In this article, we would like to offer a few tips and advice, prior to your upcoming journey to Japan. Although this can by no means be exhaustive, we hope it will provide useful answers to pre-departure questions you may have.
Pre-departure
Immigration & Visa requirements
Since visa requirements are different for each country and post-COVID travel procedures are regularly evolving, we recommend that you personally contact the nearest Japanese embassy or refer to the homepage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Home Page : https://www.mofa.go.jp/index.html
Visa Information : https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
Copy your valuable documents
When travelling, it is always advisable to separately carry a physical photocopy of your passport and keep a digital copy in your mobile phone or on the cloud. Having a copy of the information page (with picture, name, address, etc.) will help for quick replacement in case of a lost passport. Please make sure to prepare it before departure.
Time difference
Japan’s time zone is: GMT +9.
Please note that Japan does not observe Summer/Winter time change.
Electricity
Voltage is 100 Volt and plugs have two flat pins (similar to US plugs). No adapter is needed for appliances from the USA. For visitors from Europe and other countries, an adapter is necessary.Note:
If you intend to purchase electronic appliances in Japan for use outside of Japan, we recommend purchasing equipment specifically made for oversea tourists, as certain equipment (e.g. hair dryers), may not work properly or even get damaged.
Phone calls
To call Japan from abroad: dial 0081 (or +81) and remove the zero before dialing the rest of the phone number.
Within Japan, just dial the number as you see it, including the zero.
To call abroad from Japan: dial the Japanese international dialing access code 010 – note that the plus (+) sign is NOT necessary – followed by the country code (for ex: “1” for USA, “44” for UK etc) and the phone number. If the number starts with a zero, remove it and dial the rest of the number.
For example:
| Within Japan | From Abroad to Japan | From Japan to abroad |
| 012 345 6789 | +81 12 345 6789 | 010 (country code) 12 345 6789 |
In our next article, we will introduce Japan’s seasonal climate and give you tips on the best time to visit!
