About

Japan Korea Trip Planner helps US travelers plan trips to Japan and Korea: entry rules, transit cards and rail passes, airport transfers, holidays and closures, and tax-free shopping.

What you will find here

  • Entry rules and arrival forms, explained from the official pages
  • Transit cards, rail passes, airport transfers and trip costs
  • Holidays, closures and local etiquette that change a trip plan

Who runs this blog

Japan Korea Trip Planner is published by the PLoMUS Editorial Team at PLoMUS (www.plomus.com), a company based in Seoul, South Korea, which runs six topic blogs: Air Fryer Weeknight, Steady Dollar, Japan Korea Trip Planner, Little Hands Play Lab, Easy Crochet Corner, Creator Utility Hub. We aim to keep every post accurate and easy to follow, and we update posts when we find better information or make mistakes.

How we make posts

  • Official figures, limits and rules come from primary sources, linked in the post with the date we checked them. For this blog that means Japanese and Korean government pages, JNTO, VisitKorea, rail operators and airports, and the US State Department. Numbers we work out ourselves, such as charts and calculators, say so.
  • Posts are written by the PLoMUS Editorial Team with AI drafting assistance, and their facts are checked against the linked sources before publishing.
  • We say plainly when we have not tested something ourselves, and we do not invent personal experience. Results we measured ourselves are labeled as our own tests.
  • No doctor, financial adviser or other licensed professional reviews our posts, so they are general information, not professional advice.
  • Each post ends with "How this article was made" and an update log. We recheck time-sensitive facts on a schedule and fix errors readers report.
  • No one pays to be mentioned, and we do not use affiliate links at this time.

Questions, corrections or suggestions are welcome on our Contact page.

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Japan Tax-Free Shopping 2026: The New Refund at Departure

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By PLoMUS Editorial Team · Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026. Procedures can change; always confirm on the official sites before you travel. The short version (as of October 27, 2026) For purchases on or after November 1, 2026 , Japan's tax-free shops charge the full price including consumption tax. You get the tax back later. You still show your passport when you buy. The minimum is 5,000 yen (before tax) per shop, per day . When you leave Japan, within 90 days of purchase, scan your passport at a tax-free kiosk in the departure lobby before you check your bags , with the goods in hand. After customs confirms, the shop (or its refund agent) pays the refund. Official details: Japan Tourism Agency and Japan Customs . If you shopped tax-free in Japan before, you are used to paying the lower price at the register. That ends with purchases made on October 31, 2026. Under the new "refund method," you pay full price in the store and claim ...
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Do Americans Need a K-ETA in 2027? K-ETA vs e-Arrival Card

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By PLoMUS Editorial Team · Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026. Entry rules can change at short notice. Always confirm on the official sites before you fly. The short version (as of October 27, 2026) Through December 31, 2026 (Korea time): US passport holders are temporarily exempt from K-ETA. If you are exempt, you file a free arrival card instead, online at the official e-Arrival Card site within 3 days before you land. From January 1, 2027: No official notice extending the exemption into 2027 had been published when we checked on October 27, 2026. Unless that changes, plan to get a K-ETA (fee: 10,000 won) before you board. An approved K-ETA also replaces the arrival card. Apply only at the official site, www.k-eta.go.kr , or the official K-ETA app. Lookalike sites charge far more. Korea has two different online forms for visitors, and they are easy to mix up. The K-ETA is a travel authorization you need before you board . The e-Arrival Card is the...
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Shibuya Halloween 2026: The Street Drinking Ban, Station-Area Changes and What Visitors Can Do

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