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Your Japan Top Tips!

SaRabbit

後輩
6 Nov 2006
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Hello Gracious and Learned JREF users!
I thought if I flattered your egos enough you might want to bestow some of your hard earned Japan experiences with us first-timers:
In that spirit I ask:
"What are YOUR Top Tips for a First Visit to Japan?"
Thank you in advance!
Sarah
 
Tip Toppers

Welcome aboard!

My first tip for a newbie to Japan (especially Tokyo) is to obtain maps of the city and subway and train system. You can get them free via JNTO Travel Japan - Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

Also, through JNTO, get plenty of guidebooks for the city and areas you are interested in (also free) including hotel, ryokan guides.

Budget yourself on how much you can/should/have to spend per day.

There's probably more to recommend, but I am working on my own upcoming trip (my 5th).
 
Take travelers checks or cash and convert at the airport in Japan. Don't get any yen in the US or you'll get fleeced on the exchange.

Don't worry about places not taking credit cards. With the exception of transportation (local trains, subways, taxis) and some small restaurants just about everyone takes plastic. It may be a cash society but I've done very well with my credit card on the 15 or so trips I've taken, from Tokyo to small towns.

If people back home need to keep in touch, rent a phone at the airport. If going into Narita, I always use JAL/ABC. About $2/day with unlimited incoming minutes.

Don't be afraid to eat something strange. If it gets people sick or kills them, they wouldn't sell it!

Don't sleep too much on the way over. You'll likely get there in the late afternoon. Just put up with staying awake, stay up until 8-9 PM and just crash. I never have problems with jet lag, and I attribute that to the fact I exercise (I'll go for a run or ride the first morning there) and I don't drink (avoid alcohol as well as caffeine on the flight).
 
SaRabbit:
I personally have only been there 2 times (my s/o 3 now) but I do have several native and none native friends whom live in Japan. I really hope you have a fun trip.

My tips for visiting Japan in general...

- Learn as much of the language written and spoken, as possible.
- Exchange your money currency to Yen at the airport. (I know Narita has a very convenient one right after you get out of customs.) Japan is still largely a cash based society.
- We brought travelers checks and never used them.
- Not all credit cards will work over there, in fact, most will not. If your bank does not have a branch over in Japan you will need to use an International ATM which are usually in post offices. We also found Citi-Bank's major atms to work for us. We tried using both our Visa and Master Card over there in some of the larger stores and it didn't work.
- Eat Cheap! Buy food from street vendors or places like 7-11 and Lawsons. Their corner stores over there sell more healthy and filling foods then the junk that's sold in USA.
- Bring folding Laminated maps. It tends to rain often enough in Japan.
- Bring some good guide books!
- If you intend to travel across the country I recommend the JRPass (Japan Rail Pass) it's good for most of the bullet trains (though not all) and the JR Subway Stations (the Metro Stations are a separate cost).
- Make a list of where you want to go, and how to get there BEFORE you leave. Figuring out where you want to go and how to get their can be very time consuming.
- Keep a map/directions of your hotel in both English and Japanese with you at all times (taxi drivers will appreciate it.)
- Pack as light as possible! You might thank me for this after walking a couple of miles to your hotel from the nearest train station.

I actually recommend sleeping, both there and back. But try to stay up on the plane as long as you can, and stay up the night before. It has worked very well for me.
By the time I land in the mid afternoon late afternoon I feel energized and awake enough to navigate my way through the trains and to my hotel, and enough to go out for a quick bite at a local restaurant before bed time.
Of course depending on where in the world you are, you may not need sleep, I'm coming from the East Coast which has been any where from a 10 to 15 hour plane ride!

Each person has their own tips some may and may not work for you.

My number one suggestion is to just TAKE IT SLOW.
Enjoy yourself, walk around town, maybe not with anything particular in mind to do or see, talk with the friendly locals, don't be afraid to enter a place that looks interesting even if it does not have an English sign.
I found numerous gardens, shines and grave yards etc just by strolling along, places off of the guide books.
And even a free cup of coffee for helping out a couple Japanese men in need.
 
Excellent! This is exactly the sort of thing I was after :)
Keep it coming! <3
 
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If you're willing to learn some language, learn Katakana. It's amazing how often it's used and can prove helpful. It's not necessary though.
 
get some spray or cream against mosquitoes.. that's all i can remember now..

well, really not contributing here.. more like taking notes ;)

🙂
 
1. Always carry those little packs of tissue (the ones they give away on the street)!! You will thank me for this one, when you go into a bathroom that has no TP, and a lot of them don't!!
2. Go to the bathroom in the nice department stores if at all possible, you might be in for a suprise if you visit the station bathrooms.
3. Bring a dictionary
4. Don't try to do too much in one day. I usually pick two to three places and make up the rest as I go.
5. Always have at least 20,000 yen in your pocket at all times (if not more).
6. Lawsons, 7-11, Family Mart are your best friends, along with the bakeries.
7. I always tell people not to forget about renting cars. If you are traveling with a couple people it's not too expensive to rent a car for a day, and you will have a blast!! (Don't forget your international license from AAA).
8. Take lots of pictures and video.
9. Drink lots of fluids since you will be walking a lot!
10. Keep an open mind and remember you are a guest.
 
Oh also...

In addition to toliet paper, what you will need more often is HAND SANITIZER! Bring a small bottle you can carry with you. Many places do not have any soap, from bathrooms near shrines and subways, etc.

Almost no place offers paper towels, and some no hand blowers, so keep a napkin or hand towel with you of some sort to dry your hands off.
 
Get off the plane and into the que for Narita immigration/passport control as quickly as you can. If it means running then do so. Otherwise it is a long a painful wait.

Also make sure you fill in the registration form before you get off the plane.
Others have mentioned about tissues and hand cleaners already.

Take a compass. Great for places like Kyoto that have a grid system. If you can't read Japanese then it's not always easy to know where you are or which direction to go (especially if you come out of a department store through a different door than you went in through).

Soemone said to drink lots of fluids because of the walking - very good point. I also took some rehydration powder to stave off the cramps :O

When you arrive at your hotel make sure you pick up one of the business cards in reception. Then if you get completely lost you can show it to someone and get directions (especially useful for jumping in a taxi late at night in Shinjuku when you've had one too many Kirins).

Take more film/memory cards than you'd normally take elsewhere - you will be taking pictures everywhere. Same applies for batteries.

Make use of the vending machines, Lawson/7-11 shops and bakeries for low cost quick provisions.

Umbellas! If you are anything over 5'4'' then you'll be faced by a wall of eye gouging umbrella spokes if it is raining. Japanese umbrella users also seem to be oblivious to this so look out.

If you find yourself walking around Nikko in the pouring rain, getting cold and decide that as well as drinking a hot can of coffee from a vending machine, it would be a good idea to put an unopend can down your trousers for warmth, be warned. Those cans a very hot when they first come out of the machine!

Said cans of coffee from vending machines make great novelty gifts to take home. Also cheap ;)
 
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