Japanese have pondered for centuries what the best hot springs in the country are, and they’ve come up with quite a few. Bathing is a big deal in Japan, Maduras Mexicana and be it a scenic onsen hot spring, a neighborhood sentō bath or just an ordinary household tub, bathing Japanese style is a pleasure. Whereas a Western “bath” is used for washing in, “baths” in Japan are for soaking and relaxing, more like a hot tub.

With more and more banks ending foreign cash exchange or outsourcing their foreign cash exchange to Travelex, the average traveler is better off seeking out a specialized currency exchange shop. These will provide better rates than banks (for example, the Access Ticket chain of shops in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka often has rates within 1% of mid-market for US dollars, euros, and British pounds) and generally work more quickly. They also often sell discounted train and bus tickets as well as restaurant vouchers. These shops can usually be recognized by displays of foreign banknotes at their windows or with the words “money exchange” or similar. US dollars, euros, Swiss francs, British pounds, and Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand dollars can be easily exchanged at these shops. Singapore dollars are the most widely accepted Asian currency, followed by the South Korean won, Chinese yuan, Hong Kong dollars, and New Taiwan dollars.

• This is obviously a lot less useful if you don’t want to stay in a different city, but you could always take a bullet train back in the morning or stay in the city for just 1 day before going back on another sleeper train.
• Then, when stray street vocabulary does start coming up, send it through the vocabulary process you’ve built.
• The entrance is usually quite discreet, and the exit is separated from the entrance (to avoid running into someone one might know).
• Unwind in traditional ryokans, enjoying authentic Japanese hospitality.
• The most important holiday in Japan is the New Year (お正月 Oshōgatsu), which pretty much shuts down the country from 30 December to 3 January.

Environment – international agreements

Oddly, some close at night or on weekends, although this restriction is slowly going away. While not all banks accept foreign cards, most of the large banks including Japan Post, Mizuho, SMBC and Aeon do. A particularly convenient option for travelers is 7-Eleven Bank ATMs, which can be found in every branch of 7-Eleven and are usually open 24/7.

Travel Japan – The Official Japan Guide

With the expansion of tourism and the 2025 World Expo coming up in Osaka, even less-used Asian currencies like Philippine pesos, Vietnamese dong, Malaysian ringgit, and Thai baht are now accepted at currency exchanges in Osaka and Tokyo. Digital Suica, PASMO and ICOCA cards are available on Apple devices with NFC functionality. This means you can travel and pay throughout the country using only your iPhone or Watch. The cards are available via the Apple Wallet app, no deposit required. Tap your device at the train station ticket gate or store payment machine for validation.

Budget restaurants will most likely display tax-included prices. Fancy eateries on the other hand may often leave the tax out of their quoted prices, so not to appear too expensive. Japan has a reputation for being extremely expensive, but these days, it is actually cheaper than Western countries for basic expenses. Food in particular can be a bargain, and while still expensive by Asian standards, eating out in Japan is generally cheaper than in Western countries. Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, fine dining can be very expensive. For long-distance travel, in particular, the Japan Rail Pass, Japan Bus Pass, and Visit Japan flights (see § Get around) can save you a bundle.

The differences in social position are determined by a variety of factors including job, age, experience, or even psychological state (e.g., a person asking a favour tends to do so politely). The person in the lower position is expected to use a polite form of speech, whereas the other person might use a plainer form. Japanese is an agglutinative, mora-timed language with relatively simple phonotactics, a pure vowel system, phonemic vowel and consonant length, and a lexically significant pitch-accent. Word order is normally subject–object–verb with particles marking the grammatical function of words, and sentence structure is topic–comment. Sentence-final particles are used to add emotional or emphatic impact, or form questions.

Know how to evacuate, and if an earthquake strikes, get under a table or cover your head and hold onto something to stay steady until the shaking stops. If you’re at the beach, evacuate to higher ground immediately to avoid tsunamis. Tune in to TV or check official apps such as NHK, Safety Tips, and Japan Travel for further information. The Meiji government originally classified Hokkaidō as a “Settlement Envoyship” (開拓使, kaitakushi), and later divided the island into three prefectures (Sapporo, Hakodate, and Nemuro).

The ancient Shinto religion says natural features like mountains, waterfalls and forests have their own spirit or soul. The Japanese Alps run down the centre of the largest island, Honshu. The highest peak and Japan’s most famous mountain is Mount Fuji, a cone-shaped volcano considered sacred by many Japanese.

IC cards sometimes even give a small discount over cash payments. Children between 6 and 11 are eligible for child (子供用 kodomo-yō) cards entitling holders to half fares. Buying one requires ID, so bring the child’s passport to a commuter pass office (定期券売り場) in any larger station.