15 Things I’ve learnt whilst preparing for my Japan Trip
In a few months I am taking my first solo trip to Japan – I fly out in September 2026 – and I have spent longer planning it than any trip I have taken before. Japan rewards preparation: it is wonderfully easy once you understand how it works, but there are a handful of things that catch first-timers out. These are the 15 lessons that have made the biggest difference to my planning so far. They build on my full solo travel guide to Japan, so start there if you want the bigger picture first.
Key takeaways
- Japan is one of the easiest countries in the world to travel solo, but a little prep removes nearly all the friction first-timers run into.
- September is shoulder season and the cheapest month to fly from the UK – smaller crowds, lower fares, with the tail end of typhoon season as the trade-off.
- Two things to sort before you fly: a travel eSIM and your Visit Japan Web registration.
- Carry cash and an IC card – Japan is more cash-first than most visitors expect.
- Skip the nationwide Japan Rail Pass unless your route is genuinely long-distance; it rarely pays off in 2026.
The 15 things I’ve learnt so far
1. September is a sweet spot for a first trip
Picking when to go shaped everything else. September lands in shoulder season, so the spring and autumn crowds have thinned and flights from the UK are at their cheapest – returns start around £430. The trade-off is the weather: early September is still warm and humid and it is the tail end of typhoon season, so I am packing light layers, a compact umbrella and a little flexibility into my plans. If your dates are flexible, late spring and autumn are the other sweet spots.
2. You probably do not need the Japan Rail Pass
This was the biggest myth I had to unlearn. After the 2023 price rise the nationwide pass costs about ¥50,000 (£233) for seven days, and for a standard Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka trip it simply does not pay off – individual bullet-train tickets cost less and give you more flexibility. I worked out my route first, then priced the journeys individually. A regional pass can still be worth it if you are staying in one area, so it is always worth a quick comparison.
3. Sort an eSIM before you fly
I assumed I would find free Wi-Fi everywhere. You do not – public Wi-Fi in Japan is patchy, and you will rely on Google Maps constantly. A travel eSIM solves it for about £10-19 for two weeks and installs before you even leave home, so you are connected the moment you land. It is the single easiest piece of prep on this list.
4. Carry cash – Japan is still cash-first in places
Japan is more card-friendly than it used to be, but plenty of small restaurants, shrines, markets and rural spots remain cash-only. I am taking a mix and topping up at 7-Eleven ATMs, which reliably accept UK cards. Working out roughly how much cash I would need per day was part of building my budget – I used my solo travel budget calculator to set a daily allowance.
5. Register on Visit Japan Web before you land
You can complete your immigration and customs declarations online in advance through Visit Japan Web, then breeze through the self-service kiosks at the airport. It takes ten minutes at home and saves queuing when you are jet-lagged. UK citizens do not need a visa for short stays, so this is the main bit of entry admin to handle.
6. Budget for the new departure tax
Small but easy to miss: Japan’s international tourist tax rises from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 (about £14) from 1 July 2026, so my September trip pays the new rate. It is usually bundled into your airfare rather than charged separately, but it is worth knowing it is in there.
7. Put an IC card in your phone
A rechargeable IC card – Suica, Pasmo or ICOCA – is what you tap to ride trains, subways and buses, and to pay in convenience stores. The best tip I picked up is that you can add one straight to your phone’s wallet and top it up from your bank card, so there is no fumbling for a physical pass. Budget around ¥700-1,500 (£3-7) a day for city travel.
8. Pack light and forward your luggage
Japan has a brilliant, cheap luggage-forwarding service called takkyubin that sends your suitcase from one hotel to the next, usually next-day. It means I can travel between cities with just a day bag instead of hauling a case up station stairs and onto crowded trains. Coin lockers at stations cover the gaps. Packing light is the gift that keeps on giving here.
9. Wear shoes you can slip on and off
You take your shoes off constantly – in some restaurants, temples, ryokan and homes – so laces quickly become a nuisance. I am bringing comfortable slip-on trainers and decent socks (which people will actually see). It sounds trivial, but it is the kind of small thing that makes daily life noticeably smoother.
