What to know before visiting Tokyo: local etiquette and pitfalls
The things that catch North American travelers off guard in Tokyo, laid out in advance. Less about danger, more about not losing time and money.
Contents
Tokyo ranks among the safest large cities in the world. Riding the subway alone late at night and carrying cash are both entirely ordinary here. Most of the vigilance you have built up in North American cities is unnecessary. What actually trips visitors up is not danger but unwritten rules they did not know about.
Things that catch visitors off guard
| Topic | How it really works |
|---|---|
| There are no trash cans | Almost none on the street. Carry a small bag and dispose of it at a convenience store or your hotel |
| No phone calls on trains | Custom is to avoid talking on the phone in the carriage. Keep conversation quiet, and take calls in the vestibule or at the station |
| Do not eat while walking | Except on shopping streets built around street food, the norm is to finish what you bought where you bought it |
| Some places are cash only | Small restaurants, temple and shrine admissions, and some local buses. Always keep small bills |
| Which side to stand on the escalator | In Tokyo, stand on the left and leave the right open (Osaka is the reverse) |
| Tattoos and communal baths | Hotel communal baths and public bathhouses may turn you away. A private bath or an in-room bath is the certain option |
| Ignore street touts | Bars whose staff approach you on the street in Kabukicho and Roppongi are a genuine source of inflated-bill disputes |
How to handle yourself
At shrines and temples, bow lightly before the torii and purify your hands at the water basin before approaching. At a shrine, bow twice, clap twice, bow once; at a temple, press your palms together without clapping. Always respect no-photography signs (inside main halls and in certain gardens). At restaurants, wipe your hands with the oshibori you are handed on sitting down, and it goes smoothly if you call a server over and give the whole order at once. The small dish that arrives first at an izakaya (otoshi) functions as a cover charge and generally cannot be declined.
If something goes wrong
Police 110, fire and ambulance 119. Both are free and can connect you to English-speaking operators. Lost property very often turns up at a koban (the small neighborhood police posts), and in Japan wallets genuinely do come back. In an earthquake, protect your head first and move only once the shaking stops. Install Safety Tips, the disaster-information app supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency, and earthquake, tsunami, and typhoon warnings reach you in English. Clients booked with us can contact their consultant in Japanese in Toronto (+1-416-324-9101) or Vancouver (+1-604-602-7551).
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe for a woman traveling alone?
Tokyo is one of the most popular cities in the world for solo female travel, and outside the small hours there is essentially no issue. Groping on crowded trains is genuinely reported, so during morning and evening rush hours the women-only cars (running mainly on weekday mornings) are a reassuring option.
I am worried about earthquakes.
Japanese buildings are constructed to the highest seismic standards in the world, and being inside your hotel is the safest place to be. There is no need to rush outside. Your odds of feeling an earthquake during a visit are meaningful; your odds of experiencing a damaging one are very low.
Let us handle the arrangements
If you book through us, you can reach your contact at our Toronto or Vancouver office whenever trouble comes up on the ground, and we take over any negotiation with hotels and transport providers in Japanese.
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Planning essentials for Tokyo
Beyond the main topic of this article, here is a summary of everything you need to plan a trip to Tokyo, with links to the full article on each subject.
A one-day route at a glance
7:00 Tsukiji Outer Market → 9:00 Asakusa & Senso-ji → 11:00 Tokyo Skytree → 13:00 Lunch in Ryogoku or Ningyocho → 15:00 Imperial Palace East Gardens → 17:00 Shibuya Scramble Crossing → 19:00 Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho or Ebisu Yokocho
With half a day, pick one side: Asakusa and Senso-ji, then Skytree, then Ueno Park; or Shibuya, then Meiji Jingu, then Omotesando. Crossing east to west in a single day stacks up subway rides and leaves you with nothing but fatigue.
Extending beyond day one
Day two is for a deeper cut of the city. The standard shape is Meiji Jingu plus Harajuku and Omotesando in the morning, a walk through the old neighborhoods of Nezu and Yanaka in the afternoon, and a single-act ticket at the Kabukiza in the evening (¥1,000–2,000 per act). If you have a third day, take a day trip to Hakone, Kamakura, or Nikko. Within an hour of Tokyo Station by train, you can reach places with completely different characters. Note that both the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and teamLab require timed advance tickets. For the full timed itinerary, see the Tokyo itinerary.
Seasons and temperatures
| Season | Typical temperatures | Highlights and cautions |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | 9–23°C | Cherry blossoms late March to early April. Late April into May is the most pleasant stretch, with low humidity. Avoid Golden Week (roughly April 27–May 6) |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 22–32°C | June is the rainy season; July and August are hot and humid, feeling close to 40°C on some days. Push outdoor sightseeing to morning and evening |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 13–27°C | September brings lingering heat and typhoons, then October turns sharply good. Fall color comes late November to early December, later than Kyoto |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 2–11°C | The clearest season of the year. Snow falls a few times but does not accumulate. The air is crisp, and this is when Mount Fuji is visible most often |
Late October through November, late March to early April, and late April to mid-May. Those are Tokyo’s three good windows. Cherry-blossom season pushes room rates up 20–30%, and peak bloom shifts by about a week from year to year, so as a rule we cannot promise a guaranteed viewing. If avoiding crowds and cost matters most, mid-January to February and the June rainy season are the openings. Clothing guidance and seasonal events are covered in the best time to visit Tokyo.
