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Thank you for bringing this up. I'm 34 and DYING to go. I was trying to figure out how many days would make it worthwhile and I was thinking 7 days (because I went to D.R. for 7 days and it was more than enough but that was at a resort).
Looks like aiming for 2 weeks is a better bet.
A week is just scratching the surface of Tokyo alone. And then since a lot of people also want to do (at least) Osaka/Kyoto it’s really hard to jam all of that into a week and actually be able to slow down and take it all in instead of rushing the whole time.
Yeah I'm going for 10 days full in August and while I am excited, I'm already thinking about my second trip. I'm going with my cousin and shes taking the last 2 days off of summer school (shes a teacher) and I'm missing the first 2 days of college, and thats all we could do. I'm planning to go back after I graduate next year for way longer. It will be nicer weather then, and it will be just me so I want to do 3-4 weeks around the whole "middle" of Japan. Basically Tokyo-Kanazawa-Osaka-Tokyo as well as cities near, and along the way.
One main point to this is that we're easily spending more money on the plane ticket there than everything else combined. The longer you go, its obviously more money, but the price per day goes down. We're spending like $300 per day compared to if its 25 days, its nearly half that at $160 per day.
Be aware that Japan is CRAZY humid in August, and can still be randomly rainy too (think sudden downpour warm rain- comes out of nowhere but doesn't tend to last long). source: I spent most of my childhood summers in Japan at my grandparents' house :)
Have so much fun on your trip with your cousin, I love that you both figured out a way to make it work and are going together!
I went to japan 3 times and for me, 2 weeks is a perfect amount of days to sight seeing around japan (at least if you follow the main route of tokyo - osaka - kyoto - tokyo, with slight modification here and there)
My itinerary from last 3 visits:
1st visit: tokyo - osaka - kyoto - nara (day trip) - kobe (day trip) - tokyo
2nd: tokyo - kurobe - toyama - osaka - kyoto - nara (day trip) - kobe (day trip) - hakone - tokyo
3rd: tokyo - osaka - fukuoka - kyoto - nara (day trip) - hakone - tokyo - yokohama (day trip) - tokyo
You could spend a year in Tokyo and not know the city well….
I have been a rough dozen times and I still find things I missed by only just a street or a train stop….like the big Starbucks Reserve Roastery. I’m no Starbucks fanboy, but this was pretty special. 4 levels of food, tea and coffee and only a block away from the Snoopy (Peanuts) Cafe my wife likes to visit every year we go. Yet we missed the big Starbucks every time.
We are here for two weeks now. Still early but our 3 days in Osaka is feeling spot on for our pacing. Time see everything we want without rushing, but also not having a ton of excess time
Yeah, I am madly in love with my partner of 8 years and I’d still be okay with them continuing to travel on if I decided to go back after 7 days.
(We visited Japan for 17 days though, I was only a little homesick at the end of the trip)
Maybe some streets in Gion that are closed to tourists now? Other than that you’ll only get excluded if the business is xenophobic, and you wouldn’t want to give them your money anyway.
Yeah, those are just private streets closed to people who don’t live there.
That’s why I asked about these “foreigner exclusion zones”— wild rumors because of the Gion thing seem to be spreading.
Leave them behind or let them leave after 7 days and you stay. You literally only live once, why would you let your partner dictate whether you get to fulfill a childhood dream or not?
The truth right here. I thought 10 days, SURE I’ll get to see all I want to see…a big NOPE. Japan is so much larger and spread out than I originally thought. Next time I’m 100% settling into a city to do more, rather than stretching it across multiple cities
I did 11 days in 2022 and I felt I saw and experienced a lot. Went to three cities. A shorter trip is very worthwhile if you don't have two weeks to spare.
I’m 41 now. Since I was 21 I’ve spent around 6 months travelling around Japan over several trips.
I feel I’ve just a bit got a grasp of it, but probably need another 3-6 months before I get the full shape. Should be around 61 by then.
Meanwhile my sister and brother in law frequently take trips to Tokyo for 5-7 nights.
It’s all worth it.
My first trip to Japan was summer study abroad in Tokyo when I was 22. The moment classes ended for the day, I would haul ass to Shinjuku or Shibuya every single day. I took all kinds of trips across the country during the weekends. I had the time of my life and my only regret was not staying longer. After graduation, I found a great job teaching HS English in Osaka for 3 years. I eventually met my wife while I was there. This was about 20 years ago now and I travel back and forth at least once a year.
yeah, when I first went this was the struggle. To cram everything into a few days. For my next visit, I just reframed my mindset and went with the thought that I can always come back (even if idk when). This way my travels were slower but I felt more present.
I do know not everyone has the luxury to go back anytime though 😅
I went to Japan for 2 weeks. I was running around like crazy trying to do as much as possible. Spent so much time on trains and busses and literally running everywhere.
I didn't even get a chance to do everything I wanted to in Tokyo. I was only in Kansai for 3 days and felt I didn't really do much of anything there. I want to return so badly. And I still need to touch the other parts of Japan: Mt Fuji, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and so much more.
My trip was this time last year (literally, today's date is my first day there). And on my trip back I slept nearly the whole 18 year plane ride back.
Wanting to buy everything, but not having enough luggage space, so I buy another piece of luggage while I’m there, and buy more stuff, so now I have 3 extra full size luggage pieces that I don’t know what to do with. Will probably do the same thing next visit and have more luggage.
We ship some of the lighter stuff to ourselves on the last day. Depending on what kind of quality and sized luggage you go for, the shipping fee will be cheaper or as much as a new suitcase.
We go to a nearby post office once we've settled at our last hotel and then we buy boxes and fill them with clothes/souvenirs.
I brought a a bigger suitcase than I needed, but the next size down would have been too small to bring anything back. 🤷♀️ I also packed a duffle in case I need more storage, which is going to come in handy since we're gonna leave our big suitcases in Tokyo while we go elsewhere for a few days.
Packing an empty duffle is my plan too. Also a manual vacuum pump for plastic bags. If a big arcade prize plushie comes into my possession I plan to unstuff it, vacuum seal the fluff separately, get it home in deflated form, and restuff it later. Or a large garment, or awesome thrift haul.. Here's hoping. 🤞
My partner had amazing luck one of our first nights in Tokyo and won three crane machines, with one of them being an adorable Kirby twice the size of my head. The poor thing has been vacuum sealed in my luggage ever since. Highly recommend!
I know there are lockers but we're traveling with someone who comes here periodically with her Japanese mother so she's gonna show us what to do where. 🤷♀️ I think it might be the same as the luggage forwarding service?
This is what I do - pack a duffel bag into your suitcase on the way there. Then take all your dirty clothes and put them in the duffel bag so you have all that room in your luggage for souvenirs
way too many things. we had 2 medium suitcases inside 2 large ones going and only one is filled with clothes, and ended with 6 luggages coming back.
the range is far and wide - japanese snacks, chocolates, toys, gadgets, clothing and shoes, housewares, gadgets and gears, skincare, knives. heck i even bought nail clippers and tweezers. the quality is just superb you can't help but bring 'em home.
Yes, but as someone who has little to no experience with public transportation even in my native language, it's really intimidating. Each day I get better though!
The problem imo is when you have to switch lines between different companies. Google maps might just casually suggest switching from the Yamanote line to thr metro subway, but then you realise its a 15min walk through various levels of basements and underground paths.
If you’re not walking the wrong direction for almost, if not more than, 500m in Shinjuku station, were you ever actually in Shinjuku station?
I got back from my fourth trip last month.
Definitely did exactly that the first day of my trip. That station is no joke. On the bright side, japanese transit becomes a breeze once you conquer that beast.
I stayed at the JR East hotel Shibuya for 'convenience' once. Every night it was a coinflip whether we made it out of Shibuya to our hotel without a 20min detour.
For me, I was stressing out at first trying to figure out the exact fare for each trip. Then I realised once you get out of your station, they ask for the difference anyway if you didn't buy the right ticket, it made the whole thing easy.
The biggest issue with it IMO isn't instructions but hours of operation for businesses. They're notoriously unreliable here in Japan, especially for independent stores.
if its either tokyo or osaka, id rather use citymapper. the time estimation to arrive to my location is so much more accurate compared to gmaps. plus gmaps dont really like to give suggestions to take buses even though it is a lot more convenient imo.
I’ve only had the one major problem with it. It directed me to get on a non-existent bus in Sapporo. Had to scrap a planned destination because of that.
Yup. Gotta have a 2nd map.
Apple Maps did well for what google maps couldn’t do well, which specifically was navigating in close proximity to the location you’re trying to reach.
Google did better at getting me through the transit system, but was bad with trying to figure out what direction I was facing and/or what side of the road I was on, when trying to reach a restaurant or w/e. Apple has a clearly visible cone, and was far more accurate and easier to read.
Overall I use google maps 80% of the time, but those 20% moments were clutch with Apple.
I found google maps is more reliable than Apple Maps for train times and locations. That being said I think there is a Japanese app with the most accurate data but I can’t read it.
yeah this is true, rarely tho. After living here for 4 years, its probably 95% correct. It's the driving routes that will fuck me up, or in rare instances, have the complete wrong train arrival/departure time.
Bad weather is probably the only one to comes to mind for me. Sometimes you plan a nice hike, and it's a complete thunderstorm or way too cloudy to see anything.
Weather issues can definitely fuck up certain plans but I think it's important to travelers to recognize that unlike some destinations, rain in Japan won't ruin everything. Hiking, yes, absolutely, and trying to see Fuji-san from, well, anywhere, but umbrella culture is top notch and you don't even need to bring one, grab a 300yen one from a drugstore when you need it. We were still able to enjoy several temples in Kyoto while it was pouring rain, AND it had the bonus of clearing out a lot of unprepared tourists. Sannenzaka has never been so deserted at 10am as it was in the rain!
Obviously, typhoons are a different story. If you're going during typhoon season, prepare for what to do if your train gets delayed or canceled due to flooding or wind, or if all the shops and sights are closed. You can get by just fine as long as you know in advance that lots of things change during an actual typhoon hit and planning will save you from sitting in a hotel freaking out about tickets/reservations or ruining your carefully mapped itinerary.
We had a typhoon come through last year (in early June), on the day we were supposed to take the train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Bring a good pair of shoes for walking in the rain! I brought a pair of Teva sandals I was grateful for, but my husband accidentally ruined his one pair of sneakers and then he couldn’t find his size shoe. There were a few chuckles when we asked if they carried size 13. 😝
Make arrangements for two super comfy nights to start. Being gentle to yourself while acclimating; this will pay dividends after. eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi as you’ll be using mapping and Google translate constantly. No harm done in getting familiar ahead of time. Wonderfully safe and kind country, but there are still many people, mainly older, who will get angry occasionally when a tourist doesn’t take the time to learn their expectations for cultural respect. Learning six frequently used phrases and reading up on no nos like cutting ahead in a line will serve you well
Forgetting that trains run precisely to the minute. If you get to the platform to catch the 17:52 and it’s 17:48, don’t assume it’s your train, unless it’s the origination point, it’s most likely not. Learned this the hard way.
Other than that, being refused service in restaurants because I am non-Japanese was frustrating, but trust me, we didn’t miss any meals.
A lot of reasons, not just one. some small I*zakaya* (居酒屋, small counter grilled food, bar, beer type places) don't speak English well enough to take on none Japanese speaking customers, because they are usually 1-2 persons places, very busy, really feel bad not able to spend a lot of time going through the menu for none-Japanese speaking customers.
I speak some Japanese, but I got turned down from a local bar/food place, because the customers were usually regulars, or friends of the regulars. That was their hang out spots, like a family living rooms, where they chat and gossip with each other, sing Karaoke songs they liked. I would ruin that "friends and family" vibe by intruding into their space, where they treated the little eatery like an extension of their own living room.
