10 Things Nobody Tells You About Your First Trip to Japan

Japan rewards preparation like few other countries on Earth. After two decades of guiding first-time visitors through its islands, our tour directors have compiled the honest advice that never quite makes it into the guidebooks — the small details that separate a good journey from an unforgettable one. Here is what our guides tell every traveler before wheels-down at Haneda.

First: cash still rules. Despite Japan's futuristic image, thousands of small restaurants, shrines and shops remain cash-only, and foreign cards can fail unpredictably at machines. Withdraw yen from 7-Eleven ATMs on day one — they accept virtually every foreign card and are open around the clock. Carry a coin purse; you will accumulate hundred-yen pieces faster than you expect.

Second: the trains are punctual to the second, which means they will not wait for you. Platforms post departure times down to fifteen-second increments, and a train that leaves at 9:04 leaves at 9:04. Build in five minutes of buffer, learn the difference between the JR line and private metros, and download an offline route planner before you arrive.

Third: convenience stores are genuinely good. The egg sandwiches and onigiri at 7-Eleven and Lawson are not survival food — they are a national institution. Fourth: tattoos and onsen remain a sensitive subject; a small private bath (kashikiri) solves the problem elegantly. Fifth: pocket WiFi has largely lost the race to eSIMs — arrange one before departure and you are online from the runway.

The rest of the list — from why you should carry a small gift when meeting locals, to the polite way to signal a waiter (raise your hand, never snap), to the counterintuitive rule that tipping can cause genuine confusion — our guides walk through on the first evening of every Japan departure. Join a guided departure and you will never decode any of it alone; that is rather the point.