Suppose to be released last year, but I was too lazy to write it up. This post is a general guide/tips on what I recommend you should do if you're travelling to Japan! I'm no travel guru, so some of these tips are common sense while the rest are things I wish I knew about before travelling to Japan.
We wanted to try Airbnb this year, but unfortunately we weren't able to do so due to our circumstances. Either way, book your accommodations early!
For the most part, we had rooms that had one twin bed. Neither my brother nor I are small, thus making it slightly difficult to sleep on a twin bed. (We're accustomed to having a queen sized mattress on our own at home). Nevertheless, if you get the chance, book a room with separate beds. They seemed hard to find, but if you don't mind sharing a bed with someone, it's not too bad.
Keep in mind that hotel rooms in Japan are quite small. The picture of the bed there took up literally 60%-70% of the room. For us, we didn't really mind since we were only in our rooms during the night before bed.
As for room prices, I think we averaged about $50 per person? Places in the city, like Tokyo, tend to be more expensive and smaller... but it's understandable thinking about the location of said place. With the price I mentioned, this just includes room fees. It does not include meal options, if the hotel offers a meal option. We were lucky in that Comfort Inn in Himeji offered a continental breakfast with the price of our room.
I'm sure you can find larger rooms, but be prepared to pay extra. Also, if you get the chance, I would recommend booking a Japanese-style room, in which they have tatami mats (the bamboo floors). They tend to lay out futons, which means you have more real estate during the day.
We weren't able to do it this time, but I recommend that you try the different types of accommodations that Japan has to offer. Besides the western style rooms that the picture above show, and the Japanese-style room shown below
... there are two other types that I can think of at the top of my head.
Ryokan --> Japanese style inn that offers travelers a taste of Japan. From my understanding, they offer a lot more room, the option of having set meals
Capsule Hotel --> Small, cylindrical rooms that contain a bed and a few other amenities (radio, alarm, TV I believe?) for a relatively cheap price.
I'm quite sure that modern day capsule hotels are more modern than the picture I displayed. I believe some places (if not all) have lockers for you to store your large luggage while you can place any personal belongings on you as you sleep within your cell/room. Great for backpack travelers!
There are probably more types of accommodations that I haven't discussed. Be sure to research into them if none of these suit your taste!
We got a month worth of JR National Ordinary passes this time around (3 weeks + 1 week) and it was well worth the price. We spent about $880 CAD on these passes for about (based on my calculations after recording all the JR trains we took) $1700 worth of rides. Not only that, we can easily take JR trains without worrying about missing a train. If we missed our bullet train, we just have to wait for the next one. There's different types of JR passes. You can find more about the types of passes by scrolling down the JR Pass page till you see "Recommendations"
I personally recommend the JR National pass if you plan on travelling throughout Japan. For example, we went around Tokyo (Kanto region), Kyoto (Kansai region), Shikoku Island and Kanazawa (Hokuriku region). The JR National pass costs more than getting a region pass, but since we covered many regions in a relatively short amount of time... the national pass was the best for us. Keep in mind, that I didn't do much math in figuring out which pass was best, so if you want to, feel free to do so!
When you order the JR passes, you'll have to order them before you go to Japan. I believe it takes about a week or two for the JR Ticket Vouchers (I believe that's what its called). We ordered the JR National Passes from this site:
https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/ . The site also tells you the prices of the regional JR passes.
I recommend that you order these vouchers about a month ahead of time. There's probably no need to book them too far in advance, because I believe they have a expiration date of three months from when you purchase the vouchers. When you buy the vouchers, you can redeem them whenever within its validation date.
If you're wondering about how the train station works, you'll need to scroll down to the 12th section.
Also, the JR pass works for the JR Miyajima Ferry, which allows you to travel to Miyajima. (The floating Torii gate)
4) Book a Wi-fi router
credits: http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/images/pocketwifi_main.png
There are many ways to communicate in Japan as a foreigner. You can buy a sim card in Japan and put it into your compatible phone. Another solution is to rent a cell phone in Japan.
Since we weren't planning on communicating with anyone via cell phone, we opted to rent a Wi-fi router instead. Essentially, you're plugged into Japan's cellular data towers to access the internet. The wi-fi routers we used are exactly like the picture above. It's about 70% the size of my iPhone 5s, making it very portable.
There are different types of Wi-fi routers that you can book. On the site we used, they range from 21 Mbps to 187.5 Mbps. We went with a standard Wi-Fi that ran at 75 Mbps. Since there were the four of us, we went with two routers. This turned out to be very useful since the routers we had this time around lasted for about 6-8 hours on a full charge. If I remember correctly, it worked out to be about $2.50 CAD a day for each person, making it a very economical way to access internet in Japan.
The site we used:
http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/pocketwifi.html#plan
There are other sites to book wi-fi routers if you're able to find a cheaper deal elsewhere. We didn't spend much time researching, for all we did was to input "Wi-fi router rental Japan" into Google.
