Nagano

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Photo くろふね · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery

• Can you go in an onsen in Japan with a tattoo?

  Some of Japan's baths take tattoos, some want them under a cover sticker, and most publish no rule at all. Here is the routine at the taps and in the tub, the baths that say yes, and the ones that say no.

• Can you take a bike on the Shinkansen?

  Every Shinkansen takes a bike packed as rinko, wheels off and fully bagged, up to 250 cm and 30 kg. West of Tokyo you should book the seat with the space behind it, and north of Tokyo there is nothing to book.

• Do you still need cash in Japan?

  Cards and a tap-to-pay travel card cover most of a trip to Japan, and plenty of village baths, soba counters, temple gates and bike-hire desks still want yen. This guide sets out what to carry and how tax-free shopping changes on 1 November 2026.

• How do backcountry gates and rescue costs work at Japan's ski resorts?

  Japanese resorts let riders out only through designated gates once a climbing plan is filed, and every resort here that publishes a rescue rule bills the rider. Zao bans riding off its courses altogether.