 5:52I try to avoid places such as amusement
144. 5:54parks on holidays and weekends. Six,
145. 5:57prepare for crowds in the spring. If you
146. 6:00are planning a spring trip, be aware
147. 6:02that it is the busiest time of year to
148. 6:04visit Japan. Many foreigners visit
149. 6:07during cherry blossom season, which for
150. 6:09Tokyo falls around the end of March,
151. 6:12beginning of April. Each year, a series
152. 6:14of cherry blossom forecasts are
153. 6:16released, estimating the timing of first
154. 6:19bloom and full bloom. Cherry blossoms
155. 6:21are fleeting and you only have about 2
156. 6:23weeks to catch them in a given region.
157. 6:26For example, currently flowering is
158. 6:29expected in Tokyo around March 20th with
159. 6:32full bloom expected around March 27th.
160. 6:35March 20th also happens to be vernal
161. 6:37equinox day, which is a national
162. 6:39holiday, making for a busy 3-day
163. 6:42weekend. While the beginning of April
164. 6:44draws crowds for cherry blossom season,
165. 6:46the end of April into May is part of
166. 6:49Golden Week, which is a series of
167. 6:51Japanese holidays. Golden Week 2026
168. 6:54encompasses April 29th to May 6th.
169. 6:58During this time period, many Japanese
170. 7:00people will be traveling throughout
171. 7:02Japan, making hotels more expensive,
172. 7:05attractions crowded, and there's the
173. 7:07potential for Shinkansen bullet trains
174. 7:09and domestic flights to be completely
175. 7:12full. Therefore, if you're traveling
176. 7:14during late March, April, or early May,
177. 7:18I recommend booking tickets for the
178. 7:19Shinkansen Bullet Train in advance.
179. 7:22Generally, they can be purchased 1 month
180. 7:24before your travel date. I'll link to
181. 7:26our video explaining how to buy your
182. 7:28tickets in advance online. Other
183. 7:30Japanese holiday seasons to be aware of
184. 7:32include Oon, which takes place around
185. 7:35August 13th through 16th. Silver Week,
186. 7:39which doesn't occur every year, will
187. 7:41occur in 2026 from September 19th
188. 7:44through 23rd. Plus, New Year is
189. 7:47celebrated from around December 29th to
190. 7:50January 3rd. Seven, buy attraction
191. 7:53tickets in advance. Especially if you
192. 7:56will visit during a crowded time of
193. 7:57year, but also for pretty much any Japan
194. 8:00trip, it's important to purchase
195. 8:02attraction tickets in advance. Please
196. 8:04don't make the mistake of showing up to
197. 8:06an attraction and thinking that you can
198. 8:08purchase tickets at the counter. Many
199. 8:10amusement parks such as Tokyo Disney and
200. 8:14Universal Studios Japan in Osaka no
201. 8:17longer offer tickets at the gate. You
202. 8:19are expected to purchase them online
203. 8:21ahead of time. If you want to get an
204. 8:24optional express pass for USJ, keep an
205. 8:27eye on the release dates as those sell
206. 8:29out fast. Entrance tickets to USJ can
207. 8:32also sell out on holidays such as
208. 8:35Halloween or New Year. Tickets for
209. 8:37Shabuya Sky observation deck can be
210. 8:40purchased 2 weeks in advance, and
211. 8:42tickets sell out quickly for the sunset
212. 8:44time slots. Tickets for Team Lab
213. 8:47interactive art exhibits can be
214. 8:49purchased a couple months in advance and
215. 8:51the popular locations usually sell out.
