I landed of may 26 and this is what I learned so far.
1. Do not get the passmo card, just use suica card on your phone. It is so much easier and takes 2 seconds to add money.
2. If you plan on visiting pokemon store in Shibuya and also going to ikebukuro. Just go to sunshine60/city in ikebukuro. All the stores are there. (pokemon,etc)
3. You don’t need that much cash. Just get 100$ and you should be fine for a while.
4. If you really want to connect with people, you should learn a few japanese words. Most japanese do not speak English.
5. You don’t need a plan to visit. Just know roughly what you want to see and go with the flow. Whenever I followed my schedule, it was always a flop.
6. For the girlies, since it is really humid, avoid straightening your hair, avoid wearing too much makeup and carry a bag instead of a purse. You will have to carry your trash with you all day and it takes a lot of space.
7. Online popular food spots are a waist of time!! Huge line, food is overpriced and there are better options.
8. Obviously you will need your passport with you at all times and to get tax free.
9.Most important of all, do not use tiktok as a reference! I noticed all the famous places on tiktok are actually the worst. I find it better to just walk on the street and find randomly what you want
I still have 12 days left, I’ll update my list .
edit: look at the comments, there are so many new different tips!!!
by 44youss
33 comments
The suica tip is only for Apple folks right? 🫠
Just curious, why is passport needed all the time?
To clarify: apple users should be able to just add Suica on their Apple wallet. Android users are SOL unless you bought your phone in Japan. Just go to the JR ticket offices and ask for a Suica card. I got mine at Shibuya 4 days ago, but Haneda and Narita both had them too iirc
Just go to Apple wallet and select Add Transit Card and select Suica. You can then add money. Amex works best as I had Citibank flag as fraud originally.
Some good tips. Some I can offer better options:
1 – welcome pasmo is not a bad ideal for Android user. iPhone user, virtual suica, hands down. But I heard Android users are not able to use virtual ones yet. Or they can’t add money easily. Something. So welcome pasmo from narita airport, or if regular pasmo or suica is available, still significant for some.
2 – sunshine city pokemon center has the best selections, for sure, since it’s the biggest in Tokyo, I think, BUT!!! No tax free. I have since favored other branches that offer tax free instead.
5 – “you don’t need to plan” is highly variable. I work well when planned, I have great time management, but I’m also flexible when things go awry. My friend who’s stressed out by time “deadline” (or reservations) is more your camp. She prefers less planning and more organic discovery. Some specific attractions do need advanced tickets and reservations, so planning is mandatory.
And you can use your Suica IC card in Apple wallet at Konbini, McDonalds, etc. It’s not just for trains.
If OP is talking about adding a transit card to an Apple Wallet on an iPhone then you can add either the Suica or Pasmo card.
I used a Pasmo card on my iPhone during my Japan and had no issues with it! We went to Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Himeji during my trip and I was able to use it on all the transit systems. My friend that I went with used a Suica card on her iPhone and there was literally no difference between topping up our cards or how/where we could use them (cities, shopping, vending machines, etc.)
EDIT: idk if this is still true, but the only thing about the Apple Wallet Suica and Pasmo cards is that we couldn’t use a Visa credit card to top up (our Visa cards worked fine everywhere else tho!)
I got the pasmo passport because I like the cute hello kitty design and I’m using android.
I’d disagree on point 2. Shibuya Parco has some other geeky shops on the same floor as the Pokemon Center that you can’t find elsewhere in Tokyo, let alone Ikebukuro. Like the Nintendo store, Koei Tecmo and another shop that had Digimon stuff.
I am just finishing my 21 day trip, tokyo, fuji, osaka, kyoto so let’s see if my experience agrees:
1) yes, suica on phone all the way. We have someone traveling with us who refuses to use any IC card (including phone). We have to wait every time we get on a train which is always. Use suica on phone.
2) yes agreed. Pokemon are everywhere. But I forgot the city, but there are a few pokemon stores, Big Mewtwo was my fav cause it also had Capckm, and Nintendo stores all there together
3) most places take card. Kyoto is a little old timey. Cash is still the only options in some places in kyoto. Osaka, Tokyo card all the way.
