Your Japan Pre-Departure Checklist: What to Do at 1 Month, 3 Weeks and 5 Days Out (First Trip, 2026–27)

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Last checked 2026-11-02. Rules and prices change — always confirm on the official pages linked below.

The timeline checklist

We're a small team based in Japan; this is the checklist we'd hand a friend.

1 month out: decide the big-ticket items

• Buy your eSIM and travel insurance. Our picks are under "Things to buy" below; check your phone first (below).
• Decide on the Japan Rail Pass with the numbers below (more in #23). Overseas-agent buyers get an Exchange Order to swap for the pass at a major JR station, with your passport, within three months of issue. (Japan Rail Pass – overseas purchase)

JR Pass prices (Ordinary car, adult), as of 2026-10-31

(Japan Rail Pass – prices)

Reality check. One-way Nozomi fares (reserved seat, regular season, tickets bought through 2027-06-30):

(JR Central / JR West joint release, 2026-10-16)

The Kyoto fare is from JR Central's fare search, which calls its results an estimate; enter your date and read the total (合計金額).

The catch: the JR Pass is not valid on any seats, reserved or non-reserved, on Nozomi and Mizuho trains unless you separately buy the dedicated Nozomi/Mizuho ticket before boarding. (Japan Rail Pass – routes)

Our read: Two one-way Nozomi tickets add up to 28,340 yen (≈ $180) for Tokyo–Kyoto and back, and 39,520 yen (≈ $250) for Tokyo–Hiroshima and back. Both cost less than the 7-day pass (50,000 yen, ≈ $320). If your week has many more JR rides, run your route through #23.

eSIM device check. Airalo says your phone must support eSIM and have no carrier restrictions (carrier-locked phones are limited to one provider's SIMs). Look in your phone's SIM settings. (Airalo – device compatibility)

3 weeks out: register and set up accounts

• Create your Visit Japan Web account. Run by Japan's Digital Agency, it is a web service, not an app, for registering immigration, customs and tax-free shopping information. Start at https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/. (Digital Agency – Visit Japan Web) (#27)
• A note on Japanese pages. The Visit Japan Web manual and FAQ, like several official pages below, are in Japanese. Chrome's Translate (address-bar icon; on a phone, ⋮ → Translate) puts them in English.
• Traveling with family? The FAQ's rule is one account per person, but family members entering and returning with you can be added as "accompanying family members" (同伴家族) — up to 10, per the manual (version 3.16). (Visit Japan Web FAQ; Visit Japan Web manual)
• Register on a computer if you like, but you need your phone at the airport. The QR code must be shown on a smartphone or tablet. (Visit Japan Web service page)

1 week to 5 days out: phone, battery, bags

• Install your eSIM before you fly. (#24)
• Confirm you can display your Visit Japan Web QR code. At the airport you show one QR code at the reading terminals for both immigration and customs (unified on 2024-01-25). (Visit Japan Web manual)
• Set up the offline fallback. Visit Japan Web works offline if you install software in advance — see the manual's section オフライン利用 ("offline use"). It is the official backup if you have no connection on arrival.
• Check your power banks against the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (MLIT) rules, and your airline's own rules.
  • Power banks are prohibited in checked baggage. They go in your carry-on.
  • Power banks over 160Wh are prohibited. Wh = Ah × V (mAh ÷ 1,000 first). Example: 27,000mAh × 3.7V = 99.9Wh.
  • From 2026-04-24, you may carry no more than 2 power banks (2 at 100Wh or less, or 2 between over 100Wh and 160Wh, or 1 of each).
  • Protect each against short circuits: tape the terminals or use a case, away from metal items.

Violations may be penalized under the Civil Aviation Act. (MLIT leaflet, PDF) The English version is linked from the MLIT page as "【To All Passengers】 Regarding Bringing Power Banks on Board (En)."

• Pack medications and plan your luggage (#43, #40).

The day before: last checks

• Open Visit Japan Web on your phone and confirm every traveler's entries are complete.
• Know the in-flight battery rules. Keep power banks out of the overhead bin (the seat pocket is fine). Don't charge it from aircraft outlets or charge devices from it. (MLIT leaflet, PDF)
• Using Welcome Suica Mobile? Plan to spend the balance. JR East's App Store listing says it expires 180 days after issuance and refunds are not available. (App Store – Welcome Suica Mobile) (#26)

Things to buy vs. things to register

Things to buy

eSIM: our pick for a 10-day trip

How much data: 10GB. Holafly's guide puts most 7-day trips at 3–7GB, and two weeks in Asia with daily maps, messaging and social media at 5–10GB. Ten days sits between; 10GB covers the top of both. (Holafly – data guide)

(Airalo – Japan plans; Holafly – Japan eSIM; Airalo help; Holafly FAQ)

Our pick: Airalo's 10GB plan, ¥2,950 (≈ $19) for 30 days. It matches the top of that 5–10GB estimate at about half the price of Airalo's unlimited 10-day plan.

Not you? If you stream a lot of video, take an unlimited row. On Holafly with an iPhone, install only when you're ready to use it (see the table).

Why now: Airalo advises installing "as early as possible, whenever you have a stable internet connection." Check the Validity Policy first (see the table). (#24) (Airalo help)

Travel insurance: our pick

What care can cost without it. Visitors are usually outside Japan's public insurance, so treatment is billed in full at prices each hospital sets. Of hospitals pricing by Japan's fee schedule, 85.7% charge at or below the full Japanese insurance rate. (MHLW survey, PDF; MHLW study manual, PDF)

The last two are individual cases, not typical prices. (JNTO – emergency guide)

Our pick: a travel policy with medical cover that pays the hospital directly (cashless). JNTO strongly encourages visitors to have private medical insurance with adequate coverage, and warns that visitors who don't pay their medical bills may be denied entry in the future. (JNTO – emergency guide) JNTO describes travel insurance as separate from your health insurance at home and suggests checking for cashless payment. (JNTO – travel insurance) SafetyWing is one option; we haven't compared its terms, so check both points in its policy wording. (#28)

You can also buy it after you arrive — JNTO says so. If you plan to wait, compare what each policy lists besides medical care. One U.S. example, Allianz's OneTrip Prime, also lists trip cancellation (up to $100,000), travel delay and baggage delay; benefits vary by state. Check whether a policy you'd buy in Japan lists any of these. (Allianz – OneTrip Prime)

Not you? Already covered through a card or employer? Check that it lists medical care abroad and cashless payment before buying another.

Also on the list

• JR Pass — only if it beats your route; see "Our read" above. (#23)
• Wise — converts money at the mid-market rate. Wise says card spending in yen is free if you hold yen; otherwise a conversion fee applies, and ATM operators may add fees. (Wise – pricing; Wise – card fees) (#25)
• Bounce — if it fits your luggage plan. (#40)

Things to register or set up

Visit Japan Web (#27), your eSIM installation (#24), Welcome Suica Mobile if you use it (#26), and the JR Pass exchange if you bought through an overseas agent (#23).

What to do right now

1. Check that your phone supports eSIM and isn't carrier-locked, then buy your eSIM.
2. Buy travel insurance with medical cover and cashless payment.
3. Put three dates in your calendar: one month, three weeks and five days out.
4. Save this checklist and bookmark https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/.