Weather, warnings, and earthquakes
Use the Japan Meteorological Agency for current weather, heavy-rain and typhoon information, earthquake information, and official warnings.
Japan Meteorological Agency
Before arrival · during the stay · when plans change
Practical information.
Check what needs advance booking, carry a backup payment method, save important details offline, and know where to find current alerts.
Before leaving
Four things to check before leaving.
Confirm check-in, dinner, bath admission, and activity times before adding stops without reservations.
- 01
Book fixed-time activities first
Confirm accommodation check-in, dinner times, day-use bath admission, and activity deadlines directly with the provider. A listing is not a reservation, and opening hours are not the same as last admission.
- 02
Keep payment flexible
Carry some yen as a backup and confirm the accepted method when booking or ordering. Do not assume every independent business, bus, or bath accepts the same cards or digital wallets.
- 03
Give luggage a confirmed destination
Ask whether your accommodation can hold bags before check-in or after check-out. Do not build the day around an unconfirmed locker, delivery counter, or storage service.
- 04
Keep the critical details offline
Save the address in Japanese, phone number, booking name, last-admission time, and return route. Screenshots remain useful when reception, battery, or a website does not cooperate.
When conditions change
Weather and travel updates.
Weather and transport can make the upper valley, coast, or an outdoor route unsafe or unreachable. Check live conditions before leaving.
Put alerts on the phone you carry
JNTO’s Safety Tips app provides push alerts for earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings, and other weather warnings in multiple languages.
JNTO · Safety Tips appRebuild the return route first
After a delay or cancellation, recheck trains, buses, shuttles, taxis, and the last workable connection. Contact your accommodation early if your arrival or meal time will change.
Open TransportationUrgent help
Emergency contacts.
For urgent danger, crime in progress, fire, or a medical emergency, call 110 or 119 first. The Visitor Hotline can help with tourist information and assistance, but it does not replace emergency dispatch.
- Police · urgent110
Call for an urgent police response or crime in progress.
- Fire or ambulance · urgent119
Call for fire, rescue, or a medical emergency.
- Japan Visitor Hotline050-3816-2787
JNTO operates this line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with support in English, Chinese, and Korean for emergencies, natural disasters, and general tourist information.
Official sources checked · 2026-08-31
While you are here
Bathing, photography, noise, and waste.
Treat every bath as its own facility
Admission, towel use, tattoo policies, age rules, and private-bath availability vary. Check the facility’s current rules before arriving.
Read the Onsen guideRemember which streets are residential
Keep voices and music low, leave entrances and narrow roads clear, and do not enter private land for a shortcut or photograph.
Ask before photographing people or interiors
A place being open to visitors does not make every person, guest room, bath, artwork, or shop interior available for photography.
Carry waste until you find the right place
Do not leave packaging beside a full bin or at a vending machine that has no matching receptacle. Keep a small bag for the return journey.
Save before departure
A seven-point check for the actual day.
This is a preparation list, not live service status. Recheck anything time-sensitive with the provider or official source.
- 01
Check the weather and any active official warnings.
- 02
Confirm accommodation, dinner, baths, and activities that require a fixed time.
- 03
Save the arrival route and the last workable return connection.
- 04
Carry a cash backup and confirm important payment methods.
- 05
Confirm where luggage will go before and after check-in.
- 06
Save Japanese addresses, phone numbers, booking names, and cut-off times offline.
- 07
Save 110, 119, and the Japan Visitor Hotline.
Continue planning