22 Simple MISTAKES to AVOID when you first visit Japan

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I moved to japan in February and main thing i would say is relax. Like i rushed get the train from the airport to Tokyo when i really did not need to after 20 hours on a plane

I spent at least 20 minutes queuing for my jr pass at Handea airport before realising that the jr office there only activated passes that started that day. My number one tip as a recent first time traveller is to treat the first day as a write off and not make too many plans. Even if your flight is landing at 7am in the morning, chances are youll have had a 13 hr flight and you will be too knackered to do anything. Especially avoid booking certain time specific events or attractions, even if you have 4 hrs, you could spend that time trying to navigate an unfamiliar rail system

Remember these things and you will be fine. 1) Be quiet, whisper to your travel buddies only when in public. Being loud is a huge no no. 2) Japanese are almost British about lining up. Respect the line, 3)There is NO customization of restaurant food unless you DIY after purchase, 4) Use headphones for your phone, don't talk on your phone in public transit 5) Wear socks without holes because there are places you must take your shoes off like entering a private home, etc. There will be a step up or a change in floor color to indicate shoes off. I carry folding slippers so I don't have to use shared slippers. 6) Be soft-spoken. Direct, sustained eye contact is considered aggressive in Japan

I'm on my first trip to Japan, and currently finishing my 3rd night (in Tokyo). One piece of your advice, on particular, is golden: as a foreigner, you must, must, must learn the basics. Not just to be polite, but because most services you'll encounter (public transport, in bars and restaurants, shop assistants) will noticeably appreciate it and seemingly offer you an even better service!

Less is more is clearly a good motto. (even in life in general, being able to live with less is a gift) Also wanting to do too much thing in a day in not only exausting, it's also a bit stressful and that's not the point of a vacation in my opinion. Sometime having time for the unexpected is the way to go. A beautiful pond to recharge half an hour after walking all day, a nice café to make a stop by or a nice person to chat a little to without having to rush the conversation and possibly being impolite. In general, being able to slow down your life is a key element, at least for me, for being happy.

For big suitcases - all hotels have service to ship it to your next destination - it is not expensive and you don't need to carry it or even think about it. We went on a 2 weeks trip having 2 very large ones and only part when I was pulling it was from airport and to airport....

I was there in September (for the first time) and it was very manageable. I think the most prominent item that you noted, is learn the basic language/terms. I got by on 5 or 6 phrases and encountered no issues. Everyone was more than happy to help and they obviously recognize that you’re a foreigner so they are patient. Communicating may seem daunting for first timers, but know the basics and be patient and everything will be alright.[

I loved the error of staying in Tokyo because Japan has a lot of hidden gems but people mostly go to the same cities (Tokyo - Osaka - Kyoto - Nara and maybe Hiroshima).

Hey Can i travel with my parents there? My mum can't walk much, so does Japan have trams in popular tourist places?

When I booked my trip to Japan, my travel agent had a courier service with a private driver waiting for me at the airport to drive me directly to my hotel in Tokyo. After a 10+ hour flight, it was a Godsend just being able to get into a waiting car instead of trying to find another train or bus. The service was pretty reasonably priced as well.

I need help!!! Every video says not to bring big luggage. But I'm traveling from one country to another and using my layover for a day and a half visit in Japan!! We will have big luggage because we are moving from one location to the other. What can I do with my large bags. We arrive at 6:00 p.m. making almost every option closed?

Thank you for the tip on the e-Sim, Andrew. We were waiting to buy a physical one when we arrive in Tokyo but an e-Sim is much more convenient. 😁

Here’s a cringe one: I learned some Japanese prior to my trip last year, I had a vocab of around 30- 40 words. I learned “Oss(u)” is what friends say to each other and it’s like saying “what’s up!”, thinking this would be a cool way to greet people, when I was grabbing a coffee in a hip part of Tokyo I said “Oss(u)!” to the barista and he looked at me in a state of confusion like I’d either just called his mother a whore or that i had just said “fuck you”. I proceeded to quickly order and get out of there. Apparently this is not a thing.

I'm visiting Tokyo for 2 weeks from the 4th of December. People told me that's a long time to just stay in Tokyo, for me that's a great opportunity to just take it slow and live the city a little bit, and have time for some day trips around the area

Once I went to endorse my RailPass at Narita, and there was a long line up at the Green Counter in one terminal. I went over to the other terminal on the free bus, and the line-up was much shorter.

Andrew need ur hlp, m planning on spending 2wks in japan. however, m planning on climbing mt.fuji thn do the kumano kodo which i'm leaving at least 7 days. hence i hv 7 days -2 days for the climb to discover japan, granted that's not a lot of days left. any recommendation how best i can visit some of the must visit places. there's room to extend for 3 wks but will need to nego. appreciate your help. cheers

1:50 WARNING - do NOT forget where the locker you put your suitcase in is. I don't care if you have to film around the area for 5 minutes to make sure you can find your way back to it. It sure as hell beats running around Shinjuku Station for 1½ hours searching for the damn thing when all you want to do is go to the next hotel and check in. Source: Have done this, and also on my first trip except it was somewhere else. Fool me once, shame on... shame on me. Fool me twice... YOU CAN'T GET FOOLED AGAIN

i get so confused on where to buy the japan rail pass. There is an official site that says that you can reserve your tickets online the moment you buy it there. is that the best place to buy it or should i go for one of the other options that you can find online. They send you a paper that you need to deliver in Japan and after you got your pass you can reserve seats. But you can't reserve there when you are still at home. does anyone have experiences with that?

June esim link???