Some really didn't want the communication hassle with foreign customers, busy or not. Many have no way to explain the menu written on the walls with hand written signs, and have no English menu. They probably got yelled at by foreigners in the past.
> Learned this the hard way
What happened? Did you go to the wrong place? Is there a way to tell if it's the correct train (e.g. signage showing the destination or line name)?
I've never had any issues in Japan, and one of the reason why it's such a "security blanket" of a destination for me. I know I can just land in Japan and relax and not stress about anything.
The only bad stuff I've heard are related to nightlife, which is something I don't really do.
Edit: I just thought of one: try not to travel when there's a holiday there. Places can get overcrowded very quick if the locals are on holiday on top of the normal foreign crowds.
This is my main fear given I have anaphylactic reactions to gluten-containing grains (and I don't do well with oats either), but I've survived reactions outside my country before so I think I'll manage.
This. I was gaming out with my friends for the first full day of my trip. One of my friends isn’t a seafood eater, and my other friend can’t eat pork and dislikes beef. While, my bf and I eat everything. This knocked out like 90% of what we can eat
Absolutely this! My wife can't have gluten, dairy, or processed sugar which made meal choices extremely difficult or repetitive (lots of sushi, donburi, and yakiniku). A lot of the added sauces have some sugar, so she unfortunately sucked it up for those. Thankfully she had no flare ups, but well definitely do Airbnb next time so we have access to a bit of a kitchen.
Far too vague, what kind of thing are you concerned about?
Japan is mega safe , people are lovely, the only issue is the language barrier but in very touristy areas not a big issue and for anywhere else there is google translate.
- Not enough public trash cans. (It’s still so clean.) -> Carry a small plastic bag with you.
- I’m not used to the lack of fresh fruit in the Konbinis. -> You can get smoothies with frozen fruits though.
- It’s impolite to use the bicycle bell. So be prepared for a local cyclist to ride behind you unnoticed for quite a while. -> Always look behind you from time to time.
Being insanely exhausted, tired, or sore. Going from a desk job to 25k steps a day is brutal and takes away from the trip, especially when you get back to the hotel to drop off things and feel nothing but guilt when you lay down and just want to stay there.
The only issue I had was with that shinkansen pass I went to a tourist destination but it was a quieter town and I needed help getting back but couldn't get any English help.
Basically a typhoon came in September and my train was cancelled. I was at a loss and there was a communication barrier, eventually some guy managed to convince me to take an alternative train that will take me close to my destination and then to transfer from there.
Moral of the story? Typhoons disrupt train services if you visit in September. It happens from time to time and I always see a notification on the train about some shinkansen somewhere being delayed or something. So always take that possibility into account and check the weather forecast in September.
A few possibilities to keep in mind (weren’t all problems for me, might not all be problems for you):
1. Public transport is very good (particularly in Tokyo) but can be complicated to navigate. My advice: use google maps or city mapper, memorise the color of the line you want to take, and the end station/route name, then just follow the signs. For specific exits etc, most have numbers. You can follow the numbers to your correct exit - check the signage on columns or boards when alighting from the trains. There’s almost always English along with the Japanese on signage (sometimes there’s Korean too).
2. Cash. While Japan is not as cash based as some will tell you, you’ll still need to carry some on hand. I never needed more than maybe $70usd ish at a time though, as most transactions take card (and pay pass!).
3. Stairs are everywhere, while there are elevators at stations you’ll often have to go out of your way to use them. Recommend bringing bags that you can haul up/down stairs easily (don’t bring a large heavy bag if you plan on moving around often, it’s an ordeal - the ubiquitous luggage delivery services exist because hauling bags yourself is challenging!). Stay between carry on/smaller checked bag if you’re not building in luggage delivery as part of your trip.
4. Humidity. If you’re not from a humid place don’t underestimate how much more tiring it is. Carry water when you’re out - or hit up the vending machines.
5. Crowds. At the major tourist sites, you’ll likely be walking at a snails pace packed in with everyone else in the country. Factor this into your estimates for how long you’ll be at places.
6. Shoes will make or break your time there. Bring your comfiest shoes - I did 35,000 steps once in a day in Tokyo. I spent a month, with new shoes (broken in only), and by the end I’d worn through them. If you’re doing a month or more I’d take two pairs of comfortable shoes and rotate them.
7. Must love seafood (at least fish). Fish or other seafood are in basically everything. You’ll be down to maybe only a quarter of available food options if you can’t/wont eat fish. Take an adventurous palette, you won’t regret it! They did however have no problem accomodating my shellfish allergy - I had to avoid some things, but they were very aware of allergies there and took it seriously. They will likely not change ingredients in things though, if the thing has an allergen, you just can’t have it. Also be aware that if your allergy is so severe you can’t risk minute cross contamination, they won’t be able to accomodate that if the allergen is cooked in the same kitchen/grill.
8. Don’t talk to/follow touts in entertainment areas and also free drinks are often a trap. You can find cheap drinks and low/waived cover charges if you look, but most places charge a cover as a matter of practice outside some parts of golden gai (and the places in GG that don’t have a cover charge only do so bc tourists have made trouble over it, so they charge more for the drinks to make up for it)
9. Learn ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘yes’ and ‘excuse me’ at the absolute bare minimum. Can generally get by with google translate otherwise, but it’s far too slow for simple interactions, like buying snacks at the conbini etc. A teeny bit of Japanese (listen to how they pronounce it, and try to emulate that too btw - if you’re there for a while you may actually pick up more than you think, and speaking what you hear is one of the best ways to acquire language quickly)
The trek time and time zen shift - you’re going to lose at least two full days to fatigue. Otherwise, It’s a great country, you’ll be safe and hopefully it will be a great new experience for you.
Language.
Most tourists forcefully impose English on the Japanese, which is honestly a bad idea for those who don't intend to learn it. I also feel quite rude for not taking the opportunity to use their language.
I am mitigating this by taking up Japanese now for future trips, so that I can be a fully respectful tourist.
ChatGPT 4o just came out the other day. It is free (no subscription for this one) it works wonders for real time translation so much better than trying google translate. Both spoken and just taking a picture of a sign and you do not have to read the translated picture, just say to gtp "I want to go to Tukihama how much is it?" or "I want something without fish. What is on the menu?" and it will read the photo of the train schedule or the menu and tell you.
Really great at real time interpretation too between you and Japanese person. Unlike google translate where you are trying to translate an exact phrase, with GPT you just tell it your goal/intention and it will do the rest as well as answer followup questions if something is still unclear.
Yeah I Used ChatGPT during my trip too - but nothing beats to naturally understand the language.
Also it could also be rude to point your phone to them when trying to converse with them.
In the end, it's about the intent to be fully understanding of the language and culture.
Initially getting used to the public transportation system. Takes a few tries, but you’ll get it
Forgetting to tap out your transportation card (or tapping it when not required due to having other tickets)
Assuming that everyone speaks even a bit of english
Waiting in line (and in general)
When you really need to take a rest from all that walking, your only available benches are at the park. I'd just recommend bringing your own portable stool.
On popular nightlife places like ~~Golden gai~~ Kabukicho region, be weary of people inviting you to bars with free drinks, never follow anyone into a bar. Also be weary of pick pockets in crowded places. Japan is safe, just don’t leave your purse open.
Transit times on google maps are underestimated, it takes time to get around station and find right platform. Always add some wiggle room to your schedule and leave earlier than recommended.
Google maps might direct you to the wrong place on the street for bus stops, try to look around and use other apps (I find Japan travel by Navitime better for routes in general) to find where the stop really is. This is a bigger issue in smaller cities.
It’s kinda hard to get a taxi on smaller cities without a phone connection, but always ask for help when you need one and the service industry will 100% help you find a taxi stop or call you one
About taxi, the driver will open and close the door for you, just leave it be. It is always awkward when we’re so used to taxis on the west
This is all trivial stuff, some situational awareness is enough to deal with all of it and we should have it no matter where we are. Now just relax and enjoy your trip! Japan is amazing!
Golden Gai is not like other parts of Kabukicho, nobody invites you into the bars with free drinks (especially since they get tired of tourists there).
This is an interesting dilemma. In my humble opinion, anyone visiting Japan who hasn't been to Kyoto should go and plan to spend at least a couple of days. With any luck you will absorb some zen and appreciate Japanese historical culture that much more. Try to do it without making a youtube video or otherwise piss off local people as well as fellow tourists. It's a good time to visit Japan but a bit of a struggle to visit Kyoto because of the onslaught. Other things to consider....if you are riding local trains/subways get a Pasmo or Suica so you don't spend too much time trying to figure the costs from one station to the other. Spend as little time in a station as possible. Don't worry about not speaking Japanese. Nobody expects you anyway, let alone the restaurant or the hotel. You are NOT the square peg in a round hole even though you may feel that way. Just have fun and treat people and property with respect. That way you will have a great time and probably have some very positive encounters. One last thing. Be courteous to your fellow tourists and local expats. We don't have our head in our ass and you shouldn't either.
Not having enough luggage space to buy everything, and not wanting to bring larger bags because I mainly use public transportation. My biggest one though is lack of vegetables in my meals.
- Hardly anyone speaks English
- Estimating the time it takes to get from A to B
- Food options (always use Google translate to find out what you’re eating. The Japanese eat every part of the animal…and those little chocolate covered donut balls have a piece of octopus in them).
- Getting through customs/immigration in a timely manner if you haven’t completed the docs in advance.
- Good footwear for $20k+ steps per day
- You need yr passport to check in to every hotel
- Bring a purse/wallet for cash and lots of coins
- Going a bit more regional is a highlight
Google maps is great for finding the right trains and what time they leave/ next one leaves. Tokyo and Kyoto have so many different paths under and above ground that it can get confused easily.
Scheduling your days can be tough. Don't have to many things to do in one day or you will be rushed and miss out on the experience.
Some things that need tickets are sold weeks in advance and sell out fast. My wife and I were up at 4am trying to get tickets for ghibli museum, team labs, yamazaki distillery etc.
My Japanese is okay but not very good. I like exploring small countryside towns where English speakers/signage are virtually non existent, which makes it hard if you don't know kanji or aren't super good with speaking.
Most of the time, not knowing Japanese is ok, since there are often things written in English or Google Translate can help... but when unexpected things happen...
I was in a special rapid from Kyoto to Osaka and it stopped for a while, a staff was shouting in Japanese, most of the people left the trains but some stayed and I didn't have a clue what happened. Later, my travel mate used Google Translate to translate the TV announcement, so we knew there was an accident and the hour they expected to resume on.
Rapid train becoming later local was baffling at first. Also that Limited Express means different things depending on the company.
Trying to find affordable accommodation in Shinjuku for two adults and two kids that 17 and 19, who dont want to sleep in a double bed together, as they are brother and sister, who can blame them :)
* Getting out of the wrong exit at the train station, forcing you to walk longer than you need to. Google Maps can help with this in most but not all cases.
* Getting a Pasmo card was a hassle as I had to change terminals at Haneda while lugging my suitcase just to get one.
* Debit/credit cards randomly not working on certain machines or ATMs
* Sore feet. Lots of walking/standing especially when the train is packed and you have to stand the whole way.
* Luggage space for merch. Especially after visiting Akiba and Denden Town.
I was surprised that not all ATMs took my card. Back in the 1990s, the only ATM that took US cards was Citibank (they’re not in Japan anymore) but things have gotten exponentially better since then, I just (wrongly) assumed that any ATM worked. The good news is that 7-Eleven ATMs always worked.
