Get an IC card into your phone wallet
Suica or Pasmo in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet handles every train, subway, bus, vending machine and konbini purchase with a tap. Top up from the phone and skip ticket machines entirely.
Guida di viaggioUltimo aggiornamento August 19, 2026
Japan Travel Guide: Essentials, Local Tips & Mobile Data
Tokyo, Kyoto and beyond: trains and IC cards, cash culture, etiquette, the best seasons, curated traveler tips, and mobile data via eSIM.
Japan is the rare destination that exceeds its hype. Tokyo alone spans neon canyons, tranquil shrines and the world's best food city; Kyoto keeps a thousand years of temples and gardens; and the shinkansen makes it all absurdly easy to link together.
What surprises first-timers most is the contrast: a hyper-modern country where cash is still king, quiet is a public virtue, and convenience stores sell meals you will genuinely miss when you leave.
The food will rearrange your standards. A 1,000-yen ramen counter, a department-store basement (depachika) full of perfect fruit, a conveyor-belt sushi run, and a night in a tiny izakaya where nobody speaks English can all outdo the fancy reservation you stressed about. Follow the queue. It is usually right.
Tokyo plus Kyoto is the classic first arc; add Osaka for appetite or Hakone / the Alps for air. Ride the shinkansen with a day bag, forward the suitcase, and leave room in the plan for getting happily lost on a side street that smells like charcoal and cedar.
Essenziali
Essenziali di viaggio per Japan
- Valuta
- Japanese Yen (JPY). Cards work in cities, but carry cash - many restaurants, shrines and small shops are cash-only.
- Lingue
- Japanese. English signage is good on transit; translation apps bridge the rest.
- Tipo di presa
- Type A / B, 100V.
- Numero di emergenza
- 110 (police), 119 (fire/ambulance)
- Periodo migliore per visitare
- March to May for cherry blossoms, October to November for autumn colors. June is rainy; August is hot and humid.
- Mancia
- No tipping, anywhere. It can even cause confusion or polite refusal.
- Fuso orario
- JST (UTC+9)
- Acqua del rubinetto
- Safe and good everywhere.
- Come spostarsi
- The shinkansen network is superb; get an IC card (Suica/Pasmo, also in Apple/Google Wallet) for all local trains, subways, buses and convenience stores.
- Internet e copertura
- Excellent LTE/5G, but open Wi-Fi is rare and cafes rarely share passwords - mobile data is close to essential.
Consigli dei viaggiatori
Consigli di altri viaggiatori
Consigli veri di chi è stato in Japan, selezionati dal nostro team con link alle fonti originali.
Convenience stores are your friend
7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart sell legitimately good meals, have reliable ATMs that accept foreign cards, and are everywhere. Onigiri and egg sandwiches will become a food group.
Ship your luggage between cities
Takkyubin luggage forwarding sends your suitcase hotel-to-hotel overnight for a modest fee, so you ride the shinkansen with just a day bag. Most stations and lodgings have very limited big-luggage space.
Eat the department-store basement
Depachika food halls in Tokyo and Osaka are a full meal plan: bento, wagyu skewers, perfect strawberries and a thousand things you will photograph. Go hungry at 6pm when the marked-down boxes appear.
Quiet is a public service
Phone calls on trains, loud speakerphone videos and eating while walking through a crowded station will mark you faster than any fashion mistake. Keep the volume down, eat at the spot, and you will feel the country exhale around you.
FAQ
Domande di viaggio su Japan, con risposta
Is an eSIM better than renting pocket Wi-Fi in Japan?
For most travelers, yes. Pocket Wi-Fi means picking up and returning a device, keeping it charged and carrying it everywhere; an eSIM lives inside your phone with nothing to rent or return. Pocket Wi-Fi only wins if a group of people needs to share one connection all day.
Does my phone support eSIM in Japan?
iPhone XS and newer, Pixel 3 and newer, and Galaxy S20 and newer all support eSIM, and Japan's networks work well with modern international phones. The phone must be unlocked from your home carrier.
How much data do I need for two weeks in Japan?
Japan is one of the most data-heavy destinations: constant train routing, translation apps and photo backups push many travelers past 2 GB per day. For two weeks, 20 GB is a sensible floor and unlimited plans are popular here for a reason.
Is free Wi-Fi common in Japan?
Less than you would expect. Cafes rarely share passwords, street Wi-Fi is sparse, and hotel Wi-Fi does not help you mid-journey on a train platform. Mobile data is close to essential for a smooth Japan trip.
Can I make phone calls with a Japan travel eSIM?
Most travel eSIMs are data-only, which in practice is rarely a problem: LINE, WhatsApp and FaceTime calls all run on data, and restaurants increasingly take online reservations. If you need a real Japanese number for local bookings, that is the one thing a data eSIM does not provide.
Piani eSIM
Resta connesso in Japan
With no open Wi-Fi culture and everything from train routes to restaurant queues living in apps, Japan without data is hard mode. An eSIM connects you the moment you land at Narita or Haneda - no airport SIM counter queues, no pocket Wi-Fi rental to return.
Google Translate's camera, Yahoo! Transit and every restaurant's table QR code assume a live connection. Pocket Wi-Fi is a brick on a lanyard. An eSIM is just your phone, working, from the moment the wheels hit Narita.
