Travelling to Japan is about to get MUCH Harder Here’s Why | Big Changes in 2025
Japan’s new changes will make you rethink your trip.
There are some BIG changes coming to Japan in 2025 and some of these changes are going to make travelling to Japan much harder. But there is a bright side to all this with some positive changes as well. Come join me as we dive into the upcoming changes in Japan that will affect tourists and travelers from all over the world.
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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
0:40 – IC Cards
2:07 – New Tokyo Metro App
3:16 – Tap and Go Train Payments
4:57 – EXPO 2025
6:51 – Japan Electronic Travel Authorization System (JESTA)
7:48 – Japan Pre-Clearance System
8:24 – Shinkansen Changes
9:42 – Dual Pricing Model
10:49 – New Tax Free Rules (Duty Free)
12:07 – Mt. Fuji Price Increase
12:52 – New Attractions
14:03 – Departure Tax Increase
14:32 – Japan will be less affordable
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37 Comments
Broke but friends added me to the "Japan 2025 group chat"
Going to Japan in November. It’s been a dream of mine to go since I was a teenager. Sucks that it’s gonna get more complex to travel there but at least I have enough time to prepare and get advice.
I'm in the Mt Fuji area, entry was slow, long lines, scan passport and fingerprints, picture and then go to a customs agent and then one more screening for customs. That was Narita airport, trains are good, very busy right now with Golden week. Google maps is pretty spot on for train routes and times. Bullet train was great!
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For me .. Japan is once in life visit destination, it’s not a regular tourist destination like Thailand or Malaysia or Bali . The hotels services (including the 5 star chains) sucks! , they change the agreed upon details of your reservation without notice, they will shower you with hidden charges , they charge on , swimming pools usage ( 90% of hotels doesn’t have swimming pools to begin with) , if you don’t eat raw fish or don’t like egg yolk swim in your soup 70% of the restaurants menus in Japan is relevant to you. It’s very hard to find a staff who speaks decent English in tourist attractions.
As I said you may visit it once in life to take it out of your list. But it’s not a place you go for recreation or hustle free peaceful vacation
*DINERS CLUB*???
Why is any of this be making my trip harder? Japan is one of the easiest places to visit. If you are upset by trying to book tickets in rush hour or paying a few dollars more for using a ski slope then just stay home.
Are you sure about niseko mate . Lift passes are 9500 now for ski pass . Where did you get this info ??
With all the price increases Japan is still cheaper then places in Europe and and the Americas
FYI, Japan is also 'just in time' for all these changes introducing the requirement of using your PIN with credit cards so just as they managed to get a lot of people used to using 'Tap-n-Go' in Japan, now in a lot of places it will be 'Tap-n-PIN', then you may go. Obviously, that won't be at turnstiles at stations but when shopping, it's already happening at quite a few places already.
You didn't mention the rainy season in starting in mid June and the HUMID HELL & HEAT that follows it for July and August.
Obviously, 'Golden week', which this year is almost 'Golden Weeks' is starting now and don't forget Obon in August, both make getting around Japan VERY difficult.
Take a wild guess why Japan changed the Tax Free system. Even though Japan will lose sales because of these rules, which will hurt local businesses, Japan hopes to be further ahead in the tax losses had they not changed the system which was being taken advantage of.
Total click bait. waste of time to watch! none of this is "about to get much harder"! some of the things pricier….but not harder!
Thanks Hoang for the update and advise. It was my third time there last month. Too many tourists. Upside to the increase cost and the Yen is maybe less crowds. But it doesn't matter. I'm going back in 2026!
Thank you for the video. I am thinking of going to Japan in May or June 2026 and these changes are definitely something to bear in mind.
So basically what you just explain to me means that I will have less stupid tourists when I go there, that will not embarrass me with their laziness? 😅 I don't know I was expecting something that would make me not want to go to Japan but now I want to go there even more because it's harder for basic tourists. YAY
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Great video's im going to japan in early september and your videos are helping me so much, just out of curosity where abouts is the location in 2:55? It looks amazing thank you 🙂
I got a suica card with my name engraved in it. A great souvenir indeed! Hopefully the chip is still the next time I get to visit XD
After hearing all these…I rather just go to Phillipines, cheaper, delicious food n friendly people 😊
Great video! Thanks for the tips! I’m going back to Japan next year and I don’t mind the changes, I just don’t like the changes to the tax free benefit. It’s inconvenient and even if they make the process easier, I think most will just skip it. They have the same refund system in S. Korea, which I experienced, and it just adds another hassle at the airport especially if you want to maximize your last day in the country. It was a great benefit but it won’t take away from the experience and it won’t deter people from visiting the country.