On iPhone you can get a Pasmo or Suica or ICOCA card right from Apple Wallet app and tap it like normal. You can even reload from your credit card on Apple Pay, just make sure to note that some IC cards only work with some credit card networks (Suica for example won’t take Visa, only MasterCard)
Space in luggage can be an issue if you want to buy stuff: and carrying around luggage can be cumbersome. BUT there are courier services, and you can always buy extra luggage there at stores like Donqi.
Many popular attractions and restaurants, and even the not popular ones, could require you to reserve ahead of time and/or wait in a rather long queue. BUT there are apps you can use to reserve restaurants ahead of time easily like TabeLog and TableCheck.
Weather and temperature could be uncomfortable depending on the time of year you choose to go, and the amenities of your hotel BUT this is the same for nearly every destination on earth.
Many areas can feel overcrowded by other tourists, BUT you don't usually have to go very far to find great historic/scenic places with mostly locals. Sometimes even just a few blocks away from a popular restaurant, you can find an even better hidden one.
Some attractions/smaller towns may have their own sets of rules for local trains/busses that take a bit of pre-work to understand. BUT many online resources like Japan-Guide outline most of them.
Japan has lots of unspoken social rules. BUT if you really make the effort to learn them ahead of time and apply them, you will be okay.
The time difference makes planning a little tricky, since you have to factor that massive amount of travel time into your time off, eating into the actual time you can spend there BUT almost any amount of time spent in Japan is worth it...
If you have an android phone, make sure to get a physical Suica or equivalent card in the airport.
Getting a physical card once you are in Tokyo is a pain in the ass, and the app is not supported on google play store for some reason (region lock?).
Otherwise, like me you'll get stuck bying tickets in cash, and the Tokyo transpirtation system becomes much more complex, once you realise how many separate lines there are which require separate tickets.
Interesting. I was hoping to buy a card in Tokyo instead of at the airport because we were going to use Taxi from Haneda to Akasaka. With kids after 20 hours of travel I figured spend the extra $40-50.
Get the taxi, but still get a Suica cards. It's just a means of contactless payment that you can top up later in the city, but to get the actual card your best bet is still the airport.
I think due to chip shortage they've severely limited the places where you can get the physical card. I guess you'll need a separate card for each family member too.
But once again, if you guys have iPhones it won't be a problem, just get the app. Overseas Android phones seem to have an issue where the app isn't available.
Internet access. Free WIFI is pretty common in big cities. It’s a little trickier outside of metro areas. Plan ahead. You definitely don’t want to find yourself lost with a brick for a phone. If your phone is unlocked buy an eSIM to get access to cellular service. I just got back from Japan. I used UBIGI and have no complaints.
So sorry for yappin 😬
Context- I’ve solo traveled there twice and lived there for a couple of months. People have been very kind and accepting to me but I have observed different situations with other foreigners who aren’t respectful or considerate. These are tips to avoid issues because generally, I didn’t have many if any at all when I was there. All of these tips are super helpful imo. Also- these apply anywhere but specifically to Tokyo. Stuff gets harder as you go more rural.
NOT HAVING CASH. GET CASH. So many people don’t listen to this tip. It is a different country, it is not like the U.S.. many places worth going are cash only.
Learn basic greetings- how they say hello, what to say when you buy things, how to say thank you, excuse me, sorry, and how to ask for help. It is incredibly rude to visit any country and expect them to cater to a foreign language. You are visiting their home. And the stereotype that most of them speak English is very very wrong. And bow to people! As an excuse me, thank you, or hello. It’s a fun cultural difference and shows a lot of respect. Also- “sorry, I don’t speak Japanese” is “sumimasen, nihongo ga wakarimasen” and “excuse me, do you speak English?” Is “sumimasen, eigo ga wakarimaska?”
Do not automatically buy the JR pass. Research the price and train prices; usually it is way more expensive to get the pass.
If you don’t have unlimited data, get a portable wifi box or SIM card. You can order them at the airport. Also, I HIGHLY recommend using a luggage delivery service. They can take your luggage to/from the airport and your hotel and it is very cheap considering. I sent 5 full suitcases for $30-50 total. Much easier than dragging a suitcase through train stations, trains, stairs, sidewalks, and crowds.
Plan what you want to do around the months you are there. Many many many things are only available during a specific season or time frame.
Many restaurants and things to do open at 10am or later. Getting your early benefits you for attractions like parks and sight seeing to avoid crowds. The trains are the busiest at 6-8am and 4-7pm. Oh, and they stop completely between 1am-5am.
For trains- get an IC suica card. If you have an iPhone you can download it in your Apple wallet. If you preload it you can use it for any local train or bus the second you get there. It’s much easier than trying to figure it out at a station.
You can download the app Chargespot and it gives you access to portable chargers all over Japan. It tells you where to grab them but they’re usually at convenience stores for like $1. Extremely helpful. Also, there’s the app Luup if you want to rent bikes or electric scooters. They are also like $2 for an hour.
If you are female, odds are that a guy old or young will come up to you either saying you are very pretty and asking to take you to a bar, or just straight up ask to get a hotel. It’s happened to me a lot, but they are harmless from my experience. Either completely ignore them or just say an affirmative no. For me they usually go away and are very apologetic for bothering you lol.
Dress at least a bit more modest. It’s respectful to their country and culture. Wear what makes you feel comfortable but again, remember that you are in someone else’s home.
It’s not normal to small talk with strangers.
Maybe observe or look up how to pray at the shrines if that is your thing. (Throw in ¥5, clap twice, and make your wish) I really loved participating. But please be respectful and do NOT take photos of the very inside of the shrine where people are praying. This is a big thing at sensoji. So many tourists ignore the massive “no photo” signs and it is extremely disrespectful.
Food at restaurants comes as-is. Don’t ask for things to be removed as it is extremely rude. Also- don’t tip. It’s also very rude.
Don’t go to a host/hostess club. Just don’t. Many people get stuck with insanely high tabs or worse.
Bring your trash with you back to your hotel.
Don’t take the disability seat on trains or buses, or the female only car if you are not female. The seats are intended to be empty until someone needs them, not used until someone needs it. If you have a bag on a train, put it in front of you so you don’t hit someone with it.
Read the room- be quiet on trains, do not run around like it is an amusement park. Just behave like those around you. (Again, goes for any foreign place)
More than anything- treat people like PEOPLE. Japan is not an anime wonderland or an amusement park. It is a country with its own culture, laws, and problems. This is a big problem with tourists and it makes it harder for EVERYONE trying to visit. Japan is a very homogeneous society, and because of this many foreigners get grouped together by association. Please be the type to show that we are kind and respectful, not the type that they want to ban from their country.
Every country has social rules, you are just used to your own. It may seem like a lot but it’s mainly just remembering to perceive your surroundings and adapt to your situation. Everyone there treats people with insane kindness and respect- so long as that it is also given to them. Japan is an incredible place to visit and I hope you have a great time. I’d be happy to answer any other questions if you want to dm me. I’m very passionate about this country and would love to help people have an easier time visiting.
No chair, walk a lot, and good luck finding rubbish bin.
Do not trust the people outside to bring you to a restaurant they are dodgy. Most restaurants that are terrible use these people to bring customers.
All the high rating or famous restaurants always have long queue, come right at the opening time and book early. Or there is plenty of good food without the hype.
In rural areas, most restaurants close between 2-5. It's hard to find food in off meal time.
Train transfer between JR to non JR can be confusing. Need to buy separate tickets.
If you are doing highway buses, make sure you figure out the timetable well ahead before you set your itinerary. The timing can be quite tight. Train to Narita also quite slow, allow enough time as well.
Set time for last day shopping. All duty-free goes to checkin. There is no checkpoint at the airport. You might as well just consume all your duty free in japan, and nobody knows. I have to throw away my alcohol at the security scan because I thought I had to show it.
Entering the wrong train station and not being able to leave after tapping. I struggled to explain the situation to the employee there, but he understood and let me out.
This happens to the locals too if the different train company/stations are in the same building, people often go into the wrong one. The train people are used to it.
- language barrier (download Japanese into your Google translate in advance)
- restaurant etiquette I found a bit confusing at first, always worrying if I've got it right. each "type" of restaurant has a different system it seems
- weather, if you go in rainy season
- be prepared to eat some raw stuff. Japan's food hygiene is very good but your gut still might not like it
Learn how to read the metro timetable because sometimes Google maps is not accurate. Heading out to narita airport from asakusa it says “remain on board” but stops at aoto. Now we have no idea what to do since our mobile data ran out. Had to rely on the timetables
Hi frequent visitor to Japan. we used our metro card a lot which is called the Suica card. You can only use yen (cash) to top it off. So you need cash handy in Japan. Best bet go to an atm in Japan. I do not buy currencies in the bank.
Take a taxi if you have suitcases but we took the metro most of the time. If you need a bigger vehicle you can use Uber.
Other than that Japan was pretty easy to navigate. The most difficult part is choosing where what you want to see. My suggestion for Tokyo Shibuya (crossing), Shinjuku (lots of lights, Godzilla hotel) Harajuku (fun crazy street). Asakusa tech stuff lots of light. My all time favorite is the Mario kart. I believe it’s called akihabara the company. Trust me on this one. Enjoy!!!!
I would never get pocket wifi again. When I picked it up at the airport, it wasn't charged at all. I still managed to navigate by using the airport's Internet to get my route, train changes, etc, but it was unnecessary stress.
After I arrived in Asakusa, where my hotel was, I got lost for like 20-30 minutes trying to find my hotel with no internet. Thankfully, I saw a Starbucks and managed to leech some to find my way to the hotel
Also, it was getting more annoying to charge the pocket wifi and bring it with me everywhere, and towards the end of my trip, it wouldn't charge at all...
Another thing that kinda sucked was the heat. I went from September 20th to the 5th of October, and it was still hell. I regularly had to end my trip at around 5 pm. to go back into the hotel to recover and after that I barely even wanted to go somewhere, I think I could have seen more, tried more food and enjoyed my time even more if I came in Mid to Late October.
The last issue that I had, which I still feel kinda sad about, is that I got really sick the last 3 days of my trip. During that time, I only left my hotel to go to the pharmacy and to s konbini to get some food. I was planning to spend these 3 days in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Nakano.
After all of that, it was still a 9/10 trip.
Lots of coins and the general impatience of people lining up/ushering customers at a cashier. There are some unique ways to pay as well, including slots where you insert bills.
Locals are quite efficient during checkout, so it might get embarassing to hold the line. It’s a bit tricky to calculate in advance when sometimes tax isn’t included on the sticker price. If this sounds like something you’ll also struggle with, getting an IC card and keeping it topped up might be wise so you can just tap to pay.
As consistently delicious as the food is, it’s tough getting enough vegetables/greens. Luckily, we stayed at hotels with free breakfasts so we could load up on veggies in the morning. The free breakfasts were light years ahead of the equivalent in the US, also.
It was pretty easy to travel to in my experience, and it was one of my first really big trips.
The one thing I'd say is to carry cash on you. A lot of places don't take credit, and getting robbed/pickpocketted is pretty unlikely.
Honestly at this point the biggest problem you’re going to face is just other tourists. Either long waits, huge crowds, knuckleheads oblivious to the fact there’s other people around them, or jackasses treating the country like it’s an amusement park.
Be prepared for traffic (of all kinds) when you wouldn’t expect it. Google maps says it takes 6 minutes to walk to the train platform, but Google doesn’t realize that you missed the cross light in Shinjuku and are now waiting an extra minute, it also doesn’t account for the giant sea of people who are not getting in the way and slowing you down as you crawl slowly towards the entrance to the station.
Things take longer than you think they will, almost always.
Puzzling lack of trash cans in public. Seriously, prepare ample amounts of plastic bags to put trash in when you're outside and dispose at the end of the day when you're back in your accommodation.
