ETHGlobal Tokyo 2026 Checklist: What to Prepare Before You Fly (Data, Money, Tips)
ETHGlobal Tokyo runs 25 to 27 September 2026 at Tokyo Dome City, inside a whole ETHTokyo Week. Here is what to sort before you fly, so you land ready to build.
Quick answer: ETHGlobal Tokyo 2026 runs 25-27 September at MEETS PORT in Tokyo Dome City, inside ETHTokyo Week (19-27 September). Before you fly: install a Japan eSIM at home so you have your own data for the hackathon and side events, complete Visit Japan Web, carry some yen in cash, and set up a burner wallet for on-site mints.
Key takeaways
- ETHGlobal Tokyo is a 36-hour hackathon on 25-27 September 2026, with ETHGlobal Pragma Tokyo on 26 September and ETHTokyo Week events from 19 September.
- Venue Wi-Fi at a hackathon is shared by hundreds of builders. Your own mobile data is the backup that saves a demo.
- Japan still uses cash in many small places. Carry yen, and know that 7-Eleven ATMs generally accept foreign cards.
- Visit Japan Web lets you prepare immigration and customs before landing and generates one QR code.
ETHGlobal Tokyo is the kind of trip where the flight is the easy part. You land, get to the hotel, find the venue, join a team, and then spend 36 hours shipping something that has to work in front of judges. The things that go wrong are rarely the code. They are the Wi-Fi that dies during the demo, the card that does not work at the ramen machine, and the wallet someone drained after a QR code at a side event.
This is the checklist to get all of that sorted before you board.
When and where is ETHGlobal Tokyo 2026?
| What | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| ETHTokyo Week (community events) | 19-27 September 2026 | Across Tokyo |
| Agentic Summit (official side event) | 23 September | Tokyo |
| ETHGlobal Tokyo hackathon | 25-27 September | MEETS PORT 4F, Tokyo Dome City (enXross DAO as co-venue) |
| ETHGlobal Pragma Tokyo | 26 September | Tokyo |
Tokyo Dome City sits next to Suidobashi and Korakuen stations, a short ride from most central hotels. Schedules and venues are set by the organisers, so confirm on the official ETHGlobal and ETHTokyo sites before you book.
Pre-flight checklist for ETHGlobal Tokyo
- Phone: eSIM-capable and carrier-unlocked. Check before you buy.
- Travel eSIM installed at home on Wi-Fi, switched on after landing. Keep your home SIM active for bank and 2FA codes.
- Power bank (carry-on only, check your airline's limits) and a short cable. Conference days drain phones fast.
- Hotspot plan check: if you demo from a laptop or share with a teammate, pick a plan that allows tethering.
- Hardware wallet or a separate event wallet if you will be signing anything on site.
- Offline copies: hotel address in the local language, booking confirmations, and your ticket QR as a screenshot.
- Visit Japan Web completed before departure for the immigration and customs QR code.
- Yen in cash for small restaurants, ticket machines and shrines. Do not count on cards everywhere.
- Laptop charger with a Japan-compatible plug. Japan uses type A plugs at 100V; most laptop chargers handle the voltage, check yours.
Why you want your own mobile data at a hackathon
A hackathon floor is a stress test for any network: hundreds of laptops, containers pulling images, RPC calls and video calls on one venue connection. Organisers work hard on it, but the moments that matter most, final commits, deploys and the live demo, are exactly when everyone is online at once.
- Tether your laptop to your phone if the venue network slows at submission time.
- Keep a teammate online while they commute between the venue, hotel and side events.
- Maps and transfers in Tokyo depend on live data: train changes, exits and walking routes.
- Side events at night are spread across the city. You will be finding them on Luma and maps, on the street.
Pick a plan with enough data for tethering and check that hotspot is allowed on the plan page. If you expect heavy use, choose a larger daily allowance rather than the smallest one. You can compare Japan plans and pay in USDT on the Fizen eSIM page.
Money in Tokyo: cash, IC cards and cards
| Situation | What usually works | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Trains and convenience stores | IC card (Suica/Pasmo or mobile versions), cards | Top up with cash at station machines |
| Small restaurants and ticket-machine ramen shops | Cash | Keep ¥1,000 notes and coins handy |
| Hotels, department stores, big chains | International cards | Pay in yen, not your home currency |
| Getting cash | ATMs at 7-Eleven and many convenience stores | Check your bank's foreign ATM fee |
Japan is far more card-friendly than it used to be, but plenty of good food still sits behind a cash-only ticket machine. The simplest setup is an IC card for transport, a card for bigger payments, and a small cash float for everything else. For more on staying online in Japan, see our Japan internet guide.
Entry: what to check before flying to Japan
- Visa rules depend on your passport. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan before booking.
- Visit Japan Web lets you register immigration and customs details in advance and generates one QR code you scan on arrival. It is optional but saves time.
- Passport validity and return or onward tickets: confirm the requirements for your nationality on official sources.
Terms and conditions
- Information only. This checklist is general travel information, not legal, immigration, financial or investment advice.
- For readers in the United States. This article provides information only. It is not an offer, solicitation or sale of any product or service, and it is not financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Fizen is not offered to US Persons.
- Event details can change. Dates, venues and schedules are set by the organisers. Check the official event website before you book.
- Entry rules are official-source only. Visa, travel-authorisation and arrival-card rules are set by the destination's government and can change. Confirm them on the official sites linked here before you fly.
- Plans vary. eSIM prices, data allowances, hotspot support and validity depend on the plan and are shown on the checkout page, which takes precedence over this article. Your phone must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Travel eSIMs are data-only.
- No affiliation. Fizen is not affiliated with the event organisers, venues, transport operators or apps named here.
- Availability. Fizen is not offered to US Persons. Fizen is a self-custody app backed by an investment from Tether.
- Full terms. Master Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Disclaimer on the Fizen site.
Sources
- ETHGlobal: 2026 hackathon calendar
- ETHTokyo 2026
- Web3 Events Guide: ETHGlobal Tokyo 2026 venue
- Visit Japan Web (Digital Agency)
- Seven Bank ATM service
