How to travel in Japan without a car or license?

[mdchachi]

yeah i already heard what japanese english sounds like i have the oppinion that if you intend to travel to a foreign country you should at least learn to understand and speak the language. i still wonder how my parents survived their abroad vacation not only without speaking the local language but even without speaking english XD

That would be ideal but unless you're a polyglot not really realistic. Not speaking English makes things a lot more difficult. If they stayed mostly in tourist areas probably they could get by without too much difficulty.

 

[Kokujou]

well speaking english is the most basic thing you should do before traveling to a foreign country. but we are germans btw, so my parents didn't even speak english, i doubt a lot of germans are in italy or britain. they really have nerves made out of steel.

also, i didn't mean you should master the language, but you should at least try to learn basic vocabulary, so that you can at least try. so at least be able to say stuff like "watashi no hoteru wa doko desu ka?". it also gives the people living there a better impression of you, at least so i think.

if you think about germany, you can't count all the people complaining about those "bad foreigners" coming to germany and not even learning the language, but i guess germany is also a quite extreme example. but still, i think everyone who loves his nation would be delighted if tourists showed at least this minimum amount of respect

oh and btw thanks again for all those nice and helpful tips! now i'm able to plan my travel a lot more detailed

 

[Kokujou]

btw some more questions regarding the travel while i'm at it:
do i need to worry about my taking my luggage across countries? like are there some things i musn't bring with me like e.g. my laptop, handy, can i take them with me without a care in the world? and what about... "customs"? (dt. Zoll)

i already know that i need to buy a new prepaid card for my iPhone, is it true that the prepaid there is only covering internet but not phone?

are there any tipps for public transport you can give me considering that i plan to travel through the whole country? e.g. i heard that the suica card is only valid in parts of the country and the JR rail pass only works for inter-city and shinkansen. or is there maybe even such a thing as a flatrate card for taxis?

 

[mdchachi]

also, i didn't mean you should master the language, but you should at least try to learn basic vocabulary, so that you can at least try. so at least be able to say stuff like "watashi no hoteru wa doko desu ka?". it also gives the people living there a better impression of you, at least so i think.

Yes, I agree. A few basic phrases are helpful and definitely gives a better impression.

do i need to worry about my taking my luggage across countries? like are there some things i musn't bring with me like e.g. my laptop, handy, can i take them with me without a care in the world? and what about... "customs"? (dt. Zoll)

There's nothing much to worry about. Laptop chargers are generally compatible across the world though you might need a plug adapter.
Just don't bring weapons etc. And check the laws if you plan to bring food. For example it's illegal to bring things like beef jerky.

i already know that i need to buy a new prepaid card for my iPhone, is it true that the prepaid there is only covering internet but not phone?

Most people buy a prepaid sim or esim. Or rent a wifi mobile hotspot. So you won't get cellular which means phone calls or sms text messages.
But you can make calls via wifi such as Skype and message people via Whatsapp or iMessage etc. Last time I went I used an eSim via Airalo.
It worked out well.

are there any tipps for public transport you can give me considering that i plan to travel through the whole country? e.g. i heard that the suica card is only valid in parts of the country and the JR rail pass only works for inter-city and shinkansen. or is there maybe even such a thing as a flatrate card for taxis?

Suica card is just an optional convenience. It's good to have but if it doesn't work somewhere you can just use cash.
The JR Rail pass works for various JR trains, shinkansen and even buses. It may or may not be worth it. You'll have to plan out your itinerary and see if it will save you money or not. I've never heard of a flat rate taxi though I suppose it's possible for standard routes such as to/from airport.

 

[SomeCallMeChris]

And check the laws if you plan to bring food. For example it's illegal to bring things like beef jerky.

Ahh, flashbacks to my textbook days.

"Nan desu ka? Kusuri desu ka?"
"Iie, hachimitsu desu."
"Hachimitsu wa daijoubu desu. Kore wa nan desu ka?"
"Jitsu wa... sore wa... hamu desu."
"Hamu?! Hamu wa dame desu!!"

I don't know if this even reflects real laws, but we always did wonder why ham was forbidden.

Ahem, but, also, don't bring medicine unless you absolutely have to. Infamously, pseudo-ephedrine (sudafed) is illegal, and you could potentially be jailed as a drug trafficker if you bring any. Not likely, they'll probably just make you throw it out (unless you bring a lot, or try to hide it), but the law is there, and there are likely other over the counter medications common in the west that are illegal there.

 

[mdchachi]

I don't know if this even reflects real laws, but we always did wonder why ham was forbidden.

Yes it's true. They are worried about infectious diseases. I don't know why ham and jerky-- which is usually heavily processed -- is such a concern.

Ahem, but, also, don't bring medicine unless you absolutely have to. Infamously, pseudo-ephedrine (sudafed) is illegal, and you could potentially be jailed as a drug trafficker if you bring any. Not likely, they'll probably just make you throw it out (unless you bring a lot, or try to hide it), but the law is there, and there are likely other over the counter medications common in the west that are illegal there.

I think this is a myth. You can bring most medications in if it's for personal use in limited quantities even Sudafed. For some items you may want to get prior approval to be sure though.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

www.mhlw.go.jp

 

[SomeCallMeChris]

Yes it's true. They are worried about infectious diseases. I don't know why ham and jerky-- which is usually heavily processed -- is such a concern.


I think this is a myth. You can bring most medications in if it's for personal use in limited quantities even Sudafed. For some items you may want to get prior approval to be sure though.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

www.mhlw.go.jp

I don't know, it says "Regardless of the description above, you cannot bring prohibited drugs and controlled drugs into Japan.", and Pseudoephedrine is on the controlled substances list, so that sounds like you cannot bring in sudafed (or many other things).

