5 Things to Do Before Visiting Japan for the First Time

Do the paperwork and the money before you fly

1. Complete Visit Japan Web. It is the online immigration and customs declaration. Do it at home, save the QR codes offline, and you walk through instead of queueing at a kiosk after a seven-hour flight. 2. Prep your cash. Japan is far more card-friendly than it used to be, but the small places, the shrine stalls, the tiny standing bars and the older shops still take yen only. Get some out before you go, or at an airport ATM on arrival, not at 9pm in a back alley.

Book the popular things, or do not expect to get in

3. Book attractions in advance. The headline attractions sell their slots out weeks ahead, and turning up on the day is not a plan. That applies to the big theme parks, the observation decks and anything that trended in the last year. 4. Check the weather and dress for it. Japan is not one climate. Summer is genuinely brutal humidity, winter in the north is snow, and shoulder seasons swing 10 degrees in a day. Pack for the actual forecast, not for the postcard.

Learn the train map before you are standing in it

5. Plan your routes. Tokyo and Osaka run multiple overlapping operators, and one wrong train turns a 20-minute trip into 45. Pull your route up on Google Maps or a transit app the night before, note the line colour and the platform, and load an IC card. It is the single most common way first-timers lose an hour. If you like this format, our one-day Johor Bahru itinerary is the same idea, closer to home.

FAQs

What is Visit Japan Web?

It is Japan's online immigration and customs declaration system. You fill it in before you fly and present the QR codes on arrival, which is faster than doing it at an airport kiosk.

Do I still need cash in Japan?

Yes, some. Cards work in most chains and city shops, but smaller stalls, older restaurants and some shrines and markets are cash only.

Should I book attractions before going to Japan?

Yes for the popular ones. Theme parks, observation decks and anything currently trending routinely sell out their timed slots ahead of the date.

What is the easiest way to handle trains?

Get an IC card such as Suica or ICOCA, and check your route in a transit app before you set off. Multiple operators run overlapping lines, so the wrong train costs real time.