Category: Japan Travel

The “Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass” is a rail pass (JR Pass) jointly offered by JR Central and JR West, designed for foreign tourists exploring Japan’s Chubu and Hokuriku regions by train. If your itinerary starts from Osaka or Nagoya and includes destinations like Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Toyama, Kanazawa, or Gero Onsen—and you’re not driving—this limited JR Pass is a must-have for your travels.   When I visited Shirakawa-go for the illumination festival in 2018, my flight arrived at Kansai Airport. The original plan was to take the JR from Osaka to Kanazawa, explore the city, and then proceed to Takayama and

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In the summer of 2009, I embarked on my first self-drive trip in Hokkaido. Over the next decade, I visited Hokkaido six or seven times, covering almost all its major tourist destinations. Except for winter trips, all my journeys were self-drive adventures. Hokkaido is vast, making it impossible to explore everything in one trip, so multiple visits are necessary. For first-time visitors to Hokkaido, I recommend focusing on the central region, with Sapporo as the base, and exploring key attractions like Otaru, Furano, Biei, Noboribetsu Onsen, and Lake Toya. If time permits, you can also include Hakodate in the southern

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I often receive inquiries from netizens about Japan’s highway tolls, with the most common question being whether using passes like HEP, KEP, or SEP for their itinerary is cost-effective. To determine if an ETC Pass is worth it, you simply need to calculate the regular toll fees for your planned route and compare them with the pass price. Here, I’ll introduce 5 methods to check Japan’s highway tolls, explain how to estimate toll fees, and also cover Japan’s highway payment methods.   Japan’s highways are primarily operated and managed by three companies: NEXCO East Japan, NEXCO Central Japan, and NEXCO

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World are the two most popular areas in Universal Studios Japan. To manage crowd levels, USJ has implemented entry restrictions for these areas, requiring visitors to have a USJ Timed Entry Ticket (Entry Confirmation Ticket) to enter. There are several ways to obtain these tickets, and the most convenient and free method is to use the Universal Studios Japan App to secure a Timed Entry Ticket. This article will introduce the various methods to obtain entry tickets for “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” and “Super Nintendo World,” as well as

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The Kyushu Expressway Pass (KEP) is a highway pass introduced by the Kyushu branch of West Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO West Japan). Following the Hokkaido Expressway Pass (HEP) by NEXCO East Japan and the Central Nippon Expressway Pass (CEP) by NEXCO Central Japan, KEP is the third highway pass launched by Japan’s expressway companies. Foreign visitors renting a car in Kyushu can purchase KEP at designated rental car branches, allowing unlimited use of Kyushu’s expressways at a fixed, discounted rate.   In essence, KEP shares the same features, purchase conditions, and usage rules as other expressway passes offered by

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“Visit Japan Web” (abbreviated as VJW) is an electronic system for arrival declaration and customs declaration launched by the Japanese government in 2022. Before arriving in Japan, travelers can use this system in advance to fill out and submit arrival and customs declarations for themselves and their accompanying family members, generating a Japan Arrival QR Code. This eliminates the need to spend time filling out forms upon arrival. Additionally, it can serve as proof of tax exemption when shopping in Japan, replacing the need to present a passport.   This article is a Visit Japan Web guide, providing detailed and

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Currently, there are 12 prefectures or cities in Japan that impose an accommodation tax (known as “shukuhakuzei” in Japanese) on hotel and inn guests, including popular tourist destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Kanazawa. Additionally, around 30 other regions are considering introducing this tax, such as Hokkaido, Kawaguchiko, and Kumamoto. Among these, Tokyo was the first to implement the accommodation tax, starting as early as October 2002, while Osaka and Kyoto followed on January 1, 2017 and October 1, 2018, respectively. Fukuoka began levying the tax on April 1, 2020. This article focuses on the Osaka accommodation tax,

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NEMURO HANAMARU conveyor belt sushi from Nemuro, Hokkaido is one of Japan’s most popular budget-friendly sushi chains among tourists. Having tried it twice before in Sapporo, I was impressed by the freshness of their seafood, especially the shellfish. Outside Hokkaido, “Nemuro Hanamaru” only has branches in Tokyo, including one at Ginza Tokyu Plaza. During my recent Tokyo trip while staying in Ginza, I decided to visit the Ginza branch for dinner. Here’s a comprehensive guide to Nemuro Hanamaru conveyor belt sushi locations in Tokyo and Sapporo, along with tips for reservations and saving time in queues.   Most branches of “Nemuro

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Osaka Light Festival (known in Japanese as 大阪・光の饗宴) is a major winter tourism event held annually in Osaka since 2013. The festival transforms the city into a dazzling display of light installations, attracting more visitors to Osaka during winter. To celebrate the “2025 Osaka World Expo,” this year’s “Osaka Light Festival 2025” will start earlier on April 9, 2025 and run until December 31, 2025, lasting for 267 days.   Osaka Light Festival 2025   The “Osaka Light Festival” typically takes place from November to December, lasting about two months. However, to coincide with the “2025 Osaka World Expo” (scheduled

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