Travelling in Japan
What a trip actually costs, and what to know before you book it.
- JPY
- Japanese
- Japanese yen
- ¥
- Cities covered
- 5
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Visa checker for your passport
- Free
The things that actually decide it
A day in Japan runs ¥6,500 to ¥32,000 depending on the city and how you travel. About 70 passports enter visa-free for stays up to 90 days, while Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi holders apply in advance.
Japan is an unusually easy country to travel badly. The trains run to the second, the cities are safe at any hour, and almost everything works. That lulls people into booking a route that has them crossing the country twice, or a hotel that’s technically in Tokyo but 40 minutes from anything they came to see.
The questions that decide whether a trip goes well are practical ones. Is the rail pass worth it for your route? Which month are you actually travelling in? How far does your money go once you land? And if it matters to you, how do you eat well in a country where almost nothing is certified halal?
Where to go
5 cities, and they are not interchangeable. Osaka eats, Kyoto queues, Hiroshima is a day trip most people stretch to two.
Japan
Hiroshima
Two days, not one — the city and the island are separate trips.
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Kyoto
A city where the timing of your day matters more than the itinerary.
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Osaka
Cheaper than Tokyo, better placed, and built around eating.
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Tokyo
Six districts worth basing yourself in, and a day from ¥8,000.
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Yokohama
Half an hour from Tokyo, and a noticeably cheaper place to sleep.
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Moving between cities
The rail pass question comes up more than any other, and the honest answer depends entirely on your route. Work out your actual legs before you buy anything.
Shinkansen
The bullet train gets you from Tokyo to Osaka in about 2 hours 30, and runs as far as Kyushu and northern Honshu. Fast and punctual, and expensive if you buy it leg by leg.
Japan Rail Pass
A fixed-price pass for consecutive days of JR travel, sold to foreign visitors in 7, 14 and 21-day versions. The price jumped in late 2023 and it now only pays off on genuinely long routes. Don’t buy one for a Tokyo-only trip. Work out your actual legs first.
IC cards
Suica, Pasmo and ICOCA are tap cards you top up with cash. They work on almost every train, subway and bus in the country, plus convenience stores and vending machines. Pick one up at the airport when you land.
Highway buses
Overnight coaches cost a fraction of the Shinkansen on the same routes and save you a night’s accommodation. They’re slower and less comfortable, but the money you save is real.
Domestic flights
Worth it for Hokkaido and Okinawa, where the train either eats most of a day or doesn’t go at all. Low-cost carriers fly frequently from Tokyo and Osaka.
Do you need a visa?
About 70 countries and territories get visa-free entry to Japan for short stays, usually up to 90 days. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and many African and Central Asian passport holders need a visa in advance, though India now has an eVisa route. Rules change, and the only answer that counts is the one from the Japanese embassy for your nationality.
Check your passport →When to go
Best months: Late March to May, and October to November.
Prices and crowds both spike around cherry blossom in late March and early April, Golden Week from late April into early May, and Obon in mid-August. Travelling a fortnight either side of those windows costs noticeably less for very similar weather.
Eating halal in Japan
Japan has a small Muslim population and halal certification isn’t widespread, so eating halal takes more planning here than in Malaysia or Türkiye. It’s entirely doable in the big cities — Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto all have certified restaurants and halal groceries — but it thins out fast in smaller towns. Narita, Haneda and Kansai all have prayer rooms.
- Pork is common and often invisible. Most ramen broth is pork-based, and pork fat or gelatine turns up in dishes that don’t mention it on the menu.
- Mirin and cooking sake are standard seasonings here, including in soy sauce blends, marinades and simmered dishes.
- Dashi, the stock underneath a lot of Japanese food, is usually made from bonito fish and kelp rather than meat. Generally fine, but worth knowing what you’re being served.
- Convenience store food is rarely certified. Read the labels, and treat anything unlabelled as unknown rather than safe.
- Tokyo Camii in Yoyogi-Uehara is the largest mosque in Japan and has a halal shop attached. The Kobe Muslim Mosque, opened in 1935, is the oldest in the country.
Asked about Japan
Do I need a visa to visit Japan?
It depends entirely on your passport. About 70 nationalities get visa-free entry for stays up to 90 days. Others, including Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi passport holders, have to apply in advance, though India has an eVisa route. Check your passport with our visa checker, then confirm it with the Japanese embassy before you book anything.
When is the cheapest time to visit Japan?
January and February are the cheapest months, outside the New Year holiday, with early December close behind. Avoid cherry blossom in late March and early April, Golden Week from late April to early May, and Obon in mid-August. Those are the three periods when the whole country travels and flights and hotels climb steeply.
Is the Japan Rail Pass worth buying?
Less often than it used to be. After the 2023 price rise it only pays off if you’re doing several long Shinkansen legs — Tokyo to Kyoto to Hiroshima and back inside a week, say. If you’re staying in one city, or moving between two close together, individual tickets usually cost less. Add up the journeys you’re actually going to make before you decide.
Is Japan expensive?
Less than its reputation suggests. Accommodation and intercity rail are the two costs that hurt. Food, local transport and entry fees are all reasonable. On a budget you can manage on roughly ¥8,000–13,000 a day in Tokyo excluding accommodation extremes, and eating well at that level is easy thanks to set lunches, convenience stores and standing noodle bars.
Is it easy to travel in Japan without speaking Japanese?
In the big cities, yes. Station signs, ticket machines and most restaurant menus in tourist areas carry English, and staff are patient with you. Outside the cities English drops off sharply, so bring a translation app and carry your accommodation’s address written in Japanese.