Japan Trip Checklist: What to Sort Out Before You Fly
A Japan trip checklist works best as a sequence, not a flat list: several of the steps below only make sense once an earlier step is settled, and skipping the order can cost you money or an entire rail pass. This checklist assumes you already have firm or near-firm travel dates and a destination shortlist, and walks through the nine logistics steps that remain once those decisions are made.
Fees, rules, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at official sources such as the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), and the Japan Rail Pass official site.
Overview
This sequence is built around dependency, not urgency. Passport and visa status come first because a document problem can cancel the trip outright, while several last-mile items are deliberately left for the final week.
If you haven't settled how long your trip will be, see How Long Should Your Trip to Japan Be? before working through the steps below; this checklist assumes that decision is already made.
Two steps in particular reward starting early. Accommodation demand is currently running at record levels (as of 2026-01; confirm current figures with JNTO)1, and the Japan Rail Pass now has exactly two purchase channels, neither of which is a same-day counter purchase in Japan (as of 2026-07)23.
Other steps, such as Visit Japan Web registration and cash-on-hand planning, are better handled close to departure, once your exact itinerary is firm.
The Pre-Departure Checklist, in Order
The order below follows real dependencies, not the order a traveler happens to think of them.
Passport validity and visa status (Steps 1 and 2) gate everything else, since a document problem changes or cancels the trip. Accommodation booking (Step 3) should follow as soon as your dates are fixed, given how tight the current booking market is; see Step 3 for the figures.
Visit Japan Web, your IC card choice, and your rail pass decision (Steps 4 through 6) are independent of each other but all need a confirmed itinerary. Travel insurance (Step 7) is worth buying as soon as the trip itself is booked, not held to the end, since cancellation coverage only helps if you buy it before whatever event you'd be cancelling for.
Offline maps, translation apps, and cash-on-hand planning (Steps 8 and 9) are last-mile items, best finalized in the final one to two weeks.
The dependency order looks like this:
1. Check Your Passport Validity
Japan's actual passport rule for visa-exempt short-term visitors is narrower than most checklists suggest: your passport needs to remain valid for the length of your stay in Japan, nothing more.4
The Immigration Services Agency's own entry-examination guidance states the same condition, a valid passport (and a valid visa where one is required), without adding any extra remaining-validity period on top.5
The widely repeated "six months" rule is not a Japan government requirement. It comes from airline check-in policies and some third countries' entry rules, not from Japan's own immigration framework. See Good to know below for the full picture.4
The exact interplay between Japan's rule and individual airline or connecting-country requirements is its own topic; this checklist covers only the entry rule Japan itself sets, and a closer look at document requirements more broadly belongs in its own deep-dive.
2. Confirm Visa-Waiver Eligibility or Apply for an E-Visa
This step varies by nationality, unlike everything else in this checklist. Japan maintains reciprocal visa-exemption arrangements with 74 countries and regions (as of 2025-09; confirm current figures with MOFA)4. This is called 査証免除 (sashō menjo, "visa exemption") in Japan's own guidance.4
If your passport is on that list, you can enter as a 短期滞在 (tanki taizai, "short-term stay") visitor without applying for a visa in advance.4 For most of the 74 exempt nationalities, the permitted stay is 90 days (as of 2025-09)4. Two exceptions: Indonesia and Thailand get 15 days, and Brunei and Qatar get 30 days (as of 2025-09)4.
Visa-exempt entry also requires that you not take up income-earning work in Japan during your stay, and immigration officers may ask to see a return or onward ticket (as of 2025-09)4.
If your passport is not on the exemption list, you need a visa, or for a subset of nationalities Japan has designated, an e-visa, before you travel. Eligibility and application steps are nationality-specific and change independently of everything else in this checklist, so this article does not attempt to enumerate them; treat this as a placeholder for a dedicated visa-waiver-eligibility guide and a separate e-visa application guide, once each exists.4
Here's the branch this step boils down to:
3. Book Accommodation, Especially for Peak Season
2025 brought a record 42,683,600 foreign visitor arrivals to Japan, 15.8% more than the previous record set in 2024 (as of 2026-01)1. Hotel occupancy for the first nine months of 2025 rose 3.2 percentage points year-on-year, and average daily rates rose 10.8% (as of 2025, reported late 2025)6.
In at least one major market, Tokyo, prices are rising faster than occupancy. Booking late can mean paying more even when rooms are technically still available, not just risking a sold-out hotel.6
More than 70% of surveyed accommodation businesses (72.2% of 522 facilities polled between December 2025 and January 2026) reported being understaffed amid the visitor influx, with midsize facilities hit hardest at 77.1% (as of 2026-07)7. Staffing shortages can affect check-in speed and how quickly a property answers a booking request.