4) Arigato gozi mas – thank you very much & Sume masen – pardon me/excuse me
5) yes, we stayed in shinjuku and from our hotel each day we just travel a different direction to see what we could find. Of course we had some highlights we wanted to see. So much to do in such a small area.
6) no trash cans anywhere, but it is a very clean country. Keep it that way, and agreed, that means you have to carry your trash all day until you are back at your hotel. Surprised me…bring a walmart bag in your pocket when you leave.
7) agreed. All online influencer spots are packed. Ichiran ramen was packed (45 min wait), though we went back like 4 times and we were able to get in right away, so maybe a fluke. Happy Pancake, packed, good but mainly for the instagram photos of the food. Very presentable and pretty, overpriced and just ok food
8) Don Qujote is your friend for souvenirs and neat stuff. They are everywhere, the song will get stuck in your head. Tax free over ¥5500 (10% off). Any consumables must stay in the sealed bag they provide, other stuff, like clothes is fine if you use them.
All streaming services switch to Japan such as Netflix, Amazon, but some locals like paramount+, you cant even access in japan
(3) depends entirely if you can get (1) to work. As a non-Japanese Android user, these 2 tips aren’t as straightforward. Even then, I don’t know how easy it is to top up your IC card (virtual or physical) without cash.
My suggestion would be to keep cash with you at all times, but just enough to at least get you to the nearest 7-Eleven cash point, which is somewhere between JPY5000-10000. If you are getting hauled by a bus to your destination and it takes about 1 hour and that’s your only option, it’s very likely there won’t be any cash points there, so make the necessary preparations. There’s no need to bother with Bureau de Change in most Japanese cities though, so keep cash to a minimum especially if your bank only charges minimal or no fees for foreign currency withdrawals.
Just came back from japan. Used tabelog for finding food options. Suica was also so clutch on the phone, so easy to add money.
What is the best app to find restaurants that provide non pork food? I’m just trying to find the best app but it’s really hard. I know Japan is really pork intensive but there are for sure restaurants where are other options. I would really happy someone help me. Thanks 🙂
I arrived om the 27th, will be staying a total of 13 days. Got a Pasmo Passport at Narita, absolutely no problems using it. Tokyo (and the vicinity) turned out to be pretty easy to navigate both by rail and on foot. Up till now I ended in two awkward situations in stores that had no one speaking English, but we managed to understand each other somehow. About using Japanese phrases – there is this lore that Japanese people are ashamed speaking English… Well I am equally ashamed to use my very basic Japanese… Eventhough I am trying some basics phrases now and then.
one huge thing about japan or tokyo is the abundance of those reusable ripstop/nylon feelin type bags? i have so many now.
I just got back Wednesday from a six week unplanned trip all over Japan. I had a glorious time with no agenda. Your tips are spot on.
Get passmo card because u will never know if your phone battery is out or suddenly not working
>1. Do not get the passmo card, just use suica card on your phone. It is so much easier and takes 2 seconds to add money.
You can pry my Pasmo from my cold dead hands, it’s great.
>2. If you plan on visiting pokemon store in Shibuya and also going to ikebukuro. Just go to sunshine60/city in ikebukuro. All the stores are there. (pokemon,etc)
If you plan on visiting pokémon stores you should visit as many as you can as they often have exclusives. Shibuya especially is not one to be missed as it also has the t-shirt lab! If you can only choose one between shibuya and ikebukuro, go to shibuya.
>3. You don’t need that much cash. Just get 100$ and you should be fine for a while.
$100 is loads of cash lol, I barely use any cash at all normally. So yes, you don’t usually need a lot of cash, and of course you can just get cash out at any konbini anyway, but I have to wonder how much cash were you planning on bringing if 100 is not “that much”?!
That said, if you end up going somewhere that DOES require cash only, you may well need more than that. Depends if you’re staying in Tokyo or venturing slightly further out.
My flight is in 3 hours and I’ll be in Tokyo in less than 12 hours. I haven’t planned out anything tbh. I’m planning to stay at least a week or two in Tokyo and see what the vibe is. If I like it I’ll stay longer, if not I’ll move to somewhere else. Can’t wait tbh. I hope to explore as much as possible and feel the Tokyo vibe. The first hours after I land I’ll go to a park and chill there for a bit to absorb the Tokyo energy.
