TL;DR
Most travel-tip lists repeat the same advice. Ours start from the official rule: what the EU and Japan actually say about delays, customs allowances, tax-free shopping, roaming, medicines and taxes, with every figure sourced and a date showing when we last checked it.
Each page answers one question from the official text, says what is not yet confirmed, and never recommends a company.
What changed in 2026
- Travel rules that changed in 2026: Europe and JapanTravel rules that changed in 2026 for Europe and Japan, in date order: border checks, power banks, roaming, drones, tax-free shopping and what is still pending.
- Japan tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026: new rulesFrom 1 November 2026 Japan's tax-free shops refund consumption tax once customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan. The 90-day limit and the kiosk step.
- Power banks and liquids in cabin bags: 2026 rulesThe 2026 power-bank limits (two per person, no charging on board, Japan's extra rule from 24 April) and where the EU's 100 ml liquids rule stands.
- EES and ETIAS: what changes at Europe's bordersThe EU Entry/Exit System has been fully running since 10 April 2026; ETIAS has no start date yet. What each means for travellers, from official EU sources.
Your rights when things go wrong
- EU flight delay compensation in 2026, and the reformWhat EU Regulation 261/2004 gives you for delays, cancellations and denied boarding today, and what the 2026 reform changes once it is published.
- EU flight compensation checker: which rule applies?Answer three questions to see whether EU air passenger rules probably cover your flight and which situation applies, from the European Commission's summary.
- EU train, coach and ferry delays: your rightsWhat EU rules give you when a train, long-distance coach or ferry is late or cancelled: refunds, re-routing, part of the fare back, meals and hotel nights.
- EHIC or travel insurance? What the card does not coverWhat the European Health Insurance Card covers, what it leaves out (private care, rescue, the trip home), and Japan's official advice to visitors on insurance.
Money, customs and taxes
- Duty-free allowances: EU and Japan side by sideAlcohol, tobacco, gifts and cash: what you can bring into the EU and into Japan duty-free, and when you must declare cash, from official customs pages.
- Duty-free allowance checker: EU and JapanSay where you are arriving and what you are carrying, and see the range of the EU or Japan duty-free allowance for each, with the official links.
- VAT refunds for visitors to the EU: the 3-month ruleWho can reclaim VAT when leaving the EU, the 3-month export deadline, how customs validates the claim, and what official pages say about minimum spends.
- Pay in local currency or home currency? The EU ruleWhat EU rules make card machines, cash machines and banks tell you before converting a payment into your home currency, and your right to pay locally.
- Japan's travel taxes in 2026: departure and hotel taxesJapan's International Tourist Tax rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per departure on 1 July 2026. Plus Kyoto's and Tokyo's accommodation taxes, from their ordinances.
Phones, time and safety
- EU roaming: where 'roam like at home' stopsWhere an EU SIM works at home prices, the fair-use limits, and why Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Türkiye are outside it while Norway and Iceland are in.
- When do Europe's clocks change? EU summer-time rulesThe EU clock change happens on the last Sundays of March and October at 1.00 a.m. GMT. The three EU time zones, Norway's rule, and the stalled plan to end it.
- Emergency numbers: 112 in the EU, 110 and 119 in JapanThe EU's free 112 number, Japan's 110 for police and 119 for ambulance and fire, what the operator asks, and a disaster-alert app for visitors to Japan.
Japan practicalities
- Bringing medicines into Japan: what the ministry saysPersonal-use amounts Japan's health ministry lists before an Import Confirmation is needed, and what its Narcotics Control Department says on controlled drugs.
- Driving in Japan with a foreign licence: what countsWhich International Driving Permits Japan accepts, the six licences that need an approved Japanese translation instead, and the one-year limit.
Myths, checked
Key takeaways
- Every tip here rests on an official rule, cited on its page.
- Rules change; each page shows when we last checked it.
- What we would skip: tips that rely on unnamed studies or on a booking company's own statistics.
Sources
Each guide lists its own sources. See how we research.
Each linked page states its sources and method. None of this is legal, financial or medical advice.