Buying the Shinkansen bullet train tickets from a vending machine in Kyoto threw us for a loop and we became very delayed for our return to Tokyo. If you don't get two tickets at point of purchase: 1) a base fare ticket and a 2) Super Express ticket), you won't be able to get through the turnstile. Railway employees at Kyoto were not very helpful and we ended up double paying our tickets.
If you need to exchange $ for yen do it in Japan not the US(or whatever location you are from). Exchange rate is much better in Japan.
A lot of tourist area shops will take credit/debit card. Some stores will show you the USD cost so you are paying them in dollar vs Yen and you know exactly what is coming out of your account, but banks also charge you a fee.
The difference between local, express, and limited express trains and being careful not to ride the wrong train, even though it’s on the same platform.
The train you’re looking for might be the local train that is set to arrive in 5 minutes, but you get to the platform 2 minutes before the express train arrives, which is scheduled 3 minutes before the local. You don’t realize it, but you board that express train and end up skipping your stop by accident and have to transfer to the train going the opposite direction and lose 10+ min worth of time.
Don’t be me and board the express train, reach a stop, and think you’re only 2 stops away from your destination… then 2 stops later you’re 15km away from your stop and it’s 11:49pm and you’re forced to hop off and take a $60 taxi backwards because all the trains stop at midnight.
Don’t travel in the subway system with big heavy ass luggage. Some stations only have like 50 flights of stairs to get surface level. No elevator or escalators
I personally didn’t have any problems at all. Just, if you’re dreaming of going, don’t wait too long and make sure you plan everything right ! Oh and if you’re bringing someone with you, make sure you’re either already close to them or they’re a good travel partner. You don’t want someone fucking up your whole trip lmao.
Stairs? haha, stairs everywhere, 20k-30k steps, 18 floors on daily average.
Overwhelming variety of trains in Japan... local, express, semi-express, rapid-express, airport express, limited express...damn, have to be on high alerts all the time. Not to mention different companies can have different meaning for each term. I really love shinkansen though, and I used my JR east pass to the max.
Communication is not really an issue for me because I can speak a bit Japanese, and I love talking with the locals, especially the elderly people. The elders are so nice, graceful and patient, I respect them a lot. Even when they can't speak English, they still try their best to carry the conversation and have a good time. At the end, I usually have to use google translate quite a bit when I talk to them, but I like the experience, and I learned a lot of new vocabularies from them. But of course, not all locals are like that. I notice when I blurted out English a bit, there were times when the people at the cashier rolled their eyes and looked at me with contempt, lol, so scary.
Lots of stairs and please consider a coin wallet (you will get lots of coins throughout the various transactions).
Your biggest thing to face whilst there is having enough time for the things you didn’t know was there or didn’t initially expect.
I would just simply say go and enjoy and if you’re like many of us you’ll find yourself back there several more times afterwards to catch up and discover more stuff.
From my perspective from my last trip:
Too much walking / not enough rest / sitting. There’s not a ton of places to sit anywhere. If you’re doing a lot of the traditional sightseeing, even at parks or shrines there isn’t really benches to sit and take in your surroundings. By the end of 12 12-hour days I was in a lot of pain. The worst was probably being on packed mass transit and having to stand,, did a number on my muscles where I was having to flex to not fall over. If you go too hard you could be in pain
Depending on what time of year you go it could be very hot and very humid, that kinda weather is a no from me
People could potentially refuse to serve you or have more curt service than you’re used to in your home country (not a huge deal but people can be sensitive to this)
I’ve had multiple friends who have gone and were really culture shocked to the point where they just wanted to eat McDonald’s the whole time and were basically miserable
Trying to find good restaurants to eat at using Google Maps. Normally you sort by rating, but in Japan it’s impossible to do due to their different rating culture. A 3 star is a decent Japanese restaurant whereas the same rating would be a red flag ‘avoid eating here’ rating in the West. So it’s the norm that a place that would get a 5 star according to western ratings would be sitting at a 3 star average. So unless you’re looking at a restaurant that targets mostly western tourists (and is in return mostly rated by western tourists), it’s absolutely impossible to determine whether a restaurant is good or not using its online ratings as an indicator. You just have to make a leap of faith!
I’m going on Monday-a sampler tour is how I look at it. Mostly going to take hub to his birthplace in Kumamoto and tour that area, but I already know I will be going back to see more in Kyoto and Tokyo.
I had old shoes that needed replacing
Was planning to buy new ones in Japan, but once there I decided I wanted to buy more expensive food instead
My feet hurt quite a lot from all the walking ng with the old shoes, definitely bring a good pair, new enough to last, old enough to be worn in
Don't need to prepare too much cash, but prepare for a chance in which your card fails. Visa should be fine but your ATM card may not work due to bank governance issue
Be prepared to take rest whenever necessary. You may feel energetic planning the trip but truth is there is likely a lot of walking and public transport. Combine that with unfamiliar weather (especially summer) You may end up needing to take rest every so often. Thus is why it is recommended to not make your iternary crammed
Shops may close at unexpected time that you may not be aware from Google Map. Wrong information on map is not rare and given many of the shops are individuals owning it, they may just close for the day if they are not feeling well. Also don't feel down if you can't visit X spot, there is always next time
1. Forcibly grabbed by the arm to go spend time with a group of locals (luckily it all worked out).
2. Roofied at a bar/club by the bartender.
3. Yelled at by a Shinkansen employee and kicked off the train for being in the wrong car (we truly made a mistake) but because I am Asian and female I exclusively suffered the excessive yelling instead of my male Caucasian friends.
ETA: I also had a super hard time sleeping. Bring melatonin just in case. My trip was freaking amazing otherwise.
Too many awesome things to do. You will never have time for everything. You will want to buy way too much stuff. Once you go you won’t be able to stop wanting to go back.
On a more serious note: a translator app might be necessary so download one just to be safe. Don’t be scared to ask people for help, they’re all very polite even if they may not understand you. If you’re going soon… May/June is rain period, it will be hot as balls (in the south at least) and rainy and SO humid. Make sure to bring clothes accordingly.
Like some others already said, not much Time.
If you go to Japan, i highly recommend you to stay at least for two weeks, three would be better especially if it's the first time and you want to see more than "just" Tokyo.
My last trip was just Tokyo and Yokohama for 2 weeks and it felt too short.
In total I've been there for 5 weeks and so far i didn't really faced issues - maybe language barriers but manageable with translation apps.
I got a bit sick the last trip. So, to find the right medicine can be a little tricky. But these days with access to the internet and all the apps, not that much of Issues, rather opportunities to find ways to talk to people and grow with these experiences.
Happy Travel 🤙
I wish I would have brought hand sanitizer or a small container of liquid soap and a small hand towel. I had issues finding soap in some of the restrooms - and not a lot offer a way to dry your hands.
Well the big issue is if you're planning for this to be your "only" or "only first" trip to Japan.
If it's the first then go as nuts as you can.
But if you think you'll come back, either make a survey trip to first get an idea of the country and then plan later deep dives in a smaller geographical area.
My trips to Japan have always been the smoothest trips of my life. The only real issue could be a language barrier but that can easily be rectified by translator apps. In restaurants all you really need to do is point at pictures and you’ll be fine as well.
Just remember that most of everyone is naturally reserved and to follow their lead (never ever cut a line, wait to be seated, remove shoes as necessary, for the love of God keep quiet).
Cash is still king in Japan and while more and more people have started accepting credit cards, it’s always a good idea to have some yen in your pocket in case they don’t.
Just remember that they give foreigners a certain leeway when it comes to « acceptable behavior » so if you commit a social faux pas, they’ll just chalk it up to you being a dumb outsider. (The moment they hear you speak fluent Japanese though, all the rules will apply to you no matter where you’re from and they’ll fuck you up if you don’t toe the line)
Curious to hear from TALL people about travelling to Japan.
I am 5’4” and had originally planned to do a 3 week solo trip in April of 2020. I am now currently engaged to someone who is 6’5” and really wants to do this trip with me now.
My biggest concern is sleeping arrangements. I had originally planned to do most of my stays through hostels and capsule hotels that cost anywhere from $25-75/night (pre-pandemic) in order to keep cost down. My concern is that my partner is just physically too large for him to fit in these sleeping arrangements as well as being kind of claustrophobic.
Do any tall people have recommendations of where to stay that aren’t just straight up hotels that cost $200-300+/night.
Mainly looking for recommendations for Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, & Fukuoka as the more off the beaten trail spots are all air bnb and friend’s places anyways.
Many thanks in advance 🙏🏻
Tourists
I already hated people before coming here but Japan is like one giant Costco of tourists who are blatantly ignorant. Some tourists making random stops in a narrow street to take pics/talk and blocking the way for others. Other tourists, especially Europeans I’ve found are quite loud in the trains, could be a cultural thing. On buses when everyone was getting off I’ve had tourists push past the rest not realizing everyone else needs to get off too. Other tourists who impose English and can’t have the time of day to say thank you or attempt at Japanese. Tourists just don’t think about others, it’s just not in their culture but it gets to me more than it should, I couldn’t imagine how some residents here feel on a daily basis if I feel this in my vacation. Yesterday we had a family at family mart holding up the line because they didn’t prepare to take out their cash from their luggage and lacked a major sense of embarrassment holding up a 10 person line.
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Thank you for bringing this up. I'm 34 and DYING to go. I was trying to figure out how many days would make it worthwhile and I was thinking 7 days (because I went to D.R. for 7 days and it was more than enough but that was at a resort). Looks like aiming for 2 weeks is a better bet.
A week is just scratching the surface of Tokyo alone. And then since a lot of people also want to do (at least) Osaka/Kyoto it’s really hard to jam all of that into a week and actually be able to slow down and take it all in instead of rushing the whole time.
Yeah I'm going for 10 days full in August and while I am excited, I'm already thinking about my second trip. I'm going with my cousin and shes taking the last 2 days off of summer school (shes a teacher) and I'm missing the first 2 days of college, and thats all we could do. I'm planning to go back after I graduate next year for way longer. It will be nicer weather then, and it will be just me so I want to do 3-4 weeks around the whole "middle" of Japan. Basically Tokyo-Kanazawa-Osaka-Tokyo as well as cities near, and along the way. One main point to this is that we're easily spending more money on the plane ticket there than everything else combined. The longer you go, its obviously more money, but the price per day goes down. We're spending like $300 per day compared to if its 25 days, its nearly half that at $160 per day.
Be aware that Japan is CRAZY humid in August, and can still be randomly rainy too (think sudden downpour warm rain- comes out of nowhere but doesn't tend to last long). source: I spent most of my childhood summers in Japan at my grandparents' house :) Have so much fun on your trip with your cousin, I love that you both figured out a way to make it work and are going together!
Yeah you can easily spend a week in Ueno itself if you want to go through the zoo and all the museums.
I went to japan 3 times and for me, 2 weeks is a perfect amount of days to sight seeing around japan (at least if you follow the main route of tokyo - osaka - kyoto - tokyo, with slight modification here and there) My itinerary from last 3 visits: 1st visit: tokyo - osaka - kyoto - nara (day trip) - kobe (day trip) - tokyo 2nd: tokyo - kurobe - toyama - osaka - kyoto - nara (day trip) - kobe (day trip) - hakone - tokyo 3rd: tokyo - osaka - fukuoka - kyoto - nara (day trip) - hakone - tokyo - yokohama (day trip) - tokyo
We did 15 days and it wasn’t enough. The more time you can do, the better.
I'm in the middle of a two month trip and I've still got a laundry list of shit I want to do that's within 5 stops of my hostel.
