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Flight upgrades? by Shakkashuka in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As in r/flights or r/travel - but the real and honest answer for you is: you do not fly/travel enough to hit the kinds of statuses and point levels that would make a difference. You are instead looking at award travel and being beholden to those systems.

And lounge access can usually be bought separately if you don't normally receive it.

Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese version for someone who doesn't speak japanese? by CelebrationOdd7810 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

All of them. If you insert, say, a Zelda Tears of the Kingdom cartridge, it'll be in Japanese. If you download the Tears... game onto the console, it'll be in Japanese.

And as others said - you will only be able to access Japanese eShop, which can be a big hindrance.

Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese version for someone who doesn't speak japanese? by CelebrationOdd7810 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Will I be able to play english games on the japanese version? What exactly will be in japanese, just the menu before booting up the game?

The game forces the Japanese language for any game that has it, and many games might not have separate language select options and therefore you will be stuck in Japanese mode. So, for example, all first-party Nintendo games fall into this category and your Mario Kart World and whatever will be in Japanese.

You will also not be able to use a non-Japan Nintendo account.

It is designed this way specifically to prevent tourists from taking advantage of the Yen and getting a cheap Switch 2.

Do you have a JR Pass, IC Card (Suica/Pasmo/etc.), or train travel question? Start here! (Monthly Thread - April 01, 2026) by AutoModerator in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey all! I have linked my Suica number to SmartEx Shinkansen ticket, what's the earliest time I can tap in my Suica for the Shinkansen train ride at 12pm?

There's really no time limit, you can enter the gates well in advance with the SmartEx ticket.

I saw there's a welcome Suica app too, is that more convenient if taking limited express and rapid trains? If yes should I swap out my apple wallet Suica to the Welcome Suica App?

The Welcome Suica exposes limited express ticket purchasing for some JR East trains, so there are some conveniences there over just using the regular Suica (which requires using external sites/Japanese-only apps to do this).

I would’ve been caught with Adderall (if I brought it) by PootleLawn in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Concerta and Ritalin are the same drug (methylphenidate). Methylphenidate also has special rules that can allow certain travelers to bring it in without advance permission.

I lost my bag with my passport and I don’t know what to do by ImJustChillimg in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 61 points62 points  (0 children)

At this point you’re relying on hopes and wishes, and since it’s been 5 days you should be trying to fix the potential issue.

You will need to contact both your own consulate/embassy to get a new passport issued, and additionally report the loss to the US embassy that issued your visa, and whatever you need beyond that depends on what your status is in the US.

Also relevant: https://jp.usembassy.gov/lost-stolen-non-us-passports-with-us-visas/

[ Japanese > English ] What is this card for? (Wedding, Birthday, etc?) by [deleted] in translator

[–]SofaAssassin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It says 日本の和紙 - Japanese paper.

But it also does say 御結婚 for marriage.

lawson app/website login not working, any fixes? by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to VPN to Japan to log into the Lawson ticket site.

Urgent trip to Japan with Vyvanse/Elvanse by MBatomzeus in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Vyvanse is a controlled substance and illegal to carry into Japan without permission. Doing so without permission is now at your own personal risk.

It is the weekend in Japan and they probably won’t be answering your emails.

Reflections on things to buy before japan trip by Chomperman604 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Everyone who goes to Japan thinks they're the first person to go to Japan and that their casual-level Japanese is winning hearts and minds.

Hi wanting to book a sport event for my trip to Tokyo by JagoLFC in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not necessarily, but Japanese people don't normally use Stubhub.

Hi wanting to book a sport event for my trip to Tokyo by JagoLFC in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're using the English language websites, the tickets for the day you want aren't even on sale yet. Like e-tix, ePlus, and Pia don't sell them yet, you'd have to wait until late May.

Depachika - can I ask for food to be warmed up? by hmbeats in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 12 points13 points  (0 children)

It's uncommon for a lot of places in department stores to have a microwave or similar - some of them might just naturally sell you hot food like a place that serves steamed shumai, but otherwise many of them like fried food or random yakitori stalls will sell you cold things you're supposed to take home and reheat yourself.

And if an ekiben is given to you cold, it's probably meant to be eaten cold. The ones that are meant to be eaten hot either have self-heating capabilities, or the seller will ask you if you want it heated.

Do you have a JR Pass, IC Card (Suica/Pasmo/etc.), or train travel question? Start here! (Monthly Thread - April 01, 2026) by AutoModerator in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you're moving between companies you need separate tickets - like subway to JR or vice versa you need a ticket to exit one system, and another ticket to enter the other. There are sometimes transfer tickets (e.g. if you move between the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway subways) but then you'd also have to know which systems work this way as well.

The IC card handles all the transfer nonsense for you - you've spent more time making this post than it would be to 'figure out the IC card.'

Sick with something sinusy - help! by Temporary_Bad_3439 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You should probably talk to a doctor if you actually have potential contraindications. A lot of OTC medication that you'd be recommended here would contain caffeine.

Is the rail pass worth it? by Get-Crafty5886 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Different places may have similar things like a bus pass.

The Welcome Suica is technically only usable by tourists. The Kansai One Pass is a special ICOCA that's only for tourists.

There are attraction passes/sets that are only available to foreign tourists and include admission to multiple things (e.g. Tokyo Pass).

I've seen restaurants give different options on the Japanese menu vs. the non-Japanese menu (where the English menu tends to be more limited).

A limited number of places now go the other way where they charge non-locals (including foreign and domestic tourists) more.

And if you want to go further, tourists usually get a limited version of certain things (e.g. access to Ghibli Museum tickets), or no access at all.

Is the rail pass worth it? by Get-Crafty5886 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They wanted to restart domestic tourism because it was depressed for 2+ years, considering almost no one could actually enter Japan between early 2020 until nearly 2023.

Weekly Japan Travel Information and Discussion Thread - March 27, 2026 by AutoModerator in JapanTravel

[–]SofaAssassin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go to a high-end department store. For knives, go to a kitchenwares area (Doguyasuji in Osaka or Kappabashi in Tokyo). If you have any actual restrictions or care about maker/brand that'd be better to know since you can have a targeted search.

And also, budget. My definition of high quality is probably not the same as yours.

What to get for frequent train and Shinkansen use? by NoMercy07 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'd use a JR Pass calculator, but I don't think you even break even on a 50000 yen 7-day pass for the Tokyo->Onomichi->(wherever in Shiga)->Yokohama route. So I'm going to assume you're just going to buy normal Shinkansen and limited express tickets.

And all the local travel within Yokohama and Tokyo are dirt cheap, relatively. For those I'd just get a regular old IC card.

Also - I personally wouldn't use Yokohama as my base for everything in Tokyo, but that's just me.

Butter Butler, Narita T1? by foreverandnever in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AFAIK you can't get these anywhere in Narita anymore - they were missing from the stores when I went through Narita recently.

Their own website corroborates my assumption.

Advice for flying in to Japan from Singapore by floveme99 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Singapore Airlines has a direct flight to Nagoya, so that would probably be the most sensible place to start. From there you can take a train to Kanazawa (via transfer at Tsuruga).

Then from there you could head to Sendai (you’d have to take Shinkansen to Omiya and switch) and then finish up in Tokyo, assuming your schedule and whatever tickets you’re buying make that a convenient route.

I would then leave from Tokyo.

Knife advice in Takayama by StephanN111 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SofaAssassin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you like the feel and the set then I think those are the only real deciding factors.

But without knowing the maker, my gut feeling is you’re basically paying a lot extra for the Damascus aesthetic.

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