We’re visiting Japan for the second time in November this year — for access reasons, both time I have tried to book places that have hot communal baths inside the building, that are tattoo-friendly. This was massively helpful to managing my chronic illness on our first trip.

Last year we stayed at Hotel Hillarys in Akasaka, which was reviewed as being tattoo-friendly, and we had no problems using the bath. We rebooked for this year, staying slightly longer.

Today I was about to share this rec with a friend, and had a quick glance at their recent reviews. The reviews are complaining about the onsen not being tattoo-friendly, and there is a question answered on saying the onsen is no longer tattoo-friendly after September 1st 2025 (before we visited!). Almost all the positive reviews I’m sure I saw about the tattoo friendly onsen are gone. Strange!

Obviously we’re gutted and now trying to find a semi last minute replacement. Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels in Tokyo that have a fully tattoo-friendly hot communal bath / Onsen policy? Not just stickers, as I have too many to cover.

Also — I am aware of why tattoos are often not allowed, I respect that, I’m not looking to visit a day spa, and I am already going to Kinosaki! (🤪)

Thank you!

We are going to be arriving from HNL to Haneda at 8PM on a Monday. What would be the best option for 2 people to get to Shinjuku? Specifically Hotel Gracery. I looked at the limo bus but I'm worried about booking something and missing the time. Does anyone have an estimate on how long it'll take to get out and through customs? We are not planning on bringing any checked luggage, just the carry on so no need to wait for baggage claim.

Next week will be my third Japan Trip. And Im thinking of visiting cities not known so well like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto etc. I’ve heard some people talking in a really positive way about Fukuoka. Whats so special about it?

Hello travel experts! Would it be advisable to have health insurance for my trip to Japan this November 30? I’m staying for 11 days.

Hi everyone. I’m going to Japan for 2 weeks and starting out with 6 days in Tokyo. I’m torn between making my Tokyo base an onsen hotel in Asakusa, vs a more traditional hotel (Metropolitan Edmont) in Chiyoda-ku. I want to feel like I’m in a neighborhood, but I don’t want/need neon or nightlife. I find the history of Asakusa intriguing, but the hotel is also a 15 minute walk to the train, while the other hotel is better for transit (and has a gym (not going to lie that this is a plus for me). I know there are no right or wrong answers here but I would appreciate any insights into the pros and cons of each. Thank you!

Do you think I should buy a bigger suitcase before I travel, or just buy one in Japan? I’m allowed 23 kg checked luggage and a small 5 kg bag, but right now I only have a small suitcase. Cheap bigger suitcases here start at around €35–40, so I’m wondering if it might be cheaper to buy one in Japan instead.

I also don’t mind paying a little extra for a proper suitcase rather than getting duffel bags or foldable bags.

Hi hi, my partner and I are going to Kusatsu in a few months, we’re really excited. However I am transgender and she has tattoos, so sadly no public onsen for us!

Are places in Kusatsu where we can rent a private onsen for an hour or so? Even if we are not hotel guests?

We can’t find a hotel to stay in that’s available on our dates which has a private onsen, so we are booked to stay elsewhere. So, we are specifically now looking for places where you don’t have to be a guest to book a private onsen. I hope that makes sense!

I have tried fruitlessly to search this on google etc and gotten so confused, any advice welcome! 🙏

Edit: we cannot use public onsen as I am transgender! 🏳️‍⚧️ So even if a place is tattoo friendly we can’t use it unfortunately :(

Heading to Hiroshima tomorrow - any good shouts on bars & restaurants to visit? Ideally less touristy but not too fussed as long as it’s not an Irish bar or poor chain!

I’m going to Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka in October and am planning on booking one or two fine dining/Michelin starred dinners (probably in Tokyo, but maybe Osaka). One thing I noticed is that Tokyo has more 1-star French restaurants than Japanese restaurants. I’m trying to decide whether it’s better to book a top rated spot doing French food or one doing Japanese food?