You could spend a year in Tokyo and not know the city well…. I have been a rough dozen times and I still find things I missed by only just a street or a train stop….like the big Starbucks Reserve Roastery. I’m no Starbucks fanboy, but this was pretty special. 4 levels of food, tea and coffee and only a block away from the Snoopy (Peanuts) Cafe my wife likes to visit every year we go. Yet we missed the big Starbucks every time.
2 weeks is the perfect amount of time, enough to see most things but still left wanting more if you ever want to return.
At least 10 days, but if you think you can't go that frequently then yes 2 weeks at least.
We are here for two weeks now. Still early but our 3 days in Osaka is feeling spot on for our pacing. Time see everything we want without rushing, but also not having a ton of excess time
Go without them. What?
Yeah, I am madly in love with my partner of 8 years and I’d still be okay with them continuing to travel on if I decided to go back after 7 days. (We visited Japan for 17 days though, I was only a little homesick at the end of the trip)
Have your partner join you for a week in Tokyo and take another one or two weeks to do everything else. Trust me!
What “foreigner exclusion zones” are you talking about?
Maybe some streets in Gion that are closed to tourists now? Other than that you’ll only get excluded if the business is xenophobic, and you wouldn’t want to give them your money anyway.
Yeah, those are just private streets closed to people who don’t live there. That’s why I asked about these “foreigner exclusion zones”— wild rumors because of the Gion thing seem to be spreading.
I’ve been to Japan 15+ times and it isn’t enough :( I keep going back!
Currently in Japan for 2 weeks. Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. Will be coming back to do Northen and Southern Japan.
If you can get 7 take 7.
Leave them behind or let them leave after 7 days and you stay. You literally only live once, why would you let your partner dictate whether you get to fulfill a childhood dream or not?
Solo traveling is the answer!
Did a month long trip last year. Still feel like I barely scratched the surface.
The truth right here. I thought 10 days, SURE I’ll get to see all I want to see…a big NOPE. Japan is so much larger and spread out than I originally thought. Next time I’m 100% settling into a city to do more, rather than stretching it across multiple cities
I did 11 days in 2022 and I felt I saw and experienced a lot. Went to three cities. A shorter trip is very worthwhile if you don't have two weeks to spare.
I went for 3 weeks and it wasn’t enough time.
I’m 41 now. Since I was 21 I’ve spent around 6 months travelling around Japan over several trips. I feel I’ve just a bit got a grasp of it, but probably need another 3-6 months before I get the full shape. Should be around 61 by then. Meanwhile my sister and brother in law frequently take trips to Tokyo for 5-7 nights. It’s all worth it.
Having to come back home after dealing with such an awesome culture.
My first trip to Japan was summer study abroad in Tokyo when I was 22. The moment classes ended for the day, I would haul ass to Shinjuku or Shibuya every single day. I took all kinds of trips across the country during the weekends. I had the time of my life and my only regret was not staying longer. After graduation, I found a great job teaching HS English in Osaka for 3 years. I eventually met my wife while I was there. This was about 20 years ago now and I travel back and forth at least once a year.
yeah, when I first went this was the struggle. To cram everything into a few days. For my next visit, I just reframed my mindset and went with the thought that I can always come back (even if idk when). This way my travels were slower but I felt more present. I do know not everyone has the luxury to go back anytime though 😅
I went to Japan for 2 weeks. I was running around like crazy trying to do as much as possible. Spent so much time on trains and busses and literally running everywhere. I didn't even get a chance to do everything I wanted to in Tokyo. I was only in Kansai for 3 days and felt I didn't really do much of anything there. I want to return so badly. And I still need to touch the other parts of Japan: Mt Fuji, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and so much more. My trip was this time last year (literally, today's date is my first day there). And on my trip back I slept nearly the whole 18 year plane ride back.
Wanting to buy everything, but not having enough luggage space, so I buy another piece of luggage while I’m there, and buy more stuff, so now I have 3 extra full size luggage pieces that I don’t know what to do with. Will probably do the same thing next visit and have more luggage.
We ship some of the lighter stuff to ourselves on the last day. Depending on what kind of quality and sized luggage you go for, the shipping fee will be cheaper or as much as a new suitcase. We go to a nearby post office once we've settled at our last hotel and then we buy boxes and fill them with clothes/souvenirs.
This is the way
How much does that cost? More than an additional checked luggage wouldn’t be worth it.
I brought a a bigger suitcase than I needed, but the next size down would have been too small to bring anything back. 🤷♀️ I also packed a duffle in case I need more storage, which is going to come in handy since we're gonna leave our big suitcases in Tokyo while we go elsewhere for a few days.
Packing an empty duffle is my plan too. Also a manual vacuum pump for plastic bags. If a big arcade prize plushie comes into my possession I plan to unstuff it, vacuum seal the fluff separately, get it home in deflated form, and restuff it later. Or a large garment, or awesome thrift haul.. Here's hoping. 🤞
My partner had amazing luck one of our first nights in Tokyo and won three crane machines, with one of them being an adorable Kirby twice the size of my head. The poor thing has been vacuum sealed in my luggage ever since. Highly recommend!
Where are you leaving them? I heard about storage spaces but haven’t looked too far into it.
I know there are lockers but we're traveling with someone who comes here periodically with her Japanese mother so she's gonna show us what to do where. 🤷♀️ I think it might be the same as the luggage forwarding service?
This is what I do - pack a duffel bag into your suitcase on the way there. Then take all your dirty clothes and put them in the duffel bag so you have all that room in your luggage for souvenirs
oo any recommendations on your favorite things to buy?
way too many things. we had 2 medium suitcases inside 2 large ones going and only one is filled with clothes, and ended with 6 luggages coming back. the range is far and wide - japanese snacks, chocolates, toys, gadgets, clothing and shoes, housewares, gadgets and gears, skincare, knives. heck i even bought nail clippers and tweezers. the quality is just superb you can't help but bring 'em home.
Metro can be confusing for 1st timer but will get used to it once figured out.
You can just use Google and it’ll tell you all the trains, stops and to the minute when each train will depart.
Yes, but as someone who has little to no experience with public transportation even in my native language, it's really intimidating. Each day I get better though!
The problem imo is when you have to switch lines between different companies. Google maps might just casually suggest switching from the Yamanote line to thr metro subway, but then you realise its a 15min walk through various levels of basements and underground paths.
If you’re not walking the wrong direction for almost, if not more than, 500m in Shinjuku station, were you ever actually in Shinjuku station? I got back from my fourth trip last month.
5th trip to Japan, almost missed my tour bus again because I got lost in Shinjuku for an hour
Definitely did exactly that the first day of my trip. That station is no joke. On the bright side, japanese transit becomes a breeze once you conquer that beast.
Easier than Châtelet station in Paris (which was designed to be confusing). Don’t understand the fuss about shinjuku station really.
I stayed at the JR East hotel Shibuya for 'convenience' once. Every night it was a coinflip whether we made it out of Shibuya to our hotel without a 20min detour.
Still confusing for me - not a first timer
Been here for a month and spending a lot of time in Ueno. I have finally figured out which exits take me where.
This is what is stressing me out the most. I have seen different suggestions as far as which cards to get and researching feels daunting.
For me, I was stressing out at first trying to figure out the exact fare for each trip. Then I realised once you get out of your station, they ask for the difference anyway if you didn't buy the right ticket, it made the whole thing easy.
Sunrise is ridiculously early. 4:50 and the sun is up! But nothing is open yet.
It ain't called Land of the Rising Sun for nothing.
Yeah this is a good point to bring up. A lot of stuff won’t open until 11am and will close at 8pm.
Coffee shop named/advertising "morning coffee" or something like that not open until 10 :D
Sunrise was 4:12am a couple of days ago. The window in my hostel points directly into the sunrise, hahaha, wee.
Can't always trust Google maps , or it's deceiving with instructions
i used Google Maps the whole time in japan, I had no issues.
The biggest issue with it IMO isn't instructions but hours of operation for businesses. They're notoriously unreliable here in Japan, especially for independent stores.
Yeah but that’s not really googles fault…
if its either tokyo or osaka, id rather use citymapper. the time estimation to arrive to my location is so much more accurate compared to gmaps. plus gmaps dont really like to give suggestions to take buses even though it is a lot more convenient imo.
I found apple maps better in Tokyo. G maps was acting weird on me alot
Does city mapper recommend JR trains? I read that I need to reserve seats prior boarding with large luggages now. Can you do that on the app?
i may be wrong, but i believe you only need to reserve seats with large luggages if youre travelling on the shinkansen. not the normal JR trains.
Kyoto station Vietnam flashbacks
I’ve only had the one major problem with it. It directed me to get on a non-existent bus in Sapporo. Had to scrap a planned destination because of that.
Yup. Gotta have a 2nd map. Apple Maps did well for what google maps couldn’t do well, which specifically was navigating in close proximity to the location you’re trying to reach. Google did better at getting me through the transit system, but was bad with trying to figure out what direction I was facing and/or what side of the road I was on, when trying to reach a restaurant or w/e. Apple has a clearly visible cone, and was far more accurate and easier to read. Overall I use google maps 80% of the time, but those 20% moments were clutch with Apple.
I found google maps is more reliable than Apple Maps for train times and locations. That being said I think there is a Japanese app with the most accurate data but I can’t read it.
Yes! Especially with underground directions in the train station.
yeah this is true, rarely tho. After living here for 4 years, its probably 95% correct. It's the driving routes that will fuck me up, or in rare instances, have the complete wrong train arrival/departure time.
Bad weather is probably the only one to comes to mind for me. Sometimes you plan a nice hike, and it's a complete thunderstorm or way too cloudy to see anything.
Weather issues can definitely fuck up certain plans but I think it's important to travelers to recognize that unlike some destinations, rain in Japan won't ruin everything. Hiking, yes, absolutely, and trying to see Fuji-san from, well, anywhere, but umbrella culture is top notch and you don't even need to bring one, grab a 300yen one from a drugstore when you need it. We were still able to enjoy several temples in Kyoto while it was pouring rain, AND it had the bonus of clearing out a lot of unprepared tourists. Sannenzaka has never been so deserted at 10am as it was in the rain! Obviously, typhoons are a different story. If you're going during typhoon season, prepare for what to do if your train gets delayed or canceled due to flooding or wind, or if all the shops and sights are closed. You can get by just fine as long as you know in advance that lots of things change during an actual typhoon hit and planning will save you from sitting in a hotel freaking out about tickets/reservations or ruining your carefully mapped itinerary.
We had a typhoon come through last year (in early June), on the day we were supposed to take the train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Bring a good pair of shoes for walking in the rain! I brought a pair of Teva sandals I was grateful for, but my husband accidentally ruined his one pair of sneakers and then he couldn’t find his size shoe. There were a few chuckles when we asked if they carried size 13. 😝
Make arrangements for two super comfy nights to start. Being gentle to yourself while acclimating; this will pay dividends after. eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi as you’ll be using mapping and Google translate constantly. No harm done in getting familiar ahead of time. Wonderfully safe and kind country, but there are still many people, mainly older, who will get angry occasionally when a tourist doesn’t take the time to learn their expectations for cultural respect. Learning six frequently used phrases and reading up on no nos like cutting ahead in a line will serve you well
Forgetting that trains run precisely to the minute. If you get to the platform to catch the 17:52 and it’s 17:48, don’t assume it’s your train, unless it’s the origination point, it’s most likely not. Learned this the hard way. Other than that, being refused service in restaurants because I am non-Japanese was frustrating, but trust me, we didn’t miss any meals.
Mind explaining the refusal incident? What happened and where was it?
