Visa, Money & Wi-Fi
The boring details are the ones that can derail a trip. This guide focuses on what actually needs checking before you fly — entry status, customs, medication, money, connectivity, power and the emergency contacts worth saving.
Before you fly: the five checks that matter
Tokyo is easy once you arrive, but Japan’s entry and medication rules are specific enough that you should check them before you leave home. The useful pre-flight routine is simple: confirm whether your passport qualifies for visa-free entry or needs a visa; complete any arrival information you want to submit through Visit Japan Web; verify every prescription or controlled medicine; make sure you can access yen as well as cards; and save the emergency numbers below offline.
Do those five things and most of the so-called practical problems become ordinary logistics rather than airport surprises. Do not rely on a social-media post or an old airline blog for visa or medicine rules: both can change, and the official Japanese pages are unusually clear once you know where to look.
Visa-free entry is nationality-specific — not a universal 90 days
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently lists 74 countries and regions with short-stay visa-exemption arrangements. For most listed nationalities the period granted on landing is up to 90 days, but there are important exceptions: Thailand and qualifying Indonesian travellers have shorter periods, Brunei and Qatar have 30-day arrangements, and several countries have passport-type or registration conditions. The immigration officer still determines the period granted when you enter.
That means the safe advice is not simply ‘Tokyo is visa-free for 90 days’. Check your exact passport on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa-exemption page shortly before travel, including the footnotes. If your nationality is not exempt, or your trip is for a purpose other than a qualifying short visit, you need the appropriate visa or status rather than trying to stretch a tourist entry.
- Check the passport you will actually travel on, including any ePassport/MRP condition.
- Do not assume a previous trip proves your current eligibility; rules and passport notes can change.
- A visa exemption is permission to seek landing as a short-term visitor, not permission to work in Japan.
JAPAN eVISA: useful, but only for people who actually need a visa
Japan expanded the JAPAN eVISA system in May 2026. It allows eligible foreign nationals who reside in specified countries or regions and require a short-term tourism visa to apply online. People who are already exempt from a short-stay visa do not need to obtain an eVISA just because the system exists.
If you receive an eVISA, the proof is electronic rather than a visa sticker. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says travellers may be asked to display the official visa issuance notice on a phone or tablet at the departure airport or seaport. Screenshots are not a good substitute for following the official display process. Eligibility depends on nationality, residence and travel method, so use the current MOFA eVISA page rather than a third-party eligibility checker as the final authority.
Visit Japan Web and customs: helpful digital paperwork, not a paid visa service
Japan Customs requires arriving passengers to declare accompanied and unaccompanied articles. Customs recommends the government’s Visit Japan Web service for an electronic declaration. It creates the 2D code used with supported airport kiosks and electronic declaration gates; a paper customs declaration remains available as an alternative.
Visit Japan Web is a government arrival-service tool, not a commercial ‘Japan entry form’ that should cost you a processing fee. Use the official Digital Agency service linked by Japan Customs. Completing it before landing can reduce form-filling after a long flight, but it does not guarantee admission and it does not replace a visa when one is required.
Medication rules deserve more attention than most packing lists give them
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare allows many medicines for personal use within stated quantities without an Import Confirmation. The current guidance generally permits up to one month of prescription medicine, up to two months of many other medicines and limited quantities of certain external-use products. Larger quantities or particular products can require advance Import Confirmation.
Controlled medicines are a separate issue. Narcotics, psychotropics and stimulant-related substances can have stricter permission rules, and some substances that are prescribed legally elsewhere cannot be brought into Japan at all. The Narcotics Control Department specifically warns that medicines containing amphetamine, including Adderall, cannot be imported even when prescribed; lisdexamfetamine is treated differently and requires advance permission. Never infer legality from the brand name or from the fact that a medicine is prescribed in your home country.
If you take regular medication, check the active ingredient, quantity and delivery form against MHLW and Narcotics Control Department guidance well before departure. Carry medicine in original labelled packaging and keep a copy of the prescription or doctor’s letter where useful.
Money: cards are normal, but a yen backup still solves problems
Tokyo is far less cash-dependent than its old travel reputation suggests. Major hotels, department stores, chain shops, many restaurants and transport purchases commonly accept cards or contactless payment. Still, cash remains useful for small independent restaurants, older ticket machines, temple or shrine purchases, lockers, local clinics and the occasional machine or counter that simply does not like your foreign card.
