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10 Tourist Mistakes In Japan

Are you annoying everyone around you? Blocking the train with a big suitcase? Quit It! Here are 10 common mistakes tourists make in Japan.

By 8 min read 11

For those traveling to Japan for the first time, the research and preparation can be overwhelming. Along with researching what to see and eat, there is a lot about the culture and travel infrastructure to learn as well. It’s understandable and inevitable that visitors will make some mistakes, but educating yourself as much as you can will maximize your enjoyment while traveling in Japan without annoying the locals. Here are 10 tourist mistakes in Japan and how to avoid making them yourself. 

1. Booking Bullet Train Tickets Too Far In Advance 

shinkansen tourist mitskaes in Japan
Relax and enjoy the trip.

One shinkansen, or bullet train, departs for Kyoto from Tokyo station every 10 minutes. That’s how frequent many of them are. Despite their cross-country route, boarding a shinkansen is much like boarding a local train rather than an airplane. Besides purchasing your ticket, there is almost no necessary protocol to board one. You can simply go to the station, get your ticket from the machine and hop on the next departing Shinkansen. 

This is how it works most of the time, but there are some exceptions. During the peak holiday travel times at New Year’s and in mid-August, the fastest Shinkansen routes have become reservation-only, meaning travelers must book their tickets in advance. Even during these periods, though, booking your ticket a few days to a week in advance should suffice. 

2. Bringing Too Many Toiletries

toiletries travel Japan
You’ll have almost everything you need (maybe even better) already in Japan.

While it’s perfectly natural to bring small containers of your favorite skincare and hair products (especially if your hair is curly), when traveling in Japan, it’s not essential to have everything you’ll need in your suitcase. Most hotels, hostels and ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) will shower you with all the shampoo, conditioner, body soap, skin care products and disposable razors you’ll need, as well as—more often than not—pajamas and slippers. 

There is also a lot of misinformation about diapers in Japan. So much so that tourists will pack an entire suitcase of diapers when you can buy Pampers in any drug store.

If there’s anything your accommodation doesn’t provide, you can pick it up at a convenience store, many of which even sell T-shirts and underwear. Drugstores and Muji also carry a variety of small toiletries, and the latter even sells menstrual underwear. The only item you should bring from home is deodorant, as Japanese deodorants aren’t as strong as those sold in many other countries. 

Plus, you’re in Japan, one of the skin-care capitals of the worlds.

3. Carrying a Giant Suitcase Everywhere

Tourist Mistakes In Japan big suitcase
You’ll hate yourself, and so will everyone else.

For some reason, you’ll often see travelers in Japan dragging around huge cumbersome suitcases. Why? Stairs are everywhere. Unless you’re happy doing weightlifting whenever you need to move locations, you’re going to have a bad time. 

Luckily, this situation can be easily avoided. To get your luggage off your hands while you’re walking around, you can store it in a coin locker, many of which are available at train stations and usually cost less than ¥1,000. 

When moving between cities, most hotels offer a service to help you send your luggage to your next accommodation so that you can travel lightly. You can even send your luggage to the airport for an extra fee. Or you can pack light from the get-go and bring a carry-on. 

4. Tips and Not Calling The Waiter

tourist mistakes in Japan tipping waiter restaurant
The service industry is hard enough. Don’t make it harder.

There are two restaurant customs common in other countries that you should avoid while eating out in Japan: waiting for the server to come to you and tipping. If you wait for your server, you’ll be sitting there all day. Instead, in most establishments, it’s customary to grab the server’s attention by raising your hand and shouting “Sumimasen” (“Excuse me” or “Sorry”) so they can come to you only when you need something. 

Some restaurants and izakaya (Japanese bars) have a convenient button you can press when you want to call your server over, so then you don’t need to work up the courage to shout in a restaurant. 

Also, tipping is not practiced in Japan. Trying to tip someone puts them in an awkward position. It is best to save this money to spend elsewhere. 

5. Relying On Public Wi-Fi

lost tourist mistakes in Japan wifi
If you rely on Google Maps, just get a sim card.

When traveling in Japan (or anywhere else for that matter), the last thing you want is to be without internet access. Though a handful of countries have reliable, free public Wi-Fi almost everywhere, unfortunately, Japan is not one of them. Many public places in Japanese cities indeed have Wi-Fi, but the connection is not always reliable. If you intend to explore rural areas, you’ll be hard-pressed to get a decent Wi-Fi connection anywhere. 

Visitors are much better off getting a pocket Wi-Fi or travel SIM card. You can arrange online beforehand and have it delivered to you, or you can purchase one at the airport. It’s usually super simple to set up and reasonably priced. 

6. Overpacking and Overestimating Your Itinerary

kyoto crowds tourists
Do you really think you can pack Kyoto in a day?

We’ve all been there: in our excitement for a trip, we pack and plan too much, overestimating what we’ll wear and use and what we can actually accomplish in one day. But if you want to actually enjoy your trip to Japan, don’t do this. 

Most hotels offer laundry services, and if your accommodation doesn’t happen to, there will most likely be a coin laundry service nearby. So, there is no need to pack a different outfit for every day and try to decide ahead of time if you plan on buying more clothes while traveling. 

When planning your itinerary, be sure to schedule some downtime. Don’t exhaust yourself by filling up your day walking around—take breaks, you’ll need to. Let yourself take things in a bit more slowly, and you’ll have an overall more enjoyable experience here. 

