Asia Unseen · Japan
Japan
The country that makes every trip afterwards harder. Expensive, yes — but far less so than people believe, once you leave international hotels and eat where Japanese people eat. The value of a 900-yen lunch is unbeatable.
Who it suits: Independent travellers, people who love cities, design, hiking and food.
- Entry
- 90 days visa-free
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Oct · Nov
- Budget
- from €65 / day
- Rules checked
- September 2026
Tokyo · Yen (JPY) · UTC+9
Can you enter, and for how long
Ordinary passports, tourism. Each rule below comes from the traveller's own government, with the month it was read — not from another guide.
By passport
90 days visa-free
No visa for a short tourist stay on a French passport.
Taken in September 2026 · France Diplomatie — Japon, entrée et séjour ↗
90 days visa-free
90 days without a prior visa, granted on arrival for tourism or business.
Taken in September 2026 · GOV.UK — conseils aux voyageurs, conditions d'entrée ↗
90 days visa-free
90 days visa-free maximum.
Taken in September 2026 · Gouvernement du Canada — conseils aux voyageurs ↗
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the US portal refuses automated reading — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the Australian portal refuses the connection — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the New Zealand portal does not publish entry rules — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
When to go
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
April (cherry blossom) and November (maples) are magnificent — and full. May and early June are the best compromise of weather, crowds and price. Mid-June to mid-July is the rainy season. August is hot and humid in the cities but the right time for the northern Alps. Winter is excellent for the Sea of Japan coast and its snow.
What not to do
- Buying the JR Pass by reflex: since the price rise it only pays off on a very specific itinerary
- Planning Tokyo and Kyoto only, and missing what makes the country — the smaller cities
- Arriving without a way to pay: many places are still cash-only despite the reputation
- Booking accommodation late for cherry-blossom season, when prices triple
Booking your trip
The links below are affiliate links: they change nothing about what you pay, and they fund the writing of these pages. We only put here what we actually use.
Accommodation
The best coverage of small family-run hotels, and free cancellation almost everywhere.
Find a hotel (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Trains, buses and ferries
The only reliable aggregator for overland transport in Southeast Asia, with real timetables and named operators.
See the routes (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Activities and guides
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, verified reviews, and someone to talk to when a boat does not sail.
See what is on (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)The French version of this page also lists a travel insurer. It is not here on purpose: that insurer sells to French residents, and a policy you cannot buy is not a recommendation.
More on Japan
Sources and data
Entry rules for Japan are read on these official pages, and re-read every night. When one changes, the page changes and the correction is published in the corrections log, next to what we used to say.
Some source names below are in French, and stay that way on purpose: they are the titles of French government pages. Renaming them in English would make them harder to find, and finding them is the point. The rule for your own passport is read at your own government's portal, named alongside it above.
- France Diplomatie — Japon, entrée et séjour
- Ambassade du Japon en France
- Visit Japan Web
- France Diplomatie — Conseils aux voyageurs
The data behind this page is open: japon.json, CC BY 4.0.