Travel Guide to Japan for the First-Timers
Oct 28, 2022
Good news to those who have been dreaming about a trip to Japan! After over two and a half years, Japan has finally reopened to international tourists, along with the resumption of visa-free entry effective on October 11th. To check for full requirements and detailed information, click here. However, if you’ve never been to Japan before, here are some things you could prepare beforehand.   1. Visa Application You may be confused as there are 2 types of visas provided by the Japanese Embassy - a regular visa and a visa waiver (visa-free). A regular visa application process takes a minimum of four working days from when all required documents have been submitted. However, if you have an e-passport, taking care of your Japan visa will be much more simple  as e-passport holders are eligible for a visa waiver to enter Japan. Procedure for visa waiver only needs registering at the Japanese Embassy, and only takes 2 working days to process at maximum. Once approved, you’ll be granted a visit for a maximum of 15 days, and is valid up to 3 years from your first visit.   2. Book Flights and Accommodations in Advance The next thing is to arrange your itinerary, as booking flights and accommodation in advance could get you special flight promos. You can also book your flight tickets at a Travel Fair to take advantage of special prices from various airlines. You don't have to book round-trip tickets with the same route. For example, going the Jakarta-Osaka route and returning through the Tokyo-Jakarta route can save your expenses if you plan to visit multiple cities in Japan. Don't forget to consider the distance between tourist destinations and where you are staying to save time and effort during the trip.   3. Make Sure All Gadget Essentials are Ready One of the most commonly forgotten things to pack when travelling - yet the most important - is your travel adaptor. The socket used in Indonesia is in the form of two round holes (type F), while most socket types in Japan have two vertical flat holes (type A). Also another important thing to consider is doing a Wi-Fi portable rent instead of buying a roaming data package or new sim cards. In Japan, you can easily rent a portable Wi-Fi that can be used while you’re in the country which you can also share with a group.   4. Learn the Transportation System in Japan Talking about transportation in Japan might immediately remind you of the Shinkansen, the famous super-fast train from Japan which costs quite a bit to experience. Not to worry, there are several other transportations that you can use in Japan, such as buses and subways. The Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) with 1 week validity would also save your budget, instead of buying tickets per travel route. With the JR Pass, you can freely travel anywhere in Japan - saving much cost to travel between different cities. However, if you are only travelling within one city, buying an IC card which works like an electronic card such as e-money, would already be sufficient.    Above are some tips you can implement especially for you who are planning a trip to Japan for the first time. Complete your trip with travel insurance to ensure you are safe from risks during the trip, making it a pleasant journey. You don't need to spend much for travel insurance - with only IDR 80,000, the Amanyaman ASIA 50 gives you total protection of up to IDR 750 million rupiah. Amanyaman is the only travel insurance provider which covers Double Protection from before, during and even after your travel trip.   If you are interested in purchasing Amanyaman’s travel insurance products and services, or need additional information about the coverage and benefits of our travel insurance policies, learn more about our products here.

Good news to those who have been dreaming about a trip to Japan! After over two and a half years, Japan has finally reopened to international tourists, along with the resumption of visa-free entry effective on October 11th. To check for full requirements and detailed information, click here. However, if you’ve never been to Japan before, here are some things you could prepare beforehand.

 

1. Visa Application

You may be confused as there are 2 types of visas provided by the Japanese Embassy - a regular visa and a visa waiver (visa-free). A regular visa application process takes a minimum of four working days from when all required documents have been submitted. However, if you have an e-passport, taking care of your Japan visa will be much more simple  as e-passport holders are eligible for a visa waiver to enter Japan. Procedure for visa waiver only needs registering at the Japanese Embassy, and only takes 2 working days to process at maximum. Once approved, you’ll be granted a visit for a maximum of 15 days, and is valid up to 3 years from your first visit.

 

2. Book Flights and Accommodations in Advance

The next thing is to arrange your itinerary, as booking flights and accommodation in advance could get you special flight promos. You can also book your flight tickets at a Travel Fair to take advantage of special prices from various airlines. You don't have to book round-trip tickets with the same route. For example, going the Jakarta-Osaka route and returning through the Tokyo-Jakarta route can save your expenses if you plan to visit multiple cities in Japan. Don't forget to consider the distance between tourist destinations and where you are staying to save time and effort during the trip.

 

3. Make Sure All Gadget Essentials are Ready

One of the most commonly forgotten things to pack when travelling - yet the most important - is your travel adaptor. The socket used in Indonesia is in the form of two round holes (type F), while most socket types in Japan have two vertical flat holes (type A). Also another important thing to consider is doing a Wi-Fi portable rent instead of buying a roaming data package or new sim cards. In Japan, you can easily rent a portable Wi-Fi that can be used while you’re in the country which you can also share with a group.

 

4. Learn the Transportation System in Japan

Talking about transportation in Japan might immediately remind you of the Shinkansen, the famous super-fast train from Japan which costs quite a bit to experience. Not to worry, there are several other transportations that you can use in Japan, such as buses and subways. The Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) with 1 week validity would also save your budget, instead of buying tickets per travel route. With the JR Pass, you can freely travel anywhere in Japan - saving much cost to travel between different cities. However, if you are only travelling within one city, buying an IC card which works like an electronic card such as e-money, would already be sufficient. 

 

Above are some tips you can implement especially for you who are planning a trip to Japan for the first time. Complete your trip with travel insurance to ensure you are safe from risks during the trip, making it a pleasant journey. You don't need to spend much for travel insurance - with only IDR 80,000, the Amanyaman ASIA 50 gives you total protection of up to IDR 750 million rupiah. Amanyaman is the only travel insurance provider which covers Double Protection from before, during and even after your travel trip.

 

If you are interested in purchasing Amanyaman’s travel insurance products and services, or need additional information about the coverage and benefits of our travel insurance policies, learn more about our products here.