★THE TRIP HYPE✦Japan’s now, delivered pop★MODERN VOYAGE & TECH✦Food · Shopping · Places · Know-How · Culture★THE TRIP HYPE✦Japan’s now, delivered pop★MODERN VOYAGE & TECH✦Food · Shopping · Places · Know-How · Culture

★THE TRIP HYPE✦Japan’s now, delivered pop★MODERN VOYAGE & TECH✦Food · Shopping · Places · Know-How · Culture★THE TRIP HYPE✦Japan’s now, delivered pop★MODERN VOYAGE & TECH✦Food · Shopping · Places · Know-How · Culture

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#First Time in Japan

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

101 articles

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.

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

Welcome Suica Mobile

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

Mister Donut and Mrs. GREEN APPLE collaboration: three apple-shaped donuts and a parfait

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

Shoppers at fresh fish stalls along a lane in Tsukiji Outer Market

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

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.

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

Starbucks Japan summer orange and mango drinks including the Orange & Mango Frappuccino

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

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

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

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

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

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).

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

A yearly calendar on a wooden desk viewed through a black magnifying glass, with June and October dates enlarged under the lens, decorated with a small white flower and green ivy in the corner—evoking date-checking or trip planning.

Japan Public Holidays 2026 (Jul-Dec): Banks Close, Konbini Doesn't

Storefront signs of three major Japanese 100-yen shops stacked vertically: DAISO (pink lettering) on top, Seria (white on green) in the middle, and Can★Do (with a "100 YEN SHOP" mark) at the bottom.

Japan's 100 Yen Shops in 2026: Daiso vs. Seria vs. Can Do, and What's Actually Worth Buying

Promotional visual for two limited-edition spicy fried chicken products: on the left, "Red Hot Chicken" in a red habanero-and-red-pepper coating with red chili peppers; on the right, "Green Hot Wing" in a green jalapeño-and-garlic herb coating with sliced jalapeños and garlic.

KFC Japan Summer Menu 2026: Red Hot Chicken Returns, Green Hot Wings & Prices (July 8)

A staff member handing a mug of draft beer to a customer at an izakaya counter, with a second frothy beer and a small plate with chopsticks on the wooden countertop.

How to Order at a Japanese Restaurant in 2026: Ticket Machines, Otoshi & the Call Button

A hand holding a smartphone over the reader at a convenience store checkout to pay electronically, with the screen showing a total of 1,102 yen.

Is Japan Cash-Only? How to Pay in Japan in 2026 (Cash, IC Cards, Contactless & QR)

Is the Japan Rail Pass Worth It in 2026? Who Should Buy It—and Who Shouldn't

Red and green fireworks burst over a river at a Japanese summer festival, with lantern-decorated boats along the bank and illuminated trees and city lights reflected in the water.

Tenjin Matsuri 2026: The Complete Guide to Osaka's Boat Procession and Fireworks (July 24-25)

Snow-capped Mt. Fuji mirrored on the calm surface of Lake Kawaguchi under a clear blue sky, with the lakeside town in the foreground

Climbing Mount Fuji in 2026: Season Dates, the ¥4,000 Toll, Permits, and What to Pack

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First Time in Japan · Glos Travel