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Getting online
Have your Goodbars eSIM installed, or the order email with the QR code to hand, so you are online the moment you land and your Visit Japan Web codes and train route load in the hall.
Download an offline map of the cities you will visit and a transit app: big stations have many exits, and the app tells you which one.
Getting around
Welcome Suica and Tourist Pasmo are made for visitors: no deposit, but usable for 28 days only. A regular Suica carries a ¥500 deposit, and Suica also lives in your phone's wallet. Tapping a credit card works on many Tokyo lines, but not on JR, the Keisei Line or the Tokyo Monorail.
GO dispatches licensed taxis in all 47 prefectures and takes international credit cards and Apple Pay, so set it up at home. Taxis are metered and expensive: keep them for late nights and luggage.
From Narita, the Narita Express reaches Tokyo Station in 53 minutes at its fastest and the Keisei Skyliner reaches Keisei Ueno in as little as 41. From Kansai, the Haruka's discounted visitor ticket cannot be bought inside Japan, so buy it before you fly.
A 7-day Ordinary Japan Rail Pass is ¥50,000 on the official site; exchange orders from overseas agents bought from 1 October 2026 cost ¥53,000. It pays off only on long routes, and Nozomi and Mizuho trains need an extra ticket.
Money
The FCDO says cash machines at 7-Eleven, post offices and JP Post Bank accept some foreign cards during business hours, and that Cirrus, Maestro, Link and Delta cards are not widely accepted. Check yours, and tell your bank you are travelling.
Cashless payments reached 58% of consumer spending in 2025 (METI), yet the FCDO still calls Japan predominantly cash-based. Bring a card with low foreign fees and plan some yen for small restaurants and shrines.
Japan's International Tourist Tax has been ¥3,000 per departure since 1 July 2026. The airline collects it with your fare, so there is nothing to pay at the airport, and children under 2 are exempt.
Essentials
EU, UK and US passports, among many others, enter visa-free for up to 90 days; Turkish passports only if machine-readable to ICAO standards. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list against yours. JESTA, Japan's planned travel authorisation, is not live yet.
The Digital Agency's Visit Japan Web does immigration and customs online before you land, and you show a 2D code on your phone at the desk. Visitors can use it for tax-free shopping too. Screenshot the codes.
Some common medicines are illegal in Japan under its anti-stimulant law, including Vicks inhalers, cold and flu medicines with pseudoephedrine and some codeine painkillers. Check each one with the Japanese embassy before you pack.
Medical care in Japan is high quality but expensive, and the FCDO says to expect to pay the whole cost of treatment. Make sure your policy covers it.
LINE is Japan's everyday messaging app, with 98 million monthly users there (LY Corporation, March 2025), so it is worth having if someone you meet asks how to reach you.
Japan uses type A and B sockets at 100 V. European plugs need an adapter, and devices built only for 230 V, such as hair tools, will struggle; chargers marked 100 to 240 V are fine.
Leave your phone's emergency alerts switched on: Japan is in a major earthquake zone. For English-language help in a natural disaster, the JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline runs 24 hours on +81(5)0 3816 2787.
Your Goodbars Japan eSIM has you online the moment you land. Plans from €12.99. See eSIM plans
A checklist, not a rulebook: adjust it to your trip and how you like to travel.
Common questions
What apps do I need for Japan?
A transit app and an offline map, GO for taxis, LINE for messaging, an IC card in your phone's wallet if your phone supports it, and your eSIM set up so all of them work from the airport.
Do I need a Suica card for Japan?
Not strictly, but an IC card turns every train, subway and bus into one tap. Welcome Suica and Tourist Pasmo are made for visitors: no deposit, valid 28 days, and money left on a Tourist Pasmo is not refunded.
Is Japan still a cash country?
Less than it was. METI measured cashless payments at 58% of consumer spending in 2025, but the FCDO still calls Japan predominantly cash-based, and small restaurants, shrines and rural inns often want notes. Carry both.
Do I need Visit Japan Web?
It is the online route through immigration and customs: you file the details before you land and show a 2D code at the desk. The official page does not say it is required, but doing it the evening before you fly saves time in the hall.
What plugs does Japan use?
Types A and B at 100 V. A European plug needs an adapter; chargers marked 100 to 240 V work fine, while hair tools built only for 230 V will run weakly or not at all.
Will my phone work in Japan?
If it is unlocked and supports eSIM, a travel eSIM gets you online without swapping your SIM. Set the travel line as your data line with roaming on, and keep your home line for calls.