216. 8:54So, don't expect to buy tickets on the
217. 8:56day of your visit. To help you navigate
218. 8:58all of this, we have a separate video
219. 9:00with the details on when and how to book
220. 9:03various attractions and transportation
221. 9:05in Japan. I'll link to it below. Eight,
222. 9:09where to stay in Tokyo. Some of the
223. 9:12popular neighborhoods for firsttime
224. 9:14visitors include Shibuya, Shinjjuku,
225. 9:18Tokyo Station area, and Asakasa. Staying
226. 9:22near the JR Yamanote line can allow for
227. 9:24easy access to many tourist sites. This
228. 9:27line circles around Tokyo in both
229. 9:29clockwise and counterclockwise
230. 9:31directions. Among the 30 stops on the
231. 9:34Yamanote line are Shabuya, Shinjuku, and
232. 9:38Tokyo. When choosing a hotel, we
233. 9:41recommend selecting one that is within a
234. 9:435 to 10 minutes walk of a train or
235. 9:46subway station. Your feet will thank you
236. 9:48later. Find links to all of our Japan
237. 9:51hotel recommendations below. If the
238. 9:54number one thing you're excited to see
239. 9:55in Tokyo is Shabuya Scramble Crossing,
240. 9:59consider staying in Shabuya. You'll be
241. 10:01right in the heart of the action with
242. 10:03endless shopping and dining options. My
243. 10:06top hotel recommendation in this area is
244. 10:09Shabuya Excel Hotel Tokyo located right
245. 10:12at Shabuya Station. The corner twin room
246. 10:15that I stayed in had an amazing view
247. 10:18overlooking Shabuya Scramble Crossing. I
248. 10:21didn't even need to visit an observation
249. 10:23deck with this view right from my own
250. 10:25room. One of our family's favorite areas
251. 10:28to stay is Shinjuku. While Shinjjuku is
252. 10:31known for its flashy billboards,
253. 10:33Godzilla head and night life, we opt to
254. 10:36stay on the other side of Shinjuku
255. 10:38Station, which is much quieter and
256. 10:41familyfriendly. Our favorite hotel in
257. 10:43Shinjjuku is the Kale Plaza Hotel Tokyo,
258. 10:46especially the Premier Grand section of
259. 10:48the hotel, which comes with perks such
260. 10:51as tea time upon check-in. Our room had
261. 10:54the perfect view looking directly at the
262. 10:57projection mapping show displayed on the
263. 10:59Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
264. 11:02Staying near Shinjuku Station is
265. 11:04strategic if you plan to take a day trip
266. 11:07to Hakone or Mount Fuji Kawaguchi as
267. 11:11both limited express trains as well as
268. 11:14highway buses depart from Shinjuku
269. 11:16Station. The area near Tokyo station is
270. 11:19also strategic to stay, especially if
271. 11:21you plan that after visiting Tokyo, you
272. 11:23will hop on a Shinkansen bullet train to
273. 11:26head to another city such as Kyoto or
274. 11:28Osaka. One of my other favorite areas to
275. 11:31stay is Asakasa, but please note that it
276. 11:34is not on the Yamanote line. Instead,
277. 11:37it's accessible by subway and located
278. 11:40away from the tourist hotspots of
279. 11:42Shabuya and Shinjuku. I like Asakasa for
280. 11:45a step back in time to appreciate the
281. 11:47history and culture of Japan. Asakasa is
282. 11:50a wonderful location for participating
283. 11:53in cultural experiences such as a
284. 11:55Japanese tea ceremony and kimono rental,
285. 11:59making your own washi paper, or visiting
286. 12:01the Samurai Ninja Museum. An ideally
287. 12:04located hotel is the Sakasa View Hotel
288. 12:08located just minutes walk to Sensoji. My
289. 12:11room also had a fantastic view of Tokyo
290. 12:14Skytree. You can watch my separate video
291. 12:17that's a guide to visiting Sensoji
292. 12:19Temple and Tokyo Skytree. Nine, learn
293. 12:22about transportation before your trip.