Demand spikes hardest around the cherry-blossom weeks leading into Golden Week (late April to early May) and the New Year holiday period (roughly December 29 to January 4, when many shops and attractions also close). Autumn-foliage travel concentrates at specific well-known viewing spots in November rather than spreading nationwide.8 These are the windows where booking early matters most.
For the broader question of whether the current visitor volume makes this a good time to plan a trip at all, see Should You Visit Japan Right Now?
4. Register with Visit Japan Web
Visit Japan Web is a Digital Agency service that lets you complete your immigration entry information and customs declaration online or by smartphone before you land, producing a single QR code you present at the airport.91011
Submitting a customs declaration is legally required of everyone entering Japan; Visit Japan Web is one channel for meeting that requirement, not a separate one. Paper declaration forms remain valid and accepted at every airport for travelers who skip it.10 The 携帯品・別送品申告書 (keitaihin bessōhin shinkokusho, "Declaration of Accompanied and Unaccompanied Articles") is the same form either way.10
Registration itself is optional. Skipping it won't get you refused entry; you'll simply complete the mandatory declaration and immigration procedure on paper, which typically takes longer at the airport (as of 2026-07)10.
Since January 25, 2024, the Visit Japan Web QR code covers both immigration and customs together; codes from the older, separate Customs Declaration App no longer work (as of 2024-01)11. Integrated Kiosks that combine both steps into a single scan are currently deployed at Narita Terminal 3, Haneda, Kansai, and Fukuoka airports (as of 2026-07)12.
Using an automated immigration gate at arrival is faster, but it does not place a physical "Temporary Visitor" stamp or sticker in your passport (as of 2026-07)13. If you plan to use a Japan Rail Pass later in your trip, you need that stamp. Use a manned gate, or ask an officer to add it. See Step 6 for why this matters.
A full walkthrough of Visit Japan Web registration, including screen-by-screen guidance, belongs in its own dedicated guide; this checklist only covers what changes your other steps.
5. Decide Your IC Card and Payment Plan
A 交通系ICカード (kōtsūkei IC kādo, "transportation IC card") is a rechargeable prepaid card for trains, buses, and many convenience-store purchases. Ten of Japan's regional cards, including Suica, Pasmo, and Icoca, have been mutually usable nationwide since 2013, so tourists generally don't need to match the card to the specific region they're visiting.14 One limitation: you can't ride between two disjointed IC-card coverage areas on card fare alone, and shinkansen travel is a separate exception.14
JR East suspended sales of unnamed Suica and Pasmo cards in June 2023, and personalized cards that August, due to a global semiconductor shortage limiting IC-chip supply (as of 2023, per contemporaneous reporting)15. That suspension is fully over: personalized card sales resumed in September 2024, and unrestricted sales of ordinary unnamed cards resumed March 1, 2025 (as of 2025-03)1516. Physical IC card sales are not currently restricted.
Welcome Suica (ウェルカムSuica, Uerukamu Suika) is a tourist-oriented physical card sold at airports and major stations, with no deposit; any leftover balance isn't refundable when it expires.16 A Welcome Suica Mobile app lets iPhone users issue a Suica directly on their phone, with a longer validity window than the physical card and no Android version as of mid-2026.17
| Card | Deposit | Validity | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Suica (physical) | ¥0 | 28 days from issue | 2026-07 | 16 |
| Welcome Suica Mobile (iPhone only) | ¥0 | 180 days from issue | 2026-07 | 17 |
Figures in this table reflect JR East's current offering (as of 2026-07)1617.
Regular Mobile Suica through Apple Wallet works on iPhone 8 and later. Japan's mobile IC-card system runs on a separate certification (Osaifu-Keitai) from ordinary NFC, so most Android phones sold outside Japan lack the hardware to run Mobile Suica even if they otherwise handle contactless payment, leaving a physical card as the practical option for most Android users (as of 2026-07)18.
Comparing IC cards against other payment options (credit cards, cash, mobile wallets) in real depth is a separate topic from which card to buy, and belongs in its own guide.
6. Decide on a JR Pass or Regional Rail Pass Before You Arrive
Since October 1, 2023, the Japan Rail Pass has had exactly two purchase channels: the official website (japanrailpass.net), or an Exchange Order bought through a JR-designated travel agency overseas. In-Japan counter walk-up sales, which had run as a trial, ended permanently on that date (as of 2023-10)319.
There is currently no way to buy a Japan Rail Pass for the first time after you've already arrived in Japan without an existing online order or an overseas-purchased Exchange Order; arrival-side JR ticket offices only pick up or exchange an order you already placed (as of 2026-07)22021.
