NEW Japan Travel Updates You MUST Know in 2025

NEW Japan Travel Updates You MUST Know in 2025

if you’re watching this there’s a very 
good chance you’re planning a trip to Japan and if so this video contains all 
the latest Japan travel updates you need to know before your upcoming trip to 
the Land of the Rising Sun some of these updates have been put into place with 
the rest set to be implemented within 2025 this video is by the way meant to be an 
update to my previous first Timers guide to Japan which is by the way the video that 
I would recommend you watch first especially if you’re headed to Japan for the first time 
I’m going to try to link that video here and also in my description box in case you 
want to do that first I will then link this video at the end of that video so that you 
can then head on over here to watch the updates all right with that out of the 
way let’s get straight into it Regular or previous travelers to Japan 
will probably remember this queue which is the reason why Japan is introducing a new 
pre-clearance system in 2025 this forms part of their overall efforts to streamline the 
entry process for tourists which are by the way set to hit an all-time record high 
in 2025 visitors will basically be able to undergo pre-clearance the process of which 
includes document verification, fingerprinting and facial photograph verification all whilst 
waiting for their flights to depart for Japan once the pre-clearance is done visitors simply 
need to head to the kiosk machines which look like this that are currently already located 
at the Narita and Kansai International airports there are also currently plans to link this to 
the visit Japan web the visit Japan web just real quick for those who don’t know is a site where 
you basically pre-register your immigrations and Customs information after of which you will get a 
QR code the intention of that is to simplify your entry into Japan as once that is done all you need 
to enter Japan is the QR code and your passport this pre-clearance procedure as of the writing 
of this video which is January 2025 is only open to visitors from Taiwan however the Japanese 
government has announced that they plan to expand this to more eligible countries based on the 
results of this pilot operation and therefore I would recommend checking closer to your travel 
date to see if your country is now eligible for the predeparture clearance process as it’s going 
to save you so much time when entering Japan Speaking of things that you’re going to want 
to check closer to your travel date Japan is also preparing to implement a electronic travel 
authorization system which is similar to the US ESTA to simplify the entry process for Visa 
exempt Travelers which at the writing of this video includes the following 71 countries don’t 
worry I’ve also placed the 71 countries in my description box for your ease of reference much 
like the US counterpart the application process will involve providing personal information 
your purpose of visit travel details and duration and the ETA will need to be approved 
prior to your arrival but you’re going to want to pay attention to this one if you plan to 
do a lot of shopping during your Japan trip Japan is going to be introducing a new tax 
refund process this is set to take effect in November 2026 and this is how it’s going to 
be different from the current refund process currently your tax is immediately deducted at 
point of purchase however with the new system you will now be required to pay the total 
cost of your purchase you will then keep your receipts for all eligible purchases and get 
your refund when you’re departing from Japan at the airports whilst this means that you will 
need to get to the airport earlier on your day of departure this new process does introduce some 
new benefits namely the new system will abolish packaging requirements Goods classifications and 
most importantly the minimum or maximum spend you see you would have needed to 
previously have spent a minimum of 5,000 yen and also only be able to claim 
tax up to an amount of 500,000 yen to be eligible for tax refunds but under this 
new system those limits will be abolished This next section contains an important update on 
the Japan IC cards which are by the way cards that you’re going to need to ride all forms of public 
transportation in Japan like for example if you’re heading to Tokyo you’re probably researching on 
how you can get your hands on a SUICA or PASMO IC card by the way if that is one of your concerns 
I have previously done a video on five SUICA or PASMO IC card Alternatives that you may wish 
to watch as well I’m again going to link that video in my description box and also somewhere 
here before then considering this to be your sixth SUICA or PASMO alternative the JR east is 
introducing a welcome suica mobile app which is expected to be released in Spring 2025 AKA around 
March or the peak cherry blossom season this digital version of the welcome suica will allow 
you to obtain and charge up your welcome suica card prior to your arrival in Japan there are 
several key benefits of the app one is that you don’t need a physical card like this and you also 
don’t have to line up to buy one when arriving in Japan and also you can purchase this using your 
Apple pay instead of cash the card is also active for 180 days upon activation and you can not only 
use it on all forms of public transportation but also use it to make payments wherever a Japan IC 
card is accepted as a payment method however at the writing of this video the welcome suica app is 