5) Exchanging for Japanese Currency and Credit Cards
credits: http://goinggaijin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/japanese-money.jpg
The Japanese use a currency known as the yen. As noted from the picture above, they use both coins and bills. The coins range from 1 yen (top left), 5 yen (top right), 10 yen (middle left), 50 yen (middle right), 100 yen (bottom left) and 500 yen (bottom right). The bills range from 1000 yen, 5000 yen and 10000 yen. It's not as common, but you can sometimes get 2000 yen. The Japanese do not use a decimal system like how we Canadians do with dollars and cents. Very roughly when we travelled back in the summer, it was about 94 yen to a dollar (as of January 4th 2015... and Google, it's now 86ish yen to a dollar). Therefore, we roughly rounded it to being 100 yen to a dollar, making it easy to convert yen to dollar for us.
I purchased my currency from my bank. There are probably cheaper ways to get currency while at home, though I wasn't too picky in saving a couple of dollars. I picked what was the most convenient way for me to purchase yen.
I HIGHLY recommend bringing a lot of yen with you because many restaurants and smaller shops in Japan do not accept credit card. I'm thinking it'll change as Tokyo is set to host the Olympic games in 2020, but we were hard press to find an atm machine at restaurants. As a side note, if you're low and cash and need to grab a bite, head to a convenience store since they all take credit cards! Or at least all the ones I went to accepted my credit card.
In terms of credit cards, I recommend getting one with no foreign exchange fee. All of my credit cards charge a 2.5% foreign exchange fee, so I applied for a Amazon Chase Visa.
credits: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51k0RXMuNqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
It's a cash rebate card at 1% of what you spent (if I read the conditions right), thus making it a decent card. Plus, there's no annual fee!
Also as a note, I believe the consumption tax (like our GST) is currently 8% in Japan. AND if you ever need cash in Japan, you can use the ATM machines at post offices. For most people, 7-11 ATM machines work as well. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work for us for some odd reason.
6) Pack for the weather
Unlike Canada where we literally have three seasons of snow and one mildly hot season, Japan has four unique seasons. Depending on when you go, you should really check the forecast for the region you're heading to. For us, we travelled in mid July to mid August, thus making it very hot and humid. (Sweated bullets just walking outside our a/c hotel).
In terms of travel dates, I highly suggest Spring or Fall. Depending where you go, it can be quite cold and snowy in the Winter. Summer is dreadful too due to the high humidity.
7) Electronics are at 100 V
Unlike in Canada or I believe North America for that matter... Japan's electronics run at 100 V (compared to our 120 V). In other words, you don't need a converter to charge your phone/tablet/computer/etc. Be wary of purchasing electronics there and bringing them back to Canada though. From the rudimentary research I did, it seems like most products are okay, though I would be too scared to risk spending money on a Japanese appliance and having it burn out in Canada.
8) Worth bringing your DSLR?
This time, I brought my Canon EOS T3i camera and a Canon 24-105 mm L f/4 lens. My camera is quite compact and the lens is not that huge as well. However, it sometimes felt like a burden to carry around my camera. I believe it weighed a measly 1.2 kgs, yet it got quite burdensome at times.
My iPhone 5s seemed to do a decent job in taking pictures, with my favorite picture being taken from said phone:
However, my dslr setup allowed me to be more creative with shots (ie: bokeh)... so it'll be up to you whether you want to lug your dslr around or not. Another option is to use a point&shoot or mirrorless dslr.
For my next adventure, I don't think I'll be bringing my camera... though I'm seemingly having more difficulties taking focused pictures with my phone at the moment...
And my final piece of advice... if you plan to take video and create a film from your travels, I suggest taking everything in one orientation. In other words, whether you take landscape (recommended in my books) or portrait. I foolishly took two types of orientations, making it difficult for me to create a film.
Travelling in Japan
9) When you arrive, head to the nearest convenience store.
I would say that there are three major convenience store chains in Japan
Seven Eleven
credits: http://120vuo3fyxfbeg4s21u0e5z1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/7-11.outside-433x323.jpg
Family Mart
credits: http://viet-travel.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/family-mart.jpg
Lawson
credits: http://usercontent2.hubimg.com/3155541.jpg
There are others like Mini-stop, Circle K Sunkus, and Daily Yamazaki. Either way, all of the convenience stores have amazing food selections for reasonable prices. My favorite being the rice ball or onigiri.
credits: http://www.tofugu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/koichi-approved.jpg
Don't be afraid to try the numerous variety of drinks as well. There's all sorts of tea, milk tea, sodas, etc. In 2014, we used to purchase a 2 L bottle of water daily to keep ourselves hydrates (for about 100 yen). We didn't find it as necessary this time around, so we purchased smaller bottles of various drinks, like Pocari Sweat (like Gatorade), Calpis (yogurt flavoured drink), Aquaius (also like Gatorade) and Kirin Milk Tea.
10) If you don't have a picky tongue, it's hard to go wrong at any Japanese restaurant
My dad told me to try and find the best restaurants in Japan. To do that, I just have to find a restaurant with the longest lines. Apparently, lines can take a couple hours to get in!
