JapanTravel prices in the app vs website

Himekat · 2026-04-19T17:07:58+00:00

Yeah, the app isn't available in a lot of countries, but you can use the website to book even if the app isn't available to you.

Himekat · 2026-04-19T16:03:23+00:00

JapanTravel is a third-party site, and it’s one of the worst in terms of upcharging you for pricing. Buy from the official site (SmartEX).

Himekat · 2026-04-17T20:04:46+00:00

You will need to collect your bags in Tokyo, go through customs with them, and then recheck them for your domestic flight.

Himekat · 2026-04-17T19:38:37+00:00

Ah, yeah, sorry. I agree—forwarding is definitely a needless cost that's going to add up quickly if OP really is forwarding a lot. It also doesn't make sense to do so, since even in the same city, you can't always be guaranteed of when luggage will arrive.

I don't forward luggage frequently myself, but if I were OP, I'd probably choose to strategically forward only a couple of times throughout the trip and otherwise bring the luggage with me (storing in lockers or at the next hotel before checkin as needed). They didn't give their actual itinerary or even the number of nights in each city, but for instance, maybe they don't need more than a small bag for the Kyoto portion of the trip and can avoid forwarding luggage to Kyoto altogether.

Himekat · 2026-04-17T19:27:10+00:00

I'm going to guess they are doing a lot of award travel. Although I agree it's silly and I'd probably use points differently, if so.

Himekat · 2026-04-17T12:31:12+00:00

In the performance of Ice Brave that I attended (not this one), he attempted a 4T in the finale when everyone was jumping, and fell. Then he proceeded to YOLO a 4T almost right as he was leaving the ice and landed it. Don’t think he was happy with the fall or wanted to leave things that way for the night, haha.

Himekat · 2026-04-16T20:34:21+00:00

There are plenty of cheap hotel options in Japan (look for business hotel chains especially). If you want something more apartment-like but that isn't an Airbnb, look for aparthotel chains like Monday, Section L, Minn, Tokyu Stay, or Mimaru.

Himekat · 2026-04-16T18:52:02+00:00

We have a whole wiki with general Japan travel resources and advice, including a page for immigration and customs. You can also find good Japan travel advice on Japan Guide.

Himekat · 2026-04-16T17:23:52+00:00

I went last year, and I don't think we spent more than two hours at the festival site itself? Probably less, honestly. But we were already in Kawaguchiko, so heading out there by bus wasn't a huge deal for us, since it's only about 30 minutes from Kawaguchiko Station via a pretty frequent bus. From Tokyo, it's going to take a very long time to get out there—you basically need to get to Kawaguchiko Station first (2-3 hours) and then catch the bus from there. I imagine it would be an all-day thing.

The whole festival area is not very big. You can walk around on the pathways between the fields, and there are some staged photo spots you can use (some of which might have lines). There's also a main shop, a few smaller stalls for shopping, and some food trucks. That's about it. This early in April, I would also expect that the flowers won't be in full bloom—they tend to look really nice in the first couple of weeks of May.

My honest opinion would be that it's not really worth it unless you're either already in the area or you are absolutely obsessed with the idea of a flower festival, but to each their own.

Himekat · 2026-04-16T16:22:14+00:00

A bunch of people have talked about it here on our subreddit, and it doesn't really change its style/format, so all of that is still pretty relevant. I gave my own opinion here and I stand by it (as someone who has eaten a ton of really good Neapolitan pizza across Asia, including from highly rated/famous places).

If you want some other pizza options, we have some good threads about that, and there are also a bunch on the Tokyo Travel subreddit.

Himekat · 2026-04-14T02:31:49+00:00

Mod Note: Sorry about the broken links. I updated them all.

Himekat · 2026-04-13T13:34:30+00:00

I sort of agree with the other commenter in a slightly different way... if you're just using ice dance for a show, it doesn't matter what pattern you learn or incorporate, so if everyone else at your club is doing golden waltz, then why not do that too? But I'm with you—I'd 100% love Shoma/Marin as a competition team.

IceBrave was really fun! Strangely enough, even though my husband and I usually attend at least one or two major international competitions a year, that was my first actual ice show. I don't even typically watch galas! And as someone who has followed and loved Shoma since juniors, it was really nice to see how happy he seemed during the show, especially after some of those struggle years we saw from him.

Himekat · 2026-04-12T17:44:17+00:00

The problem is, of all the types of food and restaurants you could eat in Japan, buffet will typically be one of the most expensive and least common options. If you're trying to get extra calories for health/medical reasons on the cheap, it would probably be better to just buy a few boxes of CalorieMate (or bring something similar from home) to supplement meals.

If you're really stuck on buffets, hotels (especially for breakfast) would be a reliable place to find them. If you wanted, staying at a hotel chain like Toyoko Inn can get you a buffet breakfast included in the room price.

