First-Time in Japan? Stress-Free Entry, Visa-Free Travel & Airport Tips [2025]

First-Time in Japan? Stress-Free Entry, Visa-Free Travel & Airport Tips [2025]

Good morning everyone. It’s travel time again. Today we’re heading to Tokyo. Uh I thought I’d give you guys a quick crash course in how to get into Japan without any hassle. So in this episode we’re going to uh talk about the visa requirements. You know, the stuff you might need to prepare in advance, the thing you need to do on the day you travel, what to expect when you get to the airport in Japan, because you know, it’s almost the same but a little different. And then a big one, which is once you get to any airport terminal kind of how it’s laid out and how to get to your hotel. Today actually it’s um August 1st and Hurricane Krosa, Typhoon Krosa is right beside Tokyo right now, right? And it will be there when I land. My flight is 3 hours from now. It still hasn’t been cancelled. It’s still on time. So wish me luck. And if you see this video online, you know that I survived the typhoon. All right, so on that note, uh let’s get checked in here. I’ve actually already checked in online, which is something you should always do because usually most airports have a thing where you can just go to the bag drop off and there they’ll print your ticket and stuff like that, your boarding pass. That’s about it. I got a couple thousand yen in my pocket, right? I got some cash in advance, so I’m prepared for that. I think I got everything I need, but I’ll get into more details when I can sit down after I’ve gone through all this stuff here. All right, from The Coding Travelbug, this is Mike. Let’s go to Japan! Okay, I got a few minutes. I’m all checked in. I’m here at the gate and the flight’s on time. So, looks like the typhoon has not caused any issues yet. Uh, I thought I’d just quickly go over the visa stuff. So, uh, just full disclosure, I lived in Japan 23 years, so I have permanent residency and all that. So, when I go into Japan, I go into a special lineup that is for people with my kind of situation, and I just sit there and gloat at people trying to get in. When you arrive in Japan, you’re obviously going to go into the foreigners lineup, which is fine, but can take a long time. They can be a little bit slow depending on, you know, the kind of visas people are coming in on. So when you get off that plane, like haul ass, right? Try and get to immigration as fast as you can. Um, I remember one time going into New York and I just happened to be, you know, I I got in the lineup and there were only two officers working and suddenly there’s 150 people behind me and just 10 people ahead of me took me a half an hour. So Japan can be like that. So you need to kind of get moving. Okay, they’re starting to board now. Just a few quick things. Uh if you’re coming to Japan and you’re from the UK, the US, Canada, or Europe, uh plus a few other countries, you’ll have to check. You get an automatic 90-day exemption. It’s really easy. And unlike a lot of countries like say the Philippines, you don’t have to have 6 months on your passport. You just have to have you have to have enough validity to be in the country. If you are not a citizen of those countries that have this exemption like if you’re a resident like for example if you’re someone from India living in Canada as a you know longtime resident but you’re not a citizen uh you’ll need an E-visa and you can get those online processes fully online I’ll put links below uh they’re pretty easy to get I’ve been told right like uh mostly quick but plan ahead for that but they also give you 90 days and they’re 3,000 yen, which right now is like $20. Uh the last thing, so that’s your visas. That’s the stuff you need to plan really far ahead. Next, within say a week or something, there’s no real limit before you fly. Uh go to the website for Visit Japan Web, and I’ll put that in the bottom below as well. This is kind of really important. Uh, it’s basically just you putting your data in the computer and they’ll generate a QR code. So, when you go through customs, you just flash that. Actually, you probably don’t even need to flash it cuz usually they have it on their system. Uh, there’s a new one coming up that’s like one of these entrance cards system like the US has, but that apparently is not I mean, they’re not even close to having that ready yet, I don’t think. I guess other things you might be asked would be for a return ticket. That sometimes happens, I’m told. I don’t really know because I’ve got the Golden Boy status with my permanent residency. Uh, you may also be asked for proof of funds, okay, to make sure that you have enough to to survive in Japan. Also, something none of my friends have ever been asked, but just be prepared for it. On that note, they are boarding right now, and so I’m going to get on the plane. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, I think, as we get close to Tokyo with that typhoon. But next stop, Tokyo. [Music] Okay, so I survived the uh typhoon. It wasn’t so bad. It’s like really close to Tokyo, but other than the last 10 minutes, it was all right. Uh good flight. So, I’m now in Haneda airport. Tokyo has two airports. I choose Haneda because I’m staying in the city and it’s, you know, it’s close. I just checked. I just asked the information. The monorail runs now till after midnight, which is good. Uh, when you arrive in Yeah. Well, any train station in Japan, you kind of have a number of options. So, you could either take a train, which is what, you know, a lot of people do. Trains are cheap. They’re always on time, super efficient. You do have to be careful because uh in any train station like I can see there’s the Montreal