My 7 tips for traveling to Japan

What should I do when traveling to Japan? When preparing a trip to Japan you should 1) Buy Japan Rail Pass, 2) Travel Light, 3) be polite and respect locals, 4) be mindful of the cleanness around you , 5) book hotel in advance, 6) always have cash, and 7) use a translation app.

I went to Japan in August 2016, and this was an unforgettable experience.

Japan is a very easy country to travel to, since it is all very organized, very safe, and people are very respectful. But there are still some things I would recommend any friend when traveling to the country.

My 7 most relevant tips for traveling to Japan are: 1) Buy Japan Rail Pass, 2) Travel Light, 3) be polite and respect locals, 4) be mindful of the cleanness around you , 5) book hotel in advance, 6) always have cash, and 7) use a translation app.

1. Buy Japan Rail Pass

You should take advantage of the excellent transportation network that Japan has. Particularly, their train network is second to none.

To make most of you trip and to decrease your travel costs, you should get the Japan Rail Pass.

The Japan Rail Pass is a re-usable ticket that gives you unlimited access to most trains, buses, ferries and airport transfers. This is only usable within the Japan Rail National company, however, this will cover most of your transportation needs.

The price of pass is steep, however, it does save you a significant amount of money when comparing to buying each ticket individually.

You can pick a 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day unlimited pass to use in every Japan Rail National company public transport from the day you decide to activate it (first use). You should pick the option that better suits your stay timeline.

I acquired the 14-day pass and I easily rate this as the best planning decision I made for the entire trip. I went in and out of many trains, buses, and ferries without paying anything. I must have saved more than double of what the pass costs, and the more public transportation you use, the more you save!

You should, however, carefully read the website to understand what trains are excluded (for example Nozomi and Mizuho trains are not included), so that you do not incur in any extra fees for entering the incorrect train!

2. Travel Light

Considering I've just recommended the acquisition of the Japan Rail Pass, that means, obviously, that I recommend using public transportation in Japan.

Public transportation is excellent and extensively used by locals and tourists. However, it is very crowded, particularly, in commute hours. 

If you travel with big or bulky bags and use public transportation, the chances are you're going to hit someone with your bags (which is rude!), you'll get tired of lugging weight around, and probably get very sweaty. So my recommendation is to travel as light as possible.

As I've discussed before here, I really like traveling with only a 16 liter backpack, but if that doesn't work for you, try a 20 liter bag or just go for the the smallest bag possible: I'd recommend nothing bigger than a cabin bag.

Traveling light will make all the difference since you'll be able to visit places while carrying the bag with you, or, leave it in a locker at a train or bus station. This will save you a lot of time and make your travel much more relaxed.

3. Be polite and respect locals

Japanese are very organized, oriented to efficiency, and above all, very respectful of other people and the environment. So, searching a little bit about the local culture may help you avoid any behaviors that may offend people.

For example, they do not expect tips, and tipping is considered rude, so avoid it. Just be kind and polite, say something nice, and bow.

Also, when paying for something with cash, never give them money in their hands. In all stores there will be small trays by the cash register to put notes and coins. It is rude not to use these trays. If you forget to use the money trays (which happened to me!), they will kindly point you in that direction, so respect that.

Bowing may firstly be awkward for whoever is not used to it, but you'll quickly get the hang of it. Most of the time a gentle bow of your head is enough. Just be mindful if, by any reason, you're meeting someone important, you show bow lower. The lower you bow, the more importance you're giving that person.

Respect the silence in public transportation. I believe there wasn't a public transportation I used that was not in complete silence. Do not be the rude person that breaks that silence. If you're not traveling alone, and you need to say something, just say it as quietly as possible.

Pointing at things is also not considered polite. Even if it is within your travel group, and you need to point something out, nod with you head, and if not possible, use an open hand gesture.

Lastly, always respect the lines whenever they exist: either marked or just a natural queue of people. Never try to break the line to gain time.

In geral while traveling, I believe it is very import to respect local habits, and Japan is no different. Just do as they do and everything will be fine.

4. Be mindful of the cleanness around you 

Keeping things clean in something very important in Japan, and people take it very seriously.

In fact, I think we should all learn from Japanese cleaning habits.

It is very rare to find a museum where you are not required to remove your shoes when entering. You will then be given some sandals to wear, or just walk in your socks.

 Also, you need to take your shoes off in many restaurants, and in some there are even shoes to use just for going to the bathroom.

It was a pleasure to visit public bathrooms in Japan, which is not something you can say in many parts of the world.

My advice here is to me mindful that Japanese like things clean, so respect that and keep everything clean, particularly toilets. 

5. Book hotel in advance

I planned my trip in advance and booked all my hotels before I arrived. This was something that I believe went really well because visiting Japan in August is a little crowded.

The plan was for us to book most of our hotels with booking.com and chose the free cancelation option. Before we changed city, we would search again in the app if there were any better options at cheaper prices - and if there was, we could just cancel the hotel we had booked and re-schedule or new plan.

We ended up not making any changes to hotels or trip planning, which is why I say this was something that went really well.

6. Always have cash

This feels like a generic suggestion, but during my trip, this made all the difference. Sure you can pay with apps or any credit or debit card, but sometimes having cash with you can make your life much easier. 

During my trip, it made the difference in public transportation (the ones not covered with my Japan Rail Pass), since they had machines in buses that counted the coins automatically, I just threw the money inside and proceeded to my seat inside the bus.

Also, in many small shops, they did not accept cards, so I had to pay with cash. I ended up buying a lot of souvenirs in cash!

Just bare in mind that there are many ATM scattered along the country. Use that to your advantage to avoid carrying a lot of physical cash with you.

7. Use a translation app

Technology is amazing!

I installed google translate app on my phone and used it many times.

There was this time, we stayed in a local small hotel in Hakone, where the host did not speak any English, using this made all the difference since I was able to explain what I wanted and the host understood.

He did lift his eyebrows on a couple sentences, but ended up understanding what we needed.

Even though is common finding people in Japan with translation apps, I do recommend installing one yourself and using it.

Conclusion

My experience in Japan was incredible.

However, if any friends were visiting the country, I would give them 7 tips to have a great experience.

1) Buy Japan Rail Pass, 2) Travel Light, 3) be polite and respect locals, 4) be mindful of the cleanness around you , 5) book hotel in advance, 6) always have cash, and 7) use a translation app.