Transport & Luggage
Shinkansen Luggage Rules: The 160 cm Line and the Oversized Baggage Seat
Bags over 160 cm total need a reserved oversized-baggage space on three Shinkansen lines. Free if you book it, ¥1,000 if you…
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Transport & Luggage
Luggage and Transport Rules in Japan: What You Can Bring, Where, and What It Costs
Japan moves people brilliantly and suitcases badly. The size limits, the reservation rules, the forwarding networks and the airport transfers — the…
Transport & Luggage
Is the JR Pass Worth It? Do the Math Before You Buy
Since the 2023 price rise the JR Pass loses money on most trips. Add your actual train legs to the calculator and…
Money & Payments
Japan Tax-Free Shopping: Thresholds, Rules and the Coming Refund System
Who qualifies, the ¥5,000 threshold, why consumables get sealed in a bag you must not open, and the change from exemption at…
Money & Payments
Suica, Pasmo and ICOCA: How Japan’s IC Cards Actually Work
One card, tapped everywhere: trains, buses, lockers, vending machines and convenience stores. The deposit, the ¥20,000 ceiling, the refund rules, and whether…
Money & Payments
Which ATMs in Japan Accept Foreign Cards
Most Japanese bank ATMs decline foreign cards without explanation. The four networks that reliably work, their fees and limits, and how to…
Money & Payments
Tipping in Japan: Why You Shouldn’t, and What to Do Instead
There is no tipping in Japan — not in restaurants, taxis, hotels or for guides. The handful of genuine exceptions, why leaving…
Money & Payments
How Much Cash to Bring to Japan
Not "how much does Japan cost" — how much physical cash you need in your pocket, given that half of what you…
Money & Payments
Money in Japan: Cash, Cards, IC Cards, ATMs and Tax-Free Shopping
Japan is no longer cash-only, but it is still cash-first in the places that matter. What to carry, what pays where, how…
When to Go
Obon and New Year in Japan: The Two Weeks the Country Shuts
Obon empties the cities and fills the trains; the New Year period closes the country outright. What is open, what is shut,…
When to Go
Golden Week in Japan: Dates, Closures and What It Costs You
Four public holidays in seven days, 120 million people travelling at once, and the worst prices of the year. The dates, why…
When to Go
Japan Cherry Blossom Forecast: Who Issues It, How It Works, When to Book
The bloom forecast comes out in January. Hotels for that week sold out in December. Here is how the forecast is actually…