My 5 Underrated Tips About Solo Traveling To Japan
Since I am going to Japan next week, there has been tons of articles and videos talking about the necessary tips about going to Japan. If you don't know, Japan is considered to be one of the safest and best places for solo traveling to Japan.
I've been to Japan solo for the first time in August 2025. It was a great experience since it's my first time doing almost everything on my own, and it's a learning experience on things that are outside of my control.
I should've done this post immediately after my trip to have some type of memory back in August 2025, however I immediately was knocked out sleep the moment I went back to my hometown. Better late than never, that what I say~
Here are 5 tips of doing solo travel in Japan that not many notable travel websites and videos don't tell you about.
Tip #1: Package Your Travels
It was April 30th, 2025, and it was that day where I booked my trip to Japan. However, what I did differently was to package my trip so I can hit two birds in one stone.
What I mean by purchasing a trip is when you book the hotel first and the flight second. The reason being is you save tons of time trying to find the most affordable flight and hotel, and also you save money as well.
So when I booked my hotel in Minatomirai (Yokohama), Japan and also booked the roundtrip flight, it felt super relieved to finish the hardest part in record time and in an affordable way. If I remember correctly, it costs less than $2000 for the flight and hotel.
The best place to buy a package trip is Travelocity. That way you can find the affordable hotel and flight and don't have to go find the flight first on one website, book it quickly as possible, then find the ideal hotel to go to in a different website, and book that quickly.
So, if you want to go to Japan, find package trips in websites like Travelocity so you can both book your flight and hotel and save money at the same time.
Tip #2: Airport Transfer (Roundtrip)
Continuing with the preparations of your trip to Japan, the second thing that not many people would know is to get an airport transfer. It means you get a pre-arranged driver from a shared transport service that would pick you up and bring you to your destination (most likely to your hotel).
It was two weeks before I go to Japan, and it was recommended to me while I was double-checking my itinerary. So I thought to myself, "I might need this because I do want to go straight to my hotel". I mostly got the private transfer since it's a personal vehicle that'll bring my straight to my hotel without any mishaps or to learn about another country's public transportation.
Tons of people would either have to do three things to go to your destination:
- Hail a taxi
- Go to the train station
- Rideshares
It's super expensive to deal with taxis and rideshares (plus it can be a little more unpredictable for rideshares than taxis), and plus bringing my luggage to the train station would be a bigger hassle to deal with.
The moment I used the private transfer, not only it saved me some time, but it saves a hassle of finding any transportation to bring me to my hotel. Plus, the same private transfer company would bring me back into the airport.
So, if I was you, an airport transfer would be worth it.
Tip #3: 7-Eleven ATMs and Currency Exchange Kiosks
For people that want to get the Japanese yen quickly, there are two ways you can use it (but one of them is better):
- Currency Exchange Kiosks in international airports
- 7-Eleven ATMs in Japan
Before I went to Japan, I was in George Bush International Airport in Houston, waiting to board my flight to Japan. I realized that I needed some Japanese yen before I land in Haneda International Airport, and I saw a currency exchange kiosk. I got the chance to exchange United States dollar to Japanese yen before I board my flight.
While I was in Minatomirai, I went to the nearest 7-Eleven ATM to get some money out of my debit card. Not only I got the money quicker, but close to the market than the currency exchange kiosk at the international airport.
The one thing I realized during my trip was because the fees were a lot more expensive in the kiosks, I technically lost a lot more money than if I wait until I got to Japan and exchange the money from my debit card on the 7-Eleven ATM. The underrated tip I would say for getting Japanese yen from the ATM is to select Yen to exchange so you won't get fees from your bank.
So there are two ways and two reasons to exchange your money to Japanese yen:
- If you want to exchange your money quickly but don't mind the small hit, currency exchange kiosks would work out.
- If you want to take your time and want the most amount of money you need, wait until you get to Japan and try the nearest 7-Eleven ATM.
Tip #4: JP Post
Pretend you bought a tons of souvenirs and merchandise, and you don't want to squeeze it in your luggage nor buy a new suitcase to put your souvenirs in.
I bought tons of souvenirs, clothing, and tons of merchandise, and I immediately know that I can't fit most of them in my suitcase. So, come to find out, I was within walking distance of JP Post, a Japanese post office.
The process of finding the ideal box, feeling out the information about the products your about to ship, what kind of shipping you want (sea or air), and filling out your personal information on where to ship it to.
It was a relief because it would be a huge hassle for me to squeeze my merch into my suitcase and it would leave me no choice but to spend some money on another suitcase for my merchandise alone.
Although I did it a couple of days before I leave Japan, it took a lot quicker than I thought with the help of the post office employees. I would suggest to do it if you have a huge threshold of merchandise you bought and you immediately know you cannot stuff it into your suitcase. The sooner you do it, the faster the process goes, the better it is for you when you leave Japan.
That way, you won't have to pay extra if you go overboard on stuffing your suitcase.
Tip #5: Pocket Wi-Fi
A pocket Wi-Fi was the best thing I bought for the entire trip because I would access to the internet without having to deal with hotel Wi-Fi or trying to find Wi-Fi from public places such as Starbucks or the train stations.
I bought the pocket Wi-Fi from Japan Wireless because you get the chance to send the router to your hotel room. The moment I checked in to my hotel room in Minatomirai, I relaxed a bit and got something to eat. When I got back to the lobby, the Japan Wireless package came for the pocket Wi-Fi.
The process of getting internet into my phone, laptop, Nintendo Switch was super quick. At best, it took me about 5 minutes to connect all three of them. They even have a folded package so when you're finished with it, you can insert the entire materials for it into the folded package and insert it to the mailbox with their return address.
The challenging part about that is I would have to constantly charge the thing a lot, and the battery isn't really the strongest to handle it all day.
My tip for it is to make sure to let it send to your hotel you at a later time rather than do it at the exact time. For example, I would say if you're landing in Japan at around 3:30pm, put it to almost 5:30 to 6pm to make the process a little bit better for you.
Conclusion
I know going to Japan for the first time solo can be a hassle despite being one of the best countries in the world for solo traveling, but I hope those five tips can help you make your destination to Japan a lot better and easier. Also, it can give you a slight edge compared to most travelers that are figuring it out right at the spot. The more automated your trip is, the calmer you'll be.
What are some other tips you can say to make your solo trip to Japan a lot more convenient?
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