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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.
Things to DoTravel TipsTakamatsu Travel Guide: Naoshima Ferries, Ritsurin Garden and Sanuki UdonFerry times and fares from Takamatsu to Naoshima and the islands, which ones open their art in winter, Ritsurin Garden hours by month,…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Miyakojima: Hirara, Ueno and Irabu ComparedOnly two of Miyakojima's six areas have anywhere to drink in the evening, and the island runs on rental cars. The tourism association's…Things to DoTravel TipsMt Takao Guide: Cable Car Fares, 10 Trails, Last Ride Times and the OnsenMt Takao from Tokyo: cable car and chairlift fares, last ride times month by month, all ten trails with distances, the temple and the o…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Kagoshima: Tenmonkan, Chuo Station, Onsen Hotels and SakurajimaKagoshima has hot spring baths right in its nightlife district, so there is no need to travel out to an onsen town. The city's official…Things to DoTravel TipsKagoshima Travel Guide: Sakurajima, the Ferry, Senganen, Ibusuki and ChiranPlanning Kagoshima: the closed crater zone on Sakurajima, ferry times and fares, the CUTE pass that adds the boat, Senganen, Ibusuki sa…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Sendai: the Station, Kokubuncho, Akiu Onsen and Sakunami Onsen ComparedForty of Sendai's fifty city properties sit within fifteen minutes of the station, so the real choice is the city or a hot spring villa…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Kanazawa: Station, Omicho Market, Korinbo, Higashi Chaya and Kenrokuen ComparedNothing in Kanazawa is walkable from both the station and Kenrokuen. The official register of 113 properties, sorted into six central a…Travel TipsSecondhand Shopping in Japan: Hard Off, BOOKOFF, 2nd STREET, Mandarake and the Vintage DistrictsJapanese resale is sorted by category, not by district. Which chain sells what, which branches process tax-free, the junk shelf to avoi…Things to DoTravel TipsKanazawa Travel Guide: Kenrokuen, the Castle, the Chaya Districts and MyoryujiKanazawa escaped the wartime bombing, so the castle town the Kaga domain laid out still stands. What to see in what order, with prices,…Things to DoTravel TipsSendai Travel Guide: Loople Bus, Matsushima, Akiu Onsen and YamaderaPlanning Sendai: Loople loop bus times and day passes, the passport-only area pass, Matsushima boat fares, Yamadera entry fees and how…