Both current channels, the official website and an overseas-agency Exchange Order, require action before you arrive or before you pick up the pass in Japan. Plan this step while you're still booking flights and hotels, not during your trip.
Current pricing is identical whether you buy online or through an overseas agency, and holds through September 30, 2026. From October 1, 2026, only the overseas-agency (Exchange Order) price rises; the official pricing page shows no matching increase for the online channel, so which channel you use will affect the price you pay, not just when you buy.2
| Item | Amount | As of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary 7-day (adult, either channel, through 2026-09-30) | ¥50,000 | 2026-07 | 2 |
| Ordinary 14-day (adult, either channel, through 2026-09-30) | ¥80,000 | 2026-07 | 2 |
| Ordinary 21-day (adult, either channel, through 2026-09-30) | ¥100,000 | 2026-07 | 2 |
| Green 7-day (adult, either channel, through 2026-09-30) | ¥70,000 | 2026-07 | 2 |
| Ordinary 7-day (adult, overseas-agency only, from 2026-10-01) | ¥53,000 | effective 2026-10-01 | 2 |
| Ordinary 14-day (adult, overseas-agency only, from 2026-10-01) | ¥84,000 | effective 2026-10-01 | 2 |
| Ordinary 21-day (adult, overseas-agency only, from 2026-10-01) | ¥105,000 | effective 2026-10-01 | 2 |
| Green 7-day (adult, overseas-agency only, from 2026-10-01) | ¥74,000 | effective 2026-10-01 | 2 |
| Green 14-day (adult, overseas-agency only, from 2026-10-01) | ¥116,000 | effective 2026-10-01 | 2 |
| Green 21-day (adult, overseas-agency only, from 2026-10-01) | ¥147,000 | effective 2026-10-01 | 2 |
Child fares are half the adult ordinary-class figures. These October 2026 figures come from the live official pricing page; the underlying JR Group price-revision release could not be independently cross-checked, so confirm directly with the Japan Rail Pass site before booking (as of 2026-07)2.
An Exchange Order must be redeemed for the physical pass within three months of its issue date (as of 2026-07)22. The voucher itself is called an 引換証 (hikikaeshō, "Exchange Order").22
A separate, narrower Exchange Order category exists specifically for Japanese nationals who have lived overseas for at least ten consecutive years; a JR Group release in September 2025 extended that category's own sales window (as of 2025-09)23. This applies only to that specific group, not to general foreign tourists, and should not be read as a general deadline extension.
Only a passport carrying a physical "Temporary Visitor" stamp or sticker qualifies you to buy, exchange, or use a Japan Rail Pass (as of 2026-07)13. Automated e-Gates don't apply that stamp (see Step 4). If you're planning to use a rail pass, use a manned immigration gate, or ask an officer to add the stamp on arrival.
Regional and area-specific rail passes, sold by individual JR Group companies such as JR East, JR West, and JR Kyushu, exist as an alternative for itineraries concentrated in one region.2 Whether a nationwide pass is worth the price at all, given the 2023 increase, is a separate cost-comparison question from how to buy one, and comparing regional passes against the nationwide pass is likewise its own topic; both belong in dedicated deep-dives.
The buying question itself looks like this:
7. Buy Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not a legal condition of entering Japan, but JNTO nonetheless strongly recommends every visitor carry it.24 Medical treatment in Japan can be expensive, and since 2021, a foreign visitor with unpaid medical bills from a previous stay may be restricted or refused entry on a future visit.24
Cancellation coverage only helps if you buy it before whatever event you'd be cancelling for. Buying insurance right after you book flights and accommodation, rather than in the final week, protects the money you've already committed.
A Japan Tourism Agency survey of 3,069 visitors at five domestic airports (fielded October 2023 to February 2024) found about 73% carried private medical insurance during their stay, essentially unchanged from a 2019 survey; the most common reasons for going without were a short trip and confidence in one's own health. About 4% of surveyed visitors reported getting sick or injured during their trip (as of 2024-02, survey period)25.
No Japanese government source sets a specific recommended coverage amount. Travel-industry sources commonly suggest ranges in the hundreds of thousands of US dollars for medical coverage, but treat that as general prudent-travel guidance, not an official requirement.24 Why coverage genuinely matters in specific scenarios, rather than as a blanket recommendation, is a topic for its own article.
8. Set Up Offline Maps and a Translation App
JNTO publishes a free official Japan Travel app, built with private-sector content partners, covering tourism information, restaurant search, transit navigation, multilingual-capable hospital listings, and public-safety alerts. It launched supporting English, Korean, and both traditional and simplified Chinese, with language and feature coverage expanding since launch (as of 2026-07)26.
