- Entry and paperwork
- Money, cash and cards
- What Tokyo costs
- Tax-free shopping
- Staying connected: eSIM, SIM and pocket Wi-Fi
- Luggage: forwarding and coin lockers
- Etiquette
- Safety, earthquakes and health
- Food and dietary needs
- Packing and accessibility
Entry and paperwork
Citizens of many countries, including most of Europe, North America, Australia, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan, can enter Japan visa-free for short tourist stays, commonly up to 90 days (shorter for some nationalities); others need a visa obtained in advance. Rules change, and Japan has announced plans for an online pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors in the coming years, so check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or your nearest Japanese embassy before booking.
Your passport must be valid for your whole stay, and by law foreign visitors must carry it at all times. Fill in the free Visit Japan Web forms online to get immigration and customs QR codes. Some common medicines, including certain cold remedies and stimulants, are restricted in Japan — check before packing prescription drugs.
Money, cash and cards
The currency is the yen (¥). Tokyo is far more card-friendly than it used to be: hotels, department stores, chain restaurants, convenience stores and stations take credit cards and contactless payments. But cash is still necessary for small restaurants and bars, market stalls, temple and shrine fees, some ticket machines and rural buses on day trips. Carry ¥10,000–20,000.
- ATMs: those in 7-Eleven stores and post offices reliably accept foreign cards, around the clock in most 7-Elevens.
- IC cards (Suica, PASMO) double as an electronic wallet for small purchases — see getting around.
- Tipping is not practised. Leaving money on the table causes confusion; a sincere thank-you is enough. Some restaurants and izakaya add a small seating charge that comes with a snack.
- Prices are usually shown with the 10% consumption tax included (8% for take-away food).
What Tokyo costs
Excluding accommodation, typical daily spending per person:
| Style | Per day (approx.) | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | ¥6,000–10,000 | Convenience-store breakfast, noodle or rice-bowl meals, a subway pass, free sights and one paid attraction |
| Mid-range | ¥12,000–20,000 | Café breakfast, set lunch, izakaya dinner with drinks, transport, one or two tickets |
| Comfortable | ¥30,000 and up | Good restaurants, taxis when convenient, guided tours and premium tickets |
Hotels are the big variable: a decent business-hotel double is very roughly ¥15,000–30,000 a night in ordinary periods and much more in cherry-blossom season. A bowl of ramen costs about ¥1,000–1,500, a set lunch ¥1,000–2,000, a draft beer ¥500–800, and a subway ride ¥180–330. See where to stay for the cheaper districts.
Tax-free shopping
Visitors on a short-stay visa status can shop free of the 10% consumption tax at licensed stores when spending at least ¥5,000 (before tax) in one store on one day. You must show your actual passport — not a copy — at the time of purchase.
The system is changing. Until now the tax has been deducted at the till. Japan has scheduled a switch, from 1 November 2026, to a refund model: you pay the full price in the shop and reclaim the tax after customs confirms at departure that you are taking the goods out of the country. Details of how refunds are paid, and whether the old distinctions between consumables and general goods and the special sealed packaging still apply, depend on the date of your trip. Ask in store and check the Japan National Tourism Organization’s current guidance before relying on any description — including this one.
In either system: keep purchases and receipts with you until you leave, allow extra time at the airport, and remember that goods bought tax-free are meant to be taken out of Japan unused.
Staying connected: eSIM, SIM and pocket Wi-Fi
You will use maps and translation constantly, so arrange data before or on arrival.
- eSIM: the easiest option if your phone is unlocked and supports it. Buy a Japan data plan online, install it before you fly and switch it on when you land. Most are data-only.
- Physical SIM cards for visitors are sold at airport counters and electronics stores.
- Pocket Wi-Fi: a rented router shared by several devices — good for families and groups. Collect it at the airport or have it delivered to your hotel, and return it by post or at the airport.
- Free Wi-Fi is available in airports, many stations, convenience stores and cafés, but is too patchy to rely on.
Japan uses 100 V electricity with two flat-pin (type A) sockets; Tokyo’s frequency is 50 Hz. Most phone and laptop chargers work without a converter, but you may need a plug adapter.
