Cultural notes for navigating Japan.
What we wish someone had told us before the trip. Manners, transport, dining, onsen, and the things that only come up once you are here.
Japanese Knife Making Experience in Seki: Forge Your Own
Forge your own kitchen knife from tamahagane with a swordsmith in Seki. What the four hours involve, why hand-forged Seki knives are…
Watch a Katana Being Forged in Seki, Japan’s Blade Town
Watch a licensed swordsmith forge a katana in Seki, Gifu, with English narration. What you see at the forge, the people behind…
Japan Tax-Free Shopping in 2026: How the New Refund System Works
By the Japan Documented editorial team. Japan Documented is run by JDOC, a Tokyo company that works with Japanese makers and shops…
I Tried a Samurai Sword-Cutting Experience in Tokyo: Cutting Tatami With a Real Katana
Tameshigiri is the Japanese sword practice of cutting a target such as rolled tatami with a shinken, a real sharpened katana, and…
Medications You Can’t Bring Into Japan: Banned Drugs, Limits & the Yakkan Shoumei (2026)
By the Japan Documented editorial team. We interview foreign residents and travellers across Japan for our Humans of Japan series. Some everyday…
Iaido vs Battodo: Japanese Sword Arts Explained
For many visitors to Japan, the katana is one of the most powerful symbols of Japanese culture. You see it in samurai…
What Does Kamikakushi Mean? Spirited Away and Japanese Folklore
Kamikakushi is a Japanese folklore concept meaning “hidden by the kami,” the belief that a person could be spirited away by gods…
Japan Power Bank Rules 2026: Can You Bring One on a Plane?
Japan’s power bank rules changed on April 24, 2026, and they now shape how you fly, ride the shinkansen, and charge devices…
Bear Attacks in Japan: The 2025 Crisis & How to Stay Alive
Bear attacks in Japan are caused by two native species, the brown bear (Higuma) in Hokkaido and the Asiatic black bear (Tsukinowaguma)…
Temple Stay Experience: Why Mt. Minobu Kuonji BEATS Koyasan
Mt. Minobu (Minobusan) is a 1,153-meter sacred mountain in Yamanashi Prefecture and home to Kuon-ji Temple, the head temple of the Nichiren…
Unspoken Rules of Elevators in Japan? What Visitors Should Know
Elevator etiquette in Japan is a set of unwritten rules about who works the buttons, where each person stands and how quietly…
Bowing in Japan: When, How, and What It Means
Bowing (ojigi) is the everyday gesture for greeting, thanking and apologizing in Japan, where it usually takes the place of a handshake.…