I’ll be visiting Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima. I’ll want to take some photos of myself on some attractions or cool places.

If I find a relatively quiet area that’s out people’s way (not crowded areas), set up a tripod, and use an Apple Watch to take a photo of myself would that be an issue? Or should I ask random people?

Are there specific no photography norms that would offend Japanese people in certain areas?

Hello all, I’m traveling to Japan next week and even though the itinerary is pretty much planned, I’m still wondering about couple things

1. Suica card - do you need an app to add it to your Apple wallet? Can you use Suica for all trains around the country or should I buy a specific day pass to the public transport services in each city?

2. Trains - should I book trains between cities in advance or can the tickets be bought on the train station before the train departs? What kind of services there are on the trains? (e.g. toilets, restaurant car)

3. Tax free shopping - are there specific tax free stores or can you make purchases anywhere? Do the stores have specific counters for tax free purchases?

Also any last minute tips for Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo are warmly welcome - we already know the basic sights and acticities pretty well!

Heading to Japan in march next year for a couple weeks and need some good footwear for all the walking we’ll be doing.

All I’ve ever worn is vans and god forbid going to Japan in those! I was thinking of Skechers or New balance. Something that would be alright doing 20,000+ steps a day.

Renting a car was probably the best decision for Japan's family trip.

1. cheaper than Shinkansen if you plan to travel a lot (for 4-5 people). It is also possible to rent auto in one city and return it in another one (Osaka -> Tokyo, for example).
2. gives you opportunity to bypass crowds. Nara park at 6:30 differs dramatically from Nara at 7:30.
3. you can visit remote onsens, monasteries, small villages and shrines. Biggest mistake for us was to plan 4 days in Tokyo: weakest "Japan experience per day" spent.
4. it's a mobile warehouse if your ladies plan to shopping. Convenient because space in Japan hotels/houses is usually limited.

So now the tips. 1. Somehow japanese highway acceleration lanes are super short. I couldn't believe they were designed so poorly. Be prepared for rapid line changes in live traffic. 2. Japanese drivers don't pay attention to speed limit signs. They easily exceed the limit by 20–40 km/h. There aren't many speed cameras, but the closer you get to Tokyo, the more there are. Ooono works. 3. Get ETC card when you rent your auto and be prepared to pay 100+ Euro for the paid roads (you pay when you give the car back). But the gas here is half the price of what we pay in Europe. 4. You need to order Japanese driver license translation paper in advance. Plenty of webservices do that online. 6. Often you pay for parking when you leave (so keep coins). 7. Mounting roads are narrow, but usually in a good shape. You do need some alpine driving skills here, but nothing really special.

Hi everyone!

I'm considering travelling to Japan solo for around a week, and I'd love some advice from people who have been before, especially those who have travelled alone.

As the title says I'm considering to travel to Japan for a week but I'm not too sure when the best time to visit would be

I'm looking to have a memorable trip by doing things such as seeing

I'm really interested in experiencing the culture for myself exploring the different cities and seeing the architecture. Im still in the early stages of planning everything so I'd love any advice about places to stay and hidden gems in Japan from anyone who has been before.

A few things im really interested in are Japanese culture and history the traditional temples and shrines. The architecture and places I can experience traditional Japanese culture. I'm a petrol head so id like to go to a few car meets at places like daikoku or maybe even more underground ones or any car museums or other things car related

I'd love to also explore the nightlife Japan has to offer such as izakayas and other Japanese bars

Since Smartex app cant be installed in India. Im booking for from Tokyo to Kyoto via the website. Does it allow zero forex card? Or should I book from Klook?

I have a luggage which is 159 cm so I hope i dont have to book the oversized luggage seat? I really want the window seat to view Mt Fuji from the train. Which side and seats are best?

Im booking an early train at 7.30 AM so that I reach kyoto by 1030 AM and then planning to visit Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka Ninenzaka and evening at Fushimi Inari. Hectic but doable?

Hello! I am travelling to Japan in spring, and i am a bit uncertain on how to navigate in the Haneda airport. I have never travelled alone internationally before. Is it easy to navigate and what to do when you arrive, like the custom declarations at airport arrival? Sorry if this is a silly question, thanks in advance!