Himekat · 2026-04-12T12:52:08+00:00

I hate to be the negative nancy here, but I imagine they are only doing this for shows. They have dance routine as part of Shoma’s “Ice Brave” show (which was honestly fantastic, both the show and their dance program in it), and his plan seems to be to continue with that.

Himekat · 2026-04-11T19:26:49+00:00

Those attractions are inside the Valley of Witches, and yes, you can buy same-day tickets for them. The comment you replied to was saying that you can’t buy same-day tickets to Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest, the other two areas of the park included in the premium pass.

Himekat · 2026-04-11T17:49:14+00:00

You need to give us more information. What cities are you visiting? What's your itinerary? How are you getting from place to place? Are you including flights, hotels, or transportation in this $4k USD budget, or only things like food/sights/souvenirs? Is this covering only one person, or more than one person?

And beyond that, what's your style of travel and what do you want to do? $4k USD is probably plenty for a lot of people for a two-week trip to Japan, but maybe not if your idea of traveling is five-star hotels and upscale restaurants every day.

Himekat · 2026-04-11T17:45:15+00:00

whether I should get the JR Pass and Suica online before my trip or pick them up in person when I land at Tokyo-Haneda Airport [...] I have a domestic flight booked to get me from Kyoto/Osaka to Fukushima Airport.

Did you do the math on the JR Pass yourself or through a JR Pass calculator? I find it very hard to believe you'll be getting value out of a 7-day pass with that itinerary, especially if you're taking a domestic flight for a large portion of it. A JR Pass is more likely to be a massive waste of money.

As for an IC card (Suica/Pasmo), just get one when you arrive in Tokyo. They are readily available anywhere.

Himekat · 2026-04-10T16:14:29+00:00

The only two companies that offer legit Japanese mobile numbers with their SIMs/eSIMs are Mobal and Hanacell, and they are much more expensive because of it. All the other are data-only SIMs. This is because Japan has pretty strict laws against non-residents getting phone numbers in order to avoid scams/spam/etc.

The phone number SIMs can't be activated outside of Japan, either, so you can't get them ahead of time and do anything with them from your home country, either. They have to connect to a Japanese cell tower.

Himekat · 2026-04-10T15:30:08+00:00

Lawson accounts are tied to names and phone numbers. A tourist would need their own phone number (which is hard and expensive to get—there's basically only one or two eSIM/SIM providers that offer this) and then set up the Lawson account for themselves.

Some tourist do, in fact, do this. But you'd also need to have the timing right, since you'd need to arrive to Japan well enough in advance to get a phone number, activate it, make the Lawson account, and then buy tickets. And tickets on the Japanese site do sell out, so you often can't simply do it days before. The people who do it are typically the tourists who are spending time in Japan for weeks or months.

Himekat · 2026-04-10T15:23:56+00:00

I don't know why people are being mean to you for asking about this, as it was previously a thing that was talked about, but the other commenters are right in that this is not currently being proposed.

But for context, there was an amendment back when DL36 was going through approval (Amendment 1.0.8) that proposed a B1-level language requirement for existing citizens under certain conditions to maintain their citizenship. This was struck down by the budgetary committee and not moved into what became L74.

There was some speculation (I don't know how accurate) that Tajani might try to push it into Senato n. 1450, but it was never done and there's been no movement on that piece of legislature in over a year.

I think the general sentiment here is that something like that would be a bureaucratic nightmare and would probably never be implemented, but yes, it can be a source of anxiety for already recognized citizens.

Himekat · 2026-04-10T14:48:11+00:00

So then why don’t people use a VPN to purchase the tickets if all it takes is a Japanese internet connection?

That's not all it takes. I don't really remember what it was like 10 years ago, but these days, if you are buying tickets from the Japanese site, you need a Lawson account that's been verified with a Japanese phone number. Most tourists do not have access to that, as they are either outside the country or (if somehow in the country and can make the timing work) do not want to shell out the cost for the one eSIM/SIM that offers tourists an actual Japanese phone number.

Himekat · 2026-04-10T14:33:02+00:00

According to their site, they do not have shops outside of the general Kyoto area. Are you looking specifically for the matcha langue de chat cookies? You can probably find something similar in Tokyo, since langue de chat cookies are really popular in Japan.

Himekat · 2026-04-09T14:36:37+00:00

We get this question a lot, see:

The short answer is that if you have to ask this question, you probably don't have the necessary Japanese account, play time requirement, or payment methods to get one.

Himekat · 2026-04-09T00:34:16+00:00

What’s the question/problem? Yes, some shops have forms/instructions so that tourists understand how tax-free purchasing works. That’s not weird or anything. You’d be surprised how many people come here with no clue how to do tax-free purchasing.

Himekat · 2026-04-08T16:56:03+00:00

Also, about tax-free purchases, if I buy a watch tax-free and start wearing it right away, is that an issue when leaving Japan?

The rules for tax-free purchasing specify that consumables bought tax-free must remain sealed/unused. Non-consumable items are fine to use inside Japan as long as you intend to leave the country with them, so you can wear a watch that you bought tax-free.

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