What to eat
- Sushi: A counter omakase generally starts at ¥5,000 for lunch, ¥15,000 for dinner. Conveyor-belt sushi is genuinely good and the realistic choice with a family
- Tempura: The proper form is a counter where each piece arrives straight from the oil. A tendon at lunch starts around ¥1,500
- Ramen: Split into schools: shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, tsukemen. Buy a meal ticket from the vending machine first, then take a seat at the counter
- Monjayaki: The specialty of Tsukishima. Looser than okonomiyaki, scraped off the hot plate as you eat. Old-Tokyo food
- Edomae anago and unagi: Long-established shops cluster in Asakusa and Nihonbashi. Grilled eel over rice is ¥4,000–7,000, expensive but a dish worth eating in Tokyo
- Soba: The old houses of Kanda and Asakusa are famous. Stand-up soba (around ¥400) is a different but equally Tokyo experience
- Depachika prepared food: The basements of Isetan Shinjuku and Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi are showrooms for food. Discounts start an hour before closing
Breakfast ¥500–1,200, lunch ¥1,000–2,000, dinner ¥3,000–8,000 is the standard range. There is no tipping, and listed prices include tax. Lunch at the same restaurant is often about half the dinner price, so using good restaurants at midday is the most cost-effective approach there is. Budget ¥6,000–10,000 per person per day for food and you will not have to hold back. For where to find each dish, see what to eat in Tokyo.
Budget at a glance
A standard 4-day / 3-night model budget is about ¥66,000 for three nights (mid-range, one person in a double) plus about ¥50,000 in on-the-ground spending, for roughly ¥116,000 total (about CA$1,150). Add round-trip airfare from North America at CA$1,200–2,200. Business hotels and set meals bring it down to around ¥70,000; luxury hotels and sushi omakase push it past ¥250,000. Style moves the number enormously.
Hotel rates by class and the cuts that actually save money are detailed in the Tokyo budget guide.
Getting there
From North America, Tokyo has two gateways: Narita International (NRT) and Haneda (HND). Haneda is closer to the center, and if you are not connecting onward it is worth choosing a flight that lands there. Toronto and Vancouver both have nonstops, at 9 to 11 hours.
| Route | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver (YVR) → Haneda / Narita | About 10 hr | Daily nonstops. Round trips typically run CA$1,100–1,900, cheapest in January–February and October–November |
| Toronto (YYZ) → Haneda / Narita | About 13 hr | Nonstop service. A few hours longer than via Vancouver, at CA$1,300–2,200 |
| Haneda Airport → city center | 15–40 min | Tokyo Monorail plus JR to Hamamatsucho or Tokyo Station, around ¥660. Keikyu to Shinagawa, ¥330. Late night and early morning, take a bus or taxi |
| Narita Airport → city center | 40–90 min | Skyliner to Nippori in 36 minutes, ¥2,580. N’EX to Tokyo Station in about 60 minutes, ¥3,070. Budget buses are around ¥1,300 and take about 85 minutes |
| Tokyo → Kyoto | 2 hr 10 min | Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi. Around ¥13,850 (¥13,320 unreserved) |
Local transport and the passes worth buying are covered in getting to Tokyo.
More frequently asked questions about Tokyo
How many days do I need in Tokyo?
Three for a first visit, four if you want breathing room. Two days gets you “we saw Asakusa and Shibuya” and little else. Rather than extending your stay, three days in Tokyo plus one day out of town (Hakone, Nikko, or Kamakura) leaves a far stronger impression.
Which neighborhood should I book a hotel in?
Shinjuku, the area around Tokyo Station, or Shinagawa. The reason is that all three are strong for both airport access and the shinkansen. Asakusa and Ueno have more downtown atmosphere, but on the morning you leave for the rest of Japan, what matters is the station.
Should I avoid the rainy season?
Days of continuous rain are not that common. Rooms are at their cheapest of the year, and the greenery in the gardens and the hydrangeas are at their best. This is also one of the world’s great cities for indoor options, from museums to depachika food halls to aquariums, so with rain gear it works fine.
When am I most likely to see Mount Fuji?
December through February. The air is dry and clear, so it becomes visible from high floors even in the city center. In summer you will rarely see it.
Are there English menus?
In tourist areas and at major chains, almost always. Small independent places are often Japanese-only, but most have photo menus or plastic food models. Tell us when you book and we will confirm English support before recommending restaurants.
Can vegetarians eat well here?
Yes, but with care: even vegetable dishes frequently use dashi made with bonito. Shojin ryori (temple cuisine) restaurants, Indian restaurants, and the growing number of dedicated vegan places are the reliable options. Let us know in advance and we will hand you a list of restaurants that can accommodate you.
How much cash should I bring?
¥30,000–50,000 is plenty. Cards and contactless work almost everywhere in Tokyo, but small restaurants, temple and shrine admissions, and some buses are cash only. Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank ATMs reliably accept foreign-issued cards.
Do I need to tip?
No. Japan has no tipping custom, and offering one puts the recipient in an awkward position. Where a service charge applies at high-end restaurants, it is already on the bill.
Narita or Haneda?
At the same fare, Haneda. It is about 30 minutes closer to the center and has more late-night and early-morning flights. That said, Narita departures are often tens of thousands of yen cheaper, and if the gap is large, Narita is perfectly fine.
Can I take a large suitcase on the shinkansen?
On the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen, baggage over 160 cm in total dimensions requires an advance reservation for an oversized-baggage seat (free; bringing it aboard unreserved costs ¥1,000). North American suitcases often exceed this, which is why we recommend luggage forwarding between hotels.
Plan this trip with IACE
Everything in this article is knowledge we use in real bookings every day. Tell us your dates, group size and interests, and we will turn it directly into your own itinerary.