Landed on may 26 as well! Leaving tomorrow but man the crowds and queues in touristy areas is nuts
The TikTok tip is so true btw
They do expect you to carry your trash, but:
* Many vending machines have bins next to them where you can toss cans and bottles specifically
* Some touristy areas have bins, especially near vending machines that dispense ice cream
* Some convenience stores have bins, and if they don’t, you can hand your trash to the clerk. Just say “gomi” (trash)
* Train stations with large bento box market places often have bins somewhere
* Shinkansen (bullet trains) have bins onboard
#3 is cap, I probably went through $600 in yen because about half of the restaurants across tokyo/kyoto/osaka were cash only
Is there a video or article that suggests the best spots for a particular Ward in every Ward of Tokyo? I found myself sometimes revisiting a Ward after missing a landmark or must see place after the fact. I’d like to kill all birds with one stone.
NUMBER 9 IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP!! 🗣️🗣️ Especially if youre chronically online LOL All the tiktok spots were flops 99% of the time… overhyped and overpriced. I enjoyed our spontaneous days and unplanned finds the most. Makes sense bc everyone on tiktok is also visiting Japan for the first (or first few) times. I literally want to redo my Japan trip and plan without any tiktok recommendations at all.
Pasmo works on Apple Wallet just as well
I like my Hello Kitty Passmo card!
Pro tip: all convenience stores aka conbini (7-11, Family Mart, Lawson etc) have trash cans. No need to carry your trash all day just drop it at trash can at your nearest conbini and go about your day.
A few comments regarding point #3 about only needing $100 and you’d be fine for a while. Obviously due to Point #1, you either have an iPhone or a Japanese Android phone. Some things to keep in mind for anyone reading through this thread:
1. If you have a non-Japanese Android phone, you still can’t add a Suica card on your phone (this may change by the time you travel). In order to recharge a physical Suica card at the recharge machine outside (and inside) train gates, you need to use cash. If you are traveling a lot or doing 1-day trips outside Tokyo for instance, that can start eating in to your cash reserves.
2. Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples don’t take credit card/IC cards (Suica/Pasmo/etc). If you are looking to buy your first goshuincho at a shrine or temple, it’ll be cash. Also, most normal goshuin are 500 yen, and special limited time goshuin are usually 1,000 yen.
* Also additional tip: They may not accept large denominations like 10,000 yen notes. You can go to a gacha coint exchange machine or a coin exchange machine at an arcade (Taito, Round1/etc) and exchange. Selecting the first option will exchange 1,000 yen into 10x 100 yen, and then any remaining will be exchange for 1,000 yen notes (so if you put in a 10,000 yen note, you’ll get 10x 100 yen + 9x 1,000 yen notes) which are more accepted.
3. This won’t apply to most people, but I used a travel card with Japanese yen already on it instead of my credit card to avoid foreign exchange fees. Unfortunately, for some reason it only worked for touch/tap and not swipe. As such, it ate into my cash reserves pretty quickly. Unique scenario though.
Overall cash is like a backup in case for some reason your credit card doesn’t work. Note that there’s plenty of 7/11 ATMs (some even at certain train stations!) and super easy to just withdraw funds.
I don’t to intend to endorse iPhones but using a virtual Suica card was the best and it was so easy. My brother got a physical ICOCA card in Osaka and he ended merging his card to a virtual one on his phone because he saw how easy it was for me. Definitely.
Also totally agree that as long as you stay in major cities you really don’t need to carry a lot of cash on a daily basis. Maybe $100 at best. I think next time I’m probably only going to bring $500 worth and if I need more I’ll just ATM.
Ikebukuro is great! I’m glad I went there. The best pokemon center I went to because this one was not so crowded (at 6 pm) and I felt like I could take my time looking around.
And the shop from Bandai with the hundreds of gatchapons was great too.
Bic Camera, surprisingly, has everything you need. Ranging from cameras, electronics, sporting goods, home hardware, cosmetics. By the time you leave, the store jingle will be stuck in your head forever.