Plan your trip: travel and trains

An eSIM is the easiest way to have data from the moment you land. Set it up at home before you fly.

Mobal sells Japan eSIMs, including Data Only eSIMs. Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM before you buy.

Alternative: Sakura Mobile ↗ (Affiliate link), a Japan-based provider of travel eSIMs, SIM cards and pocket WiFi.

Sakura Mobile pocket WiFi ↗ (Affiliate link)
A rental hotspot that several people or devices can share. Useful for groups, families, or phones that don't support eSIM. Check the pickup and return options for your arrival airport.

Shinkansen tickets, regional rail passes and airport transfers can all be booked ahead on Klook (Affiliate link). Check whether a pass actually saves money for your route.

Official Japan Rail Pass site ↗: prices, coverage and how to buy the nationwide JR Pass from the JR Group. Compare the pass price with point-to-point tickets for your route first. Depending on the itinerary, separate tickets can cost less.

Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN): Hands-Free Travel ↗: send suitcases between airports, stations and hotels, usually arriving the next day. Details of the standard service are on the TA-Q-BIN page ↗.

Agoda

Strong selection of Japanese business hotels and ryokan. Search Agoda

TuGo travel insurance ↗ (Affiliate link)
A Canadian travel insurer offering trip medical and trip cancellation coverage.

Our TuGo partner link doesn't apply in Manitoba, Nunavut, Quebec or Saskatchewan. If you live there, check TuGo directly or compare other Canadian insurers.
Other Canadian options: Manulife CoverMe · Allianz Global Assistance
Read the policy wording before you buy.

This isn't insurance or financial advice. We aren't licensed insurance advisers, so check that any policy fits your own health, trip and provincial health coverage.

• JNTO: Japan National Tourism Organization ↗: official travel information and alerts.
• Visit Japan Web ↗: the Japanese government's online service for immigration and customs forms before arrival.
• Official Japan Rail Pass site ↗

• Plugs: Japan uses Type A (two flat pins, like Canada). Bring an adapter if you have a three-prong plug.
• Emergencies: 110 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance.
• Escalators: stand on the left in Tokyo, on the right in Osaka.
• Cash: carry some yen — smaller shops, shrines and rural areas may not take cards.
• Tax-free shopping (from Nov 1, 2026): you now pay tax at the till and get it back when you leave Japan. Keep purchases and receipts together, and arrive early to scan your passport at the airport tax-free kiosk before check-in.