Not wanting to spend my limited time waiting to sample the supposedly finest tastes in Japan, we opted to find whatever restaurant we could find (especially for ramen). During the trip, we averaged two restaurants a day: 1 for lunch and 1 for dinner. We had some repeats, but we probably ended up eating at around 50 different restaurants throughout the trip. Most of the time, we were able to grab a table without waiting. I also believe that most restaurants we went to were part of a chain (ie: Yoshinoya, Pomme, Coco Curry House, and Muten Kura Sushi). Either way, I don't recall ever having a disappointing meal. My most "disappointing" meal would probably be the western-style restaurant near our hotel in Kyoto... but that's probably because I was disgusted by the cockroach that was nearby our table. (Food was decent though!) On the other hand, my favorite meals were the Kobe beef lunch we had and the fresh sushi at Tsukiji Market. Even then, we didn't have to line up to get in (though we had to wait half an hour or so for Kobe beef).
Now, that's coming from my unrefined tongue. When it comes to food, I don't really care about quality. In fact, I have troubles with distinguishing great tastes at time. As an example, my aunts took my brother an I to two famous restaurants. One was a tempura restaurant in Asakusa, while the other one was a unagi (eel) restaurant in Saitama. Don't get me wrong, they were fine meals, but nothing out of the extraordinary, in my opinion, for the price or wait. Now, for those with refined tongues, you may be able to pick out the nuance from the meals. If that's one main reason why you're travelling to Japan, then all means!
And I forgot about convenience store food. We often stopped here to stock up for breakfast. Compared to 2014, I got a lot more sandwiches than rice balls, though you can't really go wrong with any of the food at convenience stores. I also normally got a plain salad and the occasional corn dog. Perhaps I'm biased... but the corn dogs are amazing compared to the ones I would get in Calgary.
My only regret, in terms of food, was not trying out more baked goods or pastries. We stopped by a pastry shop in Kanazawa to pick up some mochi donuts. Just simply amazing.
Also, keep in mind to
NOT tip after a meal. I believe the tip (if there's such a thing in their culture) is integrated into the price already.
If you're ever lost, don't feel afraid to ask someone directions. For the most part, most civilians don't have a strong grasp of English, but they'll try their best to help you find what you're looking for. For example, in 2014, when we were looking for a particular snack in Sapporo, one of the sales clerk from one booth took us personally to the store selling the snack we were looking for.
It does help if you learn some simple Japanese, like saying "Excuse me"
[sumimasen] and "Thank you"
[Arigatou] . It doesn't hurt to learn how to say "Sorry"
[gomenasai], "Hello"
[konnichiwa].
12) Hyperdia is your best friend when it comes to navigating the complex transit system in Japan.
credits: http://www.wa-pedia.com/images/content/TokyoSubwayMap.gif
There's no doubt that the transit system can be difficult at times. The best way to get through all the clutter is through the following website:
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/
Hyperdia is a website created by Hitachi. It's simply amazing in terms of telling you how to get from one train station to another train station. It also gives you the times of each train, the option of seeing stations in between your stops (so you can anticipate when to get ready), the option of picking just JR trains (which is useful if you get the JR Pass).
Just keep in mind that the JR pass is only for JR trains. If you choose to use the subway or private railways, you'll have to pay the appropriate fees.
In terms of buses or walking to stations, I often used Google Maps to help me get around.
13) Japan is a relatively safe place.
Even within Kabukicho, the red light district in Shinjuku, I felt relatively safe. You may be heckled by... scouts? (not sure what they're called), to visit their establishments but the trick is to keep on walking. I never had any worries as I walk through Japan -- day or night. Of course, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't be on your guard, nor cause a ruckus. As long as you're responsible, follow what the majority of citizens are doing, then you should be totally fine.
14) Japanese Etiquette
In my opinion, the Japanese tend to be... don't know how to really explain it... very "proper" people in terms of their mannerism. Unlike other places I go to, or even in Calgary, the Japanese are uber polite. Many times, I had individuals let me go first on a conveyor belt, moved aside for me to pass through or go out of their way to greet me when I enter shops.
Some basic rules:
A) On conveyor belts, stick to the left side. The right side is used for passing. There are some exceptions... I think Osaka being one of them where you stand on the right and have the left side for passing. Either way, just follow the crowd.
B) Try not to converse on the train. Most people are sitting their quietly, either reading a book or on their phones quietly. Talking on your cell phone is a big no-no.
C) At a restaurant, try not to rub your disposable chopsticks together, nor stick it straight up in rice.
There's more that you can read here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e622.html
As always, you can search up YouTubers on Japanese Etiquette as well.
15) Climb Mount Fuji
If you do choose to climb Mount Fuji, make sure you get plenty of rest before doing so. It's not a hugely difficult climb (during our first attempt, I think we spent about 10-12 hours in total?).
There's something spiritual about the climb in my opinion. Also, most people would start the climb via the 5th station after taking a bus. There are four different paths:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html
Both times, we started on the Fuji Subaru line. Even if you choose not to climb, at least take the bus to the 5th station.
