Traveling to a different country is always an exhilarating but demanding task as you have to book things in advance often in places where you may not be too familiar with the currency and language. Japan has truly always been #1 on my wishlist of places I’d love to travel to. Several of these reasons for wanting to travel to Japan included the food, the food the FOOD! I’m a huge seafood lover, plus I took a mercury test just weeks before traveling and for the first time in a while my mercury levels were down so it was my time to freely go all out in Japan. Another thing I was excited to experience was the advance technology Japan has been known for. Not gonna lie, specifically the toilet. I wanted to experience their toilets and I must say they did not disappoint.
Tips On Traveling In Japan
There are tons of guides on taking a trip to Japan but as an unprepared traveler I’d like to speak on where lack of research got me and the lessons I learned in the meantime.
- Tip #1- which may be a controversial one so I’ll preface this by saying I only traveled through Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. However, I remember when researching about attire to bring to Japan most videos stated you needed to dress modestly. Loose clothing for the win! However, from my experience there seemed to be good amount of people who appeared to be Japanese in cosplay attire or genuinely short shorts. I must admit, fashion-wise everyone’s so fashion forward especially in Tokyo and in Kyoto. Kyoto has a more of a sleek, professional look to them while the Tokyo fashion seemed to take more risks. Either way, I’m not saying bring your short shorts to Japan but this notion that everyone is dressed modestly and you would stand out like a sore thumb if you didn’t in my experience is not accurate.
- Tip #2 Learn the language. Or atleast basic things like “where’s the bathroom”, “please and thank you” and “excuse me”. Like in any culture, it’s appreciated when foreigners take the time and effort to learn the language of the country they’re traveling to.
- Tip#3 Get the Welcome Suica card once you enter the station in the airport after customs. Apparently there’s a shortage of suica cards right now. You can get the phone version of the suica card which we did and it was so convenient but you must purchase with a mastercard, it will not take visa. As of now the airport stations are probably the only places you can get a welcome suica card. The welcome suica card is mainly used by foreigners as it expires after 28 days.
- Tip#4 Remember to log into Wi-Fi and use WhatsApp. Ignore unnecessary calls to the U.S or even within the country unless your provider covers it. I had T-mobile magenta which provided free unlimited international texts and free data starting at up to 5gb then unlimited 256 kbs.
- Tip #5 Don’t jaywalk. I’ve lived in New York and now Los Angeles and typically in these cities you’re crossing the road on the red walking man, sometimes dodging cars to get to the other side. AKA jaywalking. In Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka I have yet to see a person jaywalk even when the streets are complete clear. I saw maybe two bikers cross maybe 5 seconds before the walk signal came on. Rules are taken very seriously here from what I’ve seen.
- Tip #6 Make sure to download the google translate so you can use the camera function to translate ingredients to supplies. Comes in handy when purchasing things with ingredient lists like skincare. Standards of beauty are different all over the world, some items may contain “whitening” effects on pigment even if that’s not exactly your goal so be aware.
- Tip #7 As I’m writing this article the dollar is currently stronger than the yen. However, I had no idea how much cheaper things would be out there. Where my boyfriend and I would typically spend $120+ between the both of us for dinner in the U.S (especially with seafood dinners that price could go even higher). We managed to have our standard meals in Japan be between $25 to at most $42 between the both of us combined! Its actually insane how much bang for your buck you get out here. Quality jeans I’ve seen have averaged around $15 to $20 out here, same with quality tops. There are stores that are more curated towards tourist in my opinion, and those tend to be higher in price. But still really good deals or at most still equivalent to what you would find in the U.S. There was a wanted sign up at a restaurant for a cook with pay rates at equivalent to $8 per hour. Inflation doesn’t appear to be a rapid occurrence in Japan unlike the U.S. which has record breaking rates.
- Tip #8 Even though many areas in Japan are serene and peaceful, it doesn’t mean walking four steps per hour is ok, at least not in the areas in Japan I was in which were the more popular “tourist-y” areas. Tokyo (Shinjuku), Kyoto (Kyoto station & Philosopher’s path), and Osaka. Because there are so many people visiting these historic sites, everything works like a well oiled machine when people are consistently moving. So no stopping in the middle of the pathway, try to step off to the side if you’re lost. All of this seems common sense but you’d be surprised. Take things in but also be cognizant of people around you.
- Tip #9 On the topic of moving it was interesting for me to gather the placement we’re suppose to be on the sidewalk. In Japan, the cars drive on the left side and the people also tend to walk on the left side. In Osaka on the escalators people stood to the right which was different from Tokyo and Kyoto’s left stance waiting up the escalator. Now, when there’s alot of people on the sidewalk it tends to just be a free for all, or sometimes there will be that one or two people going wherever the wind takes them but for the most part there is a switch of direction if coming from the U.S.
- Tip #10 When booking hotel rooms, please remember to look at the square footage. We stayed at THE APA hotel in Shinjuku for the first leg of the trip and planned to stay again towards the end but quickly had to change our last booking because of how small the first room was. Now, this is a great hotel, super nice staff, has a spa,but the space is pretty tiny we had to switch our last hotel room in Tokyo as it was not easy staying in an 100 sq ft room with 4 luggages.
The Beautiful Scenery in Japan
With all that being said, Japan had many opportunities to escape from the slight discomfort of being in a foreign country. Aesthetically places like Kyoto made me want to take in everything that nature had in store for me. The air was insanely crisp and fresh. The landscape, consistently a blanket of healthy greenery. The Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto was what I pictured the traditional Japanese neighborhoods to look like. Tea shops with freshly brewed teas and the serene quietness was all encompassing and the temples themselves were just as captivating. They truly put effort in maintaining the quality of the surroundings.
Wellness In Japan
Also, because I went to Japan as a birthday trip, I indulged in a facial and massage at the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku. What an experience! They greeted us at the door and had us fill out our desires for the treatment, and possible ailments. Provided us with delicious medicinal tea and led us each to our own private locker rooms. I followed my masseuse to the treatment room where I soaked my feet in a wooden basin filled with water and delicious herbal soaps. She then scrubbed and moisturized my feet and legs again with an herbal lotion.
The massage took and hour and so did the facial. The facial included biologique recherche skin care which has products heavy in brightening and exfoliating. And boy my skin was glowingggg! The massage focused around my shoulders and back but she also did some leg and foot massage. I opted out of a head massage to avoid tangling my hair (if you know you know). Massage rated 8/10 facial rated 7/10. I’m a tough rater but really enjoyed the treatment. One downside of the facial: I personally didn’t feel like I needed too much brightening on my skin and tried to voice that prior to the treatment as I know that Japanese skincare tends to be heavy in brightening (as many American products are). However, of course with the language barrier it can be difficult to get your wishes completely out there. And of course, at the end of the facial when she goes over each product used, about every serum applied on my skin was for brightening. My skin was glowing though so no huge complaints there!
The spa day was exactly what I needed. A restful experience that allowed me to unwind from the slight bumps in the road that are sure to happen when you travel unprepared. Next trip to Japan we’ll definitely take what we learned from the first trip and take advantage of the popular onsen hot springs as another tool in our meditative escape toolbox!
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