Luggage: forwarding and coin lockers
Tokyo’s secret weapon is luggage forwarding (takkyubin). Hotel front desks, convenience stores and airport counters will send a suitcase to your next hotel anywhere in Japan, usually overnight, for roughly ¥2,000–4,000 depending on size and distance. Send it the day before you need it; for delivery to an airport, allow two days. Travelling to Hakone, Nikko or Kawaguchiko with a day bag while your case goes ahead is far more pleasant than hauling it on mountain buses.
Coin lockers in stations take bags for the day — about ¥400–600 for a small locker and ¥700–1,000 for one that fits a large suitcase, paid by coins or IC card. Large lockers at Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ueno stations are often full by late morning; staffed baggage counters and app-based storage in shops are the fallback. Since 2020 the Tokaido Shinkansen has required a (free) reservation for very large suitcases.
Etiquette
Tokyoites are forgiving of visitors, and a little effort goes a long way.
- Quiet on public transport. No phone calls; conversations in a low voice.
- Do not eat while walking in busy streets or on local trains; eat beside the stall or vending machine. Long-distance trains are the exception.
- Rubbish: public bins are rare. Carry a small bag and use bins at convenience stores and stations.
- Shoes off wherever there is a raised floor or a row of slippers: temples, ryokan, some restaurants and fitting rooms.
- Escalators: in Tokyo people stand on the left, although railway companies now ask everyone to stand still on both sides.
- Smoking is banned on most streets and inside most restaurants; use designated smoking areas.
- Onsen and public baths: wash before entering, no swimwear, keep towels out of the water. Tattoos are refused at many baths.
- Photography: ask before photographing people, do not photograph in shops that prohibit it, and be considerate in residential streets.
- Money is placed on the small tray at the till rather than handed over.
Safety, earthquakes and health
Tokyo is one of the safest large cities in the world, and lost property is very often handed in. The main exceptions are the nightlife areas of Kabukicho and Roppongi, where touts lure visitors into bars that overcharge: never follow one. Crowded trains occasionally see groping; women-only cars run in rush hours.
Earthquakes are frequent and mostly small. Buildings are engineered for them. If strong shaking starts, protect your head, get under a table, stay away from windows and do not rush outside; afterwards follow staff instructions. Phones on Japanese networks receive loud early-warning alerts, and the official “Safety tips” app gives warnings in several languages. Typhoons, mainly from August to October, can stop trains and flights for a day; stay indoors and rebook.
Emergency numbers: 110 for police, 119 for ambulance and fire. Medical care is excellent but must be paid for, so take travel insurance. Tap water is safe to drink. In July and August, heat and humidity are a genuine health risk — drink often, use sun protection and rest in air-conditioned places at midday.
Food and dietary needs
Eating is one of the great pleasures of Tokyo and need not be expensive: ramen, soba, udon, curry rice, tonkatsu, conveyor-belt sushi and set lunches all cost around ¥1,000–2,000. Many casual places use ticket machines or tablet ordering with pictures; plastic food models in the window help too. Reservations are needed mainly for high-end sushi and kaiseki, often through your hotel.
Vegetarians and vegans should know that fish stock (dashi) is in many apparently meat-free dishes; dedicated restaurants exist in most districts and are easy to find with an app. Halal and gluten-free options are growing but still limited — carry a printed card explaining your needs in Japanese. Allergy labelling covers the major allergens on packaged food.
Packing and accessibility
Pack comfortable walking shoes that slip on and off, a small towel or handkerchief (many public toilets have no dryers), a coin purse, and layers. Summer calls for light, breathable clothes and a hat; winter for a warm coat, though buildings and trains are well heated. An umbrella can be bought anywhere for a few hundred yen. See when to go for month-by-month weather.
Accessibility is generally good: stations have lifts and tactile paving, staff assist wheelchair users on and off trains, and accessible toilets are common. Older temples and shrines often have steps and gravel, and some small restaurants are cramped. Language: station signs and announcements are in English, and translation apps cover most other situations; a few words — sumimasen (excuse me), arigato (thank you) — are always appreciated.
