Category: Japan Travel

Attention travelers planning to shop in Japan in 2026: The Japan Tourism Agency and the National Tax Agency have officially announced that a new Tax-Free Shopping System (consumption tax refund) system will take effect from November 1, 2026. This means the long-standing practice of in-store tax-free shopping will become history, fully shifting to a “pay-first, get-refund-later” airport reimbursement model.   This article provides a detailed overview of the new system’s implementation timeline, eligibility requirements, changes to product restrictions, and the complete refund procedure from shopping to departure, helping you shop smartly and claim your refund smoothly after the new rules

Bathing Tax (Nyūtōzei) is a tax levied by local governments in Japan on guests staying at hot spring inns. Many of you have likely paid this hot spring tax before. Like most Japanese accommodation taxes, the Bathing Tax is a fixed-amount, per-person head tax. However, it uses a uniform rate, not a tiered system based on lodging costs, so as long as you stay at a hot spring inn, you pay the tax regardless of the room rate.   ♨️ Japan Hot Spring Tax (Bathing Tax): 2026 Detailed Guide for Travelers   If you are the kind of person who

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Free Pass (Japanese name: 立山黒部アルペンフリーきっぷ) is a JR Pass offered by JR Central specifically for domestic travelers visiting the Tateyama Kurobe area. It provides unlimited rides on all eight transportation modes along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, as well as unlimited travel on JR trains between Nagoya and Toyama and between Nagoya and Shinano-Omachi.   This pass is identical in design and price to the Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass offered to international visitors, and can be considered its domestic Japanese version.   Because the “Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass” is limited to foreign nationals on short-term stays

As the global tourism industry moves toward digitalization, more and more countries are adopting Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) systems to strengthen border management and streamline entry procedures. Following the ESTA of the United States, the eTA of Canada, the K-ETA of South Korea, the UK ETA, and the upcoming ETIAS of the European Union, Japan will also introduce its own electronic travel authorisation system named “JESTA (Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorisation)” in 2028 or 2029.   The Japan ETA system will significantly impact international travelers planning to visit Japan in the future. For those used to visa-free travel, visiting

Namba Oriental Hotel is a long-established hotel in Osaka. Due to its convenient location, it has consistently been one of the popular hotels in Osaka and is frequently recommended by many netizens. For this trip, to make it easy to take the Nankai Electric Railway to Kansai Airport on the return day, we decided to stay at this hotel for the final night.   Namba Oriental Hotel Osaka Accommodation Review   Hotel Name: Namba Oriental Hotel Osaka (なんばオリエンタルホテル) Check-in Date: May 2014 Number of Nights: 1 night Room Type: Double Room (Oriental Queen / リエンタルクイーン) Accommodation Cost: 16,500 JPY Hotel Website:

Do you need snow tires for self-driving in Japan during winter? This article will explain this question and also introduce how to ensure you rent a vehicle equipped with snow tires when renting a car in Japan. Most parts of Japan experience snowfall in winter. In areas with heavy snowfall, such as Hokkaido and Tohoku, rental cars in winter will definitely have snow tires. However, in places like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyushu, rental car companies usually do not install them by default, but they can be added as an option when renting.   Article Contents I. Self-Driving in Japan

Holiday Inn Osaka Namba was formerly known as Hotel Vista Grande Osaka. A few years ago, it was acquired by the IHG group and renamed Holiday Inn Osaka Namba, with the Japanese name being 「ホリデイ・イン大阪難波」. Holiday Inn Osaka Namba is quite impressive in terms of location, quality, room size, and other aspects, and the price is relatively cheap. It absolutely qualifies as one of the hotels with the highest cost-performance ratio in the Namba and Shinsaibashi areas.   I first stayed at this hotel in 2012 and then again in 2013, and it left a very good impression. However, during

Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka was another hotel I stayed at in Osaka last Christmas. There were several reasons for choosing Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka, including the convenience of taking the airport bus directly from Kansai Airport to the hotel, easy access to Universal Studios Japan the next day, and the convenience of picking up a rental car from the nearby Nissan Rent-a-Car office later. Of course, the quality of Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka is also quite good, and its proximity to Namba and Shinsaibashi was another reason for choosing it. As Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka performs well in all aspects,

Hotel Nikko is one of Japan’s longer-established hotel chains, and Hotel Nikko Osaka is one of the earlier opened hotels within the Nikko Hotels International group. It is a relatively high-end traditional business hotel, located opposite the Daimaru Shinsaibashi department store and connected to the subway station, offering a super convenient location. Additionally, the hotel is one of the stops for the Kansai Airport limousine bus, making travel to and from the airport very convenient if the timing aligns.   I’ve been to Osaka over ten times in recent years and always prefer staying in hotels in Namba or Shinsaibashi.

The Japanese Dormy Inn hotel chain launched a new hotel series in 2016 called “Onyado Nono” featuring a Japanese-style aesthetic. As of October 2025, there are a total of fourteen “Onyado Nono” series hotels across Japan, with two each in Tokyo and Osaka. Since 2016, I have stayed at three Onyado Nono hotels: the “Onyado Nono Sakaiminato” (天然温泉 夕凪の湯 御宿 野乃 境港) in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, the “Onyado Nono Namba” (天然温泉 花風の湯 御宿 野乃なんば) in Osaka, and the “Onyado Nono Asakusa Bettei” (天然温泉 凌天の湯 御宿 野乃浅草 別邸) in Tokyo.   The “天然温泉　境港　夕凪の湯　御宿　野乃” in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, was the first Onyado