日本へ行きますよ！

I’ve already been to Japan 3 times with my partner. Since the first time we went there, I have been in love with the country and its culture. The funny thing is that, despite having high expectations before going there, I was still amazed by the atmosphere, the people, the food and the culture. The way all is organized, the ammount of signals and information everywhere, the cleanliness, and the magic blending of tradition and modernity.

Every time I go, I say to myself that it will not be the last time, and so, after going there already 3 times, I have collected a bunch of tips that I wanted to keep somewhere, publicly, so that maybe are found by other people interested in going there, and perhaps they can find them useful.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a regular traveler when talking about Japan, and I’m not trying to hide so. I’m also working on my Japanese, and since the language is a relevant thing when visiting this country (sometimes a barrier), I though was worth to mention, too.

Let’s get down to business!

About the Itinerary

Visiting Japan is quite an adventure, and with any adventure, some preparation is deemed to be important. There are multiple and great resources online to check itineraries for first time, second time, nth time visits, whether on reddit, Instagram, or any LLM conversation, so I will not contribute more to the echo chamber; however, what I strongly recommend is to check the current requirements to visit Japan from your country, and how the migration system works (in particular the Visit Japan web).

First time trips commonly include the Golden Route, which is a popular travel path that connects Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka, with major attactions and cultural experiences. Keyword here is popular, which in recent times means crowds of people, that will be also part of your experience.

We followed this route in our first trip, and all I can say from my experience is that visiting some popular places will be worth for you, while others will probably increase your anxiety levels if you are not used to crowds (I’m not, since we live in a small town of north Spain).

On the other hand, I just want to say that visiting some less popular places (way less crowded) will sometimes mean you end up loving a place that you had no expectations when you were crafting your itinerary. Some examples for us were:

• Kamakura: though this is a common trip from Tokyo, there are lots of hidden Temples & Shrines in the area, some of them with large grounds to visit, making it feel less crowded in general (unless the train station「駅」)

• Kyoto Botanical Gardens: a relaxed stop in our last Kyoto adventures. Plenty of places to just sit and observe nature and enjoy the diversity of plants while enjoying some Konbini 「コンビニ」 food. There was a stamp rally that encouraged us to explore it all while also crafting a really nice souvenir!

• Fukuoka (and Kyushu in general): in our most recent trip, we ventured into the southernmost major island of Japan. We instantaneously fall in love with Fukuoka, one of the biggest cities in this island. It felt like Tokyo, but way less crowded. We also visited Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Miyazaki, and I can’t find the words to summarize the enjoyement of experiencing Japan without so many crowds. We also noticed people around here were (even more) kind than in the Golden Route places (I guess this is the effects of over turism, sadly), though also harder to communicate with them (only in Japanese).

Another note around the itinerary, in particular about the lenght of the trip; we have experienced with 15 days, 18 and 21 days. In our experience (and personal feelings) 15 days fall too short, and 20+ days, with a packed itinerary, can feel exhausting.

We think the key is to add some relaxed/rest days every 5-7 days, whether to spend the day in an Onsen, gardens or other experiences that don’t require neither physical nor mental effort, like watching Sumo.

About the Language

I know right, Japanese is not the easiest language to learn, and particuarly not for western people. And it is true that, in general, big cities like Tokyo and Osaka have a good amount of people that can speak English (in fact, most of the staff will default to such language based on your physical appearance). However (and this is my personal biased opinion considering my absolute love for this country and culture) I think that learning some basic Japanese will make your trip much more enjoyable and immersive. It will allow you to connect with the locals, understand the culture better, and also get around more easily. Even just learning some basic stuff together with the Japanese writing system (Hiragana, Katakana and some Kanji) will make a huge difference.

I’m a huge introvert myself, but I must admit, every time I travel, I find it refreshing to connect with the locals, and specially in Japan, any intent to speak the language is highly appreciated and will be rewarded with a smile and a willingness to help you.

