First-timer's guide

Japan for first-timers

The practical things to know before your first anime trip: how to pay for trains, where to leave your bags, when to go, what a day costs, and the manners that keep pilgrimage towns glad to see fans.

Prices and rules are approximate and change. Each one comes from an official page listed under Sources (last checked September 19, 2026).

IC cards: tap in, tap out

An IC card is a rechargeable card you tap at the ticket gate. It works on trains, subways and most buses, and in convenience stores. The main regional cards, including Suica (Tokyo), PASMO (Tokyo) and ICOCA (Osaka and Kyoto), work nationwide wherever you see the IC logo, so one card is enough for the whole trip. Top it up with cash at station machines.

• For visitors: Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO need no deposit and are valid for 28 days from purchase. Neither is refundable, so don't load more than you'll spend. Welcome Suica is sold at Narita and Haneda airports and JR East travel centers; TOURIST PASMO at Haneda (Keikyu) and Narita (Keisei).
• Regular cards: ordinary Suica and PASMO cards are on sale again after a pause in 2023–2025. They take a ¥500 deposit.
• On an iPhone: the Welcome Suica Mobile app works on Apple Pay devices and can be set up before you fly. ICOCA can be added to Apple Wallet with a card from a country that supports Apple Pay. Mobile PASMO needs the device region set to Japan.
• On Android: Google Wallet can only hold Suica, PASMO or ICOCA on phones with Osaifu-Keitai, which in practice means phones sold in Japan. Most visitors with Android phones use a physical card.

Reserved and non-reserved seats

A Shinkansen or limited express ride needs two parts: the basic fare, plus either a reserved-seat or a non-reserved-seat express ticket. A reserved seat guarantees you a place and costs a little more. Non-reserved cars are first come, first served.

• At peak times (New Year, Golden Week, mid-August) every Nozomi seat is reserved, while Hikari, Kodama, Mizuho and Sakura keep their non-reserved cars.
• Some trains on our routes are all reserved, such as the Odakyu Romancecar, Seibu's Laview and Yufuin no Mori. Buy the seat before boarding.
• Big suitcases: on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags over 160 cm in total (length + width + height, up to 250 cm) need a reserved "seat with an oversized baggage area". Without one you pay a ¥1,000 fee on board. Or send the bag ahead (see Luggage).

Japan Rail Pass or a regional pass?

The nationwide Japan Rail Pass costs ¥50,000 for 7 days, ¥80,000 for 14 days and ¥100,000 for 21 days (ordinary class, adult; prices listed through September 30, 2026). The fastest trains, Nozomi and Mizuho, need an extra ticket: about ¥4,180 from Tokyo to Nagoya and ¥4,960 from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. The pass only pays off if you cover long distances in one week. Add up your single fares first.

Most of our routes stay in one region, where a regional pass is far cheaper. Examples: JR West's Kansai Area Pass (from ¥2,800 for 1 day; no Shinkansen) and the JR Kyushu Rail Pass (the Northern Kyushu version is on our Kyushu route). Each itinerary lists the pass that fits it under "Getting around".

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Coin lockers and luggage delivery

Big stations have coin lockers. In Tokyo, expect about ¥400–500 a day for a small locker, ¥500–600 for a medium one and ¥700–800 for a large one.

The better trick is luggage delivery (called takkyubin): send your suitcase from the airport, your hotel or a convenience store to your next hotel, and it generally arrives the next day. "Hands-free travel" counters at airports and big stations can also deliver on the same day. Limits are usually about 160 cm and 25–30 kg per bag. It pays off on routes with several buses, such as Hakone and Mt. Fuji.

Cash and cards

Cards and IC cards work in most city shops, but Japan's own tourism board still calls it "very much a cash-based society". Carry some cash for small restaurants, rural buses, temple and shrine offerings, and coin lockers.

• 7-Eleven (Seven Bank) and Japan Post Bank ATMs accept most foreign cards, including Visa and Mastercard. Even so, some cards are refused, so bring a backup.
• Tax-free shopping changes on November 1, 2026. From then you pay the full price, including tax, in the shop, and get the tax back after customs checks your goods at departure. You need to spend at least ¥5,000 (before tax) in one shop on one day, and keep the goods in your carry-on until customs has seen them.

Staying connected: eSIM, SIM or Wi-Fi

Live maps and timetables make these routes far easier. Free Wi-Fi is common in airports, hotels, cafés and convenience stores, but patchy between them. Airports rent pocket Wi-Fi routers and sell data SIM cards (an unlocked phone is needed). If your phone supports eSIM, a travel eSIM is the simplest option: you can install it before you fly and have data when you land.

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When to go

What a day costs

Japan's tourism agency surveys visitors every year. In 2025 the average visitor spent about ¥229,000 per trip, staying about 9.5 nights. By our arithmetic that is roughly ¥24,000 a day, of which about ¥8,800 went on accommodation, ¥5,300 on food and drink and ¥2,400 on getting around. Shopping was about a quarter of the total.

You can spend a lot less: business hotels, convenience-store breakfasts and a regional pass can keep a day well below this. Each of our itineraries shows the fares and tickets for that route in its "At a glance" box.

Photos, private land and drones

• People: ask before photographing anyone, including shrine staff, shop owners, cosplayers and children. Many pilgrimage spots are in ordinary neighborhoods, so keep homes and residents out of your shots.
• Shrines and temples: they are places of worship first. Many ask you not to photograph the main hall where people pray, or the amulet counter, and ban filming without permission. Follow the signs at each one.
• Private land and schools: many places in anime are modeled on real homes, inns and schools. We never list them. Don't go onto the grounds or into doorways for a photo, and never stand on railway tracks or in the road.
• Drones: Japan requires drones of 100 g or more to be registered, and you need permission to fly over populated areas, near airports, above 150 m, at night or within 30 m of people and buildings. That covers nearly every town on our routes, and shrines such as Meiji Jingu ask visitors not to fly drones at all. Leave it at home.

Closing days

Many museums in Japan close one day a week, often Monday (the Tokyo National Museum, for example). When Monday is a public holiday, they usually open that day and close on the next weekday instead. Many also close for several days around New Year. Some places break the pattern: the Ghibli Museum, for example, is usually closed on Tuesdays. Every itinerary lists its closing days in the "At a glance" box; check the official calendar for your dates.

Few trash cans, quiet trains

• Trash: there are very few public trash cans, even in parks. Carry a small bag and take your trash back to your hotel. This matters most in small pilgrimage towns, where litter is what turns residents against visitors.
• On trains: set your phone to silent and don't take calls. Keep your voice down, and give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and anyone who needs them.
• In small towns: buy something, eat locally and say hello. Local shops and tourist offices are the reason many of these places welcome fans.