There are some things the Japanese government is not tolerant of at all. Make sure you review some Japanese laws that commonly get foreigners in trouble and don't do anything stupid. Good luck and have fun!

downloading the languages in google translate might also be helpful.

@Christian - Excellent suggestion!

@Dúthomhas: that commonly get foreigners in trouble - would you have some examples to bootstrap a google search?

@WoJ Mostly drugs. You don't do drugs in an Asian country, period. That's the top no-no in Japan IMO.

@xuq01: ah ok. I travelled extensively to China, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia and yes, drugs were clearly pointed out as out of bound. I was wondering about other things such as chewing gums in Singapore.

@WoJ Well yeah. They don't execute you for drug-related crimes in Japan like they do in China and Singapore, but punishment could be severe nontheless. And of course, smuggling etc. is of course not tolerated. Also, visitors are required to carry passports with them; you won't get into real trouble if you don't, but you'll have a bad day (e.g., be taken back to the PD).

@WoJ I think long time ago was a video on japanese airplanes. The two other things they said not to do:'do not carry weapons/knifes, or dangerous objects like screwdrivers with you' (objects which can be used as a weapon are banned as well to carry). Don't hug or kiss random people (like when you are in a sports bar, your team wins and you come from a country where this would be normal).

Google "what not to do in japan to avoid arrest"

@Dúthomhas I am unsure now whether you're trolling or whether Google is giving you such different results, because for me it's giving a general article about faux pas such as wearing shoes inside, not wanting to sleep on a futon and general travel advice (enjoy the scenery on the train rather than sitting on your phone type stuff). And then there is articles about the japenese legal system and what to do when the police stop you, none of those support your claim there are laws that commonly get foreigners in trouble in Japan.

Trolling is aggressively asking a non-lawyer to provide a comprehensive checklist as an aside to a different question and insinuating that failure to do so disproves a well-known issue with travel to other countries, even Japan - all when some simple google searches will do. If you are still really confused, visit a travel agency or a Japanese consulate. It can't possibly hurt to also have to filter through some stuff that will tick Japanese people off as well, or use your imagination to vary your search terms.

@Dúthomhas The point was that you made a completely false claim and when asked for advice on how to find information backing your claim you told people to do something which ended up giving lots of bullshit. So yes, I was very clear that I wasn't sure whether your Google results looked so different or whether you were intentionally putting people on a snipe hunt.

Searching around the closest thing I found is stuff like 'don't use someone else's transit card, don't use weed, and don't carry a weapon around, etc.' Which applies equally in most countries. Looking for news articles about 'foreigners arrested in Japan' it's all about people doing drugs and people who were drunk and resisted arrest and murder... once again things that land you in jail outside Japan as well.

There is just nothing at all backing up your claim that foreigners commonly get in trouble due to specific Japanese laws. Japan is a fairly mainstream liberal country, this isn't the middle east or the US or something like that.

@WoJ And also do not show Tattoos, and of course observe the tattoo ban in hot spring (onsen) If it says you cannot enter dont push it, I mean.