Globe / Cities

🇯🇵 Japan

Neon megacities, quiet temples, mountain onsen towns and some of the best food on earth, all linked by famously punctual trains.

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Continent: Asia
Capital: Tokyo
Best time to go: March to May for blossoms, October to November for autumn colour
Currency: Japanese yen (JPY)
Languages: Japanese

Quick guide: Japan essentials

🛂 Visa & entry

Visa-free tourist stays of up to 90 days for about 70 countries, including Canada, the US, the UK, the EU and Australia. Your passport must be valid for the length of your stay. Check whether your passport is on Japan's visa-exemption list.

💉 Vaccines & health risks

Keep routine vaccines up to date. Hepatitis A and B are often recommended; Japanese encephalitis vaccine is worth discussing for long stays in rural areas.

🚗 Driving

Drive on the left. You need your home licence plus an International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention); drivers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan need an official Japanese translation instead. Zero tolerance for drink-driving.

🏥 Healthcare & emergencies

Excellent but expensive for visitors, and many clinics want payment up front, so get travel insurance. Emergencies: 119 (ambulance and fire), 110 (police).

⚖️ Drug laws

Among the strictest in the world. Cannabis is illegal, including CBD products with any THC, and possession can mean arrest and weeks of detention. Some common medicines are banned (pseudoephedrine decongestants, stimulant ADHD medication such as Adderall); others need an import certificate (Yunyu Kakunin-sho) above a one-month supply.

🎉 Nightlife & party scene

Huge and safe: izakaya, tiny themed bars, karaoke and big clubs in Shibuya, Shinjuku and Roppongi, and Osaka's Namba. Trains stop around midnight, so many nights run until the first train around 5 am. Drinking age 20.

Last reviewed 2026-10-17. Entry, health and legal rules change and can depend on your passport; always confirm with official sources before you travel.

City guides

Tokyo

A city of neighbourhoods, each a world of its own, from Shibuya's crossings to Yanaka's old lanes.

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Kyoto

The old imperial capital, with over a thousand temples, wooden machiya townhouses and refined kaiseki cuisine.

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All cities in Japan (1,082)

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