Tokyo: A Practical First Guide

Tokyo's train and subway network looks intimidating on a map and is, in practice, extremely reliable and well-signed in English. A rechargeable IC card (Suica or Pasmo, available at station machines) works across nearly every train, subway, and bus in the city and removes the need to buy individual tickets.

Trains stop running around midnight and don't resume until roughly 5am — a detail that catches visitors off guard after a late night out. Plan your last train, or budget for a taxi, since Tokyo taxis are reliable but not cheap.

Shibuya and Shinjuku earn their fame, but Yanaka, one of the few areas that survived both the 1923 earthquake and WWII bombing largely intact, gives a genuinely different sense of the city — narrow lanes, old wooden shopfronts, and a slower pace than almost anywhere else in central Tokyo.

Shimokitazawa, a short train ride from Shibuya, has a strong independent café and vintage-shop culture and draws a noticeably younger, more local crowd than the major tourist corridors.

Many of Tokyo's best meals happen standing up or at a counter with no reservation involved — ramen shops, standing sushi bars, and izakaya generally operate on a walk-in basis, and a line out the door is usually a good sign, not a warning. Larger or highly-rated restaurants, by contrast, often require reservations made weeks ahead, sometimes only by phone.

Convenience stores (konbini) are a legitimately good food option, not just a backup — the prepared food quality is well above what the category implies anywhere else.

Eating while walking is generally avoided in public, and it's common practice to step aside and finish food near where you bought it. On escalators, standing convention (which side to stand vs. walk) varies by city — Tokyo keeps to the left, Osaka to the right — worth a glance at what locals around you are doing.

Tipping is not customary anywhere in Japan, including restaurants and taxis, and attempting to leave one can create genuine confusion rather than goodwill — a rare case where doing less is the correct etiquette.

Japan remains more cash-reliant than many visitors expect, especially at smaller restaurants, temples, and some train stations outside the largest hubs — carrying reasonable cash alongside cards avoids awkward surprises. 7-Eleven ATMs are a reliable, widely available way to withdraw cash from foreign cards at fair rates.

English signage is common in central Tokyo and at major stations, and translation apps handle most remaining gaps well, particularly for menus. Learning a handful of basic phrases — a greeting, a thank you, "excuse me" — goes further than expected and is genuinely appreciated, even when the rest of the conversation has to happen through a phone screen.

If a hot spring or public bath is part of your trip, the etiquette is specific and taken seriously: wash and rinse thoroughly at the provided stations before entering the water. Visible tattoos may restrict entry at some traditional establishments, though tattoo-friendly options are increasingly easy to find in larger cities.

If you only have one day outside the center, Kamakura — about an hour by train — offers temples, a large seaside Buddha statue, and a noticeably slower pace, without the multi-hour commitment a trip to Kyoto or Mount Fuji requires.