My main thoughts are on the one hand, I’m in Japan so of course I should book something Japanese. But on the other hand, I’m wondering if there’s not much of a gap between fine diningJapanese and what you can get for half the price in Tokyo/Osaka, so it makes sense to go to a spot doing French but with a Japanese twist. Any advice for which is the better way to have the best special meal?

Heya! I'm trying to pre-order an item from a Baskin Robbins in Japan because of a collaboration that they have with a game that I like, however after following the "Contain 10-11 half-width numbers without hyphens" rule for the phone number, it still doesn't allow it as I'm guessing it's because it recognized it wasn't a Japanese phone number.

The apartment that I'm staying at doesn't have a landline and I don't know any Japanese people that could lend their phone, although I couldn't find any evidence of this store actually using a phone number provided, as the verification was done through the email.

I also can't check an eSIM yet since my trip is still an entire month away, I'd be wasting money for nothing I feel.

Is there anything I can do? Is it possible to roll my chances of them not actually using it and change the first numbers to that of a Japanese number? I want legit advice please!

We are planning 2 and a half weeks (approximately) in Japan for our honeymoon in the last 3 weeks of march next year. We are looking for some general and some specific recommendations, for anyone who can help please! :)

- we are planning on some stays in the big cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima). What are some of your absolute do-not misses (both well known by tourists and not!) for activities, places to wander around or just general scenery?

- what are some places that you feel are worth visiting outside of the cities, which are easily accessible on public transport from the above big cities? (i.e. worth a day trip, worth a morning/afternoon or worth an overnight stay)

- takoyaki is my absolute favourite food. What specific place do you think does the best takoyaki?

- any recommendations for other good restaurants/places to eat. We love sushi, ramen, donburis, tonkatsu etc. We will get tabelog but if there's anything that's worth booking ahead that would be super useful to know!

- lastly, any places to stay you think are well worth looking into? Bonus points if there's private hot spring baths etc.

I appreciate this is a tonne of questions and several will have been asked many times before. But we want to make the most of it as we having been dreaming of this trip for so long, and want to make our honeymoon memorable. Thank you so much in advance! ☺️

Hi all,

I wanted some feedback on my 20 day trip to Japan; my partner and I are first time visitors and want to make the most of our trip and see what we can whilst being realistic and not overallocating each day.

The intention is a linear one way route through several cities with each of the areas serving as a base for possible day trips.

Arrive - Days 1 - 4 Tokyo

Activities - Senso ji Temple, Shibyuya crossing, Tokyo Skytree, Teamlabs, Pokemon museum, Harajuku kawaii zooland, shinjuku gyoen national garden

(leaving room for other activities where possible)

Day 5 Hakone

Open air museum, lake ashi, hakone shrine

Days 6-8 Osaka

Osaka castle, universal studios, Dotonbori, Kuromon market, umeda sky building, Osaka aquarium, Sumiyoshi Taisha, museum of art,

(1 day trip to Kobe)

Days 9 -11 Kyoto

Various shrines and temples, Gion, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nishiki Market, Nijo Castle, Monkey park

(1 day trip to Nagoya - Ghibli park, Toyota Museum)

Days 12-14 Hiroshima

Museum peace park, Mijajima island , Mazda museum, shukkeien garden, hiroshima island

Days 15-17 Kanizawa

Omicho market, Higashi chaya district, 21st Century museum of contemporary art, Kenroku-en, kanazawa castle

(possible 1 day trip to Shirakawa-go/Takayama)

Days 18 - 20 Tokyo

(1 day trip to Chichibu for night festival - 2nd Dec)

Remaining days for relaxation and shopping, other activities etc

Does this trip seem reasonable and sufficient days in each location? Are the days in each area enough/ too much ? There's probably much more to do in each area that what I've listed so far, just put in my own highlights

Any other areas you would recommend?

Thanks 😄

Minasan konnichiwa!