station over there and there’s the KeiYuu line over there or KeiKyuu line, sorry, over there. There might be another train line. So, you have to know they’re not all in the same place, right? And you also have to realize that trains tend to to stop fairly early here. The other thing is you could take a bus. Uh most airports have airport buses, especially the big ones. But that’s usually if you’re a little more seasoned, right? Uh because you got to kind of find them and whatever. A car. You can take a taxi. Uh Japan does not have the normal. There’s no grab taxi. There’s kind of like Uber here, but not really. The the most popular one here is called Go, and I’ve actually never used it. I just grab taxis off the street cuz, you know, it doesn’t really matter. They’re everywhere in Tokyo. But if you’re like more than if you’re 20 km away and you take a taxi, it’s going to cost a lot. Taxis are still expensive here. Um, last year I arrived at Hamamatsucho I just took a taxi 2 and a half km and that was like, I don’t know, 20 something bucks. You know, it adds up very fast. But in this case, cuz it’s Haneda, they have a monorail. And I kind of like the monorail cuz it goes right into uh the Tokyo station area. But before you, you know, you plan on coming to Tokyo, then, you know, check your trains. Uh, download one of the train apps. There’s tons of them, something where you can, you know, kind of map your route. So, that’s about it. So, you, you know, you got your trains, planes, automobiles. Uh, I suggest using trains for your first time. They’re just easier to navigate. Uh, and they’re cheap, right? Uh, you’re not going to have problems. There’s always someone to ask if you need help. Japanese people, they won’t approach you if you’re lost, but if you ask anyone, they’re they’ll try and help you. I think that’s about it for now. So, I’m going to start heading to the monorail. I’ll get a ticket, get to my hotel. Uh then I’ll probably do some kind of wrap up and just talk about the experience and maybe show you maybe the area, but there’s still a typhoon. It’s going to be raining outside, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Anyway, happy to be back in Japan. Uh, I wasn’t sure if I get in because my permanent residence thing has a bit of a issue, but yeah, it took minutes to get in. It’s one of the beauties. The lineup for foreigners was not that long, but it will take them a long time. All right, so I’m going to head to the monorail. [Music] Okay, I kind of lucked out soon as I got up the stairs. There was a train here. Um, I’m going to not talk because that’s kind of train etiquette, but it’s pretty quiet in these trains, right? So, all right, just enjoy the ride. And I’ve now officially made it to Hamamatsucho. I’m not at my hotel yet, but the journey was smooth. It only takes 20 minutes in on the monorail. I stopped at an ATM to get some cash. Uh, one thing I just wanted to show you. So, this is a Japanese train station. If you think that like everything in Japan is like the Jetsons, even though things run very well, I mean, you can see this place. It’s like everything here seems to be in like a constant state of getting fixed. Um, yeah, the trains here, they’re kind of clunky. They feel old. Other than the Shinkansen, the bullet train, it doesn’t feel that modern. So, don’t freak out when you get here and think you’ve landed in the wrong country. Like, Japanese toilets will like wash your bum for you and dry it and sing you a song while they do it. Everything’s like super high-tech in the house, except they don’t have insulation. It’s freezing cold, but that’s for another video. But yeah, the trains are are clunky. But a pretty successful trip overall. So, just to summarize, before you get on the train, make sure you get your visa sorted. If you’re from a if you’re citizen of like a country like Canada or the EU or something, you get 90 days for free. You just show up and with enough, you know, as long as you have 90 days in your passport and they’ll just say, “Welcome to Japan.” Make sure you fill out that digital card before you, you know, actually fly. They didn’t ask for mine for the They never do. Same in the Philippines. They don’t ask for it, but they can see it on their screen that you’ve got it. I had a pretty complex case because uh my exit thing for my card was in my old passport. I’ve just got a new passport. He dealt with that without any fuss in like a minute. So, really quite efficient and quite smooth. When you get off in the stations, try and use the trains if you can. They’re just kind of the easiest way and you’ve always got someone to ask. But now I’m going to go find a taxi and just do the last 3 km in a taxi cuz it’s a typhoon. So, I think what I need to do is find some beer and some yakitori as my buddy Jason just pinged me and and suggested. Welcome to Tokyo. All right, everyone from the coding travel bug. If I don’t see you again, this is Mike and yeah, like and subscribe as always for more whatever just whatever I’m doing. I don’t even know. All right, you guys take care. See you. As you know, my videos are like Marvel movies. You always get a little bit extra at the end. I thought I’d quickly show I just literally just checked in my hotel room. It’s I think 13 square meters, something like that. This is what $134 a night gets you in downtown Tokyo. Now, I’m right down by Tokyo Station. This is, you know, the business district, but still this a very small hotel. Bathroom is nice. It’s a, you know, nice little hotel. But yeah, things are teeny tiny here. All right, I think that’s it. Unless I find some food, in which case I will take more video. Otherwise, welcome to 4 days of a tiny but very nice room. Welcome to Tokyo.

