Travel Japan

Helpful tips and insights to make your Japan trip unforgettable and smooth

✔️ Must Do's

Ride the Shinkansen. Even if it's just once. It's clean, quiet, ridiculously efficient, and one of the coolest train rides in the world.

Visit both Tokyo and Kyoto. Tokyo is fast-paced and futuristic, while Kyoto is slower, historic, and packed with beautiful temples and shrines. Together they give you the full Japan experience.

Spend an evening in Golden Gai. Tucked away in Shinjuku, this maze of tiny alleyways is filled with bars that often seat fewer than ten people. Grab a drink, chat with locals or fellow travelers, and enjoy one of Tokyo's most unique nightlife experiences.

Get wonderfully lost. Some of our favorite memories came from wandering down side streets, stumbling into tiny ramen shops, and discovering places that never made it onto our itinerary.

🚆 Getting Around Japan

Japan's transportation system looks intimidating...until you actually use it. After a day or two you'll wonder why every country can't be this organized.

Get a Suica Card

If you have an iPhone, add a Suica Card directly to your Apple Wallet before you go.

You'll simply tap your phone entering and exiting train stations, buses, convenience stores, vending machines, and even many restaurants. Reloading takes seconds through Apple Wallet, making it one of the easiest travel hacks in Japan.

Just don't load too much money—any unused balance at the end of your trip generally isn't refundable.

No iPhone? Physical Suica cards work great too, although you'll need to use station kiosks to check and reload your balance.

Trains...and Buses!

Everyone talks about Japan's trains, but don't overlook the buses. They're clean, efficient, and often the easiest way to reach neighborhoods that aren't directly connected by rail.

Google Maps handles both beautifully, telling you exactly which train or bus to take, what platform or stop to use, which exit to leave from, and even how long you have before it arrives. It quickly became our most-used app.

📱 Apps Worth Downloading

You don't need dozens of apps, but these earned permanent spots on our home screen.

Google Maps – Your personal tour guide for trains, buses, walking directions, and station exits.
SmartEX – Buy Shinkansen tickets in advance and skip the ticket lines.
Payke – Scan product barcodes to instantly translate ingredients and labels.
Didi – Japan's version of Uber. Perfect when you've missed the last train (and trust us...it happens).
Klook – Book attractions, museums, tours, and experiences ahead of time.
Tabelog – The restaurant app locals actually use. A 3.5 rating here is usually fantastic, so don't compare it to Google Reviews.

🛍️ Don't Skip Don Quijote (Donki)

Imagine if Costco, Target, Walgreens, an anime store, Sephora, and a souvenir shop all moved into the same building...

Welcome to Don Quijote, or "Donki."

It's loud, colorful, chaotic, and one of the most entertaining stores we've ever visited. You'll find everything from Japanese snacks and skincare to luggage, electronics, Pokémon merchandise, kitchen gadgets, souvenirs, designer handbags, and things you didn't know existed until five minutes ago.

Our advice?

Leave room in your suitcase.

You're going to need it.

🍙 Convenience Stores Deserve Their Own Section

Forget everything you know about convenience stores.

In Japan, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson are practically tourist attractions. The food is incredible.

Fresh sandwiches. Onigiri. Bento boxes. Fried chicken. Pastries. Excellent coffee. Desserts. ATMs. Toiletries. Umbrellas. Chargers.

Basically anything you forgot to pack—or didn't know you needed.

❤️ Rhodes Traveled Tip

Buy the pancakes from 7-Eleven. No explanation necessary. Okay...maybe one.

They're unbelievably soft, filled with maple cream, and somehow manage to taste like breakfast and dessert at the same time. We seriously considered bringing an empty suitcase home just for pancakes.

While you're there, grab a canned Boss Coffee, Georgia Coffee, or one of Japan's famous energy drinks like Real Gold or Oronamin C. They're everywhere, surprisingly good, and somehow make jet lag feel slightly less offensive.

🌸 Best Time to Visit

Spring (March–May): Cherry blossoms, beautiful weather, and bigger crowds.

Summer (June–August): Festivals, fireworks, and plenty of humidity.

Fall (September–November): Our favorite. Comfortable temperatures, incredible fall colors, and fewer tourists.

Winter (December–February): Skiing, snow monkeys, winter illuminations, and much quieter cities.

✈️ Getting There

If possible, fly into Haneda Airport since it's much closer to central Tokyo.

Flying into Narita is still a great option—just plan on about an hour by train before reaching downtown.

For budget travelers, ZipAir is one of the best values we've found, often offering roundtrip fares between $600–900 depending on the season. Premium lie-flat seats are also surprisingly affordable compared to other airlines.

Other excellent airlines include ANA, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Delta, United, and many other major international carriers. We flew both United and ANA and had great experiences.

❤️ Rhodes Traveled Tips

Wear comfortable shoes. You'll probably walk 20,000+ steps every day without realizing it.
Bring a small grocery bag. Public trash cans are surprisingly rare, so you'll likely carry your empty coffee cup around longer than expected.
Wake up early. Popular attractions are magical before the crowds arrive.
Trust the lines. If locals are waiting outside a tiny restaurant, it's almost always worth joining them.
Don't panic in train stations. Everyone gets lost in Shinjuku Station. Everyone.
Bring a portable charger. Google Maps is going to work overtime.
Visit Pokémon Centers—even if you don't like Pokémon. They're just plain fun.
Try the vending machines. Coffee, tea, soup, ice cream...Japan somehow figured out how to put almost everything into a vending machine.
Don't over-plan. Some of our favorite memories came from wandering into quiet neighborhoods, tiny cafés, and hidden shrines that weren't on any itinerary.
Fish Markets-schedule in time to go to the local fish markets. Amazingly fresh food and an incredible experience.
Finally...prepare to be ruined. You'll come home wondering why every country can't have trains that arrive on time, convenience stores that serve amazing food, and toilets that deserve their own instruction manual.