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More People Are Visiting Japan Than Ever. So Why Are So Many Going Home With Regrets?

See how smart travelers are avoiding the mistakes most first-timers never see coming.👇

Written by Ken Nakajima

Updated 12 August 2026

Read time: 5 mins

We Asked 200+ Travelers One Simple Question

“What do you wish you had known before you came to Japan?”

At first, the answers were all over the place.

 

Some people said:

 

“Japan has been incredible.”

 

“Best trip we’ve ever taken.”

 

Others told us:

 

“I wish we had planned this differently.”

 

“We thought we were prepared… until we got here.”

 

That made us wonder:

 

They were visiting the same Japan.

 

So why were their experiences so different?

4 Mistakes Travelers Wished They’d Known About Before Coming to Japan

The more travelers we spoke to, the more we heard the same problems.

 

Different people.

 

Different trips.

 

But similar mistakes.

 

And most of them didn’t realize these things would be a problem until they were already in Japan.

 

So here are 4 mistakes travelers told us they wish they had known about sooner.

Mistake #1. Underestimating How Confusing The Tokyo Train System Is 

This was one of the biggest problems travelers kept bringing up.

 

One woman told us she got completely lost inside Shinjuku Station, the busiest train station in the world.

 

She and her husband just needed to find their platform.

 

Instead, they spent nearly 45 minutes wandering around.

 

They checked the signs.

 

Checked their phones.

 

Backtracked.

 

Asked each other if they were going the right way.

 

But somehow, they only got more confused.

 

By the end, she was exhausted and close to tears.

 

She told us:

 

“I got to the point where I didn’t even want to take the trains anymore.”

Mistake #2: Accidentally Embarrassing Yourself By Not Knowing The Cultural Rules

A lot of travelers told us the cultural rules caught them off guard.

 

One couple walked into a fitting room at a clothing store.

 

Her husband was halfway through changing his shirt.

 

But then a store clerk suddenly came over speaking quickly in Japanese.

 

He had no idea what she wanted.

 

So he just stood there half-naked and confused.

 

Then his wife realized what they had done.

 

They were supposed to take their shoes off before entering the fitting room.

 

It was a tiny mistake.

 

But when you don’t know the rules, you usually don’t realize you’ve broken one until everyone else does.

Mistake #3: Not Realizing That Most People Don’t Speak English

A lot of travelers assumed they’d be able to get by with English almost everywhere.

 

But once they arrived, they realized that wasn’t always the case.

 

Around 90% of people in Japan don’t speak English fluently.

 

In fact, Japan has one of the lowest rates of English speakers in the world.


So they didn’t expect such simple things to suddenly become difficult.

 

Ordering food.

 

Giving a taxi driver an address.

 

Asking for directions.

 

And when the other person didn’t understand...

 

they would pull out Google Translate.

 

But sometimes that only made things more confusing.

 

So a simple 30-second interaction would turn into a 10-minute struggle.

 

And after dealing with that over and over again...

 

A lot of travelers told us the stress started adding up.

Mistake #4: Falling for Viral Restaurants & Attractions They Saw on Social Media

Several travelers said they spent months saving restaurants from Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook.

 

Then they got there...

 

waited in a long line...

 

ate the meal...

 

and wondered what all the hype was about.

 

One traveler waited almost two hours for a restaurant they had been excited about for months.

 

We asked what they thought afterward.

 

Their answer was simple:

 

“I was sad. I fell for a tourist trap”

 

So we started asking a bigger question.

 

Why were travelers who spent months planning still making mistakes they never saw coming?

So We Asked How They Planned

Most travelers had done a lot of research.

 

Restaurants saved on Google Maps.

 

Hundreds of Instagram posts saved.

 

Watched the Youtube Videos.

 

Some had full day-by-day itineraries.

 

So they weren’t winging it.

 

And they were trying really hard to get the trip right.

 

After all, Japan isn’t somewhere most people can just come back to next month.

