Five Tips for Travel and Shopping in Japan

I just got back from a 10-day trip to Japan.  I was able to visit Osaka and Hiroshima – and the cities of Kobe and Okayama between – and had an excellent trip.  While it’s fresh on my mind, I wanted to share some tips on how to make the most of your trip to Japan by saving you time and money. 

In no particular order, my five tips for travel and shopping in Japan are:

1. Get a IC card

I believe the Japanese transportation system is the best in the world.  I use the system across all the cities in Japan – and to get between the cities too.  Whether it’s the subways to get around Tokyo and Osaka, or the local JR rail to get from Osaka to Kobe, or the tram in Okayama, or the buses across Kyoto – I use one card to get on and off – and that’s the IC card.  There are many different brands of IC cards – Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, etc. – and they are virtually the same, used to tap in/out of ticket gates and to reload with cash at terminals.  Even if you plan to travel to Japan rarely, I still suggest you get an IC card because it will save you a lot of time waiting in queue – plus you can always get get back your deposit when you return the card and leave the country (it will cost you 220jpy or ~$1.40 fee but totally worth it).  Keep in mind three things about the IC card:

• You can reload only with cash, which unfortunately means more trips to the ATM
• You cannot use IC cards in Okinawa, which has their OKICA card.  I ended up just paying cash to use the Okinawa buses
• You cannot use IC cards for major Shinkansen (bullet trains) rides.  I buy tickets at a separate terminal specifically for Shinkansen – again, using cash

2. Use corporate rates at hotels

Yes, even with the stronger USD-JPY rate, it’s expensive to stay in Tokyo or Osaka.  As of the date of writing this entry – July 30 – the standard rate at the Sheraton Miyako Tokyo is 48,618 jpy ($316) and the Osaka Marriott Miyako is 71,655 ($465) – which, in my opinion, is outrageously expensive for four-star properties.  To save me money when traveling, I always look at corporate rates – and fortunately, I was able to take advantage of heavily discounted rates using the corporate rate I have.  For example, for travel in late July, my corporate rate gave me 13,915 jpy ($90) for the four-star-rated Aloft Osaka Dojima (versus standard rate of 24,016 jpy, or $156).  Please keep in mind that Japanese hotels will ask you for your corporate ID during check in, but will accept a photo of the ID on your phone.  If you are interested in the corporate rate I use, please mention in the comments below.

3. Shop at second-hand stores

While I am a self-proclaimed minimalist, living day-to-day with 100 Things in my possession, I like to have nice things – things that are high-quality, functional, and durable.  I detest spending full price for buying anything, and am a big fan of buying things second hand – from the vehicles I drove in the U.S. to the clothes on my back.  I have found that the second hand market isn’t as big in Asia as it is in the U.S. (where I used eBay and Poshmark to buy/sell) – with the notable exception of Japan.  In Japan, you can find really good quality, branded products at a significant discount while shopping at second-hand retail stores like Second Street and Bookoff.  For example, on my recent July trip to Osaka, I picked up a like-new Patagonia Houdini jacket for 6,500 jpy (or $42), which is a steal compared to buying retail in the U.S. for $109.  I also purchased the following – all at second hand stores:

The way I see it: I get the same quality for 45-60% off retail.

4. Bring Passport when shopping:

This is very straightforward.  There were so many times I went shopping in Japan and forgot to bring my passport.  You need your passport for the retailer to process your VAT refund, which is a sizable 10%.  All the major retailers (that I shop at) provide tax-free shopping for customers, as marked by signs and stickers throughout stores: Don Quixote, Second Street, Animate, Lashinbang, etc.  It’ll take a few additional minutes during check out for the cashier to process your tax-free purchase – and then you can claim the refund at the airport upon departure.

5. Get eSIM Roaming Package for Data:

I mentioned this on a previous post about Travel Hacks.  Using AIS’s roaming package saves you time and cost.  Using a roaming package helps you skip the lines and wait time at the airport in getting a SIM card.  And compared to eSIM providers Airalo and Holafly, AIS’s roaming package saves you money.  In my recent trip to Japan, AIS’s 8 GB roaming package cost me only 429thb ($12; across 10 days), beating Airalo’s $18 for 10GB (across 30 days) and Holafly’s $37 for unlimited data (across 10 days).  Please do your own price comparison, as prices are subject to change and you may receive discounts from eSIM providers that may help those packages be more affordable.

Summary

I hope this post provides a few more travel tips that build off of my Top 5 Travel Hacks in Asia post – giving you practical advice on how to save money and enjoy your time further in Japan.  Japan is such a beautiful, diverse country with so much experiences to offer – and I wish you as splendid and fulfilling of a journey there as I have gotten in the Land of the Rising Sun.

~Lester T