It also says "To be more specific, when you bring your personal medicines into Japan, you have to apply for so called "Yunyu Kakunin-sho", a kind of import certificate, and receive it before you leave home, and declare it to the officer at customs." which sounds like every medicine, even aspirin, must be pre-approved.

On the other hand, the permit application page says, "When you enter/leave Japan carrying your medicine containing controlled substances in Japan for your own medical use, you need to get a permission in advance." which sounds like you can get permission, and also makes it sound like the application is only for controlled substances. The controlled substances list is pretty long but not long enough to include everything you'd call "personal medication".

Application Guidance | NARCOTICS CONTROL DEPARTMENT

OUR GOAL IS DRUG-FREE WORLD, SAFE LIFE AND SOUND SOCIETY. THE NARCOTICS AGENT

www.ncd.mhlw.go.jp

Very confusing.

Maybe 'controlled drugs' does not mean 'controlled substances', but then where's the 'controlled drugs' list and is pseudoephedrine on that list?

(edit: Now that I think of it, I could actually check the Japanese language version of the site and see if that clears things up, but instead I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow.)

Also, of course, sudafed is a cold medicine, it's the sort of thing that you don't know that you're going to need until you need it, which would explain why there are so many stories of it getting confiscated. Nobody is going to apply weeks or months in advance to get permission just in case they get a cold. (Although with the form being proudly advertised as now being able to be completed online, maybe approval is actually very rapid now. I mean, it's still a bureaucracy, I wouldn't count on it, but maybe.)

Well... if I can get permission, I might actually apply for it on a just in case basis, assuming I have any prescriptions and I'm filling the form out anyway might as well add it. The other stuff doesn't work... in my experience and according to a recent study. Although you would think some effect would have to be shown in approval trials, so we probably have dueling studies, but still, if the pseudo-sudafed has any effect on me at all I can't detect it. I always sign the form for the real stuff.

 

[Kokujou]

But you can make calls via wifi such as Skype and message people via Whatsapp or iMessage etc. Last time I went I used an eSim via Airalo.

thing is, are those apps frequently used in public services like hotels and stuff? imagine you arrive late somewhere and want to phone ahead so the reception is still there so you can get to your room? especially in the more rural places i intend to go like zao, will there be a lot of hotels that use skype for calls?
of course an alternative would be using a public phone but who knows if they are everywhere...

The JR Rail pass works for various JR trains, shinkansen and even buses

you mean for short distance buses? i heard it doesn't work for transportations inside of a city and you need to get an extra ticket. and since it already costs more than 1K, and this is the price just for one person, it's quite unlikely that i will get it at the moment. if it would cover ANY kind of travel in japan (excluded taxis of course, that would be too much to ask, but still nice ), then i'd buy it, but i guess this pass is for people who want to use Shinkansen frequently and i'll probably just settly with slower routes and just get a shinkansen 1-2 times for the experience.

Ahem, but, also, don't bring medicine unless you absolutely have to

oh that's a good point. i didn't intend to bring anything questionable but i would say the very least are the cortison i got prescriped by my asthma doctor, my desensibilisation meds "Grasax" and some ibuprofen, but i guess i could also get those in japan itself. oh and sleeping pills. because to survive a 12+ hour flight i will knock myself out as much as possible and probably don't even need food. but i guess that means i need to do some paper war to not... you know... die.

i don't really intend to bring bigger amounts of food, i guess the airline will already serve stuff to eat, if not i might bring some sandwiches or so. in the case the kind of "food" the airline serves costs 400€ XD you never know

 

[Kokujou]

man why do they need to make flying so much of a pain in the fluffy? i'm already paying thousand bucks for one way (when i'm lucky). for this money i'd expect that i'd get a free house on top of it, but rather than that i need to arrive x hours before the actual flight takes place, then get investigated like some criminal and on top of that i even need to make sure to have enough legal documents to not get arrested for the simplistic wish to not die >.<
that's frustrating and btw the reason why i didn't travel to japan before. it only makes sense to go there if you have really ginormous amounts of money to spend as much time as physically possible. if you go there for 5 days all those annoyances, the flight, the burocracy makes up more than half of the time of your actual fun-time in japan. not worth it.

 

[mdchachi]

thing is, are those apps frequently used in public services like hotels and stuff? imagine you arrive late somewhere and want to phone ahead so the reception is still there so you can get to your room? especially in the more rural places i intend to go like zao, will there be a lot of hotels that use skype for calls?
of course an alternative would be using a public phone but who knows if they are everywhere...

No, I meant you can use some apps to dial to the terrestrial network. So the receiving person doesn't need those apps. It's just a normal phone call to them.
All you need is a data connection. You may be able to get a Japanese number too. Look into Skype.

Redirecting

you mean for short distance buses? i heard it doesn't work for transportations inside of a city and you need to get an extra ticket. and since it already costs more than 1K, and this is the price just for one person, it's quite unlikely that i will get it at the moment. if it would cover ANY kind of travel in japan (excluded taxis of course, that would be too much to ask, but still nice ), then i'd buy it, but i guess this pass is for people who want to use Shinkansen frequently and i'll probably just settly with slower routes and just get a shinkansen 1-2 times for the experience.

I don't think JR does short distance buses. Basically you're correct. Unless you're going to be riding the shinkansen constantly it's probably not worth it.

man why do they need to make flying so much of a pain in the fluffy?

You just have to get used to it. No point in complaining or stressing about it.

 

[Kokujou]

No, I meant you can use some apps to dial to the terrestrial network. So the receiving person doesn't need those apps. It's just a normal phone call to them.
All you need is a data connection. You may be able to get a Japanese number too. Look into Skype.

ah, so like an IP telephone. didn't think of that! good point!