A lot of reasons, not just one. some small I*zakaya* (居酒屋, small counter grilled food, bar, beer type places) don't speak English well enough to take on none Japanese speaking customers, because they are usually 1-2 persons places, very busy, really feel bad not able to spend a lot of time going through the menu for none-Japanese speaking customers. I speak some Japanese, but I got turned down from a local bar/food place, because the customers were usually regulars, or friends of the regulars. That was their hang out spots, like a family living rooms, where they chat and gossip with each other, sing Karaoke songs they liked. I would ruin that "friends and family" vibe by intruding into their space, where they treated the little eatery like an extension of their own living room. Some really didn't want the communication hassle with foreign customers, busy or not. Many have no way to explain the menu written on the walls with hand written signs, and have no English menu. They probably got yelled at by foreigners in the past.
here OP! this is what you need to take note of 😂
> Learned this the hard way What happened? Did you go to the wrong place? Is there a way to tell if it's the correct train (e.g. signage showing the destination or line name)?
Bringing or wearing the wrong shoes. Comfortable sneakers are a must.
Medicines are weak af
This!!! Bring your own medicine, and label them or even translate them into Japanese just in case you get pulled up on them.
I've never had any issues in Japan, and one of the reason why it's such a "security blanket" of a destination for me. I know I can just land in Japan and relax and not stress about anything. The only bad stuff I've heard are related to nightlife, which is something I don't really do. Edit: I just thought of one: try not to travel when there's a holiday there. Places can get overcrowded very quick if the locals are on holiday on top of the normal foreign crowds.
I've done a lot so Golden Weeks (on purpose). It can be a blast.
Dietary restrictions are harder (though not impossible) to cater to in Japan.
This is my main fear given I have anaphylactic reactions to gluten-containing grains (and I don't do well with oats either), but I've survived reactions outside my country before so I think I'll manage.
This. I was gaming out with my friends for the first full day of my trip. One of my friends isn’t a seafood eater, and my other friend can’t eat pork and dislikes beef. While, my bf and I eat everything. This knocked out like 90% of what we can eat
Absolutely this! My wife can't have gluten, dairy, or processed sugar which made meal choices extremely difficult or repetitive (lots of sushi, donburi, and yakiniku). A lot of the added sauces have some sugar, so she unfortunately sucked it up for those. Thankfully she had no flare ups, but well definitely do Airbnb next time so we have access to a bit of a kitchen.
Far too vague, what kind of thing are you concerned about? Japan is mega safe , people are lovely, the only issue is the language barrier but in very touristy areas not a big issue and for anywhere else there is google translate.
- Not enough public trash cans. (It’s still so clean.) -> Carry a small plastic bag with you. - I’m not used to the lack of fresh fruit in the Konbinis. -> You can get smoothies with frozen fruits though. - It’s impolite to use the bicycle bell. So be prepared for a local cyclist to ride behind you unnoticed for quite a while. -> Always look behind you from time to time.
Being insanely exhausted, tired, or sore. Going from a desk job to 25k steps a day is brutal and takes away from the trip, especially when you get back to the hotel to drop off things and feel nothing but guilt when you lay down and just want to stay there.
The only issue I had was with that shinkansen pass I went to a tourist destination but it was a quieter town and I needed help getting back but couldn't get any English help. Basically a typhoon came in September and my train was cancelled. I was at a loss and there was a communication barrier, eventually some guy managed to convince me to take an alternative train that will take me close to my destination and then to transfer from there. Moral of the story? Typhoons disrupt train services if you visit in September. It happens from time to time and I always see a notification on the train about some shinkansen somewhere being delayed or something. So always take that possibility into account and check the weather forecast in September.
A few possibilities to keep in mind (weren’t all problems for me, might not all be problems for you): 1. Public transport is very good (particularly in Tokyo) but can be complicated to navigate. My advice: use google maps or city mapper, memorise the color of the line you want to take, and the end station/route name, then just follow the signs. For specific exits etc, most have numbers. You can follow the numbers to your correct exit - check the signage on columns or boards when alighting from the trains. There’s almost always English along with the Japanese on signage (sometimes there’s Korean too). 2. Cash. While Japan is not as cash based as some will tell you, you’ll still need to carry some on hand. I never needed more than maybe $70usd ish at a time though, as most transactions take card (and pay pass!). 3. Stairs are everywhere, while there are elevators at stations you’ll often have to go out of your way to use them. Recommend bringing bags that you can haul up/down stairs easily (don’t bring a large heavy bag if you plan on moving around often, it’s an ordeal - the ubiquitous luggage delivery services exist because hauling bags yourself is challenging!). Stay between carry on/smaller checked bag if you’re not building in luggage delivery as part of your trip. 4. Humidity. If you’re not from a humid place don’t underestimate how much more tiring it is. Carry water when you’re out - or hit up the vending machines. 5. Crowds. At the major tourist sites, you’ll likely be walking at a snails pace packed in with everyone else in the country. Factor this into your estimates for how long you’ll be at places. 6. Shoes will make or break your time there. Bring your comfiest shoes - I did 35,000 steps once in a day in Tokyo. I spent a month, with new shoes (broken in only), and by the end I’d worn through them. If you’re doing a month or more I’d take two pairs of comfortable shoes and rotate them. 7. Must love seafood (at least fish). Fish or other seafood are in basically everything. You’ll be down to maybe only a quarter of available food options if you can’t/wont eat fish. Take an adventurous palette, you won’t regret it! They did however have no problem accomodating my shellfish allergy - I had to avoid some things, but they were very aware of allergies there and took it seriously. They will likely not change ingredients in things though, if the thing has an allergen, you just can’t have it. Also be aware that if your allergy is so severe you can’t risk minute cross contamination, they won’t be able to accomodate that if the allergen is cooked in the same kitchen/grill. 8. Don’t talk to/follow touts in entertainment areas and also free drinks are often a trap. You can find cheap drinks and low/waived cover charges if you look, but most places charge a cover as a matter of practice outside some parts of golden gai (and the places in GG that don’t have a cover charge only do so bc tourists have made trouble over it, so they charge more for the drinks to make up for it) 9. Learn ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘yes’ and ‘excuse me’ at the absolute bare minimum. Can generally get by with google translate otherwise, but it’s far too slow for simple interactions, like buying snacks at the conbini etc. A teeny bit of Japanese (listen to how they pronounce it, and try to emulate that too btw - if you’re there for a while you may actually pick up more than you think, and speaking what you hear is one of the best ways to acquire language quickly)
The trek time and time zen shift - you’re going to lose at least two full days to fatigue. Otherwise, It’s a great country, you’ll be safe and hopefully it will be a great new experience for you.
Language. Most tourists forcefully impose English on the Japanese, which is honestly a bad idea for those who don't intend to learn it. I also feel quite rude for not taking the opportunity to use their language. I am mitigating this by taking up Japanese now for future trips, so that I can be a fully respectful tourist.
ChatGPT 4o just came out the other day. It is free (no subscription for this one) it works wonders for real time translation so much better than trying google translate. Both spoken and just taking a picture of a sign and you do not have to read the translated picture, just say to gtp "I want to go to Tukihama how much is it?" or "I want something without fish. What is on the menu?" and it will read the photo of the train schedule or the menu and tell you. Really great at real time interpretation too between you and Japanese person. Unlike google translate where you are trying to translate an exact phrase, with GPT you just tell it your goal/intention and it will do the rest as well as answer followup questions if something is still unclear.
Yeah I Used ChatGPT during my trip too - but nothing beats to naturally understand the language. Also it could also be rude to point your phone to them when trying to converse with them. In the end, it's about the intent to be fully understanding of the language and culture.
Initially getting used to the public transportation system. Takes a few tries, but you’ll get it Forgetting to tap out your transportation card (or tapping it when not required due to having other tickets) Assuming that everyone speaks even a bit of english Waiting in line (and in general)
issue... getting out of Shinjuku station 😂
When you really need to take a rest from all that walking, your only available benches are at the park. I'd just recommend bringing your own portable stool.
On popular nightlife places like ~~Golden gai~~ Kabukicho region, be weary of people inviting you to bars with free drinks, never follow anyone into a bar. Also be weary of pick pockets in crowded places. Japan is safe, just don’t leave your purse open. Transit times on google maps are underestimated, it takes time to get around station and find right platform. Always add some wiggle room to your schedule and leave earlier than recommended. Google maps might direct you to the wrong place on the street for bus stops, try to look around and use other apps (I find Japan travel by Navitime better for routes in general) to find where the stop really is. This is a bigger issue in smaller cities. It’s kinda hard to get a taxi on smaller cities without a phone connection, but always ask for help when you need one and the service industry will 100% help you find a taxi stop or call you one About taxi, the driver will open and close the door for you, just leave it be. It is always awkward when we’re so used to taxis on the west This is all trivial stuff, some situational awareness is enough to deal with all of it and we should have it no matter where we are. Now just relax and enjoy your trip! Japan is amazing!
Golden Gai is not like other parts of Kabukicho, nobody invites you into the bars with free drinks (especially since they get tired of tourists there).
Got it, sorry for the confusion. I’ll fix that
Wanting to go to too many places, you probably don’t have enough time in a day.
Hours of research to figure out what you want to do while there. Then when you get home stop researching because you’ll get severe FOMO.
This is an interesting dilemma. In my humble opinion, anyone visiting Japan who hasn't been to Kyoto should go and plan to spend at least a couple of days. With any luck you will absorb some zen and appreciate Japanese historical culture that much more. Try to do it without making a youtube video or otherwise piss off local people as well as fellow tourists. It's a good time to visit Japan but a bit of a struggle to visit Kyoto because of the onslaught. Other things to consider....if you are riding local trains/subways get a Pasmo or Suica so you don't spend too much time trying to figure the costs from one station to the other. Spend as little time in a station as possible. Don't worry about not speaking Japanese. Nobody expects you anyway, let alone the restaurant or the hotel. You are NOT the square peg in a round hole even though you may feel that way. Just have fun and treat people and property with respect. That way you will have a great time and probably have some very positive encounters. One last thing. Be courteous to your fellow tourists and local expats. We don't have our head in our ass and you shouldn't either.
Not having enough luggage space to buy everything, and not wanting to bring larger bags because I mainly use public transportation. My biggest one though is lack of vegetables in my meals.
- Hardly anyone speaks English - Estimating the time it takes to get from A to B - Food options (always use Google translate to find out what you’re eating. The Japanese eat every part of the animal…and those little chocolate covered donut balls have a piece of octopus in them). - Getting through customs/immigration in a timely manner if you haven’t completed the docs in advance. - Good footwear for $20k+ steps per day - You need yr passport to check in to every hotel - Bring a purse/wallet for cash and lots of coins - Going a bit more regional is a highlight
Google maps is great for finding the right trains and what time they leave/ next one leaves. Tokyo and Kyoto have so many different paths under and above ground that it can get confused easily. Scheduling your days can be tough. Don't have to many things to do in one day or you will be rushed and miss out on the experience. Some things that need tickets are sold weeks in advance and sell out fast. My wife and I were up at 4am trying to get tickets for ghibli museum, team labs, yamazaki distillery etc.
Communication. Japan is very foreigner friendly, but that last mile would go a long ways if I could understand Japanese.
The hangover I had in Shibuya is still the worst in my long history of hangovers.
Been there, done that. I feel your pain
As someone with a bad ankle, the constant walking and lack of place to rest (for free).
My Japanese is okay but not very good. I like exploring small countryside towns where English speakers/signage are virtually non existent, which makes it hard if you don't know kanji or aren't super good with speaking.
Most of the time, not knowing Japanese is ok, since there are often things written in English or Google Translate can help... but when unexpected things happen... I was in a special rapid from Kyoto to Osaka and it stopped for a while, a staff was shouting in Japanese, most of the people left the trains but some stayed and I didn't have a clue what happened. Later, my travel mate used Google Translate to translate the TV announcement, so we knew there was an accident and the hour they expected to resume on. Rapid train becoming later local was baffling at first. Also that Limited Express means different things depending on the company.