I believe they just announced that JESTA is expected for March 2028 instead of 2030 now, but thats still far off either way. I've got a trip booked for most of November and honestly even with some price increases Japan is still soo much cheaper then where I live that it will still feel cheap, with increasing prices in key tourist location it might help Japan spread out tourists to less busy locations as they aim towards having even more people visit the country every year.
pay and go that's such an old system from the 2000"s for real ?
Instead of increasing prices why doesn’t Japan just become more like the U.S.? Then no one will want to visit your country. 😂
I watched the whole video and was still wondering how a trip to Japan was going to be MUCH harder in 2025. Japan has always been an expensive place to visit but with the yen being so weak the past few years everyone has been trying to go there recently. Also, if you’re going to apply for tax refunds, calculate how much money you’re going to receive because it’s probably not worth applying for if the line is long.
Japan is fucked, a large part of their revenue comes from tourism, no other country implements a legal foreigner tax on all goods and services.
I have a planned trip to Japan in October and I was wondering what was up with Osaka hotel prices. A 3 night stay was gearing up to cost as much as an 8 night stay in Tokyo. I knew that the Gundam exhibit was ongoing, but I was unaware about the 2025 expo, and now suddenly everything clicks into place. I had to switch tactics from hotel to airbnb to bring the cost down to an acceptable degree.
Not really harder to enter per-se, just a couple of more steps. Japan is a wonderful country and whatever hassle it is to enter is more than worth it to experience it (second trip for me FYI). Also, a tip for the bullet trains (shinkansen). You can reserve online, but being the dinosaur I am, I find it better to go to the shinkansen booths and have the attendants help. They're super professional and many, if not all, speak english. It's best to do this the next day you arrive to book whatever seats you need for your itinerary. Also, you CAN splurge and ride the green cars (first class) at a markup, but I found it to have just a little more legroom and slightly emptier. If it's on your bucket list, go for it. If not, you can save some money just riding the regular cars.
Cheers travelers!
Why is Suica only for CryPhones, no one wants a CryPhone.
Nothing burger
Sounds kind of annoying, I was hoping to take less clothes and buy over there. Last time I was there I was interested in buying many things but just did not have the room. Ill probably still do it, but maybe bring half my clothes and buy the other half there.
I guess it does not seem “much” harder to me. If you go to Osaka, maybe so. I don’t use Suica or other such cards, I just use change. Yes, train prices increasing are a bother. 2 tier pricing might also be a bother. I always pay the sales tax, because it is used by Japan for the good of all and if I didn’t pay it, maybe they might be forced to increase it. So no refund line for me. I can’t say I am fond of the increase in departure tax. Seems like it should be an arrival tax. Kansai international charges an airport facility charge which I do not like so I use Narita or Haneda. The Mount Fuji thing is past due. Tourists damage stuff and someone needs to cover the cost of fixing it.
OMG!!! GET DUAL PRICING RIGHT!!! It's a discount for local residents of the area the venue is in. IT'S NOT JAPANESE VS FOREIGNERS!!!
For example: If you are a resident of Japan living in Sapporo and you go to Himeji Castle you pay the regular price… which has been increased. If you are a local resident of Himeji you get a discount. Local residents pay taxes that visitors don't. Stop making it sound like only foreigners pay the new prices.
No big deal. I went to Expo many years ago and was very disappointed.
I always buy bunch of snacks at the airport and fill empty duffel bag. Worked every time in NRT.
Last week, I used KIX and hated the new system (wasn’t like that in 2018)…forced me to walk through the mall like IKEA, smelling strong perfumes etc.
Then, to buy souvenir snacks like Tokyo Bananas, line up to use kiosks (limit 15mins), get the order tix, line up to pay, then wait until screen shows your#, line up to pick up items. I couldn’t check the size of boxes, exp dates etc…and felt much longer to purchase. Hard to do the last minute shopping at KIX…I want to go back to via NRT even it’s inconvenient for me.
Osaka is my hometown, my dad used to work at KIX…just sad.
I use the Apple Wallet feature but agree with the Suica being a great souvenir, especially if you don't travel to Japan much. In fact, I got a Kansai One Pass as a souvenir when I was at the Kyoto Station. The Astroboy on it is dope af
Love all your content from Japan! You've given me more reasons to visit it than to avoid it!
dual price? is that for any foreigner or just "tourists"?? I'm guessing it's the later
Dude! If you have an Apple Smartphone, you can simply add a Suica card to the wallet by clicking on the plus sign and selecting a Suica card, no app or other nonsense needed. Welcome Suica App providing a virtual Suica card which is only valid for 180days WTF?!?