Japan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world; but it is also a different world than we are used to in the West. If you are not prepared, you will be in for massive culture shock. Tokyo is one of the world’s most populus city, the transportation system is efficient yet massive and complex and there are language barriers. That being said, don’t be overwhelmed, here are some tips to help navigate your way around Japan and make your vacation smoother.
Know some basic Nihongo (Japanese)
Japan is one of the few very developed tourist hot spots where very little English is spoken. The Japanese are extremely successful, hard working and innovative; so most of them don’t have to learn English to be successful in the business world. No one expects you to be fluent in Japanese but know a few basic words at least like hello, please, where is the train station… etc.(Konnichiwa, kudasai, doko). You can learn basic words and sentence structure like this using Duolingo or Rocket Languages. Rocket Languages costs money, but you can access 3-5 free trial lessons. This will help you when you’re trying to order from a menu that is strictly in Kanji or you’re trying to find one of the 51 platforms or 200 exits… seriously those are real numbers, in the Shinjuku station. While there I asked where something was on numerous occasions and was somewhat successful at finding it.
Pocket Wi-Fi
In addition to using your basic Nihongo, you will still need google translate. You will also need to access google maps to determine which subway entrance to enter, which APA hotel of the many is yours and so forth. Google translate allows you to take a picture of signage, menus, etc. in Kanji and will translate it directly. You will use your phone a lot, and you may even want to post social media stories while in one of the many amazing locations. Order pocket Wi-Fi and pick it up from the airport. There are many companies to use, we ordered from Global Advanced Communications, it cost us about $80 CAD for the week. Just make sure you charge the device each night and know where you are picking it up in the airport.
JR pass
Japan has many amazing places to see, and Tokyo alone has tons of attractions and things to see. If you take cabs, busses, etc. the cost will add up. Narita International Airport is over an hour from Tokyo and a taxi will cost an arm and a leg. If you plan on travelling around and going between Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kawaguchiko, etc. it’ll add up, so consider getting a Japan Rail (JR) pass. It costs $350 USD for a week but again, if you are travelling around and seeing the many sites Japan has to offer its worth it. There are places where you’ll have to pay a couple hundred yen (a few dollars) to transfer onto a line that isn’t a JR line, but it’s still worth it.
Just make sure you order it ahead of time because you need an exchange order which you need to exchange for a physical JR Pass. It is a paper ticket, so don’t lose it. We waited too long and had to order it to our hotel in Tokyo. Luckily the exchange order arrived but we had to pay for our ride on the Narita Express to Tokyo before we were able to pickup our pass, this cost us about $70 CAD each.
Book your seats in Advance
For non-local trains, like the Narita Express (to and from the airport), longer rides to Kawaguchiko to go to Mount Fuji, and anywhere on the Shinkansen (bullet train), make sure you book you’re ticket in advance. Even if you have the JR Pass, you will still want to reserve a seat. On our journey back from Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko), we made the mistake of only booking 10 minutes prior and me and my fiancé were lucky to get a seat, although we weren’t seated together.
If there are open seats and you haven’t booked one, you can sit there, but if anyone books the seat while you are on the train, you will have to vacate your seat if they get on at the next stop or two. Again, this only applies to longer rides, not local trains going short distances within Tokyo.
Expect breakfast on the go
When travelling, I love me a good breakfast. After two days of looking around, I realized breakfast places aren’t common in Japan and especially Tokyo. Hotels offer breakfasts, but usually at a price that isn’t included in your stay. Japanese people are always on the go, so convenience stores like 711 cater to this. You can get some cheap breakfast from the convenience store and a hot coffee from a vending machine in the street. And besides, there’s lots to do in Japan, so grab a coffee and snack and eat it on the train to save some time!
Street Food
In addition to breakfast on the go, sometimes you may not have time to sit down for lunch or dinner. Street food in Japan is amazing; probably the best I’ve had in the world. Definitely take advantage of all that there is to offer, whether its Wagyu Beef skewers, Kobe Beef, stuffed 10 yen waffles, Yakatori, Takoyaki or sweet rice dumplings. If you don’t have street food solely as a meal, make sure you save some extra yen and an appetite to try these delicious treats.
Be aware of the room size
Tokyo is one of the most populus cities in the world, with over 40 million people in Tokyo and the surrounding area. With that being said, there isn’t a lot of room for everyone, so instead of building wider the build higher. When we booked our budget hotel stay at APA Higashi-Shinjuku Kabukicho, we knew the room would be small when we saw that it was 11 square meters, but never really put it into context how small it actually would be. We had tons of luggage (we were travelling for 5 weeks, in two different climates and with a baby) and trying to fit it in the room was a disaster. We stored some under the bed, some in front of the door and luckily the lobby held onto our baby car seat, which we never even used either. So, either dish out big bucks for a bigger room or pack accordingly, the rooms are small. But it was all part of the experience, the hotel was nice, clean, cheap and had a wicked view of the Tokyo skyline.
In Kyoto, we stayed in a traditional Japanese Ryokan it was pricey but the room was large. But in Osaka, our room was small too, just not as small as the one in Tokyo.
Plan
There is lots to do in Japan; whether that’s visiting temples, checking out the technology or trying all the food. Tokyo is large and many of the attractions are just outside of Tokyo or on the other end of the city. So, plan accordingly, I used ChatGPT to help me with my itinerary. I told the AI program everything I wanted to do, where I was staying and how long I had and asked for the most efficient itinerary, with attractions that were close planned together. I modified the itinerary but, whether you use AI or not, plan accordingly. Don’t miss out, see what you want to see and do what you want to do. If you need to cram things in, but plan it out to be time efficient. You will be on the subway a lot, so plan what you want to do, where it is and how to get there. Also, there are a million temples, they are all cool, so do your research and only plan to see a few. There will be days where you are all over the place, that’s okay it’s an adventure and not a laid back beach vacation.
Don’t be overwhelmed have fun
The heading speaks for itself, don’t let anxiety or what people say put you off and get you overwhelmed. Yes, there will be culture shock and you may have to step out of your comfort zone, but those are the best vacations. Plan accordingly and enjoy! Japan is amazing.
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