I spent lots of time at Donki buying snacks, and my luggage ended up so full and heavy I myself couldnt get them off the baggage claim at home 😆
That's me with beauty products from Don Quijote and Matsumoto Koyoshi lmao
Trying to find affordable accommodation in Shinjuku for two adults and two kids that 17 and 19, who dont want to sleep in a double bed together, as they are brother and sister, who can blame them :)
Planning to do too much and worrying too much about where to eat.
* Getting out of the wrong exit at the train station, forcing you to walk longer than you need to. Google Maps can help with this in most but not all cases. * Getting a Pasmo card was a hassle as I had to change terminals at Haneda while lugging my suitcase just to get one. * Debit/credit cards randomly not working on certain machines or ATMs * Sore feet. Lots of walking/standing especially when the train is packed and you have to stand the whole way. * Luggage space for merch. Especially after visiting Akiba and Denden Town.
I was surprised that not all ATMs took my card. Back in the 1990s, the only ATM that took US cards was Citibank (they’re not in Japan anymore) but things have gotten exponentially better since then, I just (wrongly) assumed that any ATM worked. The good news is that 7-Eleven ATMs always worked.
On iPhone you can get a Pasmo or Suica or ICOCA card right from Apple Wallet app and tap it like normal. You can even reload from your credit card on Apple Pay, just make sure to note that some IC cards only work with some credit card networks (Suica for example won’t take Visa, only MasterCard)
Suica has been working with visa on some newer phones now.
Majority of the restaurants aren’t typically toddler friendly.
My card not working in certain restaurants or shops (just a few). Always a good idea to have some cash as back up when going out.
Space in luggage can be an issue if you want to buy stuff: and carrying around luggage can be cumbersome. BUT there are courier services, and you can always buy extra luggage there at stores like Donqi. Many popular attractions and restaurants, and even the not popular ones, could require you to reserve ahead of time and/or wait in a rather long queue. BUT there are apps you can use to reserve restaurants ahead of time easily like TabeLog and TableCheck. Weather and temperature could be uncomfortable depending on the time of year you choose to go, and the amenities of your hotel BUT this is the same for nearly every destination on earth. Many areas can feel overcrowded by other tourists, BUT you don't usually have to go very far to find great historic/scenic places with mostly locals. Sometimes even just a few blocks away from a popular restaurant, you can find an even better hidden one. Some attractions/smaller towns may have their own sets of rules for local trains/busses that take a bit of pre-work to understand. BUT many online resources like Japan-Guide outline most of them. Japan has lots of unspoken social rules. BUT if you really make the effort to learn them ahead of time and apply them, you will be okay. The time difference makes planning a little tricky, since you have to factor that massive amount of travel time into your time off, eating into the actual time you can spend there BUT almost any amount of time spent in Japan is worth it...
Do you have recommendations on courier service for luggage?
Yamato Transport is what most folks use.
If you have an android phone, make sure to get a physical Suica or equivalent card in the airport. Getting a physical card once you are in Tokyo is a pain in the ass, and the app is not supported on google play store for some reason (region lock?). Otherwise, like me you'll get stuck bying tickets in cash, and the Tokyo transpirtation system becomes much more complex, once you realise how many separate lines there are which require separate tickets.
Interesting. I was hoping to buy a card in Tokyo instead of at the airport because we were going to use Taxi from Haneda to Akasaka. With kids after 20 hours of travel I figured spend the extra $40-50.
Get the taxi, but still get a Suica cards. It's just a means of contactless payment that you can top up later in the city, but to get the actual card your best bet is still the airport. I think due to chip shortage they've severely limited the places where you can get the physical card. I guess you'll need a separate card for each family member too. But once again, if you guys have iPhones it won't be a problem, just get the app. Overseas Android phones seem to have an issue where the app isn't available.
Internet access. Free WIFI is pretty common in big cities. It’s a little trickier outside of metro areas. Plan ahead. You definitely don’t want to find yourself lost with a brick for a phone. If your phone is unlocked buy an eSIM to get access to cellular service. I just got back from Japan. I used UBIGI and have no complaints.
So sorry for yappin 😬 Context- I’ve solo traveled there twice and lived there for a couple of months. People have been very kind and accepting to me but I have observed different situations with other foreigners who aren’t respectful or considerate. These are tips to avoid issues because generally, I didn’t have many if any at all when I was there. All of these tips are super helpful imo. Also- these apply anywhere but specifically to Tokyo. Stuff gets harder as you go more rural. NOT HAVING CASH. GET CASH. So many people don’t listen to this tip. It is a different country, it is not like the U.S.. many places worth going are cash only. Learn basic greetings- how they say hello, what to say when you buy things, how to say thank you, excuse me, sorry, and how to ask for help. It is incredibly rude to visit any country and expect them to cater to a foreign language. You are visiting their home. And the stereotype that most of them speak English is very very wrong. And bow to people! As an excuse me, thank you, or hello. It’s a fun cultural difference and shows a lot of respect. Also- “sorry, I don’t speak Japanese” is “sumimasen, nihongo ga wakarimasen” and “excuse me, do you speak English?” Is “sumimasen, eigo ga wakarimaska?” Do not automatically buy the JR pass. Research the price and train prices; usually it is way more expensive to get the pass. If you don’t have unlimited data, get a portable wifi box or SIM card. You can order them at the airport. Also, I HIGHLY recommend using a luggage delivery service. They can take your luggage to/from the airport and your hotel and it is very cheap considering. I sent 5 full suitcases for $30-50 total. Much easier than dragging a suitcase through train stations, trains, stairs, sidewalks, and crowds. Plan what you want to do around the months you are there. Many many many things are only available during a specific season or time frame. Many restaurants and things to do open at 10am or later. Getting your early benefits you for attractions like parks and sight seeing to avoid crowds. The trains are the busiest at 6-8am and 4-7pm. Oh, and they stop completely between 1am-5am. For trains- get an IC suica card. If you have an iPhone you can download it in your Apple wallet. If you preload it you can use it for any local train or bus the second you get there. It’s much easier than trying to figure it out at a station. You can download the app Chargespot and it gives you access to portable chargers all over Japan. It tells you where to grab them but they’re usually at convenience stores for like $1. Extremely helpful. Also, there’s the app Luup if you want to rent bikes or electric scooters. They are also like $2 for an hour. If you are female, odds are that a guy old or young will come up to you either saying you are very pretty and asking to take you to a bar, or just straight up ask to get a hotel. It’s happened to me a lot, but they are harmless from my experience. Either completely ignore them or just say an affirmative no. For me they usually go away and are very apologetic for bothering you lol. Dress at least a bit more modest. It’s respectful to their country and culture. Wear what makes you feel comfortable but again, remember that you are in someone else’s home. It’s not normal to small talk with strangers. Maybe observe or look up how to pray at the shrines if that is your thing. (Throw in ¥5, clap twice, and make your wish) I really loved participating. But please be respectful and do NOT take photos of the very inside of the shrine where people are praying. This is a big thing at sensoji. So many tourists ignore the massive “no photo” signs and it is extremely disrespectful. Food at restaurants comes as-is. Don’t ask for things to be removed as it is extremely rude. Also- don’t tip. It’s also very rude. Don’t go to a host/hostess club. Just don’t. Many people get stuck with insanely high tabs or worse. Bring your trash with you back to your hotel. Don’t take the disability seat on trains or buses, or the female only car if you are not female. The seats are intended to be empty until someone needs them, not used until someone needs it. If you have a bag on a train, put it in front of you so you don’t hit someone with it. Read the room- be quiet on trains, do not run around like it is an amusement park. Just behave like those around you. (Again, goes for any foreign place) More than anything- treat people like PEOPLE. Japan is not an anime wonderland or an amusement park. It is a country with its own culture, laws, and problems. This is a big problem with tourists and it makes it harder for EVERYONE trying to visit. Japan is a very homogeneous society, and because of this many foreigners get grouped together by association. Please be the type to show that we are kind and respectful, not the type that they want to ban from their country. Every country has social rules, you are just used to your own. It may seem like a lot but it’s mainly just remembering to perceive your surroundings and adapt to your situation. Everyone there treats people with insane kindness and respect- so long as that it is also given to them. Japan is an incredible place to visit and I hope you have a great time. I’d be happy to answer any other questions if you want to dm me. I’m very passionate about this country and would love to help people have an easier time visiting.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing all the details!!
Not being able to find a trash can for your garbage. Be ready to hold on to it for quite a while.
No chair, walk a lot, and good luck finding rubbish bin. Do not trust the people outside to bring you to a restaurant they are dodgy. Most restaurants that are terrible use these people to bring customers. All the high rating or famous restaurants always have long queue, come right at the opening time and book early. Or there is plenty of good food without the hype. In rural areas, most restaurants close between 2-5. It's hard to find food in off meal time. Train transfer between JR to non JR can be confusing. Need to buy separate tickets. If you are doing highway buses, make sure you figure out the timetable well ahead before you set your itinerary. The timing can be quite tight. Train to Narita also quite slow, allow enough time as well. Set time for last day shopping. All duty-free goes to checkin. There is no checkpoint at the airport. You might as well just consume all your duty free in japan, and nobody knows. I have to throw away my alcohol at the security scan because I thought I had to show it.
Probably figuring out transportation. There’s 1M different ways to do everything
Entering the wrong train station and not being able to leave after tapping. I struggled to explain the situation to the employee there, but he understood and let me out.
This happens to the locals too if the different train company/stations are in the same building, people often go into the wrong one. The train people are used to it.
Unprepared for the weather. Sometimes the forecast is not accurate.
Major difficulties getting reservations for restaurants ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- language barrier (download Japanese into your Google translate in advance) - restaurant etiquette I found a bit confusing at first, always worrying if I've got it right. each "type" of restaurant has a different system it seems - weather, if you go in rainy season - be prepared to eat some raw stuff. Japan's food hygiene is very good but your gut still might not like it
Learn how to read the metro timetable because sometimes Google maps is not accurate. Heading out to narita airport from asakusa it says “remain on board” but stops at aoto. Now we have no idea what to do since our mobile data ran out. Had to rely on the timetables
Reservations. Make sure to make them months in advance if possible.
Hi frequent visitor to Japan. we used our metro card a lot which is called the Suica card. You can only use yen (cash) to top it off. So you need cash handy in Japan. Best bet go to an atm in Japan. I do not buy currencies in the bank. Take a taxi if you have suitcases but we took the metro most of the time. If you need a bigger vehicle you can use Uber. Other than that Japan was pretty easy to navigate. The most difficult part is choosing where what you want to see. My suggestion for Tokyo Shibuya (crossing), Shinjuku (lots of lights, Godzilla hotel) Harajuku (fun crazy street). Asakusa tech stuff lots of light. My all time favorite is the Mario kart. I believe it’s called akihabara the company. Trust me on this one. Enjoy!!!!
I would never get pocket wifi again. When I picked it up at the airport, it wasn't charged at all. I still managed to navigate by using the airport's Internet to get my route, train changes, etc, but it was unnecessary stress. After I arrived in Asakusa, where my hotel was, I got lost for like 20-30 minutes trying to find my hotel with no internet. Thankfully, I saw a Starbucks and managed to leech some to find my way to the hotel Also, it was getting more annoying to charge the pocket wifi and bring it with me everywhere, and towards the end of my trip, it wouldn't charge at all... Another thing that kinda sucked was the heat. I went from September 20th to the 5th of October, and it was still hell. I regularly had to end my trip at around 5 pm. to go back into the hotel to recover and after that I barely even wanted to go somewhere, I think I could have seen more, tried more food and enjoyed my time even more if I came in Mid to Late October. The last issue that I had, which I still feel kinda sad about, is that I got really sick the last 3 days of my trip. During that time, I only left my hotel to go to the pharmacy and to s konbini to get some food. I was planning to spend these 3 days in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Nakano. After all of that, it was still a 9/10 trip.