 

Many of them told us Japan had been on their bucket list for years.

 

And they had saved up thousands of dollars for their trip.

 

Which is why hearing them say, “I wish we had done things differently,” stood out so much.

What The Best Trips Had In Common

A lot of them simply said:

 

“It was one of the best trips we’ve ever taken.”

 

Why?

 

Well one traveler said:

 

“I had the best sushi of my life at this tiny place a local recommended to us.”

 

A couple told us:

 

“I learned a few phrases before we came, and it saved us from a lot of confusion.”

 

Another said:

 

“I thought the trains were going to be a nightmare, but honestly, we got around way easier than I expected.”

Others said:

 

“We found places that weren’t packed with tourists.”

 

“We always felt like we knew what to do next.”

 

“I didn’t feel stressed about accidentally doing something wrong.”

 

Some were already talking about coming back.

 

So we asked them another question.

 

What did you do differently before you came?

There Was One Recommendation We Heard Again And Again

Some people had friends in Japan helping them out.

 

Some had family there.

 

But one thing kept coming up more than we expected.

 

A travel guide made by locals.

 

And the same name kept getting mentioned:

 

The Ultimate Tokyo Travel Guide by Farr East.

They said they used the guide while planning.

 

And because it was digital, they could also use it during the trip, even offline.

 

But almost everyone said the same thing.

 

They felt more confident about Japan after reading the guide.

 

That made us want to know why.

 

What was inside this guide that was making such a difference?

Why Thousands Of Travelers Are Raving About This Guide

When we looked inside, one thing became obvious.

 

You don’t need 100 more Japan videos.

 

You need someone who knows Japan to simply tell you:

 

“Do this.”

 

“Skip that.”

 

“Book this before you arrive.”

 

“Don’t make this mistake.”

 

“Take this train.”

 

“Download this app.”

 

In other words, you need the kind of advice you’d get from a local friend.

 

That’s what makes Farr East travel guides different.

 

The guides were created by two brothers born and raised in Japan.

 

And more than 10,000 travelers have already used them.

Travelers Are Using It In The Moments That Matter

Before walking into a major train station:

“Which signs am I looking for?”

 

Before choosing where to eat:

“Is this actually worth it or just another tourist trap?”

 

Before planning tomorrow:

“What should we book now?”

 

Before doing something unfamiliar:

“Is there a rule I should know?”

 

And when plans suddenly changed...

 

they didn’t have to start another 30-minute Google search.

 

They already knew where to look.

 

So they spent less time trying to figure Japan out...

 

and more time actually enjoying it.

How To Arrive In Japan Prepared And Confident.

Imagine stepping off the plane feeling confident and prepared.

 

You already know which apps to download.

 

You understand how the trains work.

 

You know what needs to be booked in advance.

 

You know the basic cultural rules locals expect visitors to follow.

 

And instead of wasting an hour in line at an overhyped restaurant...

 

you know where locals actually go.

 

You don’t have to piece your trip together from hundreds of random TikToks, posts, and Google searches.

 

You have one clear guide showing you what actually matters.

 

It’s like having a local friend tell you what to do before you ever arrive.

 

So if you want to arrive in Japan prepared and confident, get the guide before you go.

🎉 PLAN JAPAN WITH CONFIDENCE

For the next 48 hours:

GET 40% OFF THE ULTIMATE TOKYO GUIDE 

🎁 FREE BONUSES WITH YOUR ORDER ($65 VALUE)

     Get 40% OFF →   

+10,000 Happy Travelers

Instant Download

Order today with a  30-Day-Money-Back Gurantee!
Title

PLAN JAPAN WITH CONFIDENCE

For the next 48 hours:

GET 40% OFF THE ULTIMATE TOKYO GUIDE 

🎁 FREE BONUSES WITH YOUR ORDER ($65 VALUE)

GET 40% OFF →
Title

10,000+ Happy Travelers 

Instant Download

Order today with a 30-Day-Money-Back Guarantee!

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