No.00 / Home
Plan Japan your way.
Know what Japan costs, when it's open and what the rules are before you book. Researched from official sources, with unconfirmed facts marked.
Explore · pick a topic
What are you into?
Each topic starts with the rules.
No.01DestinationsStart in one place or link several. Ask the price before you sit.
No.02JapowThe best powder in the world? Here are the odds, prices and gate rules.
No.03OnsenWash first, ask about tattoos, check which baths shut for winter.
No.04Wild and TrekAnimals owe you nothing. Book the hut, check the volcano, mind bears.
No.05DriftThe legend started on mountain passes. Your ride starts somewhere legal.
No.06CultureShrines take two bows, two claps, one bow. Art islands need bookings.
No.07FoodTicket machines, no tipping, nine allergens: eat well in Japan.
No.08Anime and mangaAkihabara, Nakano and Comiket: what it costs, what is closed.
No.09Plan the tripRules moved in 2026: JR Pass, departure tax, tax-free.
Choose by interest
Start with what you came for.
Each one opens a hub.
Changed in 2026
- JR PassCosts more through overseas agencies.Hits anyone buying a national pass abroad.
- Departure tax$19 (¥3,000), up from $6 (¥1,000).Hits almost everyone leaving Japan.
- Tax-free shoppingPay first, refund after.Hits shoppers claiming tax back.
- Hotel taxesHigher or new in Kyoto, Hokkaido, Hiroshima and Nagano.Hits overnight stays there.
- Regional rail passesTohoku, Kansai and Shikoku passes changed.Hits regional rail trips, so check older prices.
- All the 2026 changes
From Tokyo · 8 regions
Where do you want to go in Japan?
- Tokyo and KantoHub
- Hokkaido01 · Guide
- Tohoku02 · Guide
- Nagano03 · Guide
- Kansai04 · Guide
- Chugoku05 · Guide
- Shikoku06 · Guide
- Kyushu07 · Guide
- Okinawa08 · Guide
No.01 · Guide
Hokkaido
Powder, lavender and the far north, each in its season.
Sapporo · Niseko · Otaru
Open the Hokkaido guide →Did you know
OFFICIAL · MLITHokkaido covers about 22 percent of Japan's total land area.
Regions · north to south
Tokyo and eight regions
Each region guide starts with getting there, the seasons and the costs.
- 00Tokyo and KantoTokyo's neon and the easy day trips all around it.
- 01HokkaidoPowder, lavender and the far north, each in its season.
- 02TohokuSnow monsters, mountain onsen and August festivals in Japan's north.
- 03NaganoSnow monkeys, village baths, a castle and the Alps, reached from Tokyo by Shinkansen.
- 04KansaiTemples, street food and the old capitals of Japan.
- 05ChugokuPeace Park, a floating torii, castle towns and the San'in coast.
- 06ShikokuPilgrim trails, wild river gorges and bowls of udon.
- 07KyushuHot springs, harbour cities and volcanoes, one flight from Tokyo.
- 08OkinawaSubtropical islands, reefs and whale season.
Ask anything about Japan
Visas, trains, money, baths, manners. Pick a question and we'll say yes, no, or it depends, and why.
Every answer starts with
- Yes, if
- Depends
- No
It depends on the bath, not the law. Japan has no national rule, so each venue decides. Check the bath's page or ask before you go. Read the full answer
Not on a tourist stay, as far as we found: tourist status is for tourism and no remote-work allowance is published. A Digital Nomad status exists, with an income test. Read the full answer
Yes, with a paper 1949 Geneva permit; some licences use a JAF translation instead. Winter tyres are an add-on at the rental companies we checked, so reserve them. Read the full answer