My flight home next week departs Haneda intl just before 7am.
We are aware the trains won’t be running early enough to get us there. Airport limousines also don’t run that early. Is it best to book a private transfer?
Google says a taxi at that hour from Ueno where our accom is, will be anywhere from 10,000-14,000Y.
Anyone had experience getting to the airport that early through a private transfer service?

Thanks in advance!

Will be my first time in Japan and will also he my first in a Universal Studios…however, I will be 6-ish months pregnant by the time of the trip and well-aware that I wont be able to try the rides.

Should i just skip it or will it still be worth it as a pregnant traveller?

If i do skip it, what could be other activities to replace it with?

Thank you.

Edit: thank you all for your comments! Im skipping it :)

Hi folks, a very good morning to you all.

I booked Tobu Levant Hotel Levant during my tokyo stay (24-28th Feb,2027). We are a family of 3, me(27M) and parents aged 51 & 58. Wanted opinions from frequent travellers, if this is a good stay in terms of location and ease of access to different attractions and museums and activities.

I am just trying to make this trip comfortable for my parents as its their first time abroad as well.

I'm thinking while I'm in Japan next May/June I could see my first ever baseball game.

I know from other posts I can use Japanball once the fixtures are released to get tickets, my question is more... cultural? than that.

I'm guessing there are home and away ends like in football (soccer), and I guess when I book I'll know which I'm in so can dress accordingly 😄

My question is - how... fanatical are the fans? Like if I had a team cap on and sat at the 'wrong' side, or ended up amongst 'rival' fans outside the stadium, or visited the city of my caps arch rivals, am I going to get any grief? 😅

I know the Japanese are super polite, I guess I'm asking if that extends to the stereotypical tinder box which is sports 😂

Hey, we’ve booked the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, we love Godzilla and a themed hotel, and love busy city vibes. Just wanting to know are there any safety concerns we should be worried about, (I see lots of posts about touts) as 2 youngish women walking back and forth to the hotel daily.

Edit: if being queer isn’t an important part of the question you can ignore it. Given the country doesn’t have marriage equality, it seems somewhat relevant.

What's the best place to get vintage baseball merch in Tokyo? I really really want to cop some Yakult Swallows gear.

I'm visiting Japan for the second time this November for about 18 days , solo travel, flying into and out of Tokyo. Last year I visited: Tokyo, Nagano, Kyoto, and a day trip to Nara. I especially loved Kyoto and Nagano, particularly the temples, shrines, forests, and traditional atmosphere.

This time I'd like a much more relaxed trip rather than rushing between major tourist attractions. I enjoy wandering through neighborhoods, visiting temples and shrines, exploring nature, and just soaking up the atmosphere.

I'd prefer to establish 2–3 main bases rather than constantly changing hotels. Also happy to revisit some places, I feel like I barely touched the surface of places like Kyoto. Would also probably love to get to see Kanazawa this time.

This is a last minute planning, but still could use some suggestions. Where do you guys recommend spending time on this trip?

Hello! Sorry for the specific question, hopefully I’m posting it to the right place!

One of the prescribed medications I take requires an import certificate. I sent in my application yesterday, it’s been about 24 hours now. My trip is in a little over a month but I want to make sure it was received and is being processed.

Does anyone have any experience with the Bureau of Health and Welfare or know what the general process is? I’ve read everything on the official website multiple times but haven’t found what I need.

Thank you!

Hello, travellers!

I will travel from Kyoto to Tokyo and I'm planing to spend one night in Hakone/Gora area. I'm thinking to spend the night on ryokan, but I'm not sure which one to choose and in which area. And on the next day I'm planning to go to a Mt.Fjui viewpoint and get around and see the area. I have few questions:

1) Should I spend the night in ryokan or in normal hotel and explore the are? What is the price for ryokan for 1 night two people?

2) Which Mt.Fuji viewpoint you can reccomend to me?

3) Where is better to stay Hakone, Gora or other place?