Again, this is biased opinion, and it is easy to fall in the trap of trying to master this language, which is not an easy task and can be very frustrating. In the end, it is quite usual to not be able to follow along with the whole conversation, and that is fine, I’ve learnt that the universal language of smiles, bowing, pointing and hand gestures works pretty well in Japan.

About commuting

Japan has one of the best public transportation systems in the world, and it is very easy to get around using trains, subways and buses. However, it can be quite overwhelming for first-timers, especially in big cities like Tokyo. My advice is to get a Suica or Pasmo IC card, which are rechargeable smart cards that can be used on most public transportation. They are very convenient and will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Public transportation of most important cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) support it. It is not supported in less crowded locations like Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushuu, or by some special transportation companies that will require to purchase a special ticket to ride.

If some location in your itinerary requires special transportation, it is a good idea to check the companies website to learn how you can pay for the trip.

Since we’ve always planned to come back again™, we invested in a physical SUICA card, which we keep and recharge every time we go there (it will only expire after 10 years of not using it). It is also possible to get a virtual one if you use an iPhone, or purchase a disposable one if you are not sure about coming back again (although works quite the same as the standard one).

Please keep in mind that there are some special etiquette for riding transportation, and common things seen in Europe like playing music out loud of your phone, or answering a call, are not acceptable in Japan.

About the food

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect when people talk about visiting Japan is food, and for us, became the single most anticipated thing every time we think about planning our next trip. It is not only the always available konbini コンビニ food, which is just awesome, but also the range of alternatives.

If you are not a fish/sea food enthusiast, or travel with kids, there are still plenty of alternatives, like tonkatsu, curry, yaki-(insert meat), ramen noodles or okonomiyaki. There are also lots of restaurants offering top quuality western food.

Again, if you are an introvert like ourselves, you might struggle at the begging. Every place has a different system, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and resort to frictionless places like konbini コンビニ or McDonalds; however, all places usually have signals or an attendant at the entrance, willing to help you navigate the ordering system.

At some restaurants, you usually will have to raise your hand (bonus points if you also politely say sumimasen「すみません！」) so that attendant approaches to get your order.

About the money

At the time of this writing,　Japanese Yen (JPY 円) is really weak against Euro. Avoiding this fact alone, it is a good idea to create some budget for money spending in the country. Considering food is usually cheap, and staying (hotels) are expensive, depending on the areas (Tokyo is super expensive, while Miyazaki in Kyushu is super cheap)

Planning expenses ahead can help to get better change rates for your money. Bringing cash is also a must, since there are some places that do not accept Credit Cards or virtual money.

About the culture & people

Japanese is rich, and very different! This is great, since means we get to learn many more things and ways of behaving/thinking.

And people is always willing to help if asked, and super welcoming in stores & restaurants.

However, in areas hit with overtourism, it is common to see some reluctance when you show up in places outside the typical tourist zones. In the end, you are a foreigner and a stranger, and, as we know, it is impossible to get inside other people’s heads and really know what they think.

Piece of advice is to adapt a mindset of understanding, tolerance and realisation we are visiting a very different country, and try to behave avoiding disturbing other people.

Some last tips

Some last tips that disserve a separate chapter:

• TA-Q-BIN is a dream service come true for travelers with luggage. Sending your luggage from one hotel to the next is really convenient.

I recommend getting used to the shipping waybills (available online) or even prefilling them at home before departure (romaji is usually fine), so you just copy over the details when you are at the shipping counter.

• If you don’t want to use TA-Q-BIN always, and decide to commute with luggage, look for stays close to JR lines.

JR stations are accessible and usually easy to transit with luggage (elevators available)

• This is just a personal recomendation, applicable to any other trip: make it memorable and do not keep regretable things (Japan is a really far away destination).

In Japan, there are plenty of experiences and attractions available, and even collecting goshuin, eki-stamps, or participate in stamp rallies, will help you create unforgetable memories (and master station maps navigating!)

どうぞ旅を楽しんでください!