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Planning to visit Japan during the summer?Summer festivals offer a chance to experience Japan beyond sightseeing. Fireworks, traditional dances, food stalls, lanterns, and local celebrations bring communities together and create a lively atmosphere that is different from an ordinary day of travel.This guide explains...

Should you stay in 大阪 / Ōsaka / Osaka or 京都 / Kyōto / Kyoto on your first trip to Japan?The two cities are close enough to visit from each other, so the most useful question is not which one is “better.” It is which city you want to wake up in, return to after sightseeing, and use as your everyday base.For most ...

Taxis are not usually the cheapest way to get around Japan, but they are worth considering when you have luggage, arrive late, travel with children, or need to reach somewhere far from a station.You can take a taxi from a taxi stand, hail an available cab on the street, or request one through an app. Payment options...

Wondering how much English is spoken in Japan—and whether you can travel comfortably if you do not speak Japanese?Spoken English varies widely, but most first-time visitors can travel successfully without Japanese. English signs, transport information, multilingual machines, and digital tools are common in many plac...

This update summarizes the most important Japan travel news announced during June 2026, along with practical advice for travelers visiting Japan in July and beyond. Planning a Trip to Japan This Summer? If you're planning to visit Japan in the coming months, June brought several important updates that could affect y...

Japanese etiquette can seem complicated before a first trip, but you do not need to memorize a long list of rules. In most everyday situations, the same principle goes a long way: pay attention to the people around you and avoid creating unnecessary inconvenience for others. This guide covers the customs first-time ...

Buying Shinkansen tickets in Japan is usually straightforward. Most first-time visitors can buy them after arriving in Japan from an English-language ticket machine or a staffed JR ticket counter at a major station.You can also book online before your trip, but there is no single reservation website for every Shinka...

Planning to use trains, subways, or buses in Japan?An IC card is usually the simplest way to pay for everyday local transportation. This guide explains how Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, visitor cards, and mobile IC cards differ, so you can choose the option that best fits your phone, arrival point, and length of stay. What I...

Japan does not use one payment method for every train. The right choice depends on the journey: a local train or subway, the Shinkansen, a limited express, or a rural line.For most visitors, the simplest setup is an IC card for local trains and subways, a separate ticket or reservation for Shinkansen and many limite...

Using trains and subways is one of the most practical ways to explore Japan. The network may look complicated at first, but most first-time visitors can travel confidently once they understand how to find the correct station, platform, train, transfer, and exit.This guide focuses on the actual experience of using Ja...