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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 TipsJR Kyushu Rail Pass: Zones, Prices and Whether It Pays for ItselfSix passes split by zone and length. Counter prices against online prices, the routes where the pass pays for itself, and where and whe…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Yokohama: Yokohama Station, Minato Mirai, Chinatown and Shin-Yokohama ComparedRestaurants open past midnight run 3 per cent in Minato Mirai and 48 per cent in Noge. Six Yokohama areas compared on rooms, stations a…Things to DoTravel TipsYokohama Travel Guide: Getting There, Day Passes, Minato Mirai, Chinatown, Yamate, Prices and Closing Days96 of Yokohama's 162 sights sit within 2 km of Sakuragicho, so most of a day is walking. Day pass maths, the closed observation deck, a…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Kobe: Sannomiya, Shin-Kobe, Harborland and Arima Onsen ComparedKobe's central areas sit 0.5 to 1.0 km apart, so the area you book changes your evening rather than your commute. Sannomiya, Shin-Kobe,…Travel TipsJapan Customs Rules: Prohibited Items and Duty-Free LimitsWhat Japan actually stops at the counter: three bottles of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, the 200,000 yen goods limit, meat and fruit that ca…Things to DoTravel TipsKobe Travel Guide: Kitano, Chinatown, Arima Onsen & Kobe BeefKobe fits into a strip two to three kilometres wide, so downtown walks end to end. Fares up the mountain, Arima bathhouse prices, what…Getting AroundTravel TipsKansai Transport Passes: What to Buy After the Thru PassThe Kansai Thru Pass is gone and what replaced it skips Kyoto's subway and buses. Prices and break-even maths for the LITE, Keihan, Kin…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Hiroshima: Station, Downtown, Peace Park or MiyajimaHiroden trams are a flat 240 yen everywhere, so the area you pick barely changes your transport. Station, downtown, Peace Park and Miya…Things to DoTravel TipsHiroshima Travel Guide: A Half-Day City and What to Do With the RestThe Hiroshima city centre takes half a day, so the real decision is Miyajima, Kure or Iwakuni. Tram fares, the tide table, what your ra…Things to DoTravel TipsOnsen With Tattoos in Japan: Cover Patch Rules, Prices and Tattoo-Friendly TownsWhich Japanese onsen take tattoos, compared by what each asks: two cover patches, a rash guard, or nothing at Kinosaki and Beppu. Entry…