View of Tokyo city from the Metropolitan Government Building
Lake Ashi, Hakone
Hida Folk Village, Takayama
Golden Temple, Kyoto
Before the Trip
1) Do your research before hand! This will help you decide on your itinerary and keep you posted on latest events.
- Go online to the travel websites - Frommers, Lonely Planet, Fodors,Japan National Tourism Organization,Japan guide
- Buy a travel guide book (it's worth the investment!)
- Visit the travel forums on the travel websites. You will find useful tips from the questions posted and answers provided by the regulars
2) Get accomodation reviews from Trip Advisor
- So far, I've not been disappointed by my hotel choices based on the reviews provided by Trip Advisor users.
3) If travelling by train, use Hyperdia to plan your travel times and budget.
- Note that the Japan Rail Pass may not be worth it if you don't make a return trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. Use Hyperdia to help you evaluate.
During your Trip
4) Use the Takkyubin (luggage forwarding services)
- If you have a big luggage bag, make use of this unique service to transport your luggage from the airport to your hotel and from one destination to another. This will save you the hassle of lugging your luggage up and down the stairs in the train stations and to your hotel. We used Yamato or Black Cat on our trip. Very reliable. You would need to pack one day's clothing with you as delivery is often the next day.
5) Buy a Japanese language pocket book
- This will help with basic communication. It came in handy for us in asking about food!
6) Wear comfortable walking shoes
- You will be doing lots of walking - Apart from walking for sightseeing, some of the major train stations like Shinjuku and Tokyo Stations are huge! So be prepared for lots of walking.
- If possible, wear slip on shoes and make sure your socks don't have holes. Some temples, shrines and even accomodations, especially Ryokans and inns require you to take off your shoes before entering. Slip ons are just more convenient.
7) Speak softly on trains
- The Japanese are by nature soft-spoken and polite. On trains, most Japanese don't carry out conversations. Instead, they read or play with their phone. In fact, we discovered that the Japanese love to use the flip phones, the reason being that the the longer phone allows them to speak closely (and hence, softly) on the phone!
8) Bring a large suitcase, if you're a foodie
- We came back with one suitcase filled with Japanese delicacies, ranging from soba to mochis and green tea Kit Kat! In fact, the food markets was one of our favourite places to visits - Tsukiji Market and surrounding shops in Tokyo and Nishiki Market in Kyoto.
Tsukiji Market surrounding area
9) Buy your duty free Japanese whisky and sake on your way in if you don't have a direct flight home. We found out the hard way and missed out on the Japanese whisky (which can only be bought in Japan) because we were transiting in another country.
10) Go with an open-mind!
- Be open to the culture, food and people. Visit the temples and shrines, markets and department stores. Go for a cultural performance and enjoy the street fashion of Harajuku. Try some unagi and black bean tea.
- Don't be afraid of the language barrier. You'll be amazed at the generosity and graciousness of the Japanese people. Sure, we had challenges in asking for directions at Shinjuku Station as not many people whom we asked could speak English well. But we also encountered a well-spoken Japanese young man who approached us whilst we were trying to decipher the map at Shinjuku Station and went out of his way to take us to the Metropolitan Government Building.
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.
James Michener
1 comment:
Wow! you went travelling in Japan without joining any tour group. That is what we did too on our HK trip recently and our Perth trip beginning of the year. My Japan trip 2 decades ago with a tour group was really hectic and I wasn't really enjoying myself in the rush. Thanks for sharing the tips. It will come in handy for travelling on our own not only in Japan but elsewhere too.
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