Our last trip to Japan was pre-COVID in the Spring of 2018 and after visiting now in the late Spring of 2025, I was happy to find that Japan was as lovely as ever. Though, we did find some things interesting on our trip after having visited many other destinations in the world since our last trip to Japan and here is what you need to know before traveling to Japan, now, post-COVD.
I was surprised more people weren’t wearing masks.
Our previous trips to Japan, pre-COVID, most people wore masks – on the subway, in public places and honestly looking back on our trips to Japan years ago, I remember thinking, we should have been wearing them too to fit in. But now, I was very surprised that very few people were wearing masks. I actually brought masks this trip thinking we’d probably want to wear them to fit in often, but actually, most people were not wearing them.
You still need to bring cash.
Most of the places we travel in Europe now, we never bring cash anymore. And while we used to always travel with cash, I was surprised in Japan how many places we still needed it. I brought $100 USD in Japanese Yen with me and we ended up getting more cash at the ATM in Seven Eleven. Everything from train tickets (which take card but were struggling with foreign credit cards without PIN numbers) to the small hole in the wall restaurants, to the Fish Market vendors. We ended up using more cash on this trip than we have anywhere else in a long time. Tap is available in larger chains and super markets, but it wasn’t available everywhere, at least for foreign credit cards.
Plan out your food plans before you travel.
I like to have our days planned out for locations and general areas and while I did have a few food places lined up for Tokyo, it was often hard to find them on the map or when we’d get there, it wasn’t there. I would suggest having some food spots lined up and then also have a backup to make your trip a little easier!
The Tokyo Subway is still confusing for foreigners.
While efficient, the Tokyo Subway is a little confusing for foreigners. There is signage, literally everywhere, but signage for what, I’m not sure. We did get it figured out after the second or third subway trip, but it’s a little overwhelming at first for what type of ticket to buy or which line to get on or which platform you’re looking for. When in doubt, ask for help – that’s the one thing that is amazing in Japan – there is always someone there to help!
Heading to Japan?