Japan Travel Guide

In Japan, the locals have a standard of etiquette that is engrained in their culture, this is part of what contributes to making Japan such a special and welcoming place to visit. Japanese people prioritise respect, cleanliness and consideration for others. Here are some simple rules you can choose to follow in order to be respectful to the locals :

• Removing shoes indoors when entering homes or traditional inns

• Avoiding eating or drinking while walking (this includes on trains, other than Shinkansen) – if you buy some street food from a stall, stand to the side and eat it there.

• Using both hands when giving or receiving items

• Be mindful of noise - maintaining quiet in public spaces is the standard for Japanese people, especially on trains

• Tipping is not practiced and can sometimes be considered rude

• Strict queuing is expected – look for guidelines on the ground to tell you where to queue

• Keep your rubbish with you – there will not be many bins around to throw things away, keep it with you until you find a place

• At restaurants – do not stick your chopsticks upright in your rice and do not pass food with chopsticks (both are taboo and is associated with funerals)

• In public onsen – shower before you enter the onsen bath.

An IC Card or Suica Card will be your lifesaver. This is Japan’s version of an Opal Card and will be useful on many different types of transport at all locations you will visit. It can be added through an Apple Wallet directly onto your phone to use like Apple pay at the ticket gates. Otherwise, places like 7-eleven will sell them in store. I recommend loading it with around 3,000 yen. 

It is important to note that when transferring from the local metro or subway to the Shinkansen (bullet train) lines that you will need to insert your Shinkansen tickets and then immediately tap the IC card in order to ‘tap off’ from the subway and enter the Shinkansen. This will ensure you are not overcharged for a longer train journey.

You will notice when travelling in Japan that nobody seems to be carrying large luggage. Nobody other than the foreign tourists that is! This is because Japan has an extremely extensive, efficient, and reliable delivery service available known as takuhaibin. The Japanese never travel with their luggage unless they are driving to their destination and there is no need for you to either

The service :

• You can send pretty much anything (with a few exceptions detailed below). Max weight is 25kg and linear dimension (total length, width and height) up to 160cm.

• It costs around 2,500 yen to send a 20kg suitcase anywhere on the main island, with smaller or lighter bags costing less. Shipping to Hokkaido and Okinawa costs a bit more. 

• You can specify a date and a time slot if you like. The delivery company will just hold your item until the delivery day. Useful when sending bulky souvenirs to your last hotel. 

• You can even send bags direct to the airport – be sure to allow two days for this, just to be sure

• It’s a next day service to nearly everywhere other than the following destinations, which are a two-day service :

  1. to/from Hokkaido and Okinawa 

  2. between Tokyo (or Northern Japan) and Hiroshima/Kyushu/Yamaguchi/Shimane

Where is this available from?

Pretty much everywhere. Just ask the front desk staff at your hotel who will be able to assist. They’ll even do the paperwork for you. Be sure to come armed with the address you want to forward your bag to.

When out and about, almost every convenience store offers this service.tem description

At the ticket gates you will need to insert your tickets first and then tap off with your Suica card. Please make sure that you insert ALL TICKETS that you received from the ticket machine per person. It usually is two tickets per person (I have attached example below for Kanazawa to Kyoto). Simply place them stacked on each other and insert into the ticket slot. The gate will open and your tickets will pop out at the end of the gate. Collect your tickets and hold them for the entirety of your journey. If you have any trouble with any of this, a member of staff will be there to help you.

When leaving the Shinkansen, you will need the same two tickets again to insert them back into the ticket gate the same way you did upon entering in order to exit.

There will be no food served on the Shinkansen except maybe a small snack cart. I recommend arriving to the Shinkansen station early (around 30 minutes) to shop at the many bento box stores for a meal to have on your journey. 

When purchasing tickets for the Shinkansen from a ticket machine, it is recommended that you purchase Seat Reservation Tickets. It will let you select which car and seat you would like to sit in for your journey and avoid lining up for the 2 or 3 cars that are non-reserved seats (Tokyo to Tsuruga train will be the busiest, I do not recommend purchasing non-reserved for this journey). Sometimes ticket machines can be confusing. In a lot of stations, there will be a member of staff assigned to assist tourists with their purchase.

Travelling on the Shinkansen with QR Tickets

If you are using a QR Ticket to travel on the Shinkansen, please ensure you collect the Seat Information Ticket that is printed when you scan your QR code at the ticket gate. This document confirms your reserved seat and should be retained for your journey, as it may be requested by the onboard conductor.

Failure to carry your Seat Information Ticket may result in additional fares or charges being applied.

Important when transferring between conventional rail lines and the Shinkansen:

• If using a paper ticket for a conventional rail service, insert the ticket into the transfer gate before scanning your QR Ticket.

• If using an IC Card (such as Suica, Pasmo or ICOCA), scan your QR Ticket first, then tap your IC Card at the gate.

Following the correct transfer procedure will ensure your journey is recorded correctly and help avoid additional charges.