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Travel Tips
Practical know-how that makes a Japan trip run smoothly — visas and entry, money and payments, eSIM, the departure tax, and local etiquette. The essentials so you are never stuck at the airport, a restaurant, or a shop.
Getting AroundTravel TipsKansai Airport Late at Night: Last Train, Night Bus, Sleeping at KIX and First TrainLanding at Kansai Airport after 22:00? Last trains at 23:09 and 23:55, the 00:15 Umeda night bus, taxi fares, NODOKA, First Cabin and t…Getting AroundThings to DoTravel TipsMatsuyama Travel Guide: Dogo Onsen Honkan, Matsuyama Castle, Botchan Train and Shimanami KaidoMatsuyama guide: Dogo Onsen Honkan courses and prices, the castle ropeway, trams and fares, tai-meshi, where to stay, and day trips to…Things to DoTravel TipsJapan in February: Weather by Region, the Sapporo Snow Festival, Plum and Early Cherry BlossomJapan in February by region: weather, Sapporo Snow Festival dates, drift ice, plum blossom in Mito, early cherry blossom in Izu and Oki…Getting AroundThings to DoTravel TipsOtaru Travel Guide: The Canal, Sakaimachi, Music Box Museum, Mt. Tengu, Yoichi Whisky and Winter TipsOtaru as a day trip or a night from Sapporo: the canal and cruise, Sakaimachi glass and sweets, Music Box Museum, Mt. Tengu, Nikka at Y…Things to DoTravel TipsJapan in January: Weather by Region, the Quiet Weeks and What to AvoidJapan in January, north to south: Hokkaido snow while Okinawa's cherry trees flower, the quiet weeks after New Year, sumo, and which da…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay on Ishigaki: Town and Port, Fusaki, Maezato, Kabira, the North or Near the AirportWhere to stay in Ishigaki by area: town hotels by the ferry port, Fusaki and Grandvrio on the west coast, ANA InterContinental in Maeza…Things to DoTravel TipsKaruizawa Travel Guide: What to See, How to Get Around and Where to StayA summer town an hour from Tokyo. The Old Mikasa Hotel is open again, the mountain buses take no reservations, and the sights run along…Things to DoTravel TipsOsaka Castle Tickets and Hours, and What You Can See Without PayingThe keep takes no advance booking and closes at six, last entry half five. What the ticket covers, where the stone wall museum is, and…Things to DoTravel TipsHakodate Travel Guide: Getting Up the Mountain, Trams, the Morning Market and GoryokakuThe ropeway shuts for autumn maintenance and cars are barred at night. Four ways up the mountain, tram fares and passes, market hours a…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Shizuoka: Station, Mochimune, Shimizu and Umegashima OnsenShizuoka City runs from the sea to the Southern Alps, and the lodging changes completely along the way. The city licence register sorte…