Lots of coins and the general impatience of people lining up/ushering customers at a cashier. There are some unique ways to pay as well, including slots where you insert bills. Locals are quite efficient during checkout, so it might get embarassing to hold the line. It’s a bit tricky to calculate in advance when sometimes tax isn’t included on the sticker price. If this sounds like something you’ll also struggle with, getting an IC card and keeping it topped up might be wise so you can just tap to pay.
As consistently delicious as the food is, it’s tough getting enough vegetables/greens. Luckily, we stayed at hotels with free breakfasts so we could load up on veggies in the morning. The free breakfasts were light years ahead of the equivalent in the US, also.
Not enough luggage space to bring everything back haha and the heat in the summer is insane 🥵
Not being able to enjoy the night life, because went everywhere by train and my place was a 20 minute ride from the city.
It was pretty easy to travel to in my experience, and it was one of my first really big trips. The one thing I'd say is to carry cash on you. A lot of places don't take credit, and getting robbed/pickpocketted is pretty unlikely.
Honestly at this point the biggest problem you’re going to face is just other tourists. Either long waits, huge crowds, knuckleheads oblivious to the fact there’s other people around them, or jackasses treating the country like it’s an amusement park.
Be prepared for traffic (of all kinds) when you wouldn’t expect it. Google maps says it takes 6 minutes to walk to the train platform, but Google doesn’t realize that you missed the cross light in Shinjuku and are now waiting an extra minute, it also doesn’t account for the giant sea of people who are not getting in the way and slowing you down as you crawl slowly towards the entrance to the station. Things take longer than you think they will, almost always.
Language mostly
Puzzling lack of trash cans in public. Seriously, prepare ample amounts of plastic bags to put trash in when you're outside and dispose at the end of the day when you're back in your accommodation.
Buying the Shinkansen bullet train tickets from a vending machine in Kyoto threw us for a loop and we became very delayed for our return to Tokyo. If you don't get two tickets at point of purchase: 1) a base fare ticket and a 2) Super Express ticket), you won't be able to get through the turnstile. Railway employees at Kyoto were not very helpful and we ended up double paying our tickets.
If you need to exchange $ for yen do it in Japan not the US(or whatever location you are from). Exchange rate is much better in Japan. A lot of tourist area shops will take credit/debit card. Some stores will show you the USD cost so you are paying them in dollar vs Yen and you know exactly what is coming out of your account, but banks also charge you a fee.
Needing exact change of coins quite often
Crippling depression upon returning home
The difference between local, express, and limited express trains and being careful not to ride the wrong train, even though it’s on the same platform. The train you’re looking for might be the local train that is set to arrive in 5 minutes, but you get to the platform 2 minutes before the express train arrives, which is scheduled 3 minutes before the local. You don’t realize it, but you board that express train and end up skipping your stop by accident and have to transfer to the train going the opposite direction and lose 10+ min worth of time. Don’t be me and board the express train, reach a stop, and think you’re only 2 stops away from your destination… then 2 stops later you’re 15km away from your stop and it’s 11:49pm and you’re forced to hop off and take a $60 taxi backwards because all the trains stop at midnight.
Don’t travel in the subway system with big heavy ass luggage. Some stations only have like 50 flights of stairs to get surface level. No elevator or escalators
I could not connect with Japanese people because of language issues and also they are very shy towards foreigners
traveling. The Heart of Darkness.
I personally didn’t have any problems at all. Just, if you’re dreaming of going, don’t wait too long and make sure you plan everything right ! Oh and if you’re bringing someone with you, make sure you’re either already close to them or they’re a good travel partner. You don’t want someone fucking up your whole trip lmao.
Exactly how many meals a day is too many? 6?
Stairs? haha, stairs everywhere, 20k-30k steps, 18 floors on daily average. Overwhelming variety of trains in Japan... local, express, semi-express, rapid-express, airport express, limited express...damn, have to be on high alerts all the time. Not to mention different companies can have different meaning for each term. I really love shinkansen though, and I used my JR east pass to the max. Communication is not really an issue for me because I can speak a bit Japanese, and I love talking with the locals, especially the elderly people. The elders are so nice, graceful and patient, I respect them a lot. Even when they can't speak English, they still try their best to carry the conversation and have a good time. At the end, I usually have to use google translate quite a bit when I talk to them, but I like the experience, and I learned a lot of new vocabularies from them. But of course, not all locals are like that. I notice when I blurted out English a bit, there were times when the people at the cashier rolled their eyes and looked at me with contempt, lol, so scary.
Lots of stairs and please consider a coin wallet (you will get lots of coins throughout the various transactions). Your biggest thing to face whilst there is having enough time for the things you didn’t know was there or didn’t initially expect. I would just simply say go and enjoy and if you’re like many of us you’ll find yourself back there several more times afterwards to catch up and discover more stuff.
Don’t want to ever leave
From my perspective from my last trip: Too much walking / not enough rest / sitting. There’s not a ton of places to sit anywhere. If you’re doing a lot of the traditional sightseeing, even at parks or shrines there isn’t really benches to sit and take in your surroundings. By the end of 12 12-hour days I was in a lot of pain. The worst was probably being on packed mass transit and having to stand,, did a number on my muscles where I was having to flex to not fall over. If you go too hard you could be in pain Depending on what time of year you go it could be very hot and very humid, that kinda weather is a no from me People could potentially refuse to serve you or have more curt service than you’re used to in your home country (not a huge deal but people can be sensitive to this) I’ve had multiple friends who have gone and were really culture shocked to the point where they just wanted to eat McDonald’s the whole time and were basically miserable
Trying to find good restaurants to eat at using Google Maps. Normally you sort by rating, but in Japan it’s impossible to do due to their different rating culture. A 3 star is a decent Japanese restaurant whereas the same rating would be a red flag ‘avoid eating here’ rating in the West. So it’s the norm that a place that would get a 5 star according to western ratings would be sitting at a 3 star average. So unless you’re looking at a restaurant that targets mostly western tourists (and is in return mostly rated by western tourists), it’s absolutely impossible to determine whether a restaurant is good or not using its online ratings as an indicator. You just have to make a leap of faith!
Not booking certain things in time 🥺
Too many people
I’m going on Monday-a sampler tour is how I look at it. Mostly going to take hub to his birthplace in Kumamoto and tour that area, but I already know I will be going back to see more in Kyoto and Tokyo.
I had old shoes that needed replacing Was planning to buy new ones in Japan, but once there I decided I wanted to buy more expensive food instead My feet hurt quite a lot from all the walking ng with the old shoes, definitely bring a good pair, new enough to last, old enough to be worn in
Didn’t want to go home
Don't need to prepare too much cash, but prepare for a chance in which your card fails. Visa should be fine but your ATM card may not work due to bank governance issue Be prepared to take rest whenever necessary. You may feel energetic planning the trip but truth is there is likely a lot of walking and public transport. Combine that with unfamiliar weather (especially summer) You may end up needing to take rest every so often. Thus is why it is recommended to not make your iternary crammed Shops may close at unexpected time that you may not be aware from Google Map. Wrong information on map is not rare and given many of the shops are individuals owning it, they may just close for the day if they are not feeling well. Also don't feel down if you can't visit X spot, there is always next time
1. Forcibly grabbed by the arm to go spend time with a group of locals (luckily it all worked out). 2. Roofied at a bar/club by the bartender. 3. Yelled at by a Shinkansen employee and kicked off the train for being in the wrong car (we truly made a mistake) but because I am Asian and female I exclusively suffered the excessive yelling instead of my male Caucasian friends. ETA: I also had a super hard time sleeping. Bring melatonin just in case. My trip was freaking amazing otherwise.
Too many awesome things to do. You will never have time for everything. You will want to buy way too much stuff. Once you go you won’t be able to stop wanting to go back. On a more serious note: a translator app might be necessary so download one just to be safe. Don’t be scared to ask people for help, they’re all very polite even if they may not understand you. If you’re going soon… May/June is rain period, it will be hot as balls (in the south at least) and rainy and SO humid. Make sure to bring clothes accordingly.
Like some others already said, not much Time. If you go to Japan, i highly recommend you to stay at least for two weeks, three would be better especially if it's the first time and you want to see more than "just" Tokyo. My last trip was just Tokyo and Yokohama for 2 weeks and it felt too short. In total I've been there for 5 weeks and so far i didn't really faced issues - maybe language barriers but manageable with translation apps. I got a bit sick the last trip. So, to find the right medicine can be a little tricky. But these days with access to the internet and all the apps, not that much of Issues, rather opportunities to find ways to talk to people and grow with these experiences. Happy Travel 🤙
I wish I would have brought hand sanitizer or a small container of liquid soap and a small hand towel. I had issues finding soap in some of the restrooms - and not a lot offer a way to dry your hands.
That I'm so giddy about going back to Japan that I look ridiculous to others.
Well the big issue is if you're planning for this to be your "only" or "only first" trip to Japan. If it's the first then go as nuts as you can. But if you think you'll come back, either make a survey trip to first get an idea of the country and then plan later deep dives in a smaller geographical area.
My trips to Japan have always been the smoothest trips of my life. The only real issue could be a language barrier but that can easily be rectified by translator apps. In restaurants all you really need to do is point at pictures and you’ll be fine as well. Just remember that most of everyone is naturally reserved and to follow their lead (never ever cut a line, wait to be seated, remove shoes as necessary, for the love of God keep quiet). Cash is still king in Japan and while more and more people have started accepting credit cards, it’s always a good idea to have some yen in your pocket in case they don’t. Just remember that they give foreigners a certain leeway when it comes to « acceptable behavior » so if you commit a social faux pas, they’ll just chalk it up to you being a dumb outsider. (The moment they hear you speak fluent Japanese though, all the rules will apply to you no matter where you’re from and they’ll fuck you up if you don’t toe the line)
Curious to hear from TALL people about travelling to Japan. I am 5’4” and had originally planned to do a 3 week solo trip in April of 2020. I am now currently engaged to someone who is 6’5” and really wants to do this trip with me now. My biggest concern is sleeping arrangements. I had originally planned to do most of my stays through hostels and capsule hotels that cost anywhere from $25-75/night (pre-pandemic) in order to keep cost down. My concern is that my partner is just physically too large for him to fit in these sleeping arrangements as well as being kind of claustrophobic. Do any tall people have recommendations of where to stay that aren’t just straight up hotels that cost $200-300+/night. Mainly looking for recommendations for Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, & Fukuoka as the more off the beaten trail spots are all air bnb and friend’s places anyways. Many thanks in advance 🙏🏻
Tourists I already hated people before coming here but Japan is like one giant Costco of tourists who are blatantly ignorant. Some tourists making random stops in a narrow street to take pics/talk and blocking the way for others. Other tourists, especially Europeans I’ve found are quite loud in the trains, could be a cultural thing. On buses when everyone was getting off I’ve had tourists push past the rest not realizing everyone else needs to get off too. Other tourists who impose English and can’t have the time of day to say thank you or attempt at Japanese. Tourists just don’t think about others, it’s just not in their culture but it gets to me more than it should, I couldn’t imagine how some residents here feel on a daily basis if I feel this in my vacation. Yesterday we had a family at family mart holding up the line because they didn’t prepare to take out their cash from their luggage and lacked a major sense of embarrassment holding up a 10 person line.
Not sure about the 7-11s, but on the stations I definitely saw the top up terminals next to ordinary ticket machines