Japan travel guide (2026)

Japan admits passport holders from Korea, the US, the UK, Australia and most of the EU visa-free for up to 90 days as tourists; check your own nationality. Registering immigration and customs details on Visit Japan Web beforehand reduces the process to a single QR code and cuts the queue noticeably. It is not mandatory, but finish it at least six hours before boarding.

It depends on the route, and for most short trips it is not. The 7-day national ordinary pass is JPY 50,000 in 2026, and it cannot be used on Nozomi or Mizuho — the fastest Shinkansen — so you take Hikari or Sakura instead and lose time. A Tokyo-Osaka return is cheaper on individual tickets. The national pass only wins on itineraries covering four or more cities by Shinkansen. If you are staying within one region, such as Kansai or Kyushu, a regional pass costs far less. Fix the route first, then add up the individual fares and compare.

It varies by city and has changed a lot recently. Kyoto restructured on 1 March 2026 into five bands with a cap of JPY 10,000 per person per night (200 under 6,000; 400 under 20,000; 1,000 under 50,000; 4,000 under 100,000; 10,000 above). Tokyo currently charges flat amounts — JPY 100 for rooms from 10,000, JPY 200 from 15,000, nothing below 10,000 — but from 1 April 2027 it switches to 3% of the room rate, raises the exemption floor to 13,000 and brings private lodging into scope. It is usually collected separately from the room rate, so it is easy to leave out of a budget.

An IC card such as Suica or ICOCA is the reliable choice. They are nationally interoperable, so a Suica bought in Tokyo works on the Osaka subway, and they pay at convenience stores. Tapping an overseas card at the gate depends on the operator and cannot be stated as a national fact — Osaka Metro has it fully deployed, extended to city buses, while Kyoto is still rolling it out. Check the city page, and carry an IC card if you want certainty.

Department stores, chains and convenience stores take cards, but temple and shrine admissions, yatai stalls, older restaurants and small shops are frequently cash only. Carry JPY 10,000-20,000 per person. Seven Bank ATMs inside 7-Eleven and Lawson ATMs dispense yen against foreign cards and are easier to find than bank branches.

Cherry blossom and autumn colour look best and cost most, with major sites crowded. Early June to mid-July is the rainy season and July-August combines heat with typhoons. If cost matters more, January and February are low season, and Hokkaido is in its element then. Avoid Golden Week in late April and Obon in mid-August: domestic travel peaks and Shinkansen seats and hotel rooms get difficult simultaneously.