BEFORE YOU ARRIVE IN TOKYO

PLANNING

• Book your hotel. First trip? Stay in Shinjuku or Shibuya. Always book fully refundable. My where to stay in Tokyo page has the neighborhoods I'd pick.
  See Tokyo hotels on Klook→
• Get travel insurance. Japanese hospitals are world-class but they want full payment upfront and don't care about your American insurance. Slip on wet temple stairs, food poisoning, twist an ankle hiking, that's thousands out of pocket. SafetyWing covers it.
  Get SafetyWing insurance→
• Pre-book teamLab. teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills and Planets sell out weeks ahead. Random tourists get turned away every day. Book at least 7 days out. QR code at the gate, walk straight in.
  Book Borderless on Klook→
• Plan your day trips. Two best from Tokyo: Hakone (Mt. Fuji + onsen) and Kamakura (giant Buddha + beach). Both are about 1 to 1.5 hours by train: Kamakura is 47 to 61 minutes from Tokyo Station on JR, and Hakone-Yumoto is 84 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu limited express. Klook bundles transport into one pass.
  Get the Hakone pass on Klook→
• Figure out the JR Pass situation. Only worth it if you're leaving Tokyo. The math: a 7-day pass is ¥50,000 bought online. One Tokyo-Kyoto round trip on the Nozomi shinkansen alone is over ¥26,000 (¥13,320 each way without a reserved seat), so Tokyo + Kyoto + one other thing pays for itself. Staying in Tokyo? Skip it.
  Get the JR Pass on Klook→

PRE-DEPARTURE

• Get a Wise card. Japan is still ~40% cash so you'll be hitting ATMs constantly. Many US debit cards charge a fee on every foreign withdrawal. The Wise card has no charges just for using it abroad and converts at the mid-market rate with a small conversion fee. In the US the card itself is a one-time 9 USD. ATM withdrawals are free up to 250 USD a month, then 1.95 USD + 1.95% each. Add it to Apple Pay and tap everywhere that takes card. I use Wise for literally everything here.
  Get the Wise card→
• Set up an eSIM before you fly. The why and the link are just below.
• Check your meds against the Japan banned list. Japan is strict about some normal US cold, allergy and ADHD meds. Search "Japan banned medications" before packing. 5 minutes of Googling or you're explaining yourself to customs.
• Optional: learn some Japanese. You don't need to be fluent, basic English works in Tokyo. But even a few phrases and people light up. Lingopie teaches with real Japanese TV. Not necessary, but a clean way to spend flight time.
  See Lingopie→
• Google Translate offline ↗. Settings → Offline Translation → Download Japanese. Camera mode is insane. Free. Download the Japanese pack before you fly.
• Suica on your phone ↗. iPhone: open the Wallet app, tap the plus, Transit Card, then Suica. Want it sorted before you land? JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile app for visitors (iPhone only) lets you issue and top up a Suica both before and after you enter Japan. Add ¥2-3K. Train + tap-to-pay everywhere. Free. Android: grab a Welcome Suica at the airport.
• Sign up for ChargeSpot ↗. Battery rental kiosks in every konbini. Your portable battery dies, grab a ChargeSpot at 1%, charge up, return it at any location. Emergency backup. Free to sign up. Set it up NOW so you're not fumbling with verification at 1% battery.
• Google Maps (download Tokyo offline) ↗. Way more than navigation. It tells you which station exit to use, which train car to ride so you're closest to your exit, how busy each car is, and gives you the platform number. Pay attention to the exact departure time. Tokyo trains are perfectly on time, and if you just hop on whatever comes, you might catch an express that blows past your stop. Download Tokyo offline as a backup for underground dead zones. Free. Google Maps in Tokyo is genuinely on another level.
• Uber works in Japan (+ download GO). Your Uber app already calls taxis here, no new account needed. GO is the local taxi app with more drivers. Both are more expensive than trains but clutch with luggage, late nights, or when you're lost. Download GO before you fly. Free. Uber you already have. GO has way more drivers here.

PACKING

• Go carry-on only (this is the move). Tokyo trains have zero space for big luggage, subway stairs are everywhere, and your hotel room will be smaller than your closet. The Osprey Farpoint 40L holds 10+ days and fits every airline's overhead. You skip baggage claim entirely.
  Get the Osprey 40L on Amazon→
• Noise cancelling headphones. 12 hours in economy is brutal without noise cancelling. The Sony XM5s are the sweet spot. The XM6 is marginally better for a lot more money, but the XM5 still kills engine drone dead. Screaming baby six rows back? Gone. Also clutch on the Shinkansen. 30-hour battery.
  Get the Sony XM5 on Amazon→
• Portable battery. Your phone does everything in Japan: maps, translate, Suica, camera. Dies by 3pm without backup. The Anker Zolo is 20,000mAh (4 full charges), built-in USB-C cable, 30W fast charging. Bring your own. The disposable ones at konbinis are tiny, overpriced, and have weird cables.
  Get the Anker Zolo on Amazon→
• AirTags. Japan's lost-and-found culture is unreal but they need to confirm it's actually yours, and AirTags are instant proof. Lose something on a subway? Skip the chase: go straight to the station the AirTag is showing.
  Get an AirTag on Amazon→
• Travel wallet. Your first 3 hours in Japan: customs, immigration, baggage claim, IC card, train ticket. The Bellroy keeps passport, cards, yen, boarding pass in one slim leather fold. RFID blocking. Pull it out once instead of fumbling like a tourist.
  Get the Bellroy on Amazon→
• Tech pouch. Without one, cables tangle, adapters get lost, SD cards vanish forever. Peak Design keeps it all organized: origami compartments, weatherproof, fits cables, AirPods, adapters, your battery. Junk drawer vs. grabbing exactly what you need.
  Get the tech pouch on Amazon→
• Walking shoes (slip-ons preferred). 15-25K steps/day. Slip-ons are an aura check at temples and ryokans.
• Small hand towel. No paper towels in most restrooms. Japanese people carry one everywhere. Cheap at any Daiso when you land.
• Light layers. Tokyo weather shifts fast. Summer AC indoors is arctic.
• No power adapter needed. Japan uses the same plugs as the US (Type A, two prong). Your phone charger and laptop charger work as-is.

AT THE AIRPORT

• Turn on your eSIM. You set it up before you flew. Just flip it on. Instant data.
• Skip the currency exchange. Airport counters give you bad rates. Use Wise at any konbini ATM instead. The airport exchange is a tourist trap. Not a suggestion.
• Airport transfer: N'EX or Keikyu. A taxi from Narita costs a fortune and can sit in traffic for a long time. The N'EX is a fraction of that: Tokyo Station in about an hour (52 to 55 minutes on the train, ¥3,138 at the regular fare with an IC card), and it carries on to Shinjuku. From Haneda? Keikyu to Shinagawa is a few hundred yen (¥327 with an IC card, 12 to 19 minutes from Terminal 3). Save taxis for when you actually need them (late nights, luggage days, that's what Uber and GO are for).
  Book the N'EX on Klook→

FIRST NIGHT

• Check in, drop your bags. Most hotels: 3pm check-in. Early? Leave luggage at the desk, go explore.
• Find the nearest konbini. 7-Eleven, Lawson, or FamilyMart. ATM, food, drinks, phone charger. Your lifeline.
• Eat something. Walk somewhere. Push through jet lag to 9-10pm. Find a ramen shop with salarymen outside. That's how you know.