7. Talking Too Loud

Train Tourist Mistakes In Japan
Don’t disrupt the wa.

Japan’s trains are known for being near silent, even when they’re jam-packed with people at peak travel times. Talking is allowed, but it is considered rude to disturb the quiet atmosphere by talking too loudly. 

The same goes for other quiet places like museums, bookstores and some cafes. But even when it’s quiet, feel free to chat with your companions wherever you go in Japan—just remember your elementary school training and use your “inside voice” to avoid disturbing those around you. And if you’re a solo traveler, you can relish the peaceful, quiet atmosphere that this aspect of Japanese culture provides. 

8. Not Preparing For The Weather 

hot weather in japan
Don’t just pack sweaters for October. Trust us.

It’s common sense to prepare for the weather where you’re traveling, and yet many tourists find themselves surprised by Japan’s climate. Upon arrival, many seem to be unaware that June is the rainy season and that the heat and humidity of the summer months turn Japan into a giant summer-long sauna. 

If you’re wet or sweaty your entire trip because you didn’t thoroughly research the weather, you probably won’t enjoy yourself very much. Also, the days of cool Octobers are long gone. Weather can be pretty toasty well into the Fall months, especially if you are only packed for chilly weather.

To avoid spoiling your vacation, be sure to thoroughly research the weather of the specific places you’ll be going (not all Japan is the same) and pack appropriate clothing. But no need to panic if you forget to pack enough sunscreen or an umbrella: those can easily be found here. 

9. Buying New Clothes

thrift store japan
Thrifting in Japan is a culture on its own.

With Uniqlo stores galore and a wide variety of other domestic brands to choose from, it’s no surprise many tourists are taking advantage of the weak yen to stock up their wardrobes while in Japan. But Japan has such a great second-hand market that it would be a mistake to purchase only brand-new items. 

Most Japanese people take good care of their clothing, so second-hand stores like 2nd Street and Kindal carry well-loved items that are in good shape and even sell designer goods at a fraction of their original price. Local vintage shops are also treasure troves of unique finds. By purchasing second-hand, you can build a more environmentally conscious wardrobe by keeping items in circulation. 

10. Over-Spending At Convenience Stores

convenience store in Japan konbini onigiri
It adds up real fast.

Vending machines and convenience stores epitomize the convenience of life in Japan. Though you should definitely take advantage of these places while traveling in Japan, it gets expensive to rely on them all the time. 

Prices for drinks and snacks tend to be higher at vending machines and convenience stores than at supermarkets, so you’ll save a bit of money by sometimes heading to a supermarket instead. And since supermarkets tend to be larger, you’ll also have more snack and drink options and plenty more choices for ready-made meals. 

Have you seen tourist mistakes in Japan? What advice would you give first-time tourists here? Let us know in the comments!

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  • Pavel says:

    Free public WiFi is widely available in Japan. Better than in many other countries. I never had a problem finding it. Big stations, shinkansen trains, supermarkets, etc. have it. Even on city streets

  • lordoflys says:

    Actually pretty good tips. Good on you!

  • Marshall says:

    About trash:
    You may love walking around with your Starbucks cup but don’t! You’ll either be stuck holding it for hours bc you can’t find a trash can, or you’ll be another rude foreigner who leaves it somewhere. And the bins beside vending machines are for cans and bottles only, sorry.

  • Marshall says:

    Great write up! I’ve lived here for over 20 years and this is one of the best I’ve seen! As tourists are venturing outside the typical Tokyo-Osaka axis, I think it’s worth emphasizing the climate diversity more: weather in Iwate and Kagoshima are quite different for example.
    Another key point is the amount of time spent outside due to reliance on public transport (and high hurdles to driving yourself-best avoided!).
    Keep up the good work!

  • Austin Moore says:

    Rubbish. That’s the thing that I almost never saw in Kyoto until the inbound boom hit. Empty drink containers by thge side of thge road or at bus/train platforms looks bad. Admittedly, there aren’t a lot of bins available. But taking rubbish back to the hotel would be appreciated.

  • Jewish Liver says:

    Antonio is a retard. Go back to working for Hamas!

  • Gomenasai says:

    Another day, another generic article that’s been written a million times. Get original, Lady.

  • Antonio says:

    Tips and Not Calling The Waiter !? WRONG 😑!!
    Working in Japan in the hotel and catering business for more than 30 years I can tell you for sure that Japanese people with good manners do not shout
    “ sumimasen”to the waiter. Doing that is very annoying and disturbing to other customers. It is like in Europe, in the all days, when they used to make noise with their finger tips or clapping hands to get the waiter’s attention.(Also happened in Japan) And tipping, obviously we work for money and we love,all humans, to get some extra money. We like to be rewarded for our efforts, and Japanese people love TIPS. But of course, do not give them, 100 yen! Because that is humiliating! Putting them in an awkward position. Instead give them 1000 yen and they will give you a smile you will never forget.^ ^
    Thank you.

  • Stacy says:

    Sorry Colleen, but everything you say is rude, Japanese people do it. Believe it or not, Japanese people litter, eat and walk, and everything else is mere mortals do.

  • Mitch R. says:

    Wow, let’s write an article that’s been written 5000+ times… AGAIN!

  • Colleen Roberts says:

    Japanese people are very polite and respectful of others so be very polite. A few Japanese words are very appreciated by the locals.
    Take your rubbish with you, there are very few bins except for train stations and konbinis. Don’t eat and walk, this is rude, find the designated eating spot in front of near the food store.

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