Straight answers, with the source attached
Most Japan travel advice is written from other Japan travel advice. Everything here is read off the original document — the agency page, the PDF, the rule — and every page tells you which one, and the date we checked it.
That matters more than it sounds, because Japan is in the middle of changing several things that cost money: the tax-free system, lodging taxes, rail passes. Advice written last year is quietly wrong now, and nothing on the page tells you so.
So each page here carries a date, a source list, and — the part we care about most — a section on what the official sources do not say. If nobody has published an answer, we would rather tell you that than make one up.
Start here
- Japan Tax-Free Shopping Changes on November 1, 2026 You pay the tax at the till now and claim it back at the airport. Three specific mistakes will cost you the whole refund — one of them happens before you reach customs.
- What to book before you go, and how far ahead Coming next.
- eSIM vs pocket WiFi vs SIM card: the 10-day cost, compared Coming next.
What this site covers
| Planning a first trip | What you actually have to decide, and in what order |
|---|---|
| Budget & costs | What ten days really costs, and the bills nobody budgets for |
| What to book before you go | Places you cannot walk into, and how far ahead they sell out |
| Trains & rail passes | Where the passes break even, and where they do not |
| Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka | Itineraries with one less move, and where to sleep for what you came to do |
| Mistakes to avoid | The ones that cost a day, not just a moment |
| By season | What to book six, four and two months out |
| SIM, eSIM & pocket WiFi | The one comparison everyone gets wrong on price |
Who writes this
Someone living and working in Japan, reading the Japanese sources directly. That is the whole advantage: the rules are published in Japanese first, the English version arrives later, and where the two versions can be read differently we follow the Japanese and say so on the page.