Latest posts
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 TipsTokyo Observation Decks Compared: Prices, Heights and Which to PickTokyo observation decks compared by price, height and hours: the free 202m Metropolitan Government Building, Shibuya Sky's timed slots,…Travel TipsBest eSIM for Japan: Networks and Prices ComparedJapan eSIM compared by the network each brand actually runs on. Airalo, Holafly and Klook prices, physical SIM and pocket WiFi costs, a…Things to DoTravel TipsJapan at New Year: What Closes From 29 December to 3 January, and What Fills UpJapan pauses from 29 December to 3 January. What closes, what stays open, hatsumode crowds, department store opening days and the four…Getting AroundTravel TipsShinkansen Luggage Rules: The 160cm Limit and Why It Bars You From Unreserved CarsOversized baggage on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen: how to measure the 160cm limit, why it bars you from unreserved cars, th…Travel TipsWhere to StayJapan’s Accommodation Tax: What Every City Charges and How It Is CalculatedEvery Japanese accommodation tax rate from the municipal notices: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa, how the per person…Things to DoTravel TipsSapporo Snow Festival: 2027 Dates, the Three Sites, and How It Gets BuiltThe 77th Sapporo Snow Festival runs 4 to 11 February 2027 and all three sites are free. What each site holds, which days filled up last…Getting AroundThings to DoTravel TipsOsaka Amazing Pass: All 39 Free Sites, Their Real Prices, and When It Loses MoneyThe 1-day Osaka Amazing Pass is ¥3,500 and you need ¥2,680 of admissions to break even. Every free site with its list price, closing da…Things to DoTravel TipsSapporo Travel Guide: How Many Days, Getting In, Food and Day TripsHow many days Sapporo needs, the 33-minute train from New Chitose, moving underground in winter, and what everything costs. Checked Aug…Getting AroundThings to DoTravel TipsCruises to Japan from Taiwan: Keelung Sailings to Okinawa, Kyushu and TokyoFifteen sailings leave Keelung for Okinawa, Kyushu and Tokyo from US$223. Japan's departure tax is now 3,000 yen, and ships do not get…Travel TipsWhere to StayWhere to Stay in Sapporo: 5 Areas from Odori to Jozankei OnsenSnow falls on about 29 days in an average January in Sapporo. Five accommodation areas compared, and only three connect to the undergro…