Beyond that app, this checklist's scope stops at flagging that a maps, translation, and connectivity plan is worth arranging before you leave: offline map areas, a translation app, and a data plan such as an eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi. Evaluating specific apps and connectivity products in depth belongs in its own dedicated guide to what translation apps are genuinely good at, and where they still fail.
9. Plan Your Cash-on-Hand Amount
Japan's cashless payment ratio, under a newly adopted domestic-indicator methodology, reached 58.0% in 2025, with a government target of 65% by 2030 under the same indicator (as of 2026, reporting on 2025 data)27.
Cash remains standard at many shrines and temples (offerings, omikuji fortune slips, goshuin stamps, omamori charms), small or rural eateries and ryokan, festival food stalls, and roughly half of ramen-shop ticket machines, even as card and mobile payment expand elsewhere, especially outside the largest cities (as of 2026)28.
| Provider | Overseas-card withdrawal limit | Notes | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Bank (inside 7-Eleven stores) | ¥100,000 per transaction | ¥30,000 limit for magnetic-stripe-only cards; accepts Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, Amex, JCB, Discover, Diners Club, UnionPay | 2026-07 | 29 |
| Japan Post Bank | ¥50,000 per transaction | ¥220 usage fee may apply on top of any card-issuer fee; branch ATMs keep bank hours, convenience-store ATMs run nearly around the clock | 2026-07 | 30 |
Both networks are widely available: Seven Bank inside more than 21,000 7-Eleven stores nationwide, Japan Post Bank at post offices and standalone kiosks. A cash shortfall is usually a short walk from a fix (as of 2026-07)2930.
A commonly repeated guideline is to carry roughly ¥15,000 to ¥20,000 in notes plus some coins, topped up from an ATM as needed (as of 2026)28. Other travel guides suggest figures as high as ¥30,000. Treat this as a range, not an official recommendation.
Whether Japan still counts as a cash-heavy country at all is a bigger question than how much cash to carry on one trip; that comparison is its own topic.
Good to know
The six-month passport-validity rule is widely repeated and often oversimplified
Japan itself only requires a passport valid for the length of your stay, not six months beyond it. Competitor checklists that state a flat six-month rule as a Japan government requirement are stating a myth as fact.45
MOFA's own visa-exemption guidance frames the requirement as validity during the stay, and the Immigration Services Agency's public entry-examination guidance doesn't add a minimum remaining-validity figure on top of that.45
That said, an airline can still deny you boarding over six-month validity even though Japan doesn't require it. Airlines set their own document-check policies, sometimes stricter than the destination country's actual rule, partly to avoid the cost of flying a passenger who can't enter, or can't continue to a later leg in a stricter-rule country. Treat this as a caution rather than a documented universal airline policy; no single source enumerates every airline's check-in practice.4
A checklist is not a packing list
This article deliberately stops at logistics. What to pack, clothing for the season, adapters, and medication are a separate topic and a separate article.
Sequencing what to sort out before you fly is a different problem from deciding what goes in the suitcase. Conflating the two is part of why so many checklists online feel cluttered.
"Buy it before you land" is not universally true anymore
The real rule is narrower than "buy before you land": you have to start the purchase online or through an overseas agency before or during your trip, but you can't walk into a Japan train station and buy a pass with no prior arrangement. Since October 1, 2023, in-Japan over-the-counter walk-up sales, previously offered on a trial basis, ended for good; the two remaining channels are the official website and an overseas-agency Exchange Order (as of 2023-10; confirm current channels with the Japan Rail Pass official site)319.
A price increase taking effect October 1, 2026 applies to overseas-agency Exchange Order purchases; the live official pricing page shows no matching increase for online purchases. That means the channel you choose, not just the date you buy, affects the price you pay from that point forward (as of 2026-07)2.
A Japan Rail Pass can't be exchanged, purchased, or used without a physical Temporary Visitor stamp or sticker in your passport, and automated immigration e-Gates don't apply that stamp. A traveler who breezes through an automated gate to save time at the airport can accidentally make their own rail pass unusable (as of 2026-07)13.
Visit Japan Web's QR code is not a one-time favor
The QR code doesn't expire before you use it, but the information behind it, your flight details, your accommodation address, should still be accurate when you land. That argues for registering close to departure rather than weeks in advance.
No official Digital Agency source gives a specific number of days. Treat any "register X days before" figure you see elsewhere as informal guidance, not an official window.9
Visit Japan Web covers immigration and customs, nothing else. Completing it doesn't substitute for, or connect to, the physical Temporary Visitor stamp that Step 6 depends on for the Japan Rail Pass; the two are separate, gate-dependent events.101113