10. Brush up on the etiquette before you go
A little cultural awareness goes a long way and is genuinely appreciated. The big ones: do not eat while walking, keep your voice low on trains, never tip (it can cause confusion), stand on the correct side of the escalator, and do not stick your chopsticks upright in rice. None of it is hard – it is mostly about being quietly considerate of the people around you.
11. Learn onsen etiquette, including the tattoo rule
Hot springs are a highlight, but they have rules worth knowing first: you wash thoroughly at the seated showers before getting in, no swimwear is worn, and long hair is tied up. Tattoos are still banned at many traditional onsen, so if you have ink, look for tattoo-friendly baths or private (kashikiri) options, or use a cover patch. Knowing this in advance saves an awkward moment at the door.
12. Book the big experiences well in advance
The most popular things sell out weeks ahead. teamLab, the Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Park, sumo tournaments, and sought-after restaurants all need booking early – sometimes the moment tickets release. I keep a short list of must-dos with their booking dates noted, so I do not miss out once I have locked in my route.
13. Download the right apps and learn a few phrases
A few apps do a lot of heavy lifting: Google Maps for navigation (including train times and platforms), Google Translate with the camera function for menus and signs, and a currency converter. I am also learning a handful of phrases – sumimasen (excuse me / sorry), arigato gozaimasu (thank you), and eigo no menu wa arimasu ka? (do you have an English menu?). You can manage with English in the cities, but the effort is always met warmly.
14. Convenience stores are a solo traveller’s best friend
Japanese convenience stores – 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart – are nothing like ours. They do genuinely good, cheap meals, fresh coffee, ATMs that take foreign cards, and everything from umbrellas to phone chargers. As a solo traveller they are perfect for a quick, low-cost breakfast or a late dinner with zero fuss, and there is one on practically every corner.
15. Solo travel here is easier than you think
The thing that has most calmed my first-timer nerves is realising how set up Japan is for travelling alone. Counter seats and ticket-machine restaurants make eating solo completely normal, capsule and business hotels give you affordable single rooms, and the whole country runs on quiet, orderly efficiency. If it is your first solo trip anywhere, Japan is about as gentle a place to start as exists.
My quick-reference prep checklist
Everything above, boiled down to the things I am ticking off before I fly:
- Book September flights early and pack for warm, humid weather.
- Price your route per journey before considering a rail pass.
- Buy and install a travel eSIM.
- Register on Visit Japan Web.
- Take cash, and add an IC card to your phone wallet.
- Pack light, in slip-on shoes, and plan to forward luggage between cities.
- Pre-book teamLab, Ghibli and any must-do restaurants.
- Download Google Maps, Translate and a currency app, and learn a few phrases.
- Sort travel insurance and note the ¥3,000 departure tax.
Frequently asked questions
The essentials: sort an eSIM and Visit Japan Web before you fly, carry cash alongside an IC card, skip the rail pass unless your route is long-distance, pack light in slip-on shoes, and learn the basic etiquette around trains, tipping and chopsticks. None of it is difficult, but knowing it in advance removes almost all the friction.
Yes – it is one of the easiest and safest countries for a first trip, including solo. Public transport is clean and punctual, cities have English signage, and dining and accommodation are well set up for people travelling alone. A little preparation makes it smoother still.
The common ones: buying a Japan Rail Pass they do not need, assuming there is free Wi-Fi everywhere, not carrying enough cash, over-packing, and not booking popular attractions like teamLab or Ghibli far enough ahead.
Yes. Cards are increasingly accepted, but many small restaurants, shrines, markets and rural areas remain cash-only. Carry some and top up at 7-Eleven ATMs, which reliably take UK cards.
Book flights a few months out for the best fares, and reserve in-demand experiences and restaurants as soon as tickets release. The rest of the itinerary can come together closer to the date.
That is everything my prep has taught me so far. When you are ready to plan the itinerary side, my things to do in Japan guide is the place to start, or browse my wider solo travel in Asia hub if Japan is one leg of a longer trip.