We will send our luggages from our hotel in Kyoto to the hotel in Tokyo, so we will travel only with bagpacks and this will make us more flexible. Thanks!

Hi everyone!
We’ll be visiting Japan for around 10–11 days in November and would love some food recommendations from locals and fellow travellers!
We’ll be staying in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, with trips to Amanohashidate–Ine, Kawaguchiko (Mt. Fuji), Kamakura and Enoshima.

We’re really excited to explore Japanese food, but we have a few dietary preferences: We don’t eat beef, pork, or raw meat/raw seafood. Chicken, fish, prawns, eggs, dairy and cooked seafood are all fine.

Some foods we’re particularly interested in trying:
Sushi: Would love to experience conveyor-belt sushi (kaiten-zushi), but we’re looking for fully cooked options such as shrimp, grilled fish etc.
Tempura: Especially shrimp, seafood and vegetable tempura.
Ramen: Chicken-based ramen with no pork or beef ingredients in the broth or toppings.
Omurice: Would love recommendations for a really good one!
Gyoza: Chicken or vegetarian (not necessarily vegan), without pork.
Chicken katsu: Especially good chicken katsu curry or katsu sets.
Other Japanese specialties: Takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakitori, Japanese desserts, street food, snacks, and anything else you think we shouldn’t miss!

We’re not necessarily looking for fancy or expensive restaurants. In fact, we’d love to discover affordable local favourites, small eateries, hidden gems and places that serve genuinely good food rather than just Instagram-famous spots.
We’re also happy to try foods that aren’t on our list, so please suggest your favourites!

We’d really appreciate specific restaurant names or even Google Maps links if possible.

Thank you!!

I’m visiting Fukuoka and Tokyo this December and would love to bring my girlfriend a thoughtful food gift.

On my last trip, I picked up fairly standard tourist souvenirs. This time, I’d like to find something with a local connection or a distinctive flavour...perhaps sweets from a small confectionery? A regional specialty, or a really good box of chocolates.

She’s 32, loves food and sweets, and isn’t a fan of matcha. I’ll be bringing the gift home, so storage requirements and shelf life matter too.

What have you personally bought in either city that you’d happily give again? Specific shops or products, and what makes them special, would be really helpful.

Greetings! 1st time to Japan. Will be split between Shinjuku and Shibuya the 1st week of November. Already booked for Team Lab Planets and Shibuya Sky and the rest of the time, site-seeing, shopping and eating. Are there any food tours or shows or any other “must do” entertainment options you’d highly recommend doing for a party of 5? We’re pretty adventurous and open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance! 👍

Hi there! It will be my first time travelling to Japan and I have allotted 6 days for this trip. I am planning to go to Tokyo and Osaka. Would it be advisable to do 3 days each or 2 days tokyo and 4 days osaka vice versa? I am a huge chiikawa fan so I plan to visit all the shops in tokyo before heading to osaka for parks/aquariums. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I’ve been to both Disney world, Disneyland and universal studios in America and my partner hasn’t been to any. I used to love rollercoasters and the thrill of it but has grown to be a little more restricted with age and my partner hasn’t really been to that many amusement parks.

What would you choose if you only could choose one? I’m wondering if it’s more fun to try something new at Disneysea or just go with the safe choice and pick Disneyland?

We just came back from a 2 week trip with our 1 yo baby. Just want to share some info:

1. Japanese diapers

Buy them! They are so soft, cushy and absorbs well! Why dont we have something like this in target? I just got the normal drug store brand like Moony Man and it’s not even the expensive/luxury ones! Huggies are not available. Well they are not gonna have any market in Japan😅

2. Formula

We bought Meiji “hohoemi(smile)”. They have formula in blocks. Very easy to carry. But it does require higher water temp to dissolve. For younger kids, it’s safer to use the higher temp water. Our kid was almost one at the time so we used room temp water and just made it 5 min before so it dissolved better. Some people say their kids have problem pooping drinking this one. Was not a problem for us.

