What I See Tourists Get Wrong in Japan (From a Kyoto Tour Guide)

Think you’ve prepared for your Japan trip? Even savvy travelers fall into these common traps.

I’m Abby, a Kyoto-based guide and photographer—and I’ve seen everything. In this video, I’ll walk you through the biggest mistakes I see tourists making, and how to avoid them for a smoother, more respectful, and more meaningful trip.

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12 Comments

  1. Hi Abby, I hve a question. If you have an any rail pass in Japan and want to go ride a train inside Tokyo for example, but the pass only cover halfway of thr track. Can you pay for the rest of the trip with an IC card without have to tap out of the gate? Thanks ❤

  2. ive been putting off a japan trip for 30yrs, learnt japanese at highschool (1985 )coz japan was going to be australias largest trading partner… always baulk at it coz crowds. Castles and temples and friendly deer i wanna see, but not at the expense of comfort… finally, i found the way to do japan – megalith sites. there's coffins with the mystery nubs, keyhole shaped tombs that have never been dug up, turtle shaped bunkers, double door tiny caves like seen in ancient turkey…as a tour – its now my plan. no people, amazing architecture, quiet sites with zero crowd…getting to them will be half the fun.

  3. Great tips , I remember once we went to the temple in Osaka that has all the Darumas. It was fun but you had to take a bus to get there. On the way back the line for the bus was long but there was a nice group of taxis. Older gentleman that just go down the mountain to the trains station. The bus would cost us $1500 yen and the taxi cost $2000 for no waiting to standing and right to where we wanted to go 🙂 families of four would cost the same. As the bus. Lol

  4. Been planning my first trip to Japan over the last year. It became much less stressful when I accepted that it just isn't possible to see everything or go everywhere in one trip.

  5. I like Airbnb’s. We like to make sure we are near a grocery or kombini. That’s not as easy sometimes in a hotel. ( I mean like across the street).

  6. Hi Abby, I will be in Kyoto in October and I did not know bus lines got this bad. Is this just a specific spot or is like this in every popular location ??

  7. Thank you for the amazing information. How much is a typical large size coin locker at a train station for two days?

  8. "if you need to go to a shrine at 3am…". Most people out at that time do need God. 😂