✈️ Planning a trip to Japan in 2025? This guide shows you exactly how to enter Japan visa-free, fill out the new Japan digital entry card, and navigate Tokyo airports stress-free. Whether you’re flying into Haneda or Narita, this step-by-step walkthrough covers Japan entry requirements, e-visa info, airport transportation, and first-time travel tips. 🇯🇵

From Bangkok to Tokyo during Typhoon Krosa, I share real-life travel footage and explain what every traveler should know before landing in Japan:

✅ Visa exemptions & e-visa basics
✅ How to use Visit Japan Web & get your digital QR code
✅ Immigration tips to speed up your entry
✅ Trains, buses & taxi options from Haneda Airport
✅ What $134/night gets you in a Tokyo hotel

📌 Helpful Links:
Visit Japan Web (digital entry & QR code): https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/main/#/vjwpco001
Japan E-Visa (for non-visa exempt travelers): https://www.evisa.mofa.go.jp/index

👉 Subscribe for more tips on living abroad, Japan travel hacks, and expat life in Asia.

📌 Timestamps for Easy Navigation:
00:00 Japan entry made simple (visa-free travel, digital card & airport tips)
00:00:37 Typhoon Krosa travel context – will this flight happen?
00:01:04 Online check-in & travel prep (yen cash, bag drop)
00:01:41 Immigration tip – walk fast to beat the airport line
00:02:50 Japan visa-free entry (90-day stay + passport validity rules)
00:03:22 Not visa-exempt? Japan e-Visa basics, cost & timing
00:03:50 Visit Japan Web digital entry card & QR code explained
00:04:30 Possible checks: onward ticket & proof of funds at immigration
00:04:54 Boarding during a typhoon – arrival in Tokyo
00:05:18 Haneda Airport arrival tips (why I choose HND vs Narita)
00:05:41 Late-night arrivals: does the Haneda monorail run past midnight?
00:05:47 Tokyo airport transportation overview (trains, buses, taxis)
00:06:00 Japan trains 101 – multiple lines & station layouts explained
00:06:22 Airport buses in Tokyo – when they make sense
00:06:33 Tokyo taxis & ride apps (GO), costs & when to take a cab
00:07:11 Why I like the Haneda Monorail into central Tokyo
00:07:21 Trip-planning tip: best Japan train route apps to download
00:07:31 First-timer advice: why trains are cheap & reliable in Japan
00:07:55 Boarding the monorail + quiet train etiquette in Japan
00:08:56 Arrival at Hamamatsuchō – ATM stop & Tokyo expectations
00:09:56 Quick recap: visa-free entry, digital card, trains & taxis in rain
00:11:04 Tokyo sign-off – late-night yakitori & beer stop
00:11:24 Post-credits: Tokyo budget hotel tour ($134/night)