3. Diaper rash

We brought the red butt paste with us so that helped a lot. If you do not have anything with you, go to a drug store such as Matsumoto Kiyoshi and talk to a person wearing white rope cuz they are pharmacists. I was anxious so I asked one guy and he just recommended white Vaseline saying it’s better to use it to protect the skin first. He said he has a 1yo too so I believed him. It actually worked! We did one full day of Vaseline and baby’s skin condition got a lot better( lots of changing too!).

4. Baby needs to play/crawl!

Realized part of the reason that baby got diaper rash was because he’s sitting in the stroller all day. So we found public children’s playground or safe places where he can crawl and have fun! In Kyoto, there’s one near subway Marutamachi station. But note that it needs reservation and it goes quickly on weekends.

5. Restaurants

Most restaurants have baby high chair and baby utensils. The restaurants we went to in Yokohama didn’t have a high chair with straps! Including the hotel breakfast! That was weird.

Always choose counter seats over tatami seats because kids will crawl around on the tatami and they would not settle down!!

Izakaya places especially the mom and pop places usually are not expecting babies. Their space is tight and it’s not the ambience for kids. In Kyoto we got lucky and were able to eat at a fantastic Izakaya run by a nice old couple. But it’s a week day night at 8pm and baby was sleeping in the stroller.

In Kanazawa, we went to a Sushi place called Okina Sushi. The owners hearing is not so great so you need to speak loudly. I told him baby was sleeping so he said ok you can leave him by the door. Later a regular came in and was surprised by the amount of Gaijin( foreigners) sitting at the counter (there was another Canadian couple) and questioning why bringing the baby. The owner looked at me and said: well since you said baby is sleeping! And then he kindly reminded the regular guest that I understand Japanese fully. The regular quickly apologized. I quickly finished eating and wanted to leave. Owners wife realized that baby woke up so she approached and tried to interact with him. She was nice. The food was meh. I guess next time if I can sense the owner is even slightly unwilling to take guests with baby, I should’ve just left. Eating there made the owner/ regular guest and myself unhappy.

6. Baby snacks

I bought baby snacks from big drug stores: Matsumoto Kiyoshi or local grocery stores(supermarket).

There is also a place called Nishimatsu ya( 西松屋）. They sell everything for babies: formula, snacks, diapers wipes, clothes, water bottles, etc. There’s one near Kyoto station. We bought diapers and wipes there. I swear we just bought a random bag of cheap wipes without any research but it’s thick, and the rest of the wipes stay in place when I pull one out!! Why can’t huggies/costco wipes be like that???

I didn’t get to check out Akachan honpo this time as they are kind of out of our way.

For any urgent buys, you can always use Uber Eats and have it delivered. That’s how we bought formulas in the last 3 days of our trip.

7. Changing area:

Most places(train stations/tourist attractions)have a bathroom available for disabled people and it usually has a changing pad for baby. It’s spacious enough for 2 adults and a stroller. They are all in ok condition. Not the best but you can tell they are taken care of. If you go to a mall, you will be surprised by how nice the nursery/changing rooms are! They would have hot water for formulas and fancy diaper pail that auto-wraps the dirty diaper so it doesn’t stink! Even a pull up bar for the kids that wear pull-ups lol

X.Stroller

Absolutely needed.
My husband originally planned to wear baby in the front for the whole trip but gave up after 15k steps on the first day… baby is 20lbs😅

Stroller needs to be: light, ok to gate check, easy to fold, sturdy, have locks on all 4 wheels so you can roll on bumpy pebble roads.

Kyoto:

There are places where stroller just doesn’t work such as Fushimi Inari( they have a designated stroller parking area - in the same space as the bike parking area) but almost places you can get by. For Fushimi Inari, my husband wore baby for the whole hike round trip! Little guy was comfortably napping most of the time.

Kiyomizu temple: asked staff if there’s stroller parking. Answer is no. So we just push stroller in. They have ramps for wheelchair so it’s fine but be careful as it can be really busy.

Ninanzaka/sanenzaka: big stone staircases - as long as you are going down hills with the stroller, yo are fine!

Kodaiji temple: staff asked us to park the stroller near the ticket booth. The whole garden wasn’t too big so carrying the baby wasn’t too tiring. Staff were very friendly.