294. 12:25Public transportation in Japan is
295. 12:27amazing, but it can also be confusing
296. 12:30for firsttime visitors. We've got you
297. 12:32covered with multiple transportation
298. 12:35guides here on Kencho Quest. Watch our
299. 12:37separate videos to learn how to navigate
300. 12:39Tokyo's train system like a pro, 10
301. 12:42things you must know riding Japan's
302. 12:44bullet train, plus how to purchase
303. 12:46tickets for the Shinkansen bullet
304. 12:48trains. We also have videos on getting
305. 12:50from the airport into Tokyo. In addition
306. 12:53to riding trains, taxis have their place
307. 12:56in Japan. For instance, if you're headed
308. 12:58from your hotel to Tokyo station to
309. 13:01catch a bullet train, it can be
310. 13:03worthwhile to take a taxi to the Yasu
311. 13:05entrance of Tokyo station. From there,
312. 13:08you can easily reach the Shinkansen
313. 13:10tracks. This beats dragging your luggage
314. 13:13onto a local train and then making your
315. 13:15way across the labyrinth of Tokyo
316. 13:18station trying to find the Shinkansen
317. 13:20tracks. Especially as a family, short
318. 13:23distance taxi rides can make more sense
319. 13:26than paying for four train tickets and
320. 13:28hassling with the chaos of train
321. 13:30stations. We either find a taxi queue,
322. 13:33hail an available taxi, or use the Go
323. 13:36Taxi app to get a ride. 10 payment
324. 13:38methods for Japan. We use multiple
325. 13:41payment methods while traveling in
326. 13:43Japan. It is a good idea to carry some
327. 13:46Japanese yen with you since there are
328. 13:48small shops and restaurants that only
329. 13:50accept payment by cash. One option is to
330. 13:53order Japanese yen from your bank at
331. 13:55home a couple weeks before your trip.
332. 13:57However, what we do is we wait until we
333. 13:59arrive in Japan and use an ATM at the
334. 14:01airport to withdraw 50,000 or 100,000
335. 14:05yen. At Haneda airport, as soon as you
336. 14:08pass through customs and enter the
337. 14:10arrival hall, there are ATMs located to
338. 14:12the right and the left. We don't opt to
339. 14:15exchange US dollars for yen at a
340. 14:17currency exchange as we wouldn't get as
341. 14:19good of a rate as we get from the ATM.
342. 14:21If you later need to get more yen, you
343. 14:23can easily find ATMs at convenience
344. 14:26stores and train stations. I have a
345. 14:28separate video walking you through step
346. 14:30by step using a seven bankank ATM in
347. 14:33Japan with tips for avoiding possible
348. 14:36fees. An important thing to check before
349. 14:38heading to Japan is whether your bank
350. 14:41charges a fee to use your debit card in
351. 14:43a foreign ATM. For example, our Wells
352. 14:46Fargo card charges $5 each time, while
353. 14:50our Charles Schwab debit card does not
354. 14:52charge a fee, and it reimburses us any
355. 14:55transaction fees charged by the ATM.
356. 14:58While we like to have some cash on hand,
357. 15:00we pay at most stores and restaurants by
358. 15:02credit card. Some stores, such as
359. 15:05convenience stores, accept payments from
360. 15:07digital wallets, while other stores may
361. 15:09require you to insert a plastic credit
362. 15:11card. So, it's a good idea to bring a
363. 15:14physical card. Most often, I can just
364. 15:16tap my credit card to pay. Before
365. 15:18traveling to Japan, find out whether
366. 15:21your credit card charges foreign
367. 15:22transaction fees. It's best to opt for a
368. 15:25travel credit card without foreign
369. 15:27transaction fees. Also, if you're given
370. 15:30the option to pay either in Japanese yen
371. 15:33or your home currency, for me, that's US
372. 15:36dollars. Always select Japanese yen. If
373. 15:39you select your home currency, the
374. 15:41merchant can use dynamic currency
375. 15:43conversion, which can tack on quite a
376. 15:45bit more to the purchase price. Whether
377. 15:48you're making a payment or you're using
378. 15:50an ATM, always select Japanese yen while
379. 15:53in Japan. In addition to those payment
380. 15:56methods, each member of our family who
381. 15:58is at least 6 years old has an IC card
382. 16:01specifically for paying for public
383. 16:03transportation in Japan. While a limited
384. 16:06number of train and bus lines accept
385. 16:08payment by credit card, most
386. 16:10transportation in Japan is set up for
387. 16:12payment by IC card. Tap your card while
388. 16:15entering the ticket gate and tap out at
389. 16:17your arrival station. The cost of the
390. 16:19trip is deducted from your balance on
391. 16:21the card. For all the details, please
392. 16:23watch our separate video on why you need
393. 16:25an IC card for Japan travel. That was a
394. 16:28lot to take in, but don't worry. Here on
395. 16:31Kencho Quest, we consistently share
396. 16:33detailed advice for planning a trip to
397. 16:36Japan. Be sure to subscribe and check
398. 16:38out the videos on our channel for
399. 16:41everything you need to know to have an
400. 16:43amazing trip to Japan.