Honto Japan Editorial– Author –

The Nozomi is the only Shinkansen the JAPAN RAIL PASS does not cover. What the official NOZOMI MIZUHO Ticket costs on each route, why the price is identical in non-reserved, reserved and Green Car (so Pass holders should always upgrade), and why you cannot buy it from abroad — plus how non-Pass travelers should buy through Smart EX or a Midori-no-madoguchi.

Four routes to a reserved shinkansen seat, and which one applies depends on the line and the ticket. SmartEX handles Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu from abroad; eki-net is blocked to overseas residents; JR Pass seat reservations are free but must be picked up on a machine or at a counter; and the ticket window is always there as a fallback.

Asakusa View Hotel is the 24-story Tsukuba-Express-connected hotel in Nishi-Asakusa - not the boutique Gate Hotel Kaminarimon near Kaminarimon, and not an onsen ryokan. Sky Tree Side rooms face east across the Sumida River; City Side, on the top floors only, faces west toward Shinjuku and, on clear days, Mount Fuji. Overnight guests use the heated pool, not the gym.

Skytree runs dynamic pricing, so the adult combo is 'from 3,000 yen', not a fixed number. The 450m Tembo Galleria cannot be bought online at all - only from a machine once you are on the 350m deck. Buying at the counter adds 500 yen a ticket, and once purchased, tickets cannot be changed.

A notice on the Imperial Hotel's English site still says the Tower Building is being demolished from 2024 to 2030 and lists the pool among the closures. The Japanese version of that page is gone, the Tower has reopened, demolition is now targeted at the end of FY2030 - and the new Main Building's completion date has reverted to undecided.

Conrad Tokyo's English page lists afternoon tea at 9,400 yen. The Japanese page lists the same seating from 7,900 on a weekday. The gym and pool are closed to non-guests despite what guides say - with one official exception - and the hotel closes entirely for a day in January 2027.

Aman Tokyo's Japanese wellness page states that spa treatments are open to people who are not staying - and carefully separates that from the pool and gym, which are for guests. The English page says nothing at all. The two versions also disagree on the last treatment slot by 30 minutes.

Guides tell you that you can bring your own router to Japan for 90 days. Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs answers that question directly, and the answer is no - routers need the giteki mark. Plus the return trap that catches people after security, and why the per-day price tables you see are not comparable.

Himeji Castle's admission went from 1,000 yen to 2,500 on March 1, 2026 - and the combination ticket with Koko-en jumped from 1,050 to 2,600. Under-18s are now free. Meanwhile scaffolding stands around the main keep until July 2027, with part of Bizen-maru given over to storing materials.

Japan's biggest yakitori chain charges one price for every dish and drink: 390 yen including tax since May 2025. It also states outright that it does not charge for the compulsory appetizer, the seat, or late-night service — three fees that catch visitors at ordinary izakaya. Note that Torikizoku's own English FAQ still shows last year's prices.

Japan's biggest conveyor-belt sushi chain does not have one price. It has four, set by branch type: 120 yen in the suburbs, 170 in Dotonbori and Gion — and the branches visitors actually go to are almost all in the upper bands. Prices also rose on July 22, 2026, and the old Maido Point scheme ended in May.

A paper Shinkansen ticket is issued to the whole Tokyo ward zone and the whole Osaka city zone - so your ride to the station and onward to Osaka Station costs nothing extra. Smart EX drops that benefit entirely, which can wipe out its 200-yen saving. Plus the four seasonal fare tiers, and why Nozomi's free seating is two cars, not three.