Japan essentials, the before-you-land reading
Ten years of the same excellent questions at the hotel desk, answered properly. Read these on the plane and arrive knowing how the city works.
Suica, Pasmo and the IC card, explained from the hotel desk
How to get a Suica or Pasmo, put it on your iPhone or Android in two minutes, and tap through Tokyo without buying a single paper ticket.
Tokyo trains, the five things I told every first-timer
JR, Tokyo Metro, private lines: what the difference actually means, how to never get lost, and the etiquette that makes locals invisible-smile at you.
The Shinkansen, how I book it for guests
Reserved vs non-reserved cars, where to actually buy tickets, the luggage rule people miss, and how to ride the bullet train without a single stressful minute.
Tokyo taxis, cheaper than their reputation, and the app that tames them
When a taxi beats the train, how the GO app works for visitors, what a ride actually costs, and the door trick that surprises everyone once.
The konbini and the vending machine, use them like a local
Why 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart will quietly save your trip: real food, free ATMs that take foreign cards, luggage shipping, and the hot-drink trick.
Airport to Tokyo, what I told every arriving guest
Narita Express, Skyliner, the Haneda monorail, limousine bus or taxi: which one actually fits your hotel, budget and jet-lag level, decided in one page.
Etiquette in Japan, the short honest list
No tipping, shoes, chopsticks, queueing, onsen rules: the etiquette that actually matters in Japan and the parts tourists stress about for nothing.
Cash, cards and ATMs, how money actually works here
How much cash to carry in Tokyo, which ATMs take foreign cards, where cards fail, and how IC cards quietly replace small change.
Internet in Japan, the two-minute decision
eSIM vs pocket wifi vs SIM card for a Japan trip: what I actually recommend, what data costs, and the free-wifi truth nobody tells you.
Tax-free shopping, the desk-clerk version
Who qualifies for tax-free in Japan, the 5,000 yen rule, passport requirements, and where it is actually worth the queue.
Travel hands-free: luggage shipping and coin lockers
How takkyubin same-to-next-day luggage shipping works from any konbini, what it costs, and how to actually find a free station locker.
The JR Pass, honestly, after the price rise
After the 2023 price rise the JR Pass no longer pays for most Tokyo-centered trips. The one-page math and what to do instead.
When to come, from someone who watched every season arrive
Cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, the rainy season, August heat and the quiet gold of January: when to actually book Tokyo, month by month.
Out of the city: the day trips I actually recommend
Hakone, Kamakura, Nikko or Yokohama? Which Tokyo day trips are worth the train time, and the one mistake that ruins each of them.