What to Pack & Prepare for Your Japan Trip

Your passport needs at least 6 months of validity left on the day you enter. Check before you book flights, because Japan's immigration system flags passports with less than 6 months remaining.

Visit Japan Web lets you do your immigration and customs paperwork online before you arrive. It's optional, but use it: most airlines don't hand out paper forms anymore, and the QR code gets you through the airport much faster. Register at least a day before you fly.

Get travel insurance. Medical care is expensive for visitors, an evacuation can cost more than $50,000, and a policy also covers cancelled trips and lost bags.

You'll want data the whole time. Google Maps, translation and transit apps are how you get around. There are three ways to get it: an eSIM, a physical SIM card, or pocket WiFi. They differ in how fiddly they are to set up and in how the cost adds up over a longer trip.

Pick the one that fits you:

A SIM or eSIM needs an unlocked phone, so check yours first. Pocket WiFi doesn't care.

You will need cash in Japan, every day, however modern the place looks.

The easiest place to get cash is a convenience store ATM. They take foreign cards 24/7.

What the ATMs charge:

Your own bank may add an international withdrawal fee on top.

How much cash to carry each day, by travel style:

Suica and PASMO are rechargeable IC cards you top up with cash and tap for trains, vending machines and convenience store purchases. They won't replace cash, but you'll reach for notes less often.

Change money before you arrive or at the airport, and ask for small notes. Plenty of places struggle to break a ¥10,000 note.

Japan's weather extremes mean you have to pack with some thought. Humidity and the gap between indoors and outdoors matter more than the temperature itself.

Summer is about the humidity. At 70-80%, 28°C feels oppressive. The rainy season in Tokyo runs June 7-July 19, and the heat carries on through August after it ends. Indoors the AC is turned right up, so you'll swing 10°C+ every time you walk in or out of a building.

Packing for summer goes beyond clothes. Our summer in Japan guide covers the cooling gear locals actually use (portable fans, gel sheets, UV umbrellas), where to escape the heat, and how to plan a day around it.

In winter the regions are far apart. Tokyo stays mild at 2-12°C, Hokkaido drops below freezing with heavy snow, and Okinawa stays warm at 15-20°C. Pack for where you're actually going.

Your shoes matter more than anything else you bring. Expect 15,000-20,000 steps a day, so pick comfort over looks. Bring a pair that slips on and off, because temples, traditional restaurants and some places to stay ask you to take your shoes off, and lacing up gets old fast when you're visiting several temples.

Japan runs on 100V with Type A/B plugs. That's the same as the US and different from Europe, the UK and Australia.

Modern phones, laptops and tablets handle 100V on their own. Look for "100-240V" on the charger label.

Older appliances like hair dryers and curling irons may not support 100V and can malfunction or overheat.

Whether you need a plug adapter depends on where you're coming from:

Bring a portable battery of 10,000mAh+. There are almost no public charging stations, and a long day of walking, maps, photos and translation empties a phone quickly.

If you forget your adapters, hotels and cafes usually have USB charging ports.

Japan's customs rules are strict. Break them and you can lose the item, pay a fine, or be refused entry.

Be careful with medication. A valid prescription from home doesn't help you in Japan: if the drug is prohibited, customs takes it and you can be arrested. Check the Japan Customs website before you pack anything prescribed.

How much you can bring:

Above these limits you need a Yunyu Kakunin-sho (import certificate) from the Japanese health authorities, which takes 2-5 weeks to get.

Keep medications in their original packaging, with the prescription or a doctor's letter in English.

Duty-free limits:

Anything over these limits goes on your customs form. If you don't declare it, you'll be penalized.

Download these at home. Airport WiFi is crowded and slow.

Plenty of first-time visitors still find Tokyo's trains overwhelming with every one of these apps installed. Station signs, platform changes and rush hour wear you down with constant small decisions. Some people would rather see Tokyo without doing the navigating and let a guide handle the logistics while they look around.

Some behavior causes real problems or real embarrassment in Japan, so treat the list below as rules.

Don't tip, anywhere. Service workers can take it as an insult, as if you think they're underpaid, and a server will chase you down the street to return money you "forgot." That goes for restaurants, taxis, hotels and guides.

Remembering all of this on the spot can be stressful. Many first-time visitors find that a private guide provides real-time cultural context, which makes the differences easier to handle.

A lot of what you'd normally pack is easier to get in Japan.

The exceptions:

• Prescription medications need a Japanese doctor once you're in Japan, so bring your full supply.

• Over-the-counter medicines are sold everywhere, but the formulations and doses differ from Western versions.

• Business hotels and Western chains have the standard amenities. Check ahead if you're in a hostel or an Airbnb.

Hiking (Mt. Fuji, Kumano Kodo, Day Hikes)

Business Trips

Temple and Shrine Visits

Apart from what customs bans, these just take up space or get in the way:

Airlines (International to Japan)

Most airlines flying to Japan have similar baggage rules. Check yours anyway.

A few things to know:

• How many checked bags are free depends on your ticket class and route, so look at your booking
• Overweight bags (23-32 kg) cost ¥6,000-¥10,000+ each
• JAL often allows sports equipment such as skis and golf bags up to 32 kg
• JAL is strict about the 23 kg limit at check-in

Shinkansen (Bullet Trains)

The shinkansen has its own luggage rules, and they catch a lot of travelers out.

To measure, add length, width and height. A typical large suitcase (75×50×30 cm = 155 cm) is under the limit. An extra-large one (80×55×35 cm = 170 cm) needs the oversized baggage reservation.

If you forget to reserve, you pay ¥1,000 on board and have to put the bag in the designated area if there's room. At peak times you can be refused boarding.

Sports equipment like skis and surfboards, musical instruments and wheelchairs don't need a reservation over 160 cm, though they still have to stay under 250 cm/60 kg.

Local Trains and Buses

The Japan Solution: Luggage Forwarding

Big suitcases and Japanese trains don't get along. Locals use takkyubin, a luggage forwarding service.

• It costs ¥2,000-3,000 per bag
• Delivery is next-day between most destinations
• You drop the bag at your hotel front desk, a convenience store, or a station counter
• The main companies are Yamato (black cat logo), Sagawa and Japan Post

Send the big bag from your Tokyo hotel to your Kyoto hotel, ride the train with a daypack, and the bag is waiting the next day. Japanese travelers do this all the time, which is why you see so few of them dragging suitcases through stations.

Our Tokyo luggage storage guide covers storage options in more detail.

That's a lot of preparation. If you'd rather experience Japan without extensive planning, a private tour takes care of connectivity, navigation and cultural context, and you can arrive with just the essentials.

This guide is published by Hinomaru One, a Tokyo-based private tour operator.