Yasaka Shrine: pebble roads! we walked in from a side entrance smoothly but exited from the grand entrance which has many stairs but it was ok.

Kamo River: didn’t find ramp to go down to the river bank so we just carried the stroller down. But it’s totally worth it! My favorite of all the places in Kyoto!

Nijo castle: pebble roads! Baby napped well. To tour inside the castle, you need to take shoes off and hold/wear the baby.

Arashiyama: we only went to one temple I believe it’s Atago temple? Stroller needs to be parked in designated area. The temple/ garden is pretty small but does have steep stairs.

Nara
: people are so friendly to babies! We were sitting at the Starbucks above the bus terminal service center and so many young ladies can by and say hi! However, the deers can be aggressive. If one parent is taking photos, the other one has to watch the baby to keep some curious deers away.

The road near Asuka shrine was bumpy and not easy for stroller to maneuver. don’t really have a good solution except for locking the front wheels.

Kanazawa:
We stayed near Kanazawa station and it’s pretty convenient to walk to the major spots such as Omicho market. We tried to ride the sightseeing bus one time but it was super crowded so not a great option for holding baby and carrying a folded stroller.

Komatsu/Nomi:
Went to an Onsen Ryokan Matsusaki with private in room bath. Baby was very happy to crawl in such a huge space! Biggest room we got among all the hotels in Japan lol
Contact Ryokan the day before arriving and they will pick you up at the train station. Has English speaking staff. Very quiet and tranquil environment but they are super children-friendly… in the room there’s a bumbo floor seat, an Ingenuity booster seat attached to a normal dinner chair. Children slipper/ pj/futon/ bath soap/ baby bottle washing soap. They used a small event room to serve us dinner and put a crib in there in case baby wants to sleep… and the Okami san/ wife of the owner made veggie fish porridge herself for all babies under one…I tried it, it was really good!
In the lobby there are many children’s toys that you can borrow for free! We didn’t go to any of the public baths so don’t know the policy around being children. Probably can’t bring in a baby wearing diaper!

Yokohama:
Train stations have very clear signs of the elevator location but usually there’s a line of people waiting there with strollers!

In most places, you will see a lot of people with dogs in fancy air buggy strollers. I have never seen so many dogs in strollers! Not even in NY or LA!

———————————————————————-
Will add more if comes to mind！
*updated the kanji before people get misled!

**Kyoto Torokko romantic train:
The seats are narrow and space is small! Better to book online and pick somewhere empty if you are not into the cart with open ceiling(which will be super busy! ) we bought tickets at the train station as it was a rainy day and were lucky that no one sit across from us so we had space for backpacks and the stroller.

***Nanny service:
I booked a nanny through https://babysitters.jp for our 3 hour kimono experience and photoshoot. It is very much needed if you are going to do an actual kimono because we can hardly breath/walk after putting it on…The nanny speaks Chinese, English and Japanese. She was very caring and attentive! She helped so much to get baby looking at the camera! The price was fair (about $22-25/hr). Mine travelled from Osaka to Kyoto so I was required to give her extra travel fare in cash (about ¥1600). In general it was a great experience.

Hello everyone, i'm extremely lucky to get to visit Tokyo again for a week, this time completely solo! As a college student i'm trying to keep a very frugal budget and since this is my third trip to Japan I feel confident in not needing a western style hotel.

This leads me to a huge dilemma as I see listings that seem almost too good to be true, apartment-style homes only $40-50 a night in the heart of an amazing neighborhood, compared to the usual $80-100 for a business hotel.

I understand I forfeit all the accommodations hotels have but beyond that does anyone have any stories or pros/cons of staying in either? Particularly as a solo traveler?

Im going back home soon, i need to get to Narita airport.

I already have Skyliner ticket but i need to get to Nippori first, im starting from Shin-Okubo station on JY line, problem is i have 2 large suitcases and i dont want to be a burden on the train, I plan to get on the train at around 6AM, is Yamanote line busy at this time on a workday?

Or should I rather take an uber?
Thanks

We can go any time, if it would be better to wait, we can.

What else do we not want to miss?