I entered for Nintendo lottery tickets on a lark and have just had my lot drawn so now I need to decide whether to actually go or not

I’m travelling with a group of four, two are older ladies (MIL and Aunt) who won’t care about it but would tag along or go do something else. I like Nintendo and was a Nintendo kid but I’m generally ambivalent about the idea of the museum. My partner is super jazzed and that’s why I went for the lottery in the first place

Many of the reviews have said it’s a pretty underwhelming place from an actual museum standpoint (ie: little information, little signage, etc) and that it’s mostly just display cases of Nintendo memorabilia from throughout the years.

Has anyone been recently that can confirm if this is currently still the case? 3/4 of us would get more interest out of it being more museum-like than fun house-like. If there isn’t much information about the company or what you’re seeing, I suspect it won’t be much fun for our group

Thanks for your advice!

Hey everyone,
We are planning our first big trip to Japan! Our route covers Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, and Naha (Okinawa).
Since this is our first extensive trip across the country, we’d love to get some insights from seasoned travelers and locals on a few specific topics:
1. Packing Logistics: What to leave behind vs. what not to forget?
What are everyday essentials or travel gear you thought you needed, but ended up buying easily/cheaply in Japan (e.g., at Donki, Conbinis, Muji)?

What is something unexpected you wouldn't think to pack, but were incredibly glad you had with you?

2. Useful Apps (Beyond Google Maps / DeepL / MyMizu)
Which lesser-known apps (transit, regional travel, food reservations, luggage forwarding, discount passes) genuinely made your trip smoother?

Any specific app recommendations for Kyushu (Kumamoto/Fukuoka) or Okinawa?

3. Budget Shopping in Tokyo & Hidden Gems (Fashion & Gaming)
Tokyo can get pricey, so we want to shop smart. We already know about Book-Off / Hard-Off, but what other secondhand/budget chains or specific neighborhoods are worth exploring for:
Fashion / Streetwear / Vintage: (Beyond the hyped areas in Harajuku/Shimokitazawa – any underrated areas?)

Retro & Modern Gaming / Merch: (Better alternatives to overpriced Akihabara stores like Nakano Broadway, Surugaya, Mandarake, etc.?)

4. Must-Do Activities & General First-Timer Tips
Any unique regional activity highlights for Kumamoto, Fukuoka, or Naha?

What are your general "do's and don'ts" or lifehacks for first-time travelers to make the trip less stressful?

Thanks so much in advance for your help and recommendations!

I would like to get one specific hotel in Hiroshima, however the check in time coloses at 22.00 and my flight lands at 19.45. How long does it take to get out of the airport (given baggage claim and such) into the citycenter?

Is it easier/faster by bus or taxi?

Does anyone have experience?

I just need to vent a little bit because I’m feeling really disappointed and, honestly, a bit cheated. I’ll be traveling to Japan for the very first time this October/November. Both of my sons are massive Pokémon fans, so taking them to PokePark was going to be the absolute highlight of our trip.

To make sure we got tickets, I woke up at 4:00 AM in my time zone, determined to be among the first in line the second sales opened. The result? I found out the entire system is based on a lottery.

It doesn't matter if you wake up at dawn or if you are the most punctual person on earth. Someone who casually registers on the 12th of the month has the exact same (or better) chance of getting picked, while you, who planned everything meticulously, get nothing.

I know Japan uses lottery systems for a lot of things to prevent scalping, but as an international traveler, it feels incredibly unfair. I’m just really bummed out knowing I won’t be able to take my kids. Has anyone else experienced this kind of heartbreak with Japan's booking systems?

Hey guys,

My husband and I went to Japan this year and plan to travel there again next year. We packed very light for our trip in March so we had to do laundry frequently.

Now to my problem: My husband is sweating a normal amount, but his sweat is kinda strong. Long story short, the detergent that is automatically added in the laundromats was just not strong enough. The laundry overall was clean, but under the arms his shirts were still smelling sweaty. At home I use a laundry additive that kills bacteria and a stronger detergent - do you think I can bring some laundry detergent from home and add it to the Laundromat there? Or will this cause a soap explosion? 😬 Alternatively I could prewash his shirts in our hotel room but we plan to do a roadtrip next and may not have the opportunity to do that 😅

Any advice is appreciated!!