only available on Apple devices even though they have announced plans to expand it to be available 
on Android devices as well which I know especially if you’ve already watched my suica pasmo 
Alternatives what’s the big difference Steve? what’s the big deal? I mean isn’t it just the same 
as activating a suica or pasmo in my Apple wallet? well if you have an Apple device it may still 
be worthwhile considering the welcome suica app if you plan on taking shinkansen AKA bullet 
trains that will take you inter cities in Japan you see unlike the digital suica or pasmo in 
the Apple wallet you can actually link your shinkansen slash bullet train ticket to your 
welcome suica card within the app now what does this mean? this means that instead of having 
to line up to purchase or collect your shinkansen ticket you can actually use your welcome suica 
app to directly tap into the shinkansen Subway Lines and skip the queue pretty useful if you 
plan on making inter City trips if you ask me apart from all these enhancements Japan has 
also added several new attraction spots that you must add to your trip itinerary 
so let’s talk about them by the way I’m Steve from the phatlife project and I 
love creating PHAT travel guides just like the one that you’re watching right now 
and so if you found value in this video so far and want to support me the best and 
free way to do so would simply to click on that subscribe button so that we can go 
on more PHAT travel adventures together! with that out of the way let’s get back into 
it speaking of Adventures Universal Studios in Osaka has also recently introduced Donkey Kong 
an exciting new expansion on its renowned Super Nintendo World the Donkey Kong area immerses 
you in a jungle setting that is reminiscent of the game itself which is unbelievable if you’re 
someone like myself who grew up playing the game speaking of the game the Superstar of the show so 
to speak is the Mine cart madness roller coaster which replicates the thrilling Minecart sequences 
in the classic game there is plenty to do apart from the ride however explore interactive zones 
that will allow you to collect plenty of exclusive merchandisers and also meet your favorite 
characters of which of course includes Donkey Kong I honestly had so much fun here and I 
would highly recommend you check it out Additionally in January 2025 team lab planets 
Tokyo in toyosu unveiled their largest expansion to date effectively increasing its exhibition 
Space by one and a half times introducing multiple new immersive artworks some notable highlights 
of this expansion include the athletic forest a complex multi-dimensional creative space designed 
to engage visitors both physically and mentally this area encourages active exploration 
allowing you to immerse yourself in Dynamic art installations that respond to movement and 
interaction Additionally you must also check out the very unique catching and collecting extinct 
Forest which offers an educational experience where you can capture and study digital 
representations of extinct animals you also get a chance to contribute to the art around 
you at Future learn Park and convert your art into souvenirs at the sketch Factory in fact 
I only recently visited team lab planets and you can get a little preview of it as well as 
I did a video about it I will link that video at the end of this video so that you can check 
that out next I will also link my first timer guide to Tokyo Japan at the end of this video as 
well in case you haven’t already watched it that contain contains all the lessons I learned prior 
to my trip and also during my trip so I definitely recommend watching before you go so you don’t 
make the same mistakes that I did by the way if you found value in this video don’t forget to 
like comment subscribe share as it really does help in appeasing those YouTube algorithm guards 
but much much more importantly it will just make my day as a content creator and also if you 
got to this point of the video 50 points to Gryffindor to you but also thank you so much 
for your support I really do genuinely mean it when I say it means absolutely everything 
as always I hope that you have a fantastic day ahead or that you already had a good day I 
will see you very soon in the next video ciao!!

If you’re travelling to Japan in 2025 here are some NEW Updates you need to be aware of before going

Japan is expecting its highest influx of visitors in 2025 and this new updates are a must know for you to make the most of your trip!

This is a supplement to my original first timers guide to Japan that you can watch here – https://youtu.be/2GU686jACRw
5 other SUICA PASMO alternatives – https://youtu.be/k8_XFnEvBK4?si=bloPs7xhdOrNhfbQ
NEW Teamlab Planets Walkthrough – https://youtu.be/laXQpCmGgbo?si=rK1bRpUUw2B4ieiC

There are CHAPTERS so feel free to skip around (and back!)

00:00 Introduction
00:44 New Pre-clearance System for Foreign Travellers in 2025
02:22 New Electronic Travel Authorisation Requirement
03:01 Understanding Japan’s NEW tax refund process
04:09 Welcome SUICA Mobile App – Japan IC Card Update
07:02 Donkey Kong Country Osaka
07:50 Teamlab Planets New Expansion Tokyo
08:41 Outro

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Hi I am Steve, I live in Sydney, Australia and decided to start creating travel content on YouTube as a passion project

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ETA System 71 countries list – https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html

#japantravelguide #japantravelupdates #japantrip2025