Your First 48 Hours in Tokyo: What to Do in What Order
In short: for the first 48 hours, you only need four things working. Connectivity, transport, money, and somewhere you can reliably take a call.
Everything else can wait until day three.
Most of the stress of arriving comes from trying to sort out an entire move in one jet-lagged afternoon.
Tokyo doesn’t ask that of you. It’s unusually forgiving of people who show up with a half-finished plan, as long as they finish it in a sensible order.
Arriving well isn’t about doing more. It’s about not doing the wrong things first.
At a glance
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before you fly | Register on Visit Japan Web |
| Hour 0 to 2 (airport) | Immigration, luggage, SIM or eSIM data, then an IC card before the train |
| Hour 2 to 6 | Test the internet where you’ll actually sit, eat something, and aim for a normal local bedtime |
| Day 2, morning | Take out a modest amount of cash at a convenience-store or post office ATM; check what your status requires |
| Day 2, afternoon | Scout a default place to work, somewhere for calls, and a backup |
| Not yet | Important client calls the morning after you land, long-term contracts, famous sights, overbuying |
Hour 0 to 2: the airport, in the right order
At Narita or Haneda, what usually works is immigration, then luggage, then connectivity, then transport. One after another, not all at once.
Before you fly, register on Visit Japan Web, the Digital Agency’s online service for arrival procedures. You fill in the immigration and customs forms in advance and show a QR code at the airport, instead of filling out paper cards in the hall.
If your status comes with a residence card, it’s normally issued at the airport counter when you go through entry. Keep it somewhere you can reach easily, not buried in a bag, because you’ll be asked for it again soon.
Pick up or activate your SIM or eSIM before you leave the arrivals floor. An eSIM activated on airport Wi-Fi is the least stressful option, but check that you actually have data before you walk out of the terminal.
Then decide what to do with your luggage. Sending bags from the airport to a Tokyo address spares you from wrestling two big cases onto a rush-hour train, but it isn’t instant.
Same-day delivery only works if you hand the bags over in the morning or early afternoon, and only to certain areas, often hotels. If you land later, they’ll arrive on a later day, so keep what you need for the first night in your carry-on.
And if your place can’t accept deliveries, that changes things, so check first.
Get a transport IC card set up before you get on the train, not on the platform.
On an iPhone, you can add a Suica to Apple Wallet or use JR East’s Welcome Suica Mobile app, which is iPhone only. On Android, whether your phone can hold a Suica depends on the model, so if yours won’t add one, buy a physical Welcome Suica at the JR East Travel Service Center in the airport.
Either way, it’s much nicer to sort this out in the arrivals hall than with a line of people waiting behind you.
Hour 2 to 6: check in and test the internet
The train into the city takes a while. Don’t fill it with tasks.
When you get to your accommodation, the most valuable thing you can do is test the internet. Run a speed test where you’ll actually be sitting, not next to the router, and try a short video call with someone.
If the connection is weak, you want to find out now.
Today, a coworking day pass or a day-use hotel room is an easy fix. On the morning of a client meeting, it’s an emergency.
Then eat something. There’s a convenience store near almost every station, and it’ll give you a perfectly decent first meal. This isn’t the time to hunt for the perfect restaurant.
Sleep is the other real job. Many people find that staying up until a normal local bedtime, and getting some daylight in the afternoon, makes the adjustment a lot shorter.
Day 2, morning: money and admin
Cash still matters more in Japan than first-time visitors expect, especially at small restaurants, older cafés, some clinics, and neighborhood shops.
Convenience-store and post office ATMs are usually the most reliable with foreign cards. Taking out a modest amount on the first morning is generally enough to smooth out the little daily snags.
Chains and bigger stores widely take contactless and QR payments, so the practical approach is a mix: cards and phone for most things, and some cash for the small places that make a neighborhood feel like home.
If you’re staying long enough to need a bank account, a phone contract, or residence registration at the ward office, day two is for finding out what your particular status requires, not for getting it all done.
Requirements differ by visa type and by ward, and getting the list right now saves you a wasted trip later.
Day 2, afternoon: scout places to work
Before your first full workday, it helps to have three places scouted.
First, your default place to work. That could be your accommodation, a coworking space you’ve already visited, or a café you’ve actually sat in for an hour.
Second, somewhere to take calls when you need privacy. Work booths in stations and office buildings, day-use hotel rooms, and coworking phone booths all do the job. Knowing one nearby takes away a worry that would otherwise keep coming back.
Third, where you go when the first two let you down. Public libraries, museum cafés, and quieter chains are the usual answers. With one in mind, a bad connection day is just annoying instead of a disaster.
Walk between them once. Tokyo’s layout rarely makes sense on a map alone, and one walk sorts it out better than an hour of planning.
What not to do in the first 48 hours
Don’t book an important client call for the morning after you land. Jet lag plus an untested setup is a bad mix.
Don’t sign anything long term. A neighborhood feels completely different at 8am, 3pm, and 11pm, and two days isn’t enough to know which version you’ll be living with.
Don’t rush to see the famous sights. They’ll still be there, and you’ll enjoy them more once the practical stuff is settled.
Don’t overbuy. Whatever you forgot, you can get cheaply at a hundred-yen shop, a drugstore, or a secondhand store, and buying it later means you’ll buy the right one.
FAQ
Should I get a SIM at the airport or order an eSIM in advance?
Either works. An eSIM bought in advance and activated on airport Wi-Fi is usually the smoothest, and an airport counter is a good backup if activation fails. What matters is having data before you leave the terminal.
How much cash should I take out on arrival?
Enough for a few days of small purchases and transport. You don’t need a big sum. Convenience-store and post office ATMs are everywhere, so topping up later is easy, and carrying less means losing your wallet hurts less.
When can I realistically start working properly?
Many remote workers plan a light day two and a full day three. That leaves room for a failed internet connection, a slow adjustment to the time difference, or an errand that turns out to need a document you left in your bag.