A practical setup is one primary card, a second card stored separately, and a modest yen reserve. Do not carry your whole trip budget in cash. If an ATM rejects one foreign card, try another major bank or convenience-store network rather than repeatedly forcing the same transaction. Decline dynamic currency conversion when a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency unless you have deliberately compared the exchange rate.
Phone data: eSIM, SIM and pocket Wi-Fi all work — choose for your group
For one traveller with an unlocked compatible phone, an eSIM is usually the lowest-friction option because you can install it before flying and switch data on after landing. A physical data SIM remains easy if your phone supports it. Pocket Wi-Fi makes more sense for a family or small group sharing one connection, though it gives you another device to charge and return.
Tokyo’s stations, hotels and large venues have plenty of Wi-Fi, but public Wi-Fi is not a sensible primary navigation plan. Rail disruption notices, map rerouting and translation are exactly the things you want available while moving between stations. Download offline maps and your hotel address anyway; they are useful when a battery dies or a connection misbehaves.
Power, plugs and charging
Japan uses 100V electricity, commonly with Type A two-flat-pin plugs; grounded Type B outlets also exist but are not guaranteed everywhere. Travellers from North America often find that simple chargers physically fit, while visitors from Australia, Europe, the UK and many other regions need a plug adapter.
Most modern phone and laptop chargers are labelled for a wide input range such as 100–240V and only need the correct plug shape. Hair tools and other heat-producing appliances are more likely to be voltage-sensitive. Read the input label rather than assuming an adapter changes voltage — a plug adapter changes the shape, not the electricity.
Emergency numbers and an English-language backup
For an immediate police emergency in Japan call 110. For fire or ambulance call 119. JNTO also operates the Japan Visitor Hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for tourist information and assistance during accidents, illness and natural disasters; the current number inside Japan is 050-3816-2787 and support is available in English, Chinese and Korean.
Save the name, address and phone number of your accommodation in both English and Japanese. In a medical or police situation, the address is often more useful than a landmark description. Tokyo’s neighbourhood police boxes, or koban, are also useful for lost property, directions and non-emergency help.
Passport, onward travel and airline document checks
Avoid copying the common internet claim that every visitor needs six months left on a passport. Japan’s entry conditions depend on nationality and status, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes passport-specific notes for some visa-exempt travellers. Your passport must of course be valid for the journey and satisfy the rules that apply to you; airlines can also check whether you have the documents needed for your destination and any transit country.
Carry the booking details for your onward or return travel and the address of your first accommodation where you can reach them quickly. Border officers may ask about the purpose and length of a visit. The best preparation is accurate, consistent information — not a rehearsed story or a folder full of unnecessary paperwork.
Getting yen without turning the first day into a currency-exchange project
You do not need to arrive with your entire holiday budget in yen. A small amount of cash for the airport-to-hotel period plus access to at least two payment methods is more resilient. Airport exchange counters are convenient but should not be treated as automatically the best rate; compare the displayed rate and fees if you are changing a large amount.
For ATM withdrawals, the cost is a combination of the Japanese ATM’s fee, your bank’s overseas withdrawal or foreign-exchange fee, and the exchange rate applied. That means a supposedly ‘fee-free’ machine can still be expensive if your home bank adds charges. Fewer sensible withdrawals are usually easier to manage than repeatedly taking tiny amounts, but do not carry more cash than you are comfortable losing.
Keep one offline travel-information pack on your phone
Before leaving the airport Wi-Fi, save a few things locally: your accommodation name and address in Japanese, the booking reference, a map pin, your insurer’s assistance number, a medication list, and the emergency contacts on this page. Also download the neighbourhood around your hotel for offline map use.
This is not disaster prep for its own sake. It solves ordinary problems: a flat roaming plan, a hotel name that a taxi driver cannot identify from English text, a lost wallet, or a phone that reconnects slowly after a flight. One screenshot folder can save more time than carrying a thick printed itinerary.
Official sources checked for this guide
Reviewed 30 August 2026. These links are intentionally primary sources so you can re-check anything that may have changed after this page was updated.