About Japan Starter

Japan Starter is written by a small editorial team based in Osaka. We are not a travel agency and we do not sell anything ourselves. We live here, we host friends and family who visit, and we got tired of watching them lose their first day to a SIM counter queue or a confusing ticket gate.

So this site covers the practical part of a Japan trip: getting online, getting from the airport, understanding the trains and passes, knowing what the new rules and taxes cost, booking the things that sell out, and fixing the small disasters that happen on the ground.

How we keep it current

Things change here fast: tax-free rules, hotel taxes, pass prices, which attractions need advance booking. Every guide shows a “Last checked” date, and we re-verify the core guides regularly. If you spot something out of date, tell us.

Affiliate disclosure

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy or book through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That is how the site pays for itself. It does not change what we recommend; where a free option is better, we say so.

Contact

Found something out of date? Email japanstarter@gmail.com and we will fix it.