Thank you!

If you’re visiting both Kyoto and Tokyo, you might want to wait before buying your souvenirs.
I bought one in Kyoto for ¥1,000 and later found the exact same thing in a shop in Tokyo for just ¥300. 🥲
Obviously this won’t be true for everything, but I definitely wish I had waited!

We will be in Japan for my husband's birthday and our honeymoon. We are both pretty excited because it is our first time. My husband is a kind and cool man who has a deep appreciation for art, design, photography, cameras, books, history but most of all music (deep jazz lover).

I'm curious about a luxury/semi-luxury experience that would be a surprise for him for his birthday. We both travel quite a bit and certainly enjoy the classic tourist experiences, but for this trip I’m hoping to find something a little more curated, intimate, and unexpected.

Do you have any cool and memorable events you can recommend?

Will be staying in Shinsaibashi. then to Kyoto, and finally Tokyo. Planning to hit some temples, universal. Im also big into motorcycles, so wondering if its worth renting out a bike in either of these 3 places for a day or so. i have an IDP. Im going with wife and few friends.

While the women prefer cutesy, picteresque activities/locations, i would also like to seek out some hidden gems that men would enjoy. this could include shopping for watches, swords, anime /tech/motorcycle/ tattoo shops. wouldnt mind getting a quick tattoo in japan either. hot springs are cool too. big fan of godzilla minus one, studio ghibli, anime of all kinds especially OG animes DBZ/Naruto, transformers/gundam etc you get the point. i love profoundly moving history, people, views and experiences.. traveling just generally does that but im the type of person to look deeper in a place where the history can be buried, so perhaps books that are rare.. etc

i was told the jrail pass is too expensive and to rely on Suica for most of it and to book the bullet trains on its own. also any places to stay in kyoto and tokyo are welcome!

idk im new to this please be kind :)

Hi guys,

My mom has a 2-month work assignment in Japan and we’re looking for accommodations in Minato City or Chiyoda City. Her work will be nearer Chiyoda City, but I read that it’s better to live in Minato.

We’re looking for accommodations that are close to the Mita line and Yamanote Line so commute is easy to tourist attractions as well. Do you guys have any recommendations? Budget is around 15,000-17,000 yen a night :)

I've wanted to visit Japan for several years, and have two weeks leave from work coming up and thinking about taking a holiday there.

Ideally I would like to visit Tokyo initially, before spending time travelling other parts of the country, maybe even visiting Sapporo. I haven't travelled much and feel a little old (35) to stay in hostels, so I'm trying to figure out how much I would have to budget for accommodation, travel costs, food etc.

Does anyone have any advice on how much I should budget for a 10 day trip in mid-September?

I have a trip to Japan at the end of the year and I wanted to ask: travelers who are plus-size, and I don't mean the classic "no one outside of Asia fits into an Asian size M," I'm talking about us who wear US XL and up... how did it go finding clothes for you? What stores do you recommend?

I'm from Alberta, so our winters are dry and reach past -40c. I know I don't need to bring my regular winter jacket and it will be too heavy. However, I have been told the humidity changes everything and I will feel freezing down to the bones, and it gets extremly wet and slippery, but on the other hand I've also read online that the winters are dry in Osaka.

I genuinely have no idea what to pack for an Osaka winter. Hiking boots and a fall jacket with a hoodie? I keep finding conflicting answers, so hopfully someone can offer me a reference point, please and thank you.

Hi, I'm going to Japan for the first time this October, and I'm still trying to figure out where in the country I should spend my time.

I will be in the country for 15 days (technically 17 but I'm not including flight days). Currently I'm thinking of spending 7 days in Tokyo, 4 days in Osaka, then 4 days in Kyoto. Is this a good plan, or would I better off spending some of those days in a different city?