Japanese Vacation

Critical Basics

Emergency Numbers (Japan)

• 110 — Police
• 119 — Fire / Ambulance
• 7119 — Non-emergency medical advice line (varies by prefecture; Japanese only in most cases)
• 050-3816-2787 — Japan Visitor Hotline

U.S. Embassy

• Tokyo: +81-3-3224-5000
• Osaka: +81-6-6315-5900

Medical Treatment

• Medical Treatment: travel insurance, medical treatment costs in Japan

Recon

• Pre-Departure Planning
• Arrival Logistics
• Money & Payment
• Connectivity
• Operational Stack in Japan
• Methods of Travel in Japan: How to get around
• Norms & Etiquette
• Food basics
• Tokyo History and Architecture
• Japan Travelogues - Attractions etc

Travel tips

• r/JapanTravel
• r/JapanTravelTips

Tour guides

• Taisho Takata, a Tokyo tour guide, seen in this video about Tokyo's map

Cities & Regions

• Tokyo: Hyper-dense, highly organized, infinite subcultures. Great for architecture, film culture, design, niche neighborhoods.
• Kyoto: Historic capital; temples, gardens, traditional streets.
• Osaka: Food culture; more informal vibe than Tokyo.
• Hakone: Onsen town near Tokyo; Mount Fuji views (weather dependent).
• Kanazawa: Traditional districts + one of Japan’s top gardens (Kenroku-en).
• Takayama: Alpine town; preserved Edo-era streets.
• Nara: Famous for free-roaming deer and Todai-ji temple.
• Shikoku: Remote gorges and onsen
• Tottori: Famous for a landscape of sand dunes
• Jigokudani: Nagano area, winter destination famous for snow monkeys that have been seen bathing in hot springs there.
• Okunoshima (Rabbit Island): A small island off the the southern end of the main island of Japan known for relatively domesticated rabbits that inhabit the island.
• Sendai

Other

• Japan Packing List May 2026
• Japanese Tea Shops
• Japanese Language
• Japanese Language Flashcards
• Tokyo Hotels and AirBNBs
• Goals in Japan - To Do List
• ChatGPT's suggested social activities in Japan for a solo traveler