Sumimasen Guide

Know before you go to Japan

What to know before you go: rules, manners and safety in Japan, checked against official Japanese sources. Written by people who live in Japan, for visitors who want to travel with confidence, not worry.

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Nationwide rulesLaws, money and manners that are the same everywhere in JapanChoose your destinationLocal rules that change by city: Tokyo (Tokyo), Kyoto (Kyoto), Osaka (Osaka) and more

Every rule on this site links to the Japanese government or official source it comes from. Some links are affiliate links; they never change what we write.

Nationwide rules

Choose your destination

Ordered by how many nights international visitors spent there in 2025 (Japan Tourism Agency).

Where international visitors stayed in 2025 (guest nights)Tokyo (Tokyo) 60,115,730 (rank 1); Osaka (Osaka) 24,517,740 (rank 2); Kyoto (Kyoto) 18,291,230 (rank 3); Hokkaido 13,302,640 (rank 4); Okinawa 9,211,700 (rank 5); Fukuoka (Fukuoka) 8,421,130 (rank 6); Kamakura & Hakone (Kanagawa) 4,927,440 (rank 7); Nagoya (Aichi) 4,859,630 (rank 8); Mt. Fuji area (Yamanashi) 2,750,510 (rank 10); Matsumoto (Nagano) 2,508,350 (rank 11); Mt. Fuji area (Shizuoka) 2,228,930 (rank 12); Hiroshima & Miyajima (Hiroshima) 2,115,650 (rank 14); Nara (Nara) 520,130 (rank 28); Ise (Mie) 380,310 (rank 32)Tokyo (Tokyo): 60,115,730 foreign guest nights (rank 1 of 47)#1 Tokyo (Tokyo)60.1MOsaka (Osaka): 24,517,740 foreign guest nights (rank 2 of 47)#2 Osaka (Osaka)24.5MKyoto (Kyoto): 18,291,230 foreign guest nights (rank 3 of 47)#3 Kyoto (Kyoto)18.3MHokkaido: 13,302,640 foreign guest nights (rank 4 of 47)#4 Hokkaido13.3MOkinawa: 9,211,700 foreign guest nights (rank 5 of 47)#5 Okinawa9.2MFukuoka (Fukuoka): 8,421,130 foreign guest nights (rank 6 of 47)#6 Fukuoka (Fukuoka)8.4MKamakura & Hakone (Kanagawa): 4,927,440 foreign guest nights (rank 7 of 47)#7 Kamakura & Hakone (Kanagawa)4.9MNagoya (Aichi): 4,859,630 foreign guest nights (rank 8 of 47)#8 Nagoya (Aichi)4.9MMt. Fuji area (Yamanashi): 2,750,510 foreign guest nights (rank 10 of 47)#10 Mt. Fuji area (Yamanashi)2.8MMatsumoto (Nagano): 2,508,350 foreign guest nights (rank 11 of 47)#11 Matsumoto (Nagano)2.5MMt. Fuji area (Shizuoka): 2,228,930 foreign guest nights (rank 12 of 47)#12 Mt. Fuji area (Shizuoka)2.2MHiroshima & Miyajima (Hiroshima): 2,115,650 foreign guest nights (rank 14 of 47)#14 Hiroshima & Miyajima (Hiroshima)2.1MNara (Nara): 520,130 foreign guest nights (rank 28 of 47)#28 Nara (Nara)0.5MIse (Mie): 380,310 foreign guest nights (rank 32 of 47)#32 Ise (Mie)0.4MM = million guest nights by international visitors, 2025
Japan Tourism Agency, Overnight Travel Statistics Survey, 2025 annual figures (final), published July 6, 2026. Numbers are for the whole prefecture; rank among Japan's 47 prefectures. Source (Japanese, PDF)

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Nationwide rules by topic

Laws & fines

Manners

Getting around

Food & dining

Souvenirs & shopping

Money

Safety & health

Scams & nightlife

Phone & internet

Photo credits

  1. A person riding a bicycle on the left side of a quiet street lined with wooden houses. Photo: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  2. An outdoor designated smoking area enclosed by dark wooden screens in a park. Photo: Hirho, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  3. A tall red sign with the kanji for medicine outside a drugstore. Photo: Muyo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped, title text added)
  4. Japanese immigration landing permission and departure stamps in a passport. Photo: Arikevin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  5. A round no-drones sign. Photo: Arturo Pardavila III, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  6. A seaside road and a green tram at a small station platform under a blue sky. Photo: くろふね, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  7. An empty open-air rock bath beside a river. Photo: STA3816, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  8. Close-up of a bidet toilet seat control with a red stop button and a blue spray button. Photo: Stéfan Le Dû, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  9. An empty wooden sauna room with tiered benches. Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  10. A see-through trash bin at a train station in Japan. Photo: iMorpheus, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  11. A roofed water basin for purifying hands at a temple. Photo: Hirho, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  12. Two shared electric kick scooters parked inside a marked parking port on a sidewalk. Photo: RuinDig/Yuki Uchida, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  13. A small bicycle rental shop with bicycles parked in front. Photo: User: (WT-shared) Shoestring at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  14. Rows of blue seats inside a Shinkansen car. Photo: S.Raika, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  15. A restaurant window display of plastic food samples with price labels. Photo: Lombroso, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  16. A bowl of creamy pork-bone ramen with sliced pork, egg and greens. Photo: Alasdair at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  17. Plates of sushi in different colors moving along a conveyor belt. Photo: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  18. An empty wooden sushi counter with seats close together. Photo: Bobby.Creations, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  19. A takoyaki food stall with a bright octopus banner. Photo: whalt, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  20. The lit entrance of a small izakaya with a white sign. Photo: Japanexperterna.se, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  21. Trays of strawberry daifuku and other Japanese sweets in a shop display case. Photo: Pete Birkinshaw, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  22. A wide city view of Ikebukuro (Tokyo) seen from a high observatory. Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  23. The plaza in front of a station with two glass pyramid roofs. Photo: DiKnK8713, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  24. A tax-free system banner hanging over the tax-free counter of a shopping mall in Japan. Photo: Naha Mama Pavilionz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped, title text added)
  25. The long departure hall of Haneda Airport's international terminal with rows of check-in counters. Photo: Daniel L. Lu (user:dllu), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  26. A simple IC card reader post at a small station. Photo: 西内 正, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  27. A green tsunami evacuation route sign painted on the road. Photo: DimiTalen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  28. A white Japanese ambulance with red stripes. Photo: Crimage7777, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  29. A satellite image of a typhoon near Japan. Photo: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  30. The entrance of a small police box (koban) on a street corner. Photo: Haydn Blackey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  31. A rainy night street lined with neon signs. Photo: Benlisquare, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  32. A hand holding a smartphone showing a map. Photo: Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  33. An empty stone-paved lane between wooden houses with bamboo blinds. Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  34. The red torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine standing in the sea at dusk. Photo: lumoplank, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  35. The huge red lantern hanging in Kaminarimon gate at Senso-ji temple. Photo: 番記者, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  36. The Dotonbori canal lined with signboards on a clear day. Photo: 32linesky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  37. A path through rows of orange torii gates in a green forest. Photo: Balon Greyjoy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  38. Rolling farm fields and a row of sunflowers under a pale sky. Photo: taku-k, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  39. A white sand beach with clear turquoise water and green hills. Photo: Hashi photo, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  40. Food stall carts lined up along a river promenade at dusk. Photo: Hirho, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  41. The great bronze Buddha statue seated against a blue sky. Photo: Ray in Manila, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  42. The white main keep of Nagoya Castle with green roofs on a stone base. Photo: Base64, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  43. Snow-capped Mt. Fuji behind a five-story red pagoda. Photo: Hrykt, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  44. The black main keep of Matsumoto Castle reflected in its moat. Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  45. A sika deer resting at the foot of a tree. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  46. The long wooden Uji Bridge leading to a torii gate in the forest. Photo: Yanajin33, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)

Card images combine these photos with the page title. Photos are used under their licenses (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); adapted images are shared under the same license as the original.