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#First Time in Japan

Essential basics for first-time visitors—transportation, etiquette, currency exchange, SIM cards, and more.

69 articles
Kiyomizu temple at night
Know-How

Getting Around Kyoto in Autumn 2026: The Bus Day Pass Is Gone — Use the Subway and Trains

Aug 13, 2026
Illuminated autumn maples reflected on the pond at Rikugien's evening night viewing
Places

Tokyo Autumn Illumination 2026: Only 3 Places Light Up the Leaves at Night (Rikugien Runs from Around November 28)

Aug 12, 2026
An autumn Japanese table — grilled sanma, matsutake mushrooms, chestnut rice, new-crop rice, and Shine Muscat grapes, all in season from September to November.
Food & Drink

Autumn Food in Japan 2026: What's in Season and Where to Eat It

Aug 12, 2026
A plate of ohagi, glutinous rice balls coated in sweet azuki red bean paste, a wagashi eaten around Japan's autumnal equinox
Culture

Ohagi and Japan's Autumnal Equinox 2026: What It Is and Where to Buy It

Aug 11, 2026
A tsukimi display of stacked rice dumplings and pampas grass with the near-full autumn moon rising in the east
Culture

Tsukimi 2026: Japan's Moon-Viewing Night Is Sept 25, Not the Full Moon

Aug 10, 2026
The Yasaka Pagoda and the old streets of Higashiyama, Kyoto
Know-How

Where to Stay in Kyoto 2026: Best Areas and the New Lodging Tax

Aug 10, 2026
The golden ginkgo avenue at Meiji Jingu Gaien, seen from the Aoyama-dori entrance
Places

Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue 2026: Peak Color and the Free Golden Tunnel

Aug 7, 2026
Adding a Japan travel eSIM through a smartphone's settings screen
Know-How

Japan eSIM 2026: How to Choose, Buy, and Set One Up Before You Land

Aug 7, 2026
A bronze statue of an Awa Odori dancer beside a bridge over the Shinmachi River in Tokushima, with strings of red and yellow lanterns hung along the street under a blue sky.
Places

Awa Odori Tokushima 2026: Tickets, Dates, and Paid vs Free Viewing

Jul 23, 2026
Welcome Suica Mobile
Know-How

Welcome Suica Mobile: The 2026 Guide for Tourists (180-Day Suica, JR East Shinkansen, Green Cars)

Jul 22, 2026
Mister Donut and Mrs. GREEN APPLE collaboration: three apple-shaped donuts and a parfait
Food & Drink

Mister Donut × Mrs. GREEN APPLE 2026: Apple-Shaped Donuts, Prices, and How to Pre-Order

Jul 21, 2026
The large signboard at the entrance to Tsukiji Outer Market, displaying the market's name and red circular logo above a purple banner reading "Tsukiji offers hospitality through food."
Places

Tsukiji Outer Market Hours 2026: 9am-2pm, Closing Days, Best Day to Go

Jul 20, 2026
A two-photo composite of Tokyo's two main airports: the Haneda Airport terminal with its "Tokyo International Airport" sign on top, and Narita Airport with its "Narita Airport Terminal 1" sign below.
Know-How

Where to Stay Near Narita and Haneda Airports: Hotels for a Late Arrival or Early Flight (2026)

Jul 18, 2026
Starbucks Japan summer orange and mango drinks including the Orange & Mango Frappuccino
Food & Drink

Starbucks Japan Orange & Mango Frappuccino: 3 Summer Drinks from ¥579 (July 22)

Jul 18, 2026
Tanabata streamers at the Sendai Tanabata Festival, with rows of colorful decorative balls and long paper streamers hanging from a covered shopping arcade.
Places

Sendai Tanabata Festival 2026: Dates Aug 6–8, Fireworks the Night Before on Aug 5

Jul 16, 2026
A three-photo composite showing the storefronts of major Japanese conveyor-belt sushi chains: Sushiro, Hama-Sushi, and Kura Sushi from left to right.
Food & Drink

"Same Kura Sushi, ¥115 or ¥150?": Conveyor Belt Sushi in Japan 2026 (Sushiro vs. Kura Sushi vs. Hama Sushi)

Jul 10, 2026
Rows of large front-loading washer-dryer machines inside a coin laundromat, each topped with panels showing wash and dry courses, prices, and sizes (S, M).
Know-How

Laundry in Japan (2026): How Coin Laundries Work, What They Cost, and Why You Can Leave the Detergent at Home

Jul 10, 2026
Several hands dropping plastic waste—water bottles and clear food containers—into a full trash bag against a green background, illustrating waste sorting and recycling.
Culture

No Trash Cans in Japan? Where to Throw Away Your Garbage (2026 Guide)

Jul 10, 2026
A six-photo collage of iconic Japanese summer scenes: an Awa Odori dance troupe parading through evening streets, a sunflower field under blue sky, Tanabata streamers beside a five-story pagoda, a shaved-ice ("kōri") shop banner, fireworks bursting in the night sky, and fireworks over the river beside Tokyo Skytree.
Places

Tokyo Summer 2026: Every Festival & Fireworks Show, in Date Order

Jul 8, 2026
A group of foreign tourists with backpacks gathered in front of Tokyo Station's red-brick Marunouchi building, looking up at it while one takes a photo.
Know-How

What to Wear in Japan in Summer 2026: Heat, Humidity & Rain

Jul 6, 2026
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