19 MISTAKES Tourists Always Make in Japan You Can Avoid

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I've pooled together some of the mistakes I see tourists make in Japan together with the questions I get a lot and present to you this video!! Just 19 of them, but there are more!

Let me know other mistakes you have made/see people make down below in the comments 🤗

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ESSENTIAL Japan Tips for First-time Travelers | Your Ultimate Trip Planning Guide 🇯🇵

[thnkmltr]

01. Bad timing (Summer, Japanese holidays)
02. Not dressing properly (no athlesure)
03. Not getting tickets early
04. Not having rest time
05. Not realizing how small hotel rooms are
06. Worrying about the language
07. Having a large group
08. Not getting a VPN
09. Not planning rural transportation
10. Not considering your flight time
11. Overdoing your arrival day
12. Going to Mt Fuji
13. Buying the JR Pass
14. Not getting a SUICA Card
15. Not planning meals
16. Not planning for dietary restrictions
17. Not knowing how to order/pay
18. Coming with a full suitcase
19. Overplanning

[stevegonzales]

Best advice for Japan. Just wing it, go day by day and you’ll have a blast. My first time going was filled with plans and didn’t get to see much and now I just wing it with no plans

[kevlarcardhouse]

My fondest memories from my first trip in Japan were the tiny shops, restaurants, shrines, etc. that I stumbled upon, not the big touristy things swarmed with people. I recommend planning one major attraction a day and then leaving the rest up to chance.

[EkibenExpress]

When it comes to shopping, I bring a foldable duffel bag in my main suitcase. I use the duffel bag to hold all my clothes when I return and my suitcase for all my important purchases.

[JasonRose-hj]

I just came back from a 2 week trip to Japan. The food and drink was amazing. Their sandwiches taste so much better than ours. When I came back home, I realised that there is a distinct sourness to our food that they don't have. That's why they don't need ketchup or added sugar. They focus on a delicate balance of sweetness with very subtle flavours. They don't even have crusts on their sandwiches, as that would cause a slight bitterness. A couple of major points is that they do not provide seating or bins ANYWHERE! So bring a walking stick with you, because you are going to be on your feet all day, every day. Also, like was said in the video, English is written everywhere, and if you try to say 'thank you' in Japanese, they will just talk over the top of you, repaying the compliment before you can finish saying 'Arigato gozaimasu'. They will treat you like an opportunity to brush up on their english. We even got approached by a group of school kids at the airport who wanted us to test them on their English by engaging in conversation with them in English! If you are English and enjoy tea, be sure to buy hot tea from the vending machines, it is amazing! It tastes like peaches and cream compared to any teabags you would use back home! I would have liked to have tried alot more authentic Japanese dishes, but our busy touring schedule meant that we had to rely on the 7-Eleven Combini stores way too much. Not that we were complaining, as the food was still heavenly, but it did prevent us from eating a more cultured diet most of the time. One thing that does hit you when you arrive is that everyone has an air of professionalism about them that is somewhat infectious, almost like a hive mind. Everyone is respectful and you will never get a dirty look off anyone. Every train station has its own unique little chime or bird song so you know when to get off, even if you have your eyes closed.

[kakaiyu]

I have a few more:
1. If you don't walk a lot in your home country, DO NOT underestimate the necessity of comfy walking shoes, even if they aren't as cute.
2. If you are overweight or tall with a medium build, do not get your hopes very high for clothes shopping.
3. Same goes for shoe shopping if you're a woman with feet larger than a US size 8.
4. If you have a large suitcase and can afford the taxi ride to your hotel from the airport, I recommend it. Half of the escalators were out of service in the train stations so we were lugging heavy bags up and down stairs, and it's just a bit embarrassing to be on a super crowded train with huge suitcases.
5. To end on a positive note - if you love nice stationery or cute socks, Japan will be your heaven. Stock up!

[BiancaManzione-ml]

ive seen a few videos and yours is my fav until now:) you just simply and directly said what is and thats it, i appreciate it:)

[NinjaDimes]

These are great! My tip is don't lock yourself in to just Japanese food. Some of the best wood fired pizza I've ever had (outside of Naples) has been in Japan. They have a lot of Italian trained chefs over there. Da Michele, Freys, Pizzeria Ciro, Salvatore Cuomo etc. Other foods like pastries, sandwiches, and family restaurants are also all very good. Obviously you wanna eat Japanese food because its freaking delicious, but there are SO many varieties of food that Japan does well, you don't need to lock yourself in to it exclusively.

Other tip is to book off peak stuff-- don't book Ghibli, Disney etc on weekends or on holidays. In the same vein, things cost more in cherry blossom season including hotels. Beware typhoon season. Summer humidity lasts forever. (We booked at the end of September one year and it was humid af for 5 days and we were so shocked lol. Since then I always book closer to the end of the year).

You don't need to book the bullet train in advance necessarily (there are enough trains every day that you can book at the train station a few days before) but for peace of mind its easier to do so using the EX app. Get there early because the Bullet train leaves on the dot. If you have big luggage get the luggage seats for the Tokaido line. If you want a faster route use the Nozomi train, if you want scenic use the other trains.

[nkdevde]

Very good tips all of them!
Especially the "Traveling too much" part can not be overstated. Changing cities means changing hotel means walking to and from train stations means carrying luggage around, possibly in hot humid weather. And all that just consumes SO much time, energy and mental load. Each time you move to another place, that's basically half a day wasted that could have been spent on just exploring the area with no plan or time table. It's the one mistake I regret the most.

[mertbagir]

Going to Tokio in about three weeks, super excited and this kind of videos really helps a lot, thank you! <3

[TheMooleytuna]

The Burnout tip is real... My brother an I were in Tokyo a year go and by the 2nd day we had walked around 30miles.. My foot was literally bleeding and i didn't realize it lol.. I got extremely burned out to the point i got sick and ended up leaving to go home early.. I literally lost 14lbs in 4 days from being so dehydrated...

I'm going back to redeem my self next year!

[peytonsassafrass]

I spent March and April of this yr in Japan and had absolutely no issues at all, I did book my trains in advance, and a few things I really wanted to see. I did order YEN from my bank before I left the states, it was just 1 less thing I needed to do. I do enjoy your channel, I'm returning again March of 2025

[SarahHowes-wneo]

Thank you for your helpful videos! Going to Japan for the first time in October…celebrating my 40th 😅

[GrantandMarisa]

Just wanted to say thank you for your amazing videos about Japan. We just back from our trip to Tokyo and Kyoto and your advice and tips we so handy!

[lyncohn]

I love summer in Japan. You can head outside and see places and there are far fewer people around. You don't need to take heavy clothing. There are great swimming pools and you're never too far from somewhere with airconditioning.

[eb]

This list is PERFECT!! Thank you thank you thank you. Appreciate the tips

[grosiejosie]

My sister and I are planning a trip to Japan for next spring and your videos have been very reassuring. It’ll be our first time leaving the country! All your advice has brought me so much comfort so please do make more videos with advice! :)

[DCSWCCkingpin]

Picking the good seats on the shinkansen bullet train is really easy: the side of the aisle with 2 seats is always on the Mt. Fuji side. (The side with 3 seats is the opposite side).

[juliefeuerherdt]

My daughter and I visited Japan in August, absolutely loved it we want to go back, so much to see and do

[spacechannelfiver]

The flights I get to Haneda usually land in the evening and return early morning, so usually just stay at the airport hotel on the first and last days of a trip. Just drop suitcase in room, grab a meal